New Droid X user with questions regarding email, calendar and contacts

[ipster]

Hi all.

I've had my Droid since the end of December. The ability to receive my MSN email is definitely not up to par with the BB curve I had. I've been on the phone with Verizon tech support because my emails don't show up on my phone unless I go into the mail icon and hit refresh (it is set to push every 15 mins but that sometimes work and sometimes doesn't). I have three email accounts: MSN (internet based), ATT (on Outlook), and now GMAIL because I have an Adroid phone. I'm thinking of using GMAIL now as my primary email because it doesn't seem as if there is as much of an issue receiving it.

Here are some questions I have that have sent me all over the internet looking for answers.

When I first got this phone I read about all the issues with Outlook and syncing calendar and contacts so I just did the google sync and got my google calendar set up on the web so entries I make in my phone are backed up somewhere. I would have liked to use the outlook 2007 but I don't know if I can sync my contacts and calendar so that when I make updates to my phone or my outlook they will show up in the other one. From all the stuff I've read you have to use another software program. With the BB you just used Blackberry Desktop Manager and you could sync both ways.

Ideally what I'd love to be able to do is set up my gmail and msn email to come through outlook (like I have my ATT set up through my DSL provider) and have my contacts and calendar sync with outlook. This way I wouldn't have to go to Gmail on the web, MSN on the web and Outlook 2007 for ATT email. I'm pretty sure the email set up wont be that hard on Outlook 2007 but right now the only contacts that are showing up in my web Gmail are the ones that I've added since I got the phone and none of my other contacts on my phone are showing up there.

Is there a way to set up all three accounts in Outlook 2007 and then take my contacts and calendar off my phone and sync with Outlook. Right now my Outlook 2007 hasn't been updated since I got my new phone and I haven't used the calendar function. I just have the google calendar on the web as a back up. I just don't like the idea of everything being in so many places....my MSN email is on on the web, my gmail is on the web, my calendar is on the web and my contacts are just on my phone.

I'm not tech savy and that is why I liked the blackberry because everything sync'ed both ways.

Thanks!

 

[schneid]

Try Companion Link. Expensive but works.

 

[ipster]

When I first set up Companion Link will it merge my contacts and calendar? In the past month the most up to date calendar and contacts are on my phone. I don't have any contacts right now in gmail except what I've added to my phone in the past month.

I want the calendar and contacts on my phone to over ride the calendar and contacts on GMAIL and Outlook 2007.

Thanks.

 

[ipster]

Try Companion Link. Expensive but works.

Is it just a one time fee of $39.95? There is no monthly fee after that is there?

 

[schneid]

Just purchase price. You can get a 14 day trial. I first exported my Outlook 07 Contacts and Calendar via CSV to Google hoping the format would be on the same page. Worked pretty well but there will be glitches. The slightest difference will create a dupe. Been using three weeks now and everybody is on the same page. Just need to keep smashing the discrepancies until there are none. You have a choices about what to sync, which way to sync, who wins disputes, etc.

Since you want the phone to rule it will always agree with Google, I think you can set it up for Outlook to bow to Google.

Other options are Googles Calendar only sync, gSync-it, and Google Corporate or whatever it is called. You can fool it into thinking you are using exchange. I finally settled on Companion Link as it worked and caused the less pain.