Direct syncing -- no Google required

[SpeedVX]

It looks like we're getting closer to being able to use the Droid without putting our information in the cloud -- both Mark Space and Companion Link have betas available now for direct sync between the Droid and your computer.

I tried the beta for Mark Space's Missing Sync last night -- right now on the Droid it only works for Contacts and data files.

I have to admit, it just didn't work right for me (the Droid and computer connected wirelessly via WiFi (nice) but didn't seem to sync properly (not so nice)). Then again that could be because I was doing it at 1am.

And I just got an email that the beta for CompanionLink's USB solution for Droid is now available. From reading the email it seems to be more full-featured than Missing Sync right now -- along with Contacts it also looks like it'll be syncing Calendar, Tasks and Notes.

I'll be trying them both out this weekend to see what the state of the betas might be, but its definitely encouraging!

Missing Sync for Android -- Keep your life in sync with The Missing Sync for Android from Mark/Space

CompanionLink -- USB sync Android phones with Outlook, Lotus Notes, GroupWise, ACT!, and Palm Desktop

 

[herki]

I use Missing Sync on my Mac. I like it better because I can sync my music onto my Droid through it. Not sure if Windows computers have this feature though.

Also, it's a little more difficult than I'd like it to be, since my music is on an external hard drive, and Missing Sync can't handle this. So I have to duplicate my iTunes library xml file into the place it looks for it. Aargh. Still worth it however.

 

[Zorro1]

Oh, yay. This is why God kept me too busy to get my Droid this week! I really didn't want to cloud sync, and wanted to keep Palm Desktop. Yipee! Thank you thank you thank you...CompanionLink rocks. And apparently the only outfit that really 'gets it'. We don't want no stinkin' clouds!

 

[DERacing]

Been looking for something like this.

Just not so sure I am ready to drop $40 on something in beta.

 

[SpeedVX]

So I just tried out CL and I'm a bit disappointed.

First, the contacts didn't sync. I'm not exactly sure what I'm doing wrong that I can't get them to sync up with either application, but that's a huge fail whale (either on me or them).

Second, CL also syncs calendar info (including multiple Outlook calendars), tasks and memos, but they go into CL apps (Events, Tasks and Memos). Events is very sparse right now -- CL admits that there is only a "Day" mode and that Week and Month views will be coming. But right now the view is basically an agenda view -- you get a straight list of calendar items. I was also hoping for some sort of visual differentiation between items from different calendars (I maintain separate Outlook calendars for myself, my wife and my son so I can keep all our schedules in one place), but in CL it all shows up looking the same.

I have to admit, the native calendar app is much more visually appealing.

The task manager is also quite simple. There are a couple of ways to configure it but I've been spoiled by the complexity and power of the GTD based task managers available in the Market. Even though this syncs to Outlook (which is great) there are a couple things I wish it were able to do -- even just allowing for multiple categories per item would be huge.

Its also a bit disappointing from a design standpoint that getting into your calendar, tasks or memos is a multiple-step process -- you have to launch the Companion Sync software on the Droid, hit the menu button and select one of them.

I'll continue to fiddle with both the Missing Sync and Companion Link over the weekend to see if I can actually get the contacts to sync properly with each one. My initial impressions, though, aren't great on CL just because I'm not crazy about the calendar or tasks.

 

[Clcto]

SpeedVX,

I'm happy to see you tried CompanionLink USB. I'm sorry to see you were disappointed. I can address a couple issues right here:

For Contacts; we found on development that a) Every Android device handles contacts differently and b) the internal structures are very weak, not even a "list", and lacking in Categories, which makes the app difficult to add data programatically. What exact phone are you using? Eris, Droid, Cliq and Hero all work differently with regard to how Contacts are handled internally.

I would suggest calling technical support and giving them the phone type, and they can help you understand what to see and how to see it.

For Calendar, Tasks and Memos we had to write our own apps. The good news is they are standard across Android devices. The bad news is we wrote them all in a few weeks. We are continuing rapid development on all the apps, and hope to also improve and standardize Contacts for all devices in the short-term future.

For tasks, our goal is not GDT task managers, but Outlook features and also similar features in Palm Desktop, Lotus Notes and other PC Contact managers like ACT! We'll add multiple categories this week as I think that was just an oversight that we only support single categories for Tasks.

For Calendars for three people, the best way is to use Colors. I don't think we have colors supported yet, but that will be something we add very shortly. So that means we'll match Outlook colors on the Android Calendar.

Finally, for launch process, we will be adding icons and reducing steps for each device. Our main focus for the initial development has simply been to get the sync right. That process got mired into an understanding that Android APIs represent not a single platform, but a set of platforms that vary by OS version, manufacturer and carrier.

I hope this information helps. If anyone needs further details or immediate help CompanionLink offers free technical support by phone and email. Information on the website.

Wayland Bruns, CTO
CompanionLink Software, Inc.
www.companionlink.com

 

[Zorro1]

Thanks, Wayland, and let me say again on behalf of all of us who prefer a desktop sync,

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Zorro1]

And I wonder, given that, should I let VZW migrate my contacts today or just do it myself with the sync?

 

[jdwx]

Wow, this is much of what I'm looking for in the Droid realm before.I jump from Blackberry. Local machine Outlook (non Google cloud) sync would bring it close to sealing the deal for me.

Looking forward to seeing this develop. Bravo

 

[Hardcase]

Don't get Missing Sync. I've tried many, many times to get it to work to no avail. Customer service tried to help. After two rounds of support, I've not heard from them again. Lousy product and bad customer support.

 

[Zorro1]

CL is still updating. Direct sync now working well with one button push. The only problem is that it had previously replicated my contact list like eight horny rabbits, and now have to figure out the best way to kill the offspring! But the CL USB works very well to my Palm Desktop. No cloud.