[Q] Will Windows Phone 7 Sync with Outlook that is not connected via Exchange?

[janemanno1]

The question on my mind is, will Windows Phone 7 Sync with Outlook that is not connected via Exchange?

I don't care about the emails but Contacts, Appointments & Tasks are important.

I hear about the Outlook connector but it seems to me that my PIM data will be moved over to LIVE account and then get synced.

I have a personal and a business domain that are hosted somewhere and I use outlook to get all my emails. I don't want to sync/copy my personal & business contacts on windows live mail. I have been waiting for WP7 to come out in lieu of getting a new mobile and this is not encouraging.

I assume Zune software will be upgraded to do most of the job.

Have I been reading wrong articles? Please guide me and correct me.

 

[The Gate Keeper]

from what i read contacts/appointments will only be through activesync. i don't believe tasks are working as of yet.

how are you connecting outlook to your personal and business domains? to get anything more than email alone (pop/imap), you would have to have some protocol (e.g. exchange) in place to allow the rest to flow through.

 

[janemanno1]

Thanks

I am using POP3 at the moment and I don't believe the hosting provider gives me IMAP but I can live with it.

So ActiveSync or Windows Mobile Device Center will still work to sync? I heard any talking to the device will only be done via Zune Software!

 

[truffle1234]

i thought sop too.. that zune software will be doing the sync insted of the active sync or windows device manager...

as MS will have some provision to sync with outlook or express...

i am waiting for the devices to be out in the market..


dell and HTC HDD is the one i am looking for...

 

[janemanno1]

I posted a question in MSDN forums and I am not getting clears answers there.

http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Fo...s/thread/fb28aeec-7dbb-4c92-890a-a7763ae82b60

 

[prjkthack]

The Windows Phone Radio podcast has answered this question and they say that there is full Outlook integration, and that's aside from the already robust Exchange ActiveSync capabilities.

 

[janemanno1]

Thank you. That is a sigh of relief. I am going to get one now as soon as possible.

Spoke too soon. Other posts clarify that it will not be supported.

 

[scoob101]

I cannot believe that WP7 does not sync with outlook. This is a dealbreaker for me, I have to be able to sync my work laptops outlook calendar and contacts with my phone!!

I was just about to buy one, looks like I`ll be forced to buy android.

Bummer.

 

[janemanno1]

WP7 will sync with outlook but not OFFLINE outlook i.e. Outlook not connected to Exchange or Cloud. So if you want to move your contacts and all apointments from PST file to WP7, you have to sync them to the cloud first.

 

[scoob101]

I was hunting around last night looking for a solution to this, and the only software I can find which will perform a periodic sync of my work outlook calendar up into the cloud is google calendar sync - the irony that I`m forced to use google to solve this problem is not lost on me!!

I know there is a microsoft supplied outlook addin for hotmail - but its not much good for this problem - you have to MANUALLY drag appointments from outlook calendar to get them up into the cloud.

I would be interested to hear how others are going to address this problem - are there other solutions out there??

 

[janemanno1]

Doesn't look to me that there is a solution to this sort of wait for someone to write a program to do so or have MS release an update to Zune to do so.

 

[scoob101]

Doesn't look to me that there is a solution to this sort of wait for someone to write a program to do so or have MS release an update to Zune to do so.

I think theres lot of ways round this, I just posted one method already!!!

Interested to hear how others will approach it.

 

[janemanno1]

That is the whole point. I don't want to put my personal and businee contacts and appointments onto the CLOUD. I just don't trust them with the privacy and security.

 

[scoob101]

That is the whole point. I don't want to put my personal and businee contacts and appointments onto the CLOUD. I just don't trust them with the privacy and security.

I hear you, and Im not super keen on the concept either.

The only smartphone that nativley supports local outlook sync is iphone.

 

[janemanno1]

Well then that sux. I am all for WP7 par this. Any one has any idea about the REAL technical reasons behind this?

 

[rexian]

This doesn't sound encouraging.

I too have a similar issue. My company doesn't allow connecting to the Exchange server from personal phones and local Outlook sync was the only way for me to keep track of the meetings / tasks (also contacts) through my personal phone (Fuze).

 

[scoob101]

Well then that sux. I am all for WP7 par this. Any one has any idea about the REAL technical reasons behind this?

There is no specific technical barrier that stops this. Its a conscious design decision to leave it out.

And theres no guarantee that MS` new closed approach to WP7 will mean that 3rd parties are allowed to write a local sync solution, either. Time will tell on that one.

The cloud is the future, aparrently, like it or not.

 

[xma1e]

I am also concerned about my Outlook data. having my data in the Cloud bothers me too, I want the data with me not online. It doesn't matter how careful I am with data, anthing that is not under my direct control is at risk.

For example I have an email address shared only with friends which was all fine until one of my friend fell foul of a social network scam, not my email address is out in the wild and I'm recieving spam. i may be tech savvy, but some people should be allowed near a PC or phone. I don't want to put personal data in the Cloud only to have someone hack MS and gain access. Can you image a list of peoples diary saying where they are and when they are not at home, please come and rob me.

 

[scoob101]

I am also concerned about my Outlook data. having my data in the Cloud bothers me too, I want the data with me not online. It doesn't matter how careful I am with data, anthing that is not under my direct control is at risk.

For example I have an email address shared only with friends which was all fine until one of my friend fell foul of a social network scam, not my email address is out in the wild and I'm recieving spam. i may be tech savvy, but some people should be allowed near a PC or phone. I don't want to put personal data in the Cloud only to have someone hack MS and gain access. Can you image a list of peoples diary saying where they are and when they are not at home, please come and rob me.

Take a pragmatic look at what data about you is out there on the internet and make a considered, risk based approach. If after that you still don`t like contacts and calendar events in the cloud, WP7 is not for you.

 

[xma1e]

Take a pragmatic look at what data about you is out there on the internet and make a considered, risk based approach. If after that you still don`t like contacts and calendar events in the cloud, WP7 is not for you.

Very little is out there about me that I don't want out there. There's a difference between what is out there and what PERSONAL information I have in Outlook, which includes my diary, past and present, things I need to do, notes I make, etc.

I plan to look at WP7 once the devices are out and find out how things work myself before making a judgement either way. At the moment it's all speculation because very few people have their hands on one.