Contact Management

[ATS]

I currently use Google Apps for my email and contacts, it's easy to setup with my Android phone, and the contacts sync between the phone and Google. However I use Outlook on my laptop and desktop PC, which don't sync contacts with my Gmail, they save the addresses of people I email a lot, but If I go to email someone on my desktop I have to pull out my phone or laptop to find there address.

What are you using to keep your email contacts in order between all your devices? Is there a better way for me to do this, like using Gmail webmail instead of Outlook? Which I don't really want to do but if I need to I could switch.

 

[TechMonster]

Use Thunderbird and you can get a add-on to sync contacts with your gmail. This is the setup I use with my desktop and android phone.
Travis

 

[Xander]

Have you tried the google?

 

[HubCityPC]

I currently use Google Apps for my email and contacts, it's easy to setup with my Android phone, and the contacts sync between the phone and Google. However I use Outlook on my laptop and desktop PC, which don't sync contacts with my Gmail.

Google Apps syncs just fine with Outlook. If you already have an Outlook profile, when you install the Google Apps Sync for Outlook, it will create a new profile. When you start Outlook you will be prompted for which profile you want to launch. The reason I mention this is because this can cause problems if Android is anything like the iPhone and you are currently syncing existing contacts/calendars locally. It will stop syncing new local data. I have a few accounts setup in Outlook as well as my Google Apps account and I wanted to keep those accounts including my non-business contacts and calendars separate from my Google Apps data.

If you want to do both, you will need to first set your original Outlook profile as the default (control panel-->mail), sync your device then switch Outlook back to prompt you for which profile you want to launch at startup. Once you have done this, you will be able to sync local data to your phone successfully and of course Google Apps will sync your business stuff over the air.

 

[ATS]

I thought that Google Apps sync has a monthly fee though?

 

[HubCityPC]

I thought that Google Apps sync has a monthly fee though?

The actual sync software is free but a Google Apps account with your own domain is required and that runs $50 per seat/email address per year. It allows you to use an alias through your account if you so choose. You just have to add the domain under your account.

M$ is about to launch Office 365 which be an alternative to Google Apps. It will offer Exchange, Sharepoint, etc. Early reports indicate that it will run between $60 and $65 per user per year. I would assume it will offer better integration with the entire Office suite as opposed to being limited to just Outlook. Worth looking at IMO....

 

[ATS]

Hmm sounds interesting, thanks for the suggestions.