Totally frustrated with Windows Live today! I've been called an MS fanboy, and probably am thanks to my preference for their "ecosystem," but after the Bing Maps fiasco and today's contact list issue, they're about ready to lose me.
I need to migrate my contacts (about 500) from one Live account to another. Until this point, I've managed my Live contacts mostly through the use of my Windows Phone 7 and Windows Live Mail (I'm not on Hotmail too much).
I've tried exporting my contacts from both Hotmail and Windows Live Mail, and tried importing into each of these. However, the fields just don't match! For example, I've put in names for the "spouse" for each of my contacts and, while they EXPORT, neither Hotmail nor WLM will IMPORT them!
Hotmail seems to have the most thorough export, but it won't even import it's entire export! WLM does an even worse job of exporting AND importing! WLM does ask me how I want to map the fields I'm importing, and matches most of them correctly, but the list of fields I can map to is incomplete, and even fields that exist in WLM don't show up in the list of mappable fields ("significant other", for example). GRRR
How can there be three distinct ways to manage a single contact database (phone, Live Mail, and Hotmail) and while they all seem to sync fine in the background, I can't export and import between them?!?
(On another note, I really don't like gMail's design, but don't like Hotmail much better. I guess I'm an old-school desktop client guy because just trying to get things done in Hotmail today really made me feel like I was using a beta! Pages weren't loading, pages were dumping me back to weird places ("Beauty of the Web?!?") and the options were tedious and counter-intuitive. I was editing a contact and couldn't for the life of me figure out where the link back to the main contact list was aside from hovering over Hotmail and clicking "Contacts" again. JUST. BAD. New features like Sweep are cool, but the design around the functionality is horrid.)
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Have searched but had no luck finding an answer. Can anyone help please ?
I have a HTC HD2 & I use MyPhone regularly to backup/sync events, messages and contacts.
I prefer to enter new calendar events on MyPhone, as it's easier to type the details in, and I can enter them quite quickly.
But there is NOWHERE near the functionality on the MyPhone website, as there is in the calendar-function of the phone itself..... eg: I cannot set an event to be recurring, or a "remind-before" alarm, etc, etc, using the MyPhone service.
The same can be said for entering new contacts using MyPhone. There simply aren't as many fields for entering details on the website UI, as there is in the phone itself.
So it seems pointless to use it at all. I fully understand that MyPhone is a generic system for backing-up details, over a wide range of phones that use WinMo, and each specific phone may have different fields to populate inside their specific contact or calendar functions.
Previous (Non-WinMo) phones that I've had (Like Nokias or SE's) have had their own specific utilities available for entering information on the PC, then sync'ing to the phone - and these incorporated all available entry fields, so that nothing was missed.... but MyPhone seems VERY basic in comparison.
So is there any other FREE programs I can use instead, to FULLY enter details in Calendar & Contacts, to then sync with the HD2 ?
Or do I have to go thru the process of adding ALL my contact/calendar events via the phone itself, if I want to populate ALL the relevant fields available????
Please Note: I DO NOT use address books or email programs, such as Outlook, that I can set up to sync. I have Win7 on my home PC which does not have Outlook or O-Express. I DO use Thunderbird for email, but don't have an Address Book saved, as I rarely email people - usually text only !!!
Bumping up.... anyone ?
If i understand u right the task is simple: open a Microsoft Excel file or Open Office Org Calc Sheet.
In one sheet u put contact with the header row containing named fields you want to sync, and all the data on the following rows, than export that file (care to have only one sheet - usually default new files have 3 sheets, so delete the rest 2 blank sheets before u save the file.)
Save file as.csv (comma separated value not .xls nor .xlsx default type for Excel / .odc for OOO Calc).
On windows 7 got to Users --> Your user --> Contacts than Import --> choose CSV (first option on 1st window) --> choose yourfile.csv (yourfile = yourfile name saved earlier) and ok.
Than also in Contacts window choose Export --> vCards than type ok
Now all your contacts with their date are also on vCard format.
Select all vCards copy/save em on SD card of your phone. Than go to phone choose Contacts -> Import/Export --> Import from SD card than choose all.
Now all your contacts with all the fields are on phone contacts.
For calendar is a bit trickier but similar.
Hope it helps.
Thanks mate..... seems fiddly, but will give that a try.
I assumed that after WinPho being out for SOOOOO long, the user interface would be much better by now, instead of having to use all these work-arounds
Cheers again
I have to ask. Why AREN'T you using outlook (either express or the regular one)?
Besides that, you have to understand that MyPhone is treated differently than outlook. The purpose isn't to act as a phonebook or calendar but to provide backup.
You can pretty much use any type of sync you like (from any POP one to IMAP, WEB.. and so forth). You can open up a gmail account and sync it with your phone so that you can sync it easily (of course, it will also sync with your myphone in case it was configured which would then provide a secondary backup (other than google).
There are plenty of cals/phonebooks wandering around the net.
nir36 said:
I have to ask. Why AREN'T you using outlook (either express or the regular one)?
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Running Win7 on home and office computers..... no Outlook, or Express, on Win7.
We also run the Open Office suite, instead of Microsoft stuff... and I'm not prepared to spend $100's buying Outlook just for this purpose.
Besides that, you have to understand that MyPhone is treated differently than outlook. The purpose isn't to act as a phonebook or calendar but to provide backup.
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That's true I guess.... Basically all I want is a program, similar to the "Suite" provided with my old Nokia's and SonyErricsons..... something you install on the computer, you can edit your contacts and calendar easily from the PC (easier and quicker to type) then sync it all to the fone. I don't understand why this isn't included as a "standard" application with Win6.5, or the HD2. I try to get by with MyPhone, but as you said, it's not it's primary purpose.
You can pretty much use any type of sync you like (from any POP one to IMAP, WEB.. and so forth). You can open up a gmail account and sync it with your phone so that you can sync it easily (of course, it will also sync with your myphone in case it was configured which would then provide a secondary backup (other than google).
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Yes - I still have to research how to do this, as the methods/instructions I've found so far are a bit daunting, confusing, fiddly to a n00b like me !!!
There are plenty of cals/phonebooks wandering around the net.
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Any you can specifically recommend? I'd prefer something free, from OpenMarket, or Handango or such like, but haven't found any as yet. I'm NOT trying to be a cheapskate.... I just figure that if I've spent $1000 (close to it) on a "Smartphone", then it should have basic things like Contact & Calendar editor for the PC included as standard
to be honest, since google are doing such a good job, i'd create a gmail account and sync my contacts and calendar with it. I'm using Exchange at work... so i don't need it.. but if i didn't have it, i'd definately use google.
try to set it up. if you stumble into some problems, let me know.
This question has been raised many times, but I couldn't find a single definite answer. To sync with Outlook there is software like Touchdown (albeit only for MS Exchange) and cloud services like Soocial and Funambol. Now, how do you sync ALL fields in Contacts, for example, if they are not 100% identical with Google? The later lets you name your phone numbers, for example which is impossible in Outlook. I am using Outlook both for business and personal, and it would be very difficult to move away from it, especially as my company uses it for business. However, I find WM 6.5, or Windows Phone 7, or Blackberry not particularly suited for my personal needs. So I bought Optimus 2X, but I have not started using it, because I don't know how to painlessly migrate to it from HTC Touch Diamond 2 with WM 6.5, which is seamlessly integrated with Outlook. I have about 1600 well-organized contacts, many tasks, recurring calendar items, almost all of them with applied custom-made Outlook categories. Filtering and sorting by categories really simplifies things. I am daunted by the task of re-categorizing all of my outlook items by hand. But I need to start using Android somehow AND desktop and laptop versions of MS Outlook with the categories I have set up. What is the least painful way to do it? I can't believe there's only me faced with this problem. Thanks for your help!
I set up my wife's droid with CompanionLink / Google. Don't know about categories or syncing with exchange, as she only uses local outlook. Checkout CompanionLink if you haven't already.
I currently use Gmail as my main email account but obviously needed a windows live account which I set up using my gmail address.
I havent really bothered sorting my contacts out before but not I have a decent phone I'm doing it so I deleted them all from Gmail and added them all to Windows live and synced to my phone no problem.
I realise I can export my windows live contacts to a CSV file and upload to Gmail which is fine.
What I really want is for all my stuff to be in Gmail on an ongoing basis.
If I therefore set google contacts to sync to my phone will they only update one way i.e. if I add someone on my phone that will sync to windows live and not gmail? If so that will be very irritating as I will need to remember to go into gmail and add all the info and duplication is what I want to avoid.
I guess this is also the same with google calendars?
Pravind said:
I currently use Gmail as my main email account but obviously needed a windows live account which I set up using my gmail address.
I havent really bothered sorting my contacts out before but not I have a decent phone I'm doing it so I deleted them all from Gmail and added them all to Windows live and synced to my phone no problem.
I realise I can export my windows live contacts to a CSV file and upload to Gmail which is fine.
What I really want is for all my stuff to be in Gmail on an ongoing basis.
If I therefore set google contacts to sync to my phone will they only update one way i.e. if I add someone on my phone that will sync to windows live and not gmail? If so that will be very irritating as I will need to remember to go into gmail and add all the info and duplication is what I want to avoid.
I guess this is also the same with google calendars?
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Well, if it didn't sync both ways, it wouldn't be 'syncing' at all then now would it? XD
Syncing stuff with a Google account works the same way as it does with a Windows Live account. Any changes you make to the account will be sync'd both ways. I use Windows Live for my contacts, and Google Calendar for my calendar and it works fine.
Just, in regards to Google Contacts, you gotta watch out for those custom fields in a contact, as they don't seem to sync properly with the phone.
Ok thanks, well if I make them both match from the start (windows live and google contacts) and set the contacts to sync with google then in theory everything should match up and be the same in all 3 places regardless of if I add a new person on windows live, google contacts or the phone.
That what you mean yeah?
What are these custom fields you speak off? I've not spotted anything in there.
Sorry I'm not very clued up on all this technology business, I presume you mean fields in google contacts that arent within windows phone 7 or windows live meaning info will be missed when synced.
Are all the fields in windows live replicated in google contacts? (I know this is a lazy question)
Pravind said:
Ok thanks, well if I make them both match from the start (windows live and google contacts) and set the contacts to sync with google then in theory everything should match up and be the same in all 3 places regardless of if I add a new person on windows live, google contacts or the phone.
That what you mean yeah?
What are these custom fields you speak off? I've not spotted anything in there.
Sorry I'm not very clued up on all this technology business, I presume you mean fields in google contacts that arent within windows phone 7 or windows live meaning info will be missed when synced.
Are all the fields in windows live replicated in google contacts? (I know this is a lazy question)
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The custom fields are fields you can define in Google contacts. For example, you can add a ton of numbers for your contacts and rename the label to whatever you want, Windows Phone only recognizes the first couple of numbers with common labels (work, home, mobile), and after that won't sync the rest. Stuff like that.
Also, while you can link an existing contact to more than one contact syncing service (for example, to both Gmail and Windows Live) on your phone, when you create a new contact on the phone, it only makes that contact in one of your services (so either Gmail or Windows Live, your choice). Because it only syncs to one service, you'll eventually have to remake the same contact on the other account in order to keep all 3 in sync if that's your plan.
Windows Live and Google Contacts share the same basic fields, its just that Google allows you to make custom fields as well and Windows Live does not.
Thank you.
From what I've seen it will always sync back to windows live if you create one on your phone as there is no way to change what you sync to windows live which means I'm always going to have to manually add things back to google which is a real pain.
It looks like the only way round this is to make them match from the start and then periodically export them and upload to google which I guess doesnt take too long but still annoying.
They should really fix that and look at upgrading windows live as its so slow and clunky to use, takes ages to browse around it when adding contacts and editing them etc
Hey gang.
I'm asking an honest question.
I used to use a Winmo6 device to run my diary-centric business using Kerio Server for OTA sync of appointments and contacts with my office.
When I migrated to iPhone I knew I would sacrifice the winmo skin with one glance calendar, and might lose some calendar functionality. I've made do since then.
I'm due a new phone. I'm loathe to pay Apple even more money for old rope when I'm sacrificing basic functionality like Exchange Calendar Appointment Categories which no iPhone PIM or Calendar apps appear to support.
I've been playing with Android and found that Touchdown and Moxier both restore this feature to my mobile device.
But WinPho is by far and away the nicest Ui i've seen yet.
Unfortunately the store demo unit that I played with indicated that the calendar app does not allow exchange/outlook categories and the appstore support for third party solutions seems limited.
Can anyone comment on this from their own practical experience and advise me please.
I'd love to think WinPho can win me back, but so disappointed that only Android seems to allow this functionality with its more open system. I'm looking for a business solution, and the best the phone store salesman could offer was "all our smartphones allow you to use Facebook!"
Sent from my HTC Flyer P510e using xda premium
SilverHelmut said:
Hey gang.
I'm asking an honest question.
I used to use a Winmo6 device to run my diary-centric business using Kerio Server for OTA sync of appointments and contacts with my office.
When I migrated to iPhone I knew I would sacrifice the winmo skin with one glance calendar, and might lose some calendar functionality. I've made do since then.
I'm due a new phone. I'm loathe to pay Apple even more money for old rope when I'm sacrificing basic functionality like Exchange Calendar Appointment Categories which no iPhone PIM or Calendar apps appear to support.
I've been playing with Android and found that Touchdown and Moxier both restore this feature to my mobile device.
But WinPho is by far and away the nicest Ui i've seen yet.
Unfortunately the store demo unit that I played with indicated that the calendar app does not allow exchange/outlook categories and the appstore support for third party solutions seems limited.
Can anyone comment on this from their own practical experience and advise me please.
I'd love to think WinPho can win me back, but so disappointed that only Android seems to allow this functionality with its more open system. I'm looking for a business solution, and the best the phone store salesman could offer was "all our smartphones allow you to use Facebook!"
Sent from my HTC Flyer P510e using xda premium
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Click to collapse
This might flame the hard core WP users and trolls but from experience, I have a WP and it's nice; it works good and does what it is supposed but from what you just said I take it that you want actual Phone functionally like on WM or Android. Granted that Outlook is easy to use, it doesn't work quite like it did on WM for one you can kiss plugging it in and using Active Sync good buy because it is not available on WP7. As a matter of fact you can actually kiss about half of your functions that are available on WM. My advice stay with WM as long as you can. WP is not WM you will be at a total lost if you switch.
Here's a good reference of Active Sync abilities of each platform. Windows phone already does most of what people need, more will come with Apollo in Summer.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_Exchange_ActiveSync_Clients
Ignore Sinister as he knows nothing about exchange.
I actually admin our network and exchange 2010 for our company...
Here is a review that touches on some of the features
http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/27/windows-phone-7-5-mango-review/
It does pretty much everything windows mobile did with exchange + more. The only thing it doesn't do is on device encryption, and show multiple appointments on the lockscreen or live tile (it only shows next but if you click on the live tile it will go right to agenda view by default.
Also not the above post by the person above this shows the policies it suppports. You will note it says attachments no - that means that the admin can't block attachments, not that the email client cannot get it.
Thanks for that.
I'm in the position where, unless I see a feature in action for myself on a demo machine, I don't know if it is really the same thing.
Can someone WITH the device, who syncs an ojtlook calendar via exchange, advise me of the following...
In Outlook2007 I have 10 categories set up and colour coded to help me identify job origins for my subcontracting and to aid billing. I assign my calendar dates such a category.
With iOS cal, and previously Anxroid cal, I can sync exchange, and create appointments, but cannot see or assign categories which means I have to go back to Outlook2007 to fill in the gaps.
With Touchdown on Android I can now not onlt see the categories in Touchdown, but I can use them and assign them to events.
I am hoping that WinPho can also see, display and utilise these Outlook2007 event categories. Is that correct?
Wikipedia entry for Outlook Mobile confirms calendar categories support, but how complete is it?
Sent from my HTC Flyer P510e using xda premium
SilverHelmut said:
Thanks for that.
I'm in the position where, unless I see a feature in action for myself on a demo machine, I don't know if it is really the same thing.
Can someone WITH the device, who syncs an ojtlook calendar via exchange, advise me of the following...
In Outlook2007 I have 10 categories set up and colour coded to help me identify job origins for my subcontracting and to aid billing. I assign my calendar dates such a category.
With iOS cal, and previously Anxroid cal, I can sync exchange, and create appointments, but cannot see or assign categories which means I have to go back to Outlook2007 to fill in the gaps.
With Touchdown on Android I can now not onlt see the categories in Touchdown, but I can use them and assign them to events.
I am hoping that WinPho can also see, display and utilise these Outlook2007 event categories. Is that correct?
Wikipedia entry for Outlook Mobile confirms calendar categories support, but how complete is it?
Sent from my HTC Flyer P510e using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, tested this as i never use categories in exchange. It DOES NOT support the colors for categories.
This review was post no do from pocket now but also says the same as it is now.
"The Calendar is another place you'll probably spend a lot of time since it's important that your smartphone help manage your schedule. A great new feature is support for multiple calendars from different accounts such as Exchange, Windows Live, and Gmail. You can set a different color for each calendar account. Categories do not have their own colors like in Outlook on the desktop. You might also notice that there are only 3 calendar views; Day, Agenda, and Month. Week and Year views are gone. I never really used week view, so I won't miss it"
Now some argue they want week view but if you use exchange you no as well as i that you really can't read week view very well if you have a lot of appointments. Month view shows days you have appointments but they are too small to read and it's really just for seeing if you have anything going on that day and going to the day by clicking on it to read it in full. The agenda view though is great and it supports multiple calendars on the same view ( i have 2, hotmail that i use for personal and exchange). Now each of these are color coded and you choose the color. I think the category you saw was for the contacts and not the calendar. It does have the todo and in settings you can make your tasks show up in the calendar. I also tested categories in todo and it makes no difference. It does however allow you to show the tasks in the calendar if you go to settings and set it to show todo's.
I am thinking most built in apps do not show categories as touchdown was 3rd party.
It also supports out of office assistant and for meetings there is a quick i'm running late button that will send everyone in the meeting a message that you are running late for a meeting.
It also supports searching the GAL in your contacts "search outlook directory" if you don't have a contact locally.
Oh and for categories, i never used colors. instead i, myself usually make it part of the appointment like - Meeting with consumer - billable, or meeting with consumer - non-billable
Reason being in outlook you can search for everything with the word billable or non-billable for reference and it will display all of them as a list. (Nice for printing) with start and end time / date. i don't think that i know of you can show only certain categories. This may or may not work for you though. Just the way i do it.
If you have any other questions with exchange, i'd be glad to answer them truthfully.
oh btw at my office we use outlook 2010 and exchange 2010 so it's not the version of outlook you are using that doesn't do the categories. it's the phone.
Hi, yes I know, there are myriads of ugly workarounds, "exports", plugs-n-bugs, "connectors", "Exchange" accounts, etc.
But is there a simple, dedicated application (app, whatever) that allows a non-corporate user with existing private Outlook on his PC to have his Contacts, Calendar, Tasks and at least few of latest emails in Inbox and Sent Items to sync in ONE simple step?
Not some complicated, split, multi-step process that needs constant attention, but a solution that every user can implement - most likely, a central storage for user's Outlook data. I dont mind "confidentiality" and that my Outlook data is in the "cloud", just need a simple solution.
To give one little example - even something as basic as Contacts sync, requires some abra-cadabra "connector" but even if you pass the seven gates (and must from then use a separate "Hotmail" folder for your contacts in you OWN Outlook), even then, Windows Live reject any contact with more than 1,000 charachters AND for "invalid" email addresses, which you have to hunt-for in your existing contacts...Tasks sync? Dont even mention. Mincrosoft copies even the "we tell you what you need" of Apple here.
If there is a "one-click" solution for this glaring omission, what is it and perhaps people are already working on an App? If there isnt, why not - is there some Microsoft lock-down in the Outlook or the WP7 that prevents it?
I gave up a little while ago and just switched to Windows Live Mail. Does all the things I need it to and its free.
Are you asking about this >> http://help.outlook.com/en-US/140/gg583824.aspx
asherpat said:
Hi, yes I know, there are myriads of ugly workarounds, "exports", plugs-n-bugs, "connectors", "Exchange" accounts, etc.
But is there a simple, dedicated application (app, whatever) that allows a non-corporate user with existing private Outlook on his PC to have his Contacts, Calendar, Tasks and at least few of latest emails in Inbox and Sent Items to sync in ONE simple step?
Not some complicated, split, multi-step process that needs constant attention, but a solution that every user can implement - most likely, a central storage for user's Outlook data. I dont mind "confidentiality" and that my Outlook data is in the "cloud", just need a simple solution.
To give one little example - even something as basic as Contacts sync, requires some abra-cadabra "connector" but even if you pass the seven gates (and must from then use a separate "Hotmail" folder for your contacts in you OWN Outlook), even then, Windows Live reject any contact with more than 1,000 charachters AND for "invalid" email addresses, which you have to hunt-for in your existing contacts...Tasks sync? Dont even mention. Mincrosoft copies even the "we tell you what you need" of Apple here.
If there is a "one-click" solution for this glaring omission, what is it and perhaps people are already working on an App? If there isnt, why not - is there some Microsoft lock-down in the Outlook or the WP7 that prevents it?
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Click to collapse
Windows live would be the easier way or to connect to live and your home email at same time. The problem is home accounts such as calendar have to email or tasks to sync. Since syncing is done over the air, windows phone can access comcast's email for example. but comcast does not provide anything else. So solution would be, create a hotmail / live account to sync. You must have one anyway for windows phone. In outlook sync to same hotmail and add your other account as a 2ndary. Add the other account on windows phone also.
Problem solved. Outlook will sync calendar and contacts / tasks to windows live and your phone will retrieve it from there. For email they will be both sync both accounts.
Hope this makes sense, but it will work that way.