How to Sync your Outlook Calendar, Google Calendar and Android Phone Calendar

by Antonio Wells May 12, 2009 5:00 AM – 164 Comments

Video: How To Sync Android With Microsoft Outlook

Many of us new Androids use Microsoft Outlook regularly for email without Exchange. Now that you have an Android phone (which requires you to have a Gmail account) you have a separate calendar in Gmail which your Android phone can easily sync with. This tutorial walks you through how to enable you to synchronize your Outlook calendar with Google calendar which will sync with your Android phone. This makes things very convenient and uniform when you can enter information in either and they all stay synchronized… and all for Free!

How to do it:

Update: Unfortunately, Google removed their Google Calendar Sync software, you will have to find an alternative by searching download sites… link below.

Get download link here
Enter your Gmail account information
Select 2-Way sync as this will sync your Outlook with Gmail
Set sync interval in minutes
That’s it!

Note: to force the sync, simply “Right-Click” the Google Sync icon in your task tray (bottom right), click “Sync”.

Google Calendar Sync in Taskbar

Whether you enter calendar entries in Microsoft Outlook, Gmail or your Android phone, all places will be synced. For example, you add an entry on your Android phone, which will eventually sync with Gmail; later in the day you get back to your computer and open Outlook in which Google Calendar Sync will sync with Gmail.

Want to give your input on how to sync your life with your Android? Post tips for the rest of the Android Community by visiting Sync Your Life

Categorised in: Android Advice, Apps Blog, News

164 Comments

By Tony S. on May 13, 2009 at 2:08 am:

Can this be used to synchronize tasks?

Reply
- By Android Tapp on May 13, 2009 at 9:26 am:
  
  @Tony unfortunately this cant sync Tasks, only Calendars. There is a software called “CompanionLink” that claims to sync Outlook Tasks, Contacts and Calendars to Android, but I never got it to work… so left it alone.
  
  Reply
  - By Michael on August 17, 2010 at 6:42 am:
    
    Touchdown for android is great. AND, you don’t need the higher priced data plan with Verizon. Calendar, tasks, contacts, email including your choice of subfolders unlike old corporate email that chose them all.
    
    Reply
    - By Paul on September 10, 2010 at 3:25 pm:
      
      problem is that it does not sync scheduled events that were invited by others through outlook. Very frustrating!!
      
      Reply
      - By Ang on September 11, 2010 at 2:01 pm:
        
        You might be able to find an answer at the following link: http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/Calendar/thread?tid=02166cbb08d34084&hl=en&start=80
  - By estera on November 30, 2010 at 7:22 am:
    
    can I use C2 Exchange Sync to synchronise my Outlook calendar and contacts which i have on Exchange Server with my Android Phone?
    I refer to this information:
    http://www.codetwo.com/exchange-folder-sync/?sts=209
    
    Reply
    - By Mr Crusher on November 30, 2010 at 9:46 am:
      
      Yes, but it would cost you minimally $390 for the software. Go to http://www.syncdroid.net to look up all available solutions, but I’d try Roadsync or TouchDown.
      
      Reply
  - By Peter on January 26, 2011 at 4:34 pm:
    
    If I enter an appointment into Outlook 2007 or Google Calendar, they sync with each other and my Android phone, Appointments entered on the phone sync only with Google not Outlook. Tried to force Google & Outlook to sync too – no go?
    
    Reply
    - By Jos Houtenbos on March 12, 2011 at 6:18 am:
      
      Peter,
      
      Did you find a solution to your problem? I have the same problem, except that any event entered on my Lenovo LePhone (Android 1.6?) will not show up on either in the gMail calender nor Outlook. Events entered in either do show up on my phone.
      
      Hope you can help! Jos
      
      Reply
  - By Ken on March 6, 2011 at 7:09 am:
    
    Android app Jorte is excellent, and free on the market.
    
    Reply
- By cowcow on October 11, 2010 at 10:26 pm:
  
  Try this one, VCOrganizer for Android. It costs little, but can sync Notes, Tasks and Categories with MSOutlook 2007/2010 client.
  
  Reply
  - By Eric on October 17, 2010 at 11:23 am:
    
    Thanks, I will give it a try…
    
    Reply
- By Rick on November 6, 2010 at 10:51 pm:
  
  I do not have an exchange server at work, but can’t live without outlook. Love android phone, but frustrated that I couldn’t sync everything. I currently use a third party exchange server at mailstreet.com. It cost’s me about 11.95 monthly, which brings the cost of data up to what I paid for blackberry. For me it is worth it. Use it with touchdown at nitrodesk.com and it’s perfect. You get everything. Email reaches my phone about 30 seconds ahead of my computer. Everything is sync’d all the time. Worth it for me.
  
  Reply
By Tim on June 26, 2009 at 7:05 am:

Also can’t sync to an alternative Google calendar, so you can’t use this to sync to a ‘work’ calendar separate from your default calendar.

Also note it doesn’t work with old versions of Outlook.

Reply
- By mike on May 29, 2010 at 4:16 pm:
  
  doesn’t work with the current version of outlook either.
  
  Reply
- By Capone on September 1, 2010 at 5:09 am:
  
  I found a workaround to this problem with alternative calender:
  http://cybernetnews.com/using-google-calendar-sync-without-your-default-calendar/
  
  Reply
By JTF on October 15, 2009 at 9:43 am:

I was at the Sprint store the other day playing with the HTC Hero. I noticed on the calendars that there isn’t an option to “invite” other people to new appointments. Is this possible in any way?

Reply
By Mike on November 3, 2009 at 4:27 pm:

What Google doesn’t tell you is that Google Calendar makes your outlook calendar public and this is a big no-no in a corporate setting.
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9016920/Corporate_data_slips_out_via_Google_Calendar

Plus Google is known to sue companies whose employees install “free” software on corporate machines. So can we really trust them on Google Calendar? Not likely.

Bottom line: The Google Android outlook application should sync the calendar like it does email. I can’t believe some of what Google left out on Android G1. It’s enough to make me go back to blackberry or check into an iphone. It’s that bad.

Reply
- By Android Tapp on November 3, 2009 at 7:12 pm:
  
  @Mike Good article but this sync does not publish your calendar events to the Public unless you purposely set that as your default setting. Default is set to Private.
  
  Reply
  - By Stephen Bent on July 14, 2010 at 9:55 am:
    
    I also have an issue with syncing.
    My understanding with Android is that to sync it with Outlook Calendar you MUST go through Google Calendar.
    The issue is that Google can’t handle calendar conflicts which I actively use.
    This has been preventing me going to android handsets, leaving me high & dry with an old WinMo handset.
    Outlook, WinMo, and even iPhone can handle conflicts – I wish google would sort this out!
    Anyone got any stable workarounds?? (Other calendar apps that sync directly with Outlook or a way to get GCal to handle conflicts??
    
    Reply
    - By Ralph on July 24, 2010 at 8:37 am:
      
      The question here is why can’t I simply sync Outook data with Android app phone book, calendar, mail, etc?
      I think the answer is simple, Google does’t want to provide an interface to Microsoft applications. They still force users to log into Google. It is obvious.
      
      Reply
      - By Tony on November 12, 2010 at 2:37 pm:
        
        This stuff is really concerning. I am looking to get an Android phone but i expected to easily port my Outlook info into the new handset when I get it. I have a very old windows handset which is now slow but everything on it works well. I would have expected Android setup to make all this easy but it does not seems like that from reading this list.
      - By Mr Crusher on November 12, 2010 at 4:59 pm:
        
        Everyone needs to understand a few things. First of all, Android is open source. When Motorola, HTC, Samsung, or whoever designs an Android device, they tailor the Android OS and apps to their own liking. Google does not control it. Some Android devices have Google stripped completely out (think China). With that in mind, it should be very clear that Google is not responsible for sabotaging or enhancing your ability to sync Outlook (or any other PIM) with your Android device. What should also be clear is the Android vendor is the one responsible for making an Outlook sync solution if they choose to do so.
        
        There are many software solutions these days that sync Outlook Calendar, Contacts, Tasks, and Notes with Google Calendar, Contacts, Tasks, and Docs. They can then be synced with your Android.
        
        There are also many solutions available to sync Outlook items directly to the Android using a USB cable or Wi-Fi, or wirelessly through a non-Google source.
        
        The original article was written by Antonio to help people sync their Outlook calendars to their Androids. Thank you, Antonio. The article was well done, even including descriptive pictures.
        
        I said this before and I’ll say it again. If you want the other solutions for syncing, you can find them all listed in one place: http://www.syncdroid.net.
- By Eric on October 3, 2010 at 7:26 pm:
  
  I am looking into getting rid of my Palm but am concerned about some of the migration problems you and others mention with Outlook. Any news on this front that you know of? Specifically, syncing contacts, tasks and Calendar? Thanks
  
  Reply
  - By ann on October 25, 2010 at 8:58 pm:
    
    I have just replaced my palm with the palm pre thinking I could install outlook on the phone, however I am finding out I can sync my outlook calendar as the other notes on this page have listed. I opened a gmail account to set up this sync. I still am not sure if I can get outlook on my new palm.????help???
    
    my problem is that now my notes and tasks and color coded calendar events are not avaliable. I have worked around the color codeing of calendar events however I have not figured how to program reoccuring tasks. any help?
    
    Reply
By Grant Robertson on November 6, 2009 at 2:51 pm:

Hey, I got my Outlook calendar sync’d up to Google just fine but nothing seems to be happening on the Android phone. Do I just need to wait a while? Or do I need to use a specific calendar app or what?

Android 2.0 on Motorola Droid

Reply
- By Android Tapp on November 6, 2009 at 4:00 pm:
  
  Go to “Settings > Data synchronization” is Gmail checked as well as others?
  
  Reply
  - By Grant Robertson on November 9, 2009 at 10:54 am:
    
    As it turns out I had tried an app that turned of synchronization in order to save battery. I just re-enabled sync and it worked fine.
    
    Reply
  - By Dan on January 14, 2010 at 10:36 am:
    
    Thanks, that was all that was missing for me.
    
    Reply
  - By Bobbie on January 20, 2010 at 5:36 pm:
    
    I’ve been fooling around with my new Droid HTC Eris all afternoon. Running Outlook 2003 (XP Pro) and finally downloaded an outside prg to sync Outlook with Google Calendars and it worked like a champ. NOW however, my HTC calendar won’t sync up with the Google Calendar. This is a real pain in the butt for a simple application that I NEED TO WORK. I checked to see if my ‘gmail’ was also checked for syncing and it wasn’t but I checked it now and still no sync’ing. Now where do I go? Need to download another pgm? I’m really not happy with my phone, Google or any of this. I may just go back to my ‘dumb’ phone and enter my calendar stuff there – At least it worked, gave me an alarm and I even got to enter tasks and set alarms to remind me. Any help would be appreciated.
    
    Reply
    - By Ed on January 21, 2010 at 9:52 am:
      
      Thank you for the tip I went to settings and found the calendar choice was still unchecked.
      
      Peace out!
      
      Reply
    - By Dan on April 21, 2010 at 10:04 pm:
      
      Bobbie,
      
      thanks for the post. what is the name of the software you use to sync contacts and tasks? i have the calendar sync working fine but need to sync the rest now.
      
      Dan
      
      Reply
    - By James on June 3, 2010 at 3:07 pm:
      
      When you add an event to your HTC calendar, choose your Google account from the drop down menu at the very top. When you sync it will appear in your Google calendar.
      
      This works for me on my HTC Desire.
      
      I haven’t found a way to change events I had already created from ‘My Calendar’ to my Google account, so I just recreated those in the cloud.
      
      Reply
- By Paul on September 10, 2010 at 3:28 pm:
  
  When you are in the calender hit refresh- the only problem is that events invited by others for meetings in outlook and so forth are not synced to Google at all and there is no way to get them in the calender except manually
  
  Reply
By Katie on November 9, 2009 at 10:14 am:

I have tried this but it completely skips recurring appointments… Any thoughts on this? Tips? Hints?

Reply
- By Android Tapp on November 9, 2009 at 10:48 am:
  
  How are the recurring appointments created: on phone, online with Gmail Calendar, or in Outlook?
  
  Reply
  - By Rick on November 11, 2009 at 4:57 pm:
    
    I have the same issue with recurring appointments, as well as non-recurring, if I was invited by someone else. They don’t sync with Google Calendar and therefore don’t sync with the Android Calendar. If I create the appointment, it works fine.
    
    Reply
- By Marygrace on November 10, 2010 at 3:35 pm:
  
  I still can’t get it to work. I can’t find the data synchronization to check in the settings. And I keep getting duplicates in my calendar. Very strange! Any help appreciated.
  
  Reply
By gary on November 11, 2009 at 10:50 pm:

i use outlook for e-mail, calander, contact, and notes. i use to have a treo which verizon synced with by virtue of a program (called pc monitor) constantly running on my desktop. the sync worked great. i am trying to get same results now that i switched to a droid but can not find a way to get itto work. any idea would be appreciated. btw Companionlink doesnt do e-mail sync

Reply
By Android Tapp on November 11, 2009 at 11:08 pm:

We all have been struggling with an all-in-one solution to sync Outlook email, calendar and tasks with Gmail (hopefully Google addresses this problem).

In my setup, I’ve switched mostly to Google Apps for Email, Calendar and stopped using Tasks because there’s no easy way to sync them yet it is possible… see my tips in this app review http://www.androidtapp.com/astrid-task-todo-list/ how you can use Astrid plus Remember the Milk service which syncs with Google Tasks as a Lab addon.

Reply
- By momentoid on February 16, 2010 at 1:13 pm:
  
  gTasks (free app on Android Market) works well to sync with Gmail tasks.
  
  Reply
- By Paul on September 10, 2010 at 3:31 pm:
  
  you may want to check out Evernote for your your task list- it is awesome once you upload you can access everywhere – You can create multiple tasks lists, Cut and paste most docs into a note – take pics and uploads immediately
  
  Reply
By gary on November 12, 2009 at 12:00 am:

i just downloaded a trial verison of this and it synced my contacts in 10 minutes. i will contact them in the morning and see if it will e-mail, notes, and calendar as well and post the response

http://www.sync2.com/Sync2Download.asp?usr_email=gsontag%40andilab%2Ecom&status=0&status_reason=Success

Reply
- By michael on November 17, 2009 at 9:23 pm:
  
  so how did go with syncing email, notes, and calender with the link you spoke about?
  
  Reply
By James Gooch on November 15, 2009 at 11:27 am:

How do i get contacts in my Outlook to download to my Motorola Droid?

Reply
- By James Gooch on November 15, 2009 at 11:30 am:
  
  How do i sync Outlook contacts with my google contacts?
  
  Reply
By D B Rossoff on December 10, 2009 at 11:26 pm:

My Outlook syncs with our server, so that the calendars on my home computer and work computer are synced. I installed GCS on my work computer to keep my calendar current on my Droid, and it works – but not always. I have had to uninstall and reinstall on my work computer.

Question: I am thinking about having GCS on both home and work computers. Would that be a good way to make sure the calendar is covered or would I end up with duplicate appointments?

Reply
By John Smith on December 26, 2009 at 4:52 am:

Why has Google decided that Android is not for serious buiness users? Many in business will not want to store confidential data on the Google cloud where you loose all control over your data. The phones will not talk to Outlook nor Notes. If the iPhone is a neat toy, Android is looking even more like a toy failing completely at even the most basic business tasks. Email client is all but worthless on the phone, VPN fails (Android 2.01). Web browser is nice and fast credit there. But lack of talking directly with Outlook renders Android a toy, not a business tool. I guess Google says for business tools call RIM or Microsoft for children’s toys Apple or Google. Based on my experience so far, Microsoft on the desktop has absolutely nothing to fear from Google, they just don’t get it or even understand why they don’t get it. Too bad as I was looking to weaken the tie a bit from MS. Everything does not belong on the cloud!

Reply
- By Thomas on February 9, 2011 at 3:43 pm:
  
  Unfortunately, if you search the forum sites you will find that Google doesnt sync between google calender phone and google calender web. People have complained for years, but Google has never repaired it, or even addressed the subject.
  
  Reply
- By Sedley on February 21, 2011 at 5:40 pm:
  
  Yes, you said it! I just moved from the BlackBerry Curve to the HTC Droid Incredible and am extremely disappointed. I’ve found that I cannot edit or delete a single instance of a recurring meeting with the HTC calendar. The agenda view does not show the meeting location. Outlook meetings set up as Live Meetings do not sync to the HTC calendar. This phone is not built for business. It seems to be geared more for internet use and social media. We are not all a bunch of kids using our phones as toys to socialize. We need our smartphones to be reliable business tools.
  
  Reply
  - By Sedley on February 21, 2011 at 5:48 pm:
    
    I should add — I cannot resolve my recurring events problem by placing my Outlook work calendar on Google calendars. Just as John Smith said, I do not want to place confidential calendar information in the Google cloud. So, that is not an option for me.
    
    Reply
By B.D. on January 17, 2010 at 2:48 pm:

I agree that Android needs to do direct sync with Outlook. I’ve been a long-time WinMo user and Outlook user, and I’m just too accustomed to having my phone sync directly with my computer to change that. And I will not (and probably cannot) have my data in the cloud somewhere — I want it securely located on my computer and my phone, synchronized directly between the two. Until that works with the Android OS, Android phones are off the list for me.

Just my $0.02.

Reply
By Pearce Moses on February 24, 2010 at 10:19 pm:

Got my Droid on 15 Feb ’10. I have two apps — one for Email another for Gmail. As far as I can tell, these came with the Droid by default. I used the email to sync to work, giving it information about the Exchange server and my account. Sync’ed with no problem (other than user error — when it asked for domain user name, I gave it the domain name, not my login user name: D’oh!). When I did that, it automatically populated the corporate calendar app. I use my Gmail for just personal stuff. So I can keep a fairly bright line between work and personal. Really was trivially easy and works great for me. Two way sync’ing. Not being able to connect to the calendar and email would have been a deal breaker.

Reply
By Benny on March 8, 2010 at 10:59 am:

I found great solution to sync Google contacts and calendar with outlook. It works in background, does not lag my PC and syncs within seconds.
Here’s the link to download: http://download.cnet.com/Sync2-for-Outlook/3000-2381_4-10642105.html?tag=mncol

Reply
By Moment owner on March 24, 2010 at 10:23 am:

Got all my contacts and appointments synced!!! Great. This should be the Windows Mobile killer.

http://www.android-sync.com/

Reply
- By Aditya on May 15, 2010 at 11:09 am:
  
  Hi all,
  
  I did everything told at http://www.android-sync.com. My Outlook Calendar successfully sync-ed to my Samsung Galaxy Spica. Many “All Day appointment” ended up got sync-ed as Two-Day events, but I can live with that. When I added a new appointment at my Samsung, it didn’t get sync-ed to my Outlook (laptop).
  
  My Outlook Contacts didn’t get sync-ed at all although the Android-Sync said it did. I mean, when I opened the Contacts application that came with my Samsung, it didn’t show me any Contact entries.
  
  I don’t know what else to do. Is there any other software similar to Android-Sync that will sync Outlook Contact and Calendar to an Android phone without having to involve Google (the cloud)?
  
  Thanks,
  
  Sincerely,
  AN
  
  Reply
  - By Aditya on May 17, 2010 at 6:30 am:
    
    Hi again,
    
    I finally managed to sync my Outlook Contacts to my Android phone (Samsung Galaxy Spica). However there is on problem.
    
    I always use Country Codes for all phone numbers in my Outlook Contacts without any “0″ (zero) as prefix for the Area Code. This is the format:
    +xx (yy) zzz-zzzz
    The problem is that after running Android Sync, all the Country Codes were eliminated (or hidden) in my Android phone. This has caused a headache for me. I cannot dial a phone number directly from the Android Contacts application and cannot send SMS directly from the Android Messaging application. I need to manually type in the phone number, adding a “0″ (zero) as prefix. Anyone had the same problem? How did you solve it?
    
    I didn’t have any problem with my previous phone (Windows Mobile). Android phone is cool. But I spent way too much time for the migration from Windows Mobile.
    
    Second question, anyone know any Messaging (SMS) application for Android phone that’s functional? I mean the native application in Android is not really functional to my opinion. I cannot forward an SMS and cannot see the phone numbers of the SMS senders. I don’t know why Android applications lack these functionality, while I could do those tasks so easily in my previous phone (Windows Mobile).
    
    Thanks.
    
    Sincerely,
    AN
    
    Reply
    - By Android Tapp on May 17, 2010 at 7:05 am:
      
      Regarding your issue with the phone number prefixes. I would recommend logging into your Gmail account and go to Contacts and correct them there as doing it on the phone can be a headache. Migration of contacts 100% cleanly has not been something I’ve seen on Android.
      
      Regarding your SMS question, the Messaging program can forward messages and show senders number. To forward messages, Longpress the message text and a window popups up with many options to forward (plus it shows the senders number).
      
      Hope that helps!
      
      Reply
      - By Aditya on May 17, 2010 at 8:24 am:
        
        Hi Android Tapp
        
        Thanks a bunch for the tips.
        
        Regarding the Messaging application, I intuitively tapped the message a bit longer to see if anything happened. It seemed that I didn’t tap long enough to make the options popped up. Thanks again.
        
        Regarding doing the tweaking at Google Contacts, I will try other ways since I’d perefer not upload my Contacts to Google. Companion Link might do the trick for making a call by tapping on the phone numbers (which I managed to make preserve the Country Codes, yayyy). It says it links to Google too. I will investigate if this sync is done automatically or manually. If manually, I can always choose not to sync to Google
        
        I still need to find solution for the Messaging though. Any info (anyone) will be much appreciated.
        
        Sincerely,
        AN
      - By Android Tapp on May 17, 2010 at 10:02 am:
        
        If you don’t want your Contacts in Google/Gmail, but sure to uncheck the box under Settings » Accounts & sync “Auto-sync”. Else your contacts will be in Google’s cloud.
      - By Aditya on May 17, 2010 at 9:24 am:
        
        A little bit out of topic here but still related to SMS. I am looking for an application for sending, receiving, archiving SMS using my laptop. I used Jeyo Mobile Companion when I used Windows Mobile devices. Besides freeing me from using the phone to type, with Jeyo I can also use multiple phone numbers (separated by “;”) which I copied from a text file and pasted it onto to “To:” textbox. Is there any similar application for Android phones? Thanks.
        
        Sincerely,
        AN
  - By Aditya on May 18, 2010 at 9:45 am:
    
    Okay … I just experienced something weird. I just sync-ed my Outlook Contacts and Calendar with my SAMSUNG Galaxy Spica. I found out that all the phone numbers in my SAMSUNG now have the “missing” Country Codes. This is soooo weird since they were all really missing during the previous sync. I didn’t make any modification in the settings, neither in Android-Sync nor MS Outlook.
    
    If anyone can explain this, that will be wonderful. Otherwise, it’s okay too since I can now use the Android’s native Contacts, Calendar, and Messaging applications. I was ready to purchase Companion Link if the Country Codes keep “missing”. But now since they are back, there’s no need for the purchase.
    
    This is really weird but with a happy ending I hope the Country Codes will keep appearing and not suddenly decide to vanish
    
    Thanks again for Android Tapp, who has responded to this thread. I do appreciate it.
    
    Sincerely,
    AN
    
    Reply
    - By Android Tapp on May 18, 2010 at 9:48 am:
      
      No prob Aditya, we’re here to help!
      
      Reply
- By Aditya on June 3, 2010 at 11:23 pm:
  
  Hi all,
  
  I finally give up on Android phones. I tried using Android-Sync and Companion Link. Not a big problem with Contacts although some entries didn’t get transfered to the phone. The Calendar is a headache. Most one-time events got repeated in multiple dates or the same date. I cannot afford the inaccuracies. I need my phone as business tools. After trying for more than 2 weeks I finally decided to go back using Windows Mobile phones.
  
  Good bye Android
  
  Thanks to Android-Tapps and everyone who have tried to help. I do appreciate it.
  
  Sincerely,
  AN
  
  Reply
  - By Marygrace on November 10, 2010 at 3:54 pm:
    
    I am about ready to go back to WM too. I loved Active Sync.
    
    I use Pocket Informant to do my calendar now. Just came out with Android version, but I like the WM version better. It has been around for 10 years too, and has so many GREAT features.
    almost anything is better than the Google Calendar for me at this point. I only use it because it is on the phone.
    
    Reply
    - By Mr Crusher on November 10, 2010 at 7:25 pm:
      
      I am interested in learning more about Pocket Informer for Android. I looked it up and it seems that it syncs Calendar with Google Calendar and Tasks with Toodoledo, only. So, how do you get the Calendar from Outlook to Google and tasks to Toodoledo? I ask because I take care of http://www.syncdroid.net, where there is an extensive list of software that syncs between Outlook and Androids and this is not on my list yet. I’d like to learn more from your experience to see if it should be added or not. Thanks for any help.
      
      Reply
By Flavien on April 6, 2010 at 5:44 pm:

THIS PROBLEM IS DUE TO A WRONG SERVER NAME!!!

OUTLOOK LIVE – Android sync: Android sync calendar and contact WITHOUT any 3rd party software, and WITHOUT using a PC sync.

I’ve spend days to find how to do it,and here is why: Android built in code REQUIRES you to use an ALTERNATE SERVER NAME.
To find that server name, sign in to your account at the following address: https://pod51000.outlook.com/owa/.
After you sign in successfully, the address you entered will resolve to an address that contains the SERVER NAME YOU NEED TO USE.
For example, if the address resolves to https://pod50102.outlook.com/owa, enter pod50102.outlook.com for your server name.

Hope it helps, me I’m using Droid with android 2.1 and the build in corporate account connection WITH NO PROBLEM.
I’ve experience the same problem as you when i used m.outlook.com as server name (or outlook.com even tried pod51000.outlook.com)

Reply
- By Jason on July 26, 2010 at 8:42 am:
  
  Flavian,
  
  Where exaclt do you put the servername? I’m not exaclty tech friendly so any help is appreciated.
  
  Jason
  
  Reply
By Casimir on April 29, 2010 at 10:32 pm:

C’mon people. This Outlook sync issue is not an oversight by Google. There is a war going on with Google, Microsoft, and Apple. Unfortunately, these three companies make decisions that ultimately restrict (and hurt) their customers.

Think about the fact that Google has bet the farm on the cloud. Fully supporting Outlook and locally-based data synchronization is against their beliefs, so they force their customers to adopt the cloud way of thinking. They drag you in a bit at a time.

Take a closer look and you’ll plainly see that Google and Apple are now much more evil than Microsoft ever was. Vote with your wallet. Purchase a RIM phone or a Palm phone.

Reply
By alex on May 4, 2010 at 2:02 pm:

Two questions:

1. in the original solution provided does anyone know if a computer must be running to keep the sync going? I would hope not.

2. has anyone tried an app called touchdown?

Reply
- By Android Tapp on May 4, 2010 at 7:17 pm:
  
  1. Yes
  2. Yes, super app. Check our review of Exchange by Touchdown
  
  Reply
By Aditya on May 21, 2010 at 4:53 am:

I have a little (but annoying) problem. I installed several Tools and Games from the Market. I noticed that every once in while there is data traffic using GPRS/3G. I know that at least one Tool (Advanced Task Killer) has ads.

My question is:
1) Is there any setting that will prevent any ‘unauthorized’ use of GPRS/3G on my phone?
2) Is there any application that can do like number 1) above. Just in case there’s no setting that can prevent it.

Communication cost in my country is still relatively expensive and the ‘unauthorized’ use of GPRS/3G has caused me a considerable amount of money.

Thanks.

Sincerely,
AN

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- By Android Tapp on May 21, 2010 at 11:19 am:
  
  A brief background on why that’s happening. When you download apps, check the permissions they request as some do tasks in the background. For example a Twitter app would probably check for new tweets and mentions periodically even while the phone is sleep. Many apps have a way to configure these update intervals or disable them altogether.
  
  To answer #1 and #2 there is a setting in Android to disable all apps from updating in the background. The above assumes you want to allow all apps to update in the background yet configure per app settings. Go to home screen » Settings » Accounts & sync » uncheck “Background data”
  
  Reply
  - By Aditya on May 24, 2010 at 3:55 am:
    
    Thanks Android Tapps. I did what you told me and it works. There is still some use of GPRS/3G but it’s minimal and I can live with it.
    
    Sincerely,
    AN
    
    Reply
By Neo on May 25, 2010 at 9:20 am:

any app that sync outlook contact into Android?????

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By FabriceR on June 18, 2010 at 6:10 am:

Hi,
I don’t have a data connexion on my HTC Magic so I would like to synchronize my Google calendar (already synchronized with my Outlook) with my Android agenda but through a USB cable to my PC? Does anyone has an trick?
Thanks
Fabrice

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By Geofform on June 21, 2010 at 2:03 pm:

HI I am trying to sync HTC desire, outlook on exchange 2003 and Gmail.
Using exchange HTC set up and google calendar sync on the work PC

Weird results – random appointments deleted and one-way sync when it’s set up to sync both each way. I turned off Google sync but it still did it – also deleted some important stuff.

Anyone had similar problems? The HTC may ahve to go as I can’t not connect to Google – no app store etc so it’s no use and i can’t risk business appointments disappearing Help please

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- By Woga on September 21, 2010 at 9:01 am:
  
  Yes, similar problems and searching for solution, if any. HTC Sync options are not encouraging since we’re supposed to choose the default over-ride, computer, or phone. I take that to mean that when I either edit an appointment, or indeed set two conflicting appointments, one will be deleted automatically without any conflict being brought foward….which means missed appointments, or missed details.
  
  I’m not sure I want to live with Android if it can’t accomodates two calendar appointments for the same time, or won’t at least bring forward a “What do you want to do” conflict message before deletion.
  
  Is this how Android works?
  
  Reply
By joma on June 22, 2010 at 3:01 am:

At some point the last days i lost my ability to choose the exchange calendar for making new events on my HTC desire. I can’t remember having fiddling with any settings…not too much at least . I can sync with my exchange, and events i make on my exchange account is synced down to my phone and i see them on it’s calendar. So, why can’t i choose the calendar on my phone, and make events from there?
Any help appreciated!

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By Mark T. on July 5, 2010 at 8:46 am:

How do I tether my HTC Incredible Droid to my Ipad.

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By Don on July 6, 2010 at 10:12 am:

I can’t locate a download for the droid to accomplish this. I there one?

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By Julie on July 7, 2010 at 1:07 pm:

I’m having issues with syncing outlook calendars to gmail. In my outlook deleted folder I keep receiving deleted meeting requests, one for each time the sync performs. These meeting requests have been removed from my calendar fro quite some time, and are not on my calendar at the moment. I’m unsure why it keeps adding these requests each time it syncs with google calendar. Another one is for a request for 6/14, but the start/end date is 12/31/1979. Has anyone experienced this? Does anyone know how to stop this from happening?

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- By Jos Houtenbos on March 12, 2011 at 6:37 am:
  
  Julie,
  
  Did you find a solutions yet? I’m having the same problem, very frustrating! Jos
  
  Reply
By Carl on July 18, 2010 at 8:05 am:

3rd party software from mark/space called missing sync for Android works fine. Available from droid market. I sync to Outlook2010 from Evo 4G with bluetooth. Wireless doesn’t seem to work for me and since BT does, haven’t tried to solve wieless connection. Syncs calendar, notes and contacts. Just needed to fine tune it to get exactly what I wanted in the way I wanted.

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By swapnil on July 19, 2010 at 8:48 am:

Hi I have recently purchased sony xperia X10 (android operating system). I want to get it sync with Microsoft Exchange 2007. I got the problem doing so.
I have entered the mail id, password and server address but the error message taping on screen is “please provide detailed server information.(0)” sometime “please provide detailed server information” I was using windows phone earlier and it was working fine, but it is not getting activated on moxier sync or android.
I use Microsoft online productivity suit and server address is
https://red003.mail.apac.microsoftonline.com/owa
do anyone have any support for this
Regards,
Swapnil.

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- By Rod on October 6, 2010 at 1:47 pm:
  
  Go to “Settings”
  Locate and click on “Accounts & sync
  Choose “Add Account”
  Choose Corporate
  1. Enter your normal email address = first_last@domain.com. To configure this on your Droid use = first_last@domain.com
  2. Enter your password
  3. If you want your outgoing emails to be marked as sent from your Rush account, make sure to select that option on this screen
  4. Click Next
  5. Now you must change the Domain Username that is populated automatically by typing in your email address, ex. first_last@domain.com please omit the “\”
  6. Enter your password that you use to log into your network
  7. Enter the server = red001.mail.microsoftonline.com (use your server)
  8. Leave “use secure connection (ssl) checked
  9. Accept all SSL certificates should be unchecked
  10. Press OK for the Remote Security prompt
  11. At this point you are given choices for frequency (Automatic Push is the most seemless)
  12. Amount to synchronize (choose how far back you want to be able to go while mobile)
  13. Send email from this account by default (will send any emails from your email account and your reply to address will show as your email address)
  14. Notify me when email arrives (optional)
  15. Sync contacts from this account (will copy AND sync from this time forward all contacts entered from Outlook on your PC as well as contacts you add from your mobile phone)
  Give this account a name (Optional – probably only needed if you have multiple email accounts setup on your Droid phone)
  
  Reply
By Joseph K. Carrozza on July 22, 2010 at 10:33 pm:

I have been using a Samsung smartphone via Verizon for a number of years. Primarily for phone service, texting and most importantly, contacts and calender. It works off of Windows Mobile and I ActiveSync with my laptop via MS Outlook 2002. Occassionaly I use Outlook for e-mail. I primarily use Time Warner Roadrunner for my e-mail. I have been very comfortable with this set up. Today I moved into the new age and got an HTC Droid Incredible. No one knows how to sync it with Outlook or set up my Droid to receive and send e-mails via my Roadrunner account. I did open a GMail account. Can you help? Thank you.

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- By Joseph K. Carrozza on July 23, 2010 at 9:52 pm:
  
  I figured out how to set up receiving e-mail from Roadrunner to my Droid Incredible and how to import my contacts (not sync Outlook 2002) to my GMail account but have yet to be able to import or sync my Outlook calendar to my GMail. Any ideas?
  
  Reply
By MusicPos on August 4, 2010 at 5:03 pm:

I’m trying to sync my calendar with Outlook 2007 on Windows 7, and while I would like to sync my contacts I don’t care as much. It seems like all the 3rd party apps suggested require payment, which I don’t want. I’ve downloaded Google Calendar sync, have it set to 2-way sync every 10 minutes. Anything that put in Outlook shows up in Google and on my Motorolla Droid, but if I add it to the Droid, it shows up on Good but not Outlook. Any suggestions?

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- By Stephen Bent on August 5, 2010 at 4:07 am:
  
  Thanks MusicPos
  
  very useful for me – it looks like you use an Android phone exactly as I plan to, so thanks for letting me know that it doesn’t work!
  
  I will keep an eye on this topic as am not in a rush (waiting for new Droid etc to hit UK)
  
  Personally I don’t care about details being in the cloud – but like you, I care if the soilution actually works!
  
  If the comments here don’t show signs of improvement, I may just have to wait even longer for the next generation of WinMo….
  
  Reply
By Mr Crusher on August 17, 2010 at 8:32 pm:

A chart that lists most sync software, what items from Outlook are synced, the price, whether it uses USB cable or wireless, and more is found at http://www.syncdroid.net. It is good to have all that information in one place.

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By Gus Augeri on August 27, 2010 at 9:56 am:

VPN is not needed to use Remote Desktop. I’m assuming that you want to use Microsoft’s built in client. You will have to enable Remote Desktop on the computer that you want to access. If you are using a router, you will have to forward port 3389 to the Remote Computer. This means that the Remote Computer’s TCP/IP connection will have to be static. You then need to know your IP address that your ISP assigned you. If your IP is static (rare case) then you would access your computer via This is unusual, as most people have a dynamic IP address (changes all the time). I used no-ip.com to solve this problem before. I installed a program downloaded from No-IP.com, which put a server program on the Remote Computer that I wanted to connect to and synced my dynamicly assigned IP up with a free domain name chosen by me on No-Ip.com’s website. I’d then type the no-ip.com assigned domain name in the browser (which is synced to my dynamic IP address at home), hit my router (port 3389; Microsoft’s Remote Desktop Port connection), which forwards the connection to my statically assigned Remote Computer. You will need to setup your Remote Computer to require a User Name Password. I don’t know why Microsoft doesn’t allow anonymous connections (security I guess). This is not an easy process, but you will learn a whole lot doing it.

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By Ed on September 4, 2010 at 9:04 am:

I found some good info here:
http://www.syncdroid.net/

I’m very interested in an Android phone, but need to be able to sync local Outlook (not on Exchange) including contacts, calendar, tasks, and NOTES. (And sync means syncing data both ways…not just exporting to a .csv file and importing to the phone once!)

I also am weary of having to create a Google account and push all of this to their cloud/servers just to sync…ridiculous and scary.

I’m not going to spend $ on the phone and then more $ on a 3rd party syncing solution.

Though I’d like to try something other than my BlackBerry, IT JUST WORKS with this and lets me keep my data local & private. It even lets you customize how to sync the contact data fields (which was a must to keep from having to say middle names when voice dialing).

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- By DaveDanger on December 27, 2010 at 9:02 pm:
  
  Ed, you and I seem to have an identical desire. I’ve been using a BB Curve for 3 years now, and have been perfectly satisfied with the way it syncs with Outlook. I also use the calendar, contacts and notes. I have been able to get my new Samsung Captivate (ATT) to sync to Outlook in my laptop, by installing DejaOffice in the phone, Installing Companionlink in the laptop and the sync does work both ways. All of the sync’d info is available in the DejaOffice apps and in the native Droid apps, seemingly without any duplications of calendar events or difficulties others have mentioned here.
  My problems crop up afterwards, primarily due to Gmail’s roots entangling everything in the phone. I can no longer create or change “Groups” in my contact list, something I badly need to do, to be able to send Group texts to family and work contacts. Gmail somehow or other links itself to all my contacts in some fashion, which prevents me from editing the groups. The only way I seem to be able to create a group and place a contact in that group, is if the contact is manually entered in the contact list. None of my Sync’d contacts can have their Group info changed.
  I have a perfectly normal pop3 email setup which sends and receives with no dificulty. I have NO desire for Gmail, I have no desire to have to sync all my contacts, calendar, notes, etc thru a Gmail/Google server, contributing to the “Cloudy” forecast. My early research intimated that Gmail could be completely removed from this phone by performing a Hard Reset, and starting over as a factory install. I did exactly that, and boot up a phone that turns out won’t even begin operating in ANY fashion without Gmail being set up. Can’t access the Android Market with setting up a Gmail account. Can’t download apps thru the browser without setting up a Gmail account, can’t yada, yada, yada, with setting up a Gmail account.
  I’m interested in any solutions that anyone may have to keep me from returning this really nice, fast phone to ATT… with a rock attached to it.
  
  Reply
  - By Jason Norment on December 29, 2010 at 10:27 am:
    
    I’m not sure of a way to group contacts outside of using the embedded feature linked to Gmail Contacts. There may be a 3rd party software but I haven’t come across anything as of yet.
    
    Removing Gmail can be done by rooting the device, however, some services with your phone may or may not rely on Gmail so removing it may cause issues. It’s better just to leave all notifications off (including sync) for Gmail, that way it’s not in use.
    
    If you have a simple POP3 email account, why do you need the Outlook sync?
    
    Reply
    - By DaveDanger on January 10, 2011 at 5:07 pm:
      
      I want to be able to sync my android contact list, memos & calendar back and forth between my computer and my phone on a daily basis. During the workday, I work from my phone. At night, I work more from my desktop or laptop computer. I need to keep the same info on both (really all 3) devices. The memo’s I take all day long on the phone are what turn into invoices for the jobs I perform. Absolutely have to have them capable of sync’ing from handheld to desktop. The email capability using my pop3 account works fine from the phone, but is really pretty minimal to my daily use. Phone calls, and texts incoming and outgoing are critical, as are the calendar appointments. Gmail does zero for me that I don’t already have. I don’t need another email account to have to keep up with. Don’t want to hand-deliver all my personal contacts, calendar and memo’s to Google, for any reason.
      
      Reply
By Starpetito on October 4, 2010 at 6:16 am:

I find a FREE PC software for managing contents on Android Phone – Android Manager WiFi .
Through WiFi connection, data between Android mobile phones and PC can be easily synchronized for example contacts, messages, photos, videos, music, applications and calendar events.
It is a FREE software, support all Android Phones, and can be downloaded from here.(http://global.mobileaction.com/product/product_AM.jsp)

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- By Michael W. on October 10, 2010 at 8:47 pm:
  
  Android Manager WiFi works great.
  
  The problem is that when the data gets to the phone, the phone screws it up. It makes the appointments 1 hour later.
  
  It’s not the app…it’s the OS that is messing it up. There appears to be a bug in reading the data. If Google appointments are working then Google is manipulating the data to mess it up on purpose.
  
  Talk about control issues!
  
  Reply
By WeGot.CO on October 6, 2010 at 2:53 pm:

This thread has went so far with no solution for tasks and notes

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By Tom on October 17, 2010 at 5:05 am:

Im using MyPhone explorer

http://www.fjsoft.at/en/home.php

Will sync contacts, calendar, tasks and notes through USB or WiFi between Android phone and Outlook 2007

It also lets you administer sms and other things

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By Dave on November 8, 2010 at 12:11 am:

Like Hell I’m giving Google my contacts list!

Until they fix Android to sync without a gmail account, they can stick it, I’ll stick with WinMobile thanks.

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By Marv on December 1, 2010 at 2:10 pm:

What a pain in the butt! This is why people like the Iphone- you just plug it in and it does it all. No 2 step geekery required. I thought about getting an android phone until i read this, now Im just waiting for the Sprint or Verizon Iphone to be released. Its WAY more simple.

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By gira on January 9, 2011 at 5:04 am:

Very disappointed in syncing in that calendar and contacts are duplicated. In all my research, I haven’t found a posted solution to avoid the duplicity. At times, I have had copies in the teens! Third party software and going thru wifi or exchange seems to be the only solution. Syncing thru google is not!

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By Iain on February 2, 2011 at 1:48 pm:

Help….am new to this…but my GF and I need a droid app where we can access one shared calendar from our cell phones, and make changes independantly which will be downloaded instantaneously. Why can’t I make Google Calender do this…? If I make changes on my laptop they will appear on my droid, but not the other way round.
Thank you.

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By stan on February 5, 2011 at 1:22 am:

Can I set up two phones (my wife and myself) with google calender sync from outlook. I have tried to set up two accounts but reloading the programs still allow s only one google account?
Regards
S

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By MJGLORIOSO on February 10, 2011 at 7:21 pm:

I need some help here……..Im about to make the jump to HTC EVO on Sprint but I was concerned about being able to sync my Outlook 2007 calendar and contacts like I have for years with my Sprint Blackberry. Above I read endless entries about how this is hard or near impossible, but I just came across a Android webpage that makes this possible (according to Android). The website is: http://www.htc.com/www/SupportViewNews.aspx?dl_id=1076&news_id=855

This is not a 3rd party app, this app is suppled directly from the HTC website. So I’m so confused about the 100 comments above that say this is not possible. Am I missing something??? Has HTC addressed and fixed this problem now and it’s safe for me to go Android HTC EVO?

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By SuzMack on February 15, 2011 at 12:34 pm:

I have a Droid X. Each night I power down the phone, upon turning it back on everything worked fine. Then I downloaded Google sync. The next morning my optonline email would not load on to the phone. I took out the battery and it worked. Same thing the next morning. Have you ever heard of this? I love how google sync brought my outlook calendar into the phone I would hate to remove it. Thanks!

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By Nummerskivan on February 16, 2011 at 2:41 pm:

This program did not sync repeated appointments correctly. Which gave me A LOT of work to get rid of several repeated stuff that had no end date… :@

Do not use. Love Gsyncit.

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By koche005 on February 22, 2011 at 7:42 pm:

I wish I could return this horrible phone. Google datamines and sells personal data. this is the first phone I ever had that didn’t have a desktop sync software program. My workplace is very proprietary and secure. I’m not telling google which clients I meet with on what days. That information is worth millions to our competitors. Besides, our security system doesn’t allow these uploads. Nowadays you can’t get a phone anymore that you can use without giving your personal information to people. I have gone back to keeping a paper calendar.

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- By Jason Norment on February 22, 2011 at 8:26 pm:
  
  Google sells your personal data? Says who?
  
  Reply
- By Emperor Crusher on March 12, 2011 at 9:58 am:
  
  I understand your frustration in a world that collects data for sale. I would be interested in knowing the proof of what personal data that Google has collected and sold from Android phones. Do you have proof they collect your Calendar appointments and sell the information? That is the point of this blog, so I presume you are speaking to a fact related to it. Otherwise, it would be considered libel and slander – I’m sure you would not be doing that.
  
  Now, if you really don’t want Google to have your information as a personal preference, just say that. There are a lot of people with the same thoughts. There are a lot of other Outlook to Android sync software products available for free or at a reasonable cost. The defacto site for listing those products is http://www.syncdroid.net, where they have a chart listing the product name, what it syncs (calendar, contacts, notes, tasks), the cost (including the free ones), how it syncs (USB, Wi-Fi, wireless), and a lot more. They have a review of each product to help you decide if it is right for you. You can ignore those that sync through Google if that is your preference. Others will want to sync through Google because it allows a sync whether they are near their PC or not.
  
  Reply
By Simon on March 4, 2011 at 2:14 am:

Hi. I have a Samsung GTI5800 running Android and am having problems with syncing. If I enter appointments directly on to Google calendar (on the web) they sync almost immediately with my phone calendar, whereas if I enter appointments on my phone calendar they don’t get synced with my Google calendar? Is it possible to make the sync work in both directions? Thanks.

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- By Antonio Wells on March 4, 2011 at 12:29 pm:
  
  @Simon is your Sync setting enabled on your phone? Go to Settings » Accounts & sync to see if “Auto-sync” is checked. Easier route is to use the Power Widget to quickly toggle on/off.
  
  Reply
By dre on March 8, 2011 at 9:36 am:

Hi,

is it possible to use the google app tool to sync my outlook account’s(no exchange server only pop3) contacts and agenda? if so, can you direct me to the right downloadplace for the google software and the tutorial? I did download google app sync 2.0 but it seems thats the wrong one am getting a google app sync is not enabled, please ask your domain admin error when logging on to google app sync.

many thanks

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By dre on March 8, 2011 at 9:41 am:

Is it possible to use the google tool to sync my outlook contacts and agenda to my android? If so, how?
I downloaded google apps sync 2 but when logging in with my gmail, i am getting an error( not enabled for your email acount, ask domain admin to enable it).
Dont have exchange, only pop3.

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By Jamison on April 20, 2011 at 8:18 am:

Works great for me so far . Just installed it. I’m sure there is a few quirks with it but it is doing what I need it to do. Easy install and runs in background. Nice. 4 stars

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