Category Archives: Tips and Tricks

Outlook Hotmail Connector Alternative

Posted on by Gary
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Do you know how to sync your Hotmail or Outlook.com account with Microsoft Outlook? Many people who use Outlook on a regular basis are not aware that this is possible. Microsoft has developed a free add-in to address this need, which is known as Outlook Connector. Information on how to set up Outlook with Hotmail or Outlook.com accounts with Outlook Connector can be found here.

Hotmail Connector is a free add-in for Microsoft Outlook. I performed a test run of this add-in with my copy of Outlook here at the office during the course of my research yesterday, and was unable to get it to work. I was unable to find a contact phone number for support for this issue, and was directed by their website to self-help forums and a very expensive after-hours support package.

Regardless, this free tool is great at integrating the basic contact and calendar data from Hotmail accounts with Outlook for PC. An advanced user or business person will likely demand more functionality, however, as they depend on categories, task management, calendars and alarms to manage their work day. In addition, Outlook Hotmail Connector does not directly interface with a user’s existing PST file (a new PST must be created for the data to be imported). This is not desirable in a business setting, as the Hotmail contacts will not be automatically consolidated with the existing Outlook data.

Why is CompanionLink the Best Outlook Hotmail Connector Alternative for Business Professionals?

  • CompanionLink allows you to sync Hotmail (Outlook.com) with your existing Outlook PST data file.
  • Synchronization of tasks, categories, notes, and contact pictures are supported, unlike with Outlook Connector.
  • CompanionLink for Outlook comes with free technical support over the phone.
  • Outlook Connector was not designed specifically for business-oriented synchronization; it is primarily a way to view your Hotmail inbox within Microsoft Outlook.
  • CompanionLink supports Outlook 2000 – 2013, in both 32 and 64 bit configurations.
  • Outlook Connector does not allow support greater than 1,000 contacts, and recurring appointments may not be supported either.
Connect Hotmail with Microsoft Outlook

Sync Microsoft Outlook with Outlook.com using CompanionLink as your Outlook Hotmail connector alternative, today! Click here for more information, including our fourteen day free trial offer.

*Image source: Wikimedia Commons

Sync Outlook Calendar with Android

Posted on by Gary
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For the business-savvy professional with an Android smartphone, phablet or tablet who uses Microsoft Outlook every day, the question of the month is “How do I sync Outlook calendar with Android?” This valuable synchronization option was previously made possible using a free service from Google. However, this option has since been discontinued, and there isn’t a lot of information available about what the best option is, going forward. CompanionLink for Outlook is just what the doctor ordered.

Synchronize Caledar with Outlook and Android

Two-Way Sync Between Outlook and Your Android

It is possible to import your Google calendar into Outlook using the ICAL protocol. However, performing two-way synchronization between your non-exchange Outlook calendar and an Android device can seem very difficult, as there is no fully featured proprietary solution from either Google or Microsoft at present. In addition, carrier or device specific solutions often fall short of expectations and do not offer free technical support over the phone.

Unlike the solutions our competitors offer, CompanionLink for Outlook supports seamless sync between Android and Outlook calendars with no add-ins or plug-ins required. Plus, free technical support via phone and email is available! Device specific calendar management apps, which are not supported on all Android smartphones, typically do not offer high integrity synchronization of additional conduits. These include Contacts, Tasks, Notes and Journal. CompanionLink’s free Android app, DejaOffice, supports all of these with a consistent user experience no matter what device it is installed on.

How to Sync Outlook Calendar with Android

CompanionLink for Outlook makes bi-directional sync with Android devices easy! Just perform the following steps (and be sure to view our Setup Guides for additional information):

  1. Download and install the free two week free trial of CompanionLink for Outlook onto your PC, and download the DejaOffice CRM app onto your Android (available from the Play Store)
  2. In CompanionLink for Outlook, set the “Device you want to sync with” to Android
  3. Next, choose from seven possible sync methods (USB, WIFI, Cloud and Bluetooth options are available!)
  4. From CompanionLink’s “Select your PC or web database” dropdown menu, choose Microsoft Outlook 2000 – 2013
  5. Complete the DejaOffice Setup Wizard on your Android
  6. Press “Sync”

For all of your Outlook and Android calendar sync needs, CompanionLink has you covered.

Sync Outlook with BlackBerry

Posted on by Rushang
1

One question which remains unanswered for many business professionals who use Outlook and have a BlackBerry Z10 is “How do I sync Outlook with BlackBerry?” For Exchange Server users, this process is greatly simplified via ActiveSync. Exchange allows calendar, contacts and email to be directly integrated, with no additional software required.

But what of business oriented BB10 users who utilize Outlook without Exchange?

Sync Outlook with BlackBerry via USB or Cloud

CompanionLink offers two solutions for this scenario, as detailed below– Direct synchronization, and synchronization utilizing web-based services such as Gmail or Outlook.com.

  1. Directly sync Outlook with BlackBerry contacts, calendar, tasks, notes, and categories:
    1. Install CompanionLink for Outlook onto your Windows PC.
    2. Set the sync method to either DejaCloud wireless sync or Direct USB.
    3. Configure email directly on the BB10 device, with POP3 or IMAP.
  2. Sync Outlook to Gmail or Outlook.com, and then set up your BB10 accounts:
    1. Install CompanionLink for Outlook.
    2. Set CompanionLink to sync with either Google or Outlook.com, depending on which service you plan to use.
    3. Set up your BB10 device with your Gmail or Outlook.com account (Settings > Accounts > Email, Contacts, Calendar).

Why Direct Sync Between Outlook and BlackBerry is Preferable

CompanionLink recommends direct sync (solution 1 above), as solution 2 has the following drawbacks:

  1. Your Outlook data will be hosted on Google, a company that makes money from targeted advertising.
  2. Your data will not map one-to-one with fields offered in Google’s interface, possibly leading to data corruption.
  3. Your data may be altered every time Google changes their web-based system.

Detailed information regarding sync options with BlackBerry 10 devices and Outlook is available on CompanionLink’s BB10 webpage.

 

Must-know guide for moving from BlackBerry to iPhone

Posted on by Rushang
2

This guide helps you move email, calendar, contacts, tasks, and notes from BlackBerry to an iOS device like iPhone or iPad

Email

iPhone’s email app supports the most popular email accounts – Exchange, IMAP, POP3, iCloud, Yahoo!, AOL, Hotmail, and Google/Gmail.  If you use an email service not listed above and need to find incoming/outgoing server details to set up IMAP, do a Google search for your service’s name followed by “IMAP settings”.

Contacts, calendar, tasks, and notes

You can use one free app to move all of this data.  CompanionLink has software that will sync your complete Outlook data with categories with iPhone.

Step 1: Use BlackBerry Desktop Software to backup your BlackBerry data to Microsoft Outlook.

Step 2: Download a free 14-day trial of CompanionLink for Outlook to your PC. Configure it to sync Outlook to iPhone using the CL Secure Hosted Wireless service. It’s completely free during the 14-day trial period. You will be prompted to buy if you wish to continue synchronizing after the trial expires. Licenses start at $14.95.

Step 3: Click the Sync button in CompanionLink and watch your Outlook data move to your iPhone.

Get it right the first time by hiring a professional to do it for you

CompanionLink offers a $49 service where a migration expert will log into your PC and move your data to your iPhone.  The service is called RunStart.

If you have any questions about moving to the iPhone platform, email us at sales@companionlink.com.

Disable Outlook Calendar alarms when syncing to Android or iPhone

Posted on by Rushang
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If your Calendar Events in Outlook have alarms, and you don’t want these alarms to drive you crazy on your phone, you can disable them.  There are two ways to disable Calendar alarms.

1. In the DejaOffice app, go to Settings > Alarm Settings.  Uncheck the box next to DejaOffice Alarms.

2. In CompanionLink, go to Advanced Settings > Calendar. Uncheck the box for syncing alarms.

Either option will ensure your Outlook Calendar alarms don’t ring on your phone.

Must-know guide for moving from BlackBerry to Android

Posted on by Rushang
3

Business professionals cannot afford to lose data during a move to Android.  This guide helps you reliably move email, business relationships, calendar agenda, to-do lists, notes, and text messages from BlackBerry to any Android phone or tablet.

Email

Android’s email app supports Exchange, IMAP, POP3, and Google/Gmail accounts.  This lets you to set up virtually any email service.  Here is a basic guide to set up email on Android.  If you need incoming/outgoing server details about your specific email service, do a Google search for your service’s name followed by “IMAP settings”.

Here are settings for some popular email services:
Yahoo! – http://mobile.yahoo.com/mail/android (click on the IMAP tab)
AOL – http://email.about.com/od/accessingaolmail/f/AOL_Mail_IMAP_Settings.htm
Hotmail – http://windows.microsoft.com/is-IS/hotmail/mobile?t1=t4

Contacts, calendar, tasks, and notes

You can use one free app to move all of this data.  CompanionLink has software that will sync Outlook with Android.

Step 1: Use BlackBerry Desktop Software to backup your BlackBerry data to Microsoft Outlook.

Step 2: Download a free 14-day trial of CompanionLink for Outlook to your PC. Configure it to sync Outlook to Android using the DejaCloud service. Here is how your setup should look when configured correctly.  (If you want to continue synchronizing Android with Outlook after the 14-day trial is over, you can buy a license for $14.95.)

Step 3: Click the Sync button in CompanionLink and watch your Outlook data move to your Android.

Text messages

David Hope has developed a free tool that moves SMS text messages from BlackBerry to Android.  The tool is available at http://hope.mx/blackberry2droid.

Get it right the first time by hiring a professional to do it for you

CompanionLink offers a $49 service where a migration expert will log into your PC and move your data from BlackBerry to Android.  The service is called RunStart and has been used by hundreds of business professionals to safely move their data to Android without data corruption or data loss.

If you have any questions about moving to the Android platform, email us at sales@companionlink.com.

How to Sync Your Android Phone and Tablet with CompanionLink

Posted on by David
14

Did you know that you can sync both an Android phone and tablet with just one license of CompanionLink for Outlook?

When you’re syncing Android devices with Outlook, we’ve designed a feature that allows you to swap devices in CompanionLink 5 for Outlook without adjusting any other configuration.

The secret lies in our USB and WiFi sync options. Simply switch the phone and tablet at any time – there’s no extra configuration required – and your data will sync effortlessly.

Note that this only works when syncing via USB and WiFi. For syncing multiple devices via CompanionLink Secure Hosted, Google, or Windows Live, you’ll need CompanionLink Express 5 or CompanionLink Professional 5.

While this is a great little feature, it’s really only the beginning. More and more people are beginning to use multiple mobile devices on a daily basis. We intend to continue our efforts to make syncing your data to all your devices as simple and seamless as possible!

The difference between DejaConnect USB and Mass Storage Mode

Posted on by Kaena
1

CompanionLink recently introduced a new USB sync method for Android devices calledSync Android via USB DejaConnect USB. This means that we now offer two methods to sync Android via USB – DejaConnect, and Mass Storage Mode.

Mass Storage Mode is our legacy mode that has been around since we started offering USB sync for Android over two years ago. It works by mounting the device’s SD card to the PC, and then allowing CompanionLink to read and write the DejaOffice database on the SD card. This worked well, although it required you to monitor the sync and tell DejaOffice when CompanionLink was finished with the sync on the PC.

Fast-forward to 2012. Google recently released the Galaxy Nexus – the first Android deviceGalaxy Nexus with Android 4.0 (also known as Ice Cream Sandwich). One of the big differences with this new operating system was that it didn’t mount the storage to the PC like it used to (it uses a new method called MTP). This means our old method, Mass Storage Mode, no longer works with these new devices!

We put our thinking caps on and decided that we had to start from scratch. We’re pleased to say that not only do we have a new USB sync method, but it works even better than our old method! DejaConnect USB is the result of those efforts.

DejaConnect works by utilizing a feature called “USB Debugging” on the device in conjunction with special USB development drivers (also known as ADB drivers) installed on the PC. This allows CompanionLink to interface directly with the connected device, resulting in a smoother, hands-free sync. Now, we can detect when the device is connected and start the sync automatically (this option is configurable).

Enable auto-sync for Android

We’ll be recommending DejaConnect as the preferred sync method going forward. DejaConnect supports Android 2.1 and above, including tablets running Android 3.x and new devices with Android 4.0. Mass Storage Mode supports Android 1.x and 2.x devices.

To get started using DejaConnect, follow this setup guide. You’ll need to configure both CompanionLink and DejaOffice to use DejaConnect USB, and make sure you install the USB driver for your specific device.

We hope this makes syncing a little easier for you! Let us know your thoughts in the comments

PSA: Secure Your Mobile Devices

Posted on by David
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Think about all the data you have on your phone. These days, that’s more than just a list of phone numbers. We have email accounts, social networking profiles, mobile banking, private notes and documents, and so much more. If our phones were lost and consequently found by someone with less than honest intentions, the list of potentially compromised information would be daunting.

But just how bad could losing your phone be? Symantec recently decided to find out. They intentionally “lost” 50 Android smartphones across various large cities in the US and Canada. Each device was loaded with what appeared to be private data and fitted with special software that allowed Symantec to track what happened. The results? Well, they’re not promising.

Over 95% of the time, those who found the lost device made an attempt to access data such as email or online banking information. 

Let that sink in for a minute. Based on the results of this study, it is safe to assume that if you lose your phone, someone will be poking through all your private and personal data. On a slightly happier note, some sort of attempt was made to return the phone about half the time. But even in those cases most people went snooping around first. Some even directly admitted to doing so, apologizing after the fact. Check out the full report here [PDF].

The moral of the story? Ensure your data is secure! Whether this is through a passcode or gesture based lock, remote wipe capabilities, encrypted data, private records (in the case of DejaOffice), or some combination of these. Your phone simply contains too much personal data to remain unsecured in some way.

Making Sense of Your Data

Posted on by David
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As we put more and more information on our mobile devices, it can become difficult to make sense of what’s there. Let’s face it, the smaller screens just aren’t optimized for displaying large amounts of data very effectively.

That’s why we built powerful organization options into DejaOffice. With our filtering, sorting, and grouping features, we’re able to help you make sense of your data.

Learn just how to use them in the video below, then leave a comment telling us your favorite combination of filtering, sorting, and grouping.