Author Archives: Rushang

My HP Prediction: HP Moves to Selling Android Devices Now That They Are Killing webOS

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This could (really) mark the end of the road for Palm’s long and fragmented legacy. Today, HP announced they would kill development of webOS tablets and phones in the near future. Palm’s long legacy from PalmOS to webOS – spanning the past 15 years – may now finally rest in peace.

So, is HP still interested in mobile technology?

In their press release, HP said they plan to “continue to explore options to optimize the value of webOS software going forward.” I think this means more than discussing it over a few meetings. I think they are implying something more sinister like, “We’re going to play the Android OS game now.”

HP paid $1.2 billion to acquire Palm webOS and Palm’s patents. They obviously planned for this day when webOS would die on its own. I believe that HP will take the UI from webOS and enter the Android OS manufacturing game. They bought Palm for the patents and their UI. HP will land running with a webOS UI that works rather well from a consumer standpoint. People never had issues with the UI and experience. In fact, they actually liked it. It was the most fluid mobile experience next to iOS. Instead, the lack of a meaningful app store with development partners vested into their ecosystem is what led what to Palm’s demise.

Look for HP to announce that they are entering the Android OS circus by 2012. Footnote: I’ve wrong before.

Is CompanionLink Part of the Google Tax?

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Does Google Apps come with “hidden fees?” That’s what Tom Rizzo of Microsoft indicates in a recent blog post about the hidden costs of Google Apps. In fact, he refers to the extra costs as the “Google Tax” – the costs one would incur if they started using Google Apps to manage email, contacts, calendar, tasks, desktop publishing, and document management.

It’s no secret that many people are searching for a replacement for Microsoft Office. What’s most interesting, perhaps, is that they aren’t actually switching. In fact, Microsoft’s findings show that 9 out of 10 people use Google Apps in conjunction with Microsoft Office; not as a replacement for Microsoft Office. The “Google Tax,” however, still applies. Microsoft mentions CompanionLink as an example of a third-party application that is required if two-way synchronization between Outlook and Google Apps is desired. CompanionLink is part of the Google tax, claims Microsoft in a white paper they published.

Under the scenario where Google Apps is used in conjunction with Microsoft Office, CompanionLink is, in fact, a key component of the Google Apps ecosystem. CompanionLink allows people to keep their Microsoft Outlook contacts and calendar in sync with Google Apps. In fact, CompanionLink supports any Google, Gmail, or Google Apps account – paid or free.

Arguably, people using paid Google Apps services don’t need to use CompanionLink. Google offers a tool called Google Apps Sync for Microsoft Outlook as part of any paid edition of Google Apps. If you’re on a free edition of Google Apps or using a free Google or Gmail account, you don’t have this option and need to look at 3rd party software like CompanionLink.

Even with Google’s tools, however, paying customers are offered forum-based support only. To some degree, this makes sense – they are a cloud-based company, after all. Phone or email support may not fit the cloud model.

This is where CompanionLink really shines.

In addition to numerous advance features, CompanionLink provides both email and US-based phone support. CompanionLink guarantees the synchronization between Google and Microsoft Outlook works on day one and day 365.

So, is CompanionLink a part of a “Google Tax?” Maybe. But we feel strongly that the ability to pick up the phone and talk to someone is, on its own, well worth the cost of admission (which, by the way, is a one-time license fee of $49.95).

The Plight of the Standalone Microsoft Outlook User

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These days, “the cloud” is all the buzz. The cloud, in terms of contact and calendar sync (among others), means using a service like Google, Gmail, or Windows Live (Hotmail). Just host your data in the cloud and it will magically show up on your device. Simple, right?

Not so, say the people (as they rise in mutiny).

Google started the move to store personal information in the cloud. First with email, then with calendar, and then with contacts. If you buy a new Android phone, all your email, contacts, and calendar data that is hosted in the Google cloud will magically synchronize with your phone. Oh, and this magic works with iPhone, iPad and BlackBerry too.

Microsoft joined the cloud party with their Windows Phone 7 launch. They now require people to have a Windows Live account in order to sync PC data to the device. This means Microsoft Outlook users who have maintained years of contacts, calendar, tasks and notes data on their PC now have to trust that data to the cloud. The cloud will then synchronize with Windows Phone 7.

So what’s wrong with this?

Well, for starters, we’ve already seen this movie! Palm tried the same thing with their Palm webOS launch.  They required people to have a Google account, which integrated with Palm Synergy. If you wanted to keep your PC data in sync with your webOS device, you had to first sync to your Google account in the cloud. The story for Palm didn’t end so well. (HP may beg to differ.)

While the cloud is an amazing resource that should be used, not all Outlook users can digest trusting their PC data to the cloud. Many people have security requirements in place that simply don’t allow cloud storage of their data. Others are leery of hosting their sensitive information online. Their question is simple, “I’ve used Outlook for years. Why am I now being forced to add a web-based account, and trust everything to that?”

The cloud providers will argue that you trust a lot of things to the cloud, whether you realize it or not. They’re right. Your credit card details you use for that online orders, tax returns you prepare and submit online, or the numerous online banking and bill-pay services you use – they all store data in the cloud. And we don’t even blink.

But this is different. It’s not an argument on the security of cloud storage. It’s about having options. Put simply, not everyone wants to sync their Outlook data to the cloud – and they shouldn’t have to!

The good news is that there are alternatives. You’ll need to find a tool that allows you to keep your data on your PC and sync directly to your device. There are a few ways to go about this:

1. Check if your phone’s manufacturer offers a sync solution. BlackBerry and iPhone both offer such solutions to directly sync with Outlook.  BlackBerry offers BlackBerry Desktop Software, and Apple offers iTunes. Android, on the other hand, is more fragmented (HTC has HTC Sync, Samsung offers Kies, etc).

2. If the option from the phone’s manufacturer is non-existent or insufficient for your needs, look for third-party software. Shameless plug – CompanionLink has software that can sync your Outlook contacts, calendars, tasks, memos, and categories to your mobile device. It works with all Android, iPhone, iPad, and BlackBerry devices. There are a number of other options available as well, but few offer the complete sync solution that CompanionLink does. For Android, SyncDroid has a solid list of most all of the sync options available. For iPhone and iPad, you’ll most likely have to piece together a solution from a few different apps in the App Store. For BlackBerry and other devices, your options are few and far between, but a search on Google should turn up some options.

In the end, the cloud is certainly where the industry is heading. As time goes on, it will likely become as ubiquitous and secure (or even more secure) than traditional data storage options. Until that time, however, those who wish to sync their data locally still do have options!

Palm OS Lives On Android

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What do you miss the most about Palm OS?

The date picker?
Password protection for Memos, Tasks and Contacts?
Categories that worked across all your data?
Memos that you can attach to Contacts, Calendar and Tasks?
Custom fields for your Contacts?
Handwriting recognition?
Simple, monochrome display?  (We need to have a chat if you pick this!)

The first five on the list were things that we at CompanionLink absolutely could not do without. Chances are, as a business user those five factor somewhere into your list too.

The first Android G1 device that landed in 2009 was an experiment to whet the appetites of the Internet-connected masses. That phone, and the flurry to follow it, were social devices aimed at the consumer – a volley from Google to Apple in response to the revolutionary iPhone. But what about business professionals accustomed to the productivity of Palm OS?  Business users were making do with these new, non-business toys. They were great at handling games, music, video, pictures, and social media. What they didn’t care too much about was productivity akin to Palm OS.

We created DejaOffice for this very reason. We wanted to harness the power of these new, non-business devices and channel it into real mobile productivity. Palm OS productivity, more specifically. We’ve done just that. Look at the list at the beginning of this post again. The first five items were integral parts of many Palm OS users’ workflows. DejaOffice brings these items back to life on Android devices. By doing this, we are extending productivity tools you need to get work done on the go!

Switching from BlackBerry to Android

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Thinking about making the switch?  You’re not alone.

There are at least 300,000 new Android activations every day!  The Nielson Company has some lovely graphs that show Android dwarfing both iPhone and RIM (BlackBerry) in terms of growth in the past 6 months.

But many BlackBerry owners are worried to make the switch.

  • Will I get secure email?
  • Will I get the same level of productivity that my BlackBerry gives me?
  • What happens to my beloved keyboard?
  • Is Android really ready for my business data?

Here’s a free reference guide that answers these and other questions.  It does three things:

  1. Walk you through the pitfalls of migrating from BlackBerry to Android
  2. Educate you about what busiuness capablities Android devices do and don’t do well
  3. Advise which third-party apps to download to achieve the most business productivity

How to separate business and personal data on your phone

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The easiest way to do this is to use Categories to manage your contacts. You can set up Business and Personal categories, then file your contacts in those. When you add a business contact on your phone, simply tag it to the Business category.

Not all phones have Category functionality in their built-in address book app. DejaOffice (an app for Android and Apple devices) solves that.  You can create your own categories, assign colors to them, and tag contacts to them.  With the optional CompanionLink PC sync software, you can then sync those categories back to Microsoft Outlook or other supported PC software. If you choose, you can also toggle a switch to NOT sync your Personal contacts to your PC.  This keeps your personal data off your PC, if you work on an office-administered desktop or laptop.

Many people who carry 2 devices (business and personal) are now looking to consolidate into one device capable of cleverly divorcing their business and personal data.

Consolidate business and personal phones

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Reports show people want to chuck one of their two devices. They want to establish a system that separates business and personal data on their (one) phone. Today’s smartphones are completely capable of mixing email, contact, schedule and task-management  functions with social media, browsing, and multimedia demands. All from one powerful and secure smartphone or tablet.

RIM is in the fight for their life to hang on to their business audience. It was no surprise that they focused their BlackBerry Playbook on business productivity. That’s traditionally been their stomping grounds. However, without the plethora of apps that Android and Apple have for their audience, RIM faces an uphill climb to gain the consumer audience. This poses a problem for people who are looking to consolidate devices.

Joe the Plumber (with a tablet)

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The business case for tablets

In a PCWorld article, Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple Computer, insists that tablets like the iPad lower the cost of entry for computing.  This means people can save money by investing in tablets over traditional desktops and laptops.  The same holds true for businesses.  The benefits are numerous – cheaper devices, cheaper software (apps), lower IT maintenance costs due to lack of viruses for tablets and other user-inflicted harm.

Imagine a plumber (named Joe) showing up to fix a leak under your kitchen sink.  Joe uses his tablet to take a picture of the broken part in question.  The picture is automatically sent to his company’s database.  The database sends back a schematic drawing of the part.  Joe shows you the drawing, rotates it, and zooms into exactly the area of the part that is broken.  Joe taps on the area and gets a list of options to fix.  A button to Replace the part is also there.  Tapping that button, Joe shows you a 10-second animation of how the part will be replaced.  Tapping another button, Joe shows you a list of local stores that carry that part and their prices.  He also tells you how much you can save if Joe goes through his supplier of choice.

I’d hire Joe.  Not only did he fix the problem, but he gave me options and educated me about the process.  This was done using the latest technology, which tells me Joe is a person who is current with trends and how to take advantage of them. Chances are that if he’s current with technology trends, he’s also current with the latest advances in plumbing.  As a person looking to fix a plumbing problem, I’m hiring a smart plumber.

So, how can a tablet help your business?  Send us your thoughts.

How will Symbian 3 devices sync with the PC?

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Nokia announced three more phones based on their new Symbian 3 platform.  The phones cater to both business and social media users.  The big question that remains for business users is, “How will these Symbian 3 phones sync with my PC?”.

Google Sync has supported over-the-air sync with devices running the Symbian S60 operating system.  They sync contacts and calendar data two-ways.  Will Google Sync also support two-way sync with Symbian 3 devices?  If they do, CompanionLink can has a way for people to sync PC contacts and calendar data with Symbian 3 devices.

PC <> CompanionLink <> Google account <> Google Sync <> Symbian 3 device

CompanionLink for Google is a product that will sync PC software like Outlook to any Google or Gmail account.  If Google Sync will support sync with Symbian 3 devices, this data will then transfer over-the-air with the Symbian 3 device.  Any changes made on the device will sync back to the Google account, which will sync back to the PC courtesy of CompanionLink.

Let’s hope Google Sync supports Symbian 3.

Use CompanionLink with Gmail's new phone call features

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Gmail now has voice calling functionality. You can call any standard telephone number right within Gmail. If you have your contact information stored in Gmail, calling a contact is as easy as just clicking on their Contact record. Small businesses can save hundreds on their phone bills if they use this feature to place calls to people in their Contact List.

The catch is that managing Contacts in Gmail can be cumbersome. Many small businesses use PC software like Microsoft Outlook to manage their contacts and phone numbers. If only there were a way to continue managing contacts on the PC, while having Gmail automatically receive those changes.

Wait – that’s the whole point of CompanionLink for Google!  It will keep your PC software (like Outlook) in sync with your Gmail Contacts. Update a phone number in Outlook and it will automatically update in Gmail.

This tool allows small businesses to take full advantage of their PC contact management software along with Gmail’s new phone call features. For more info on how it all works, and to try it free for 14 days, visit www.companionlink.com/google

Syncing data from different Outlook folders and sub-folders

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CompanionLink will sync data from Outlook folder.  The software will list the available folders (even Public Folders if you’re using Exchange), and let you choose which on to sync data from.  CompanionLink will synchronize data in that folder and any sub-folders under it.

To synchronize data from multiple different Outlook folders, you need CompanionLink Professional.  This version has as a feature called Category Manager that allows you to assign synchronization of different folders to a Category on the phone.  When you add a new Contact to the right Category on the phone, it automatically goes to the right folder in Outlook.

Category Manager also works great with the DejaOffice app for Android, iPad and iPhone.

CompanionLink 4.0 improves PC to smartphone sync

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CompanionLink 4.0 is now available. The new version improves on CompanionLink’s best-selling product line by adding:

– new visual interface
– refined de-duplication engine that works with data fields on the latest devices
– Microsoft Outlook 2010 support (both 32-bit and 64-bit)
– new licensing system based on email address; allows easy switching between PCs

CompanionLink for Google 4.0 — $39.95
Allows sync from Outlook or Palm Desktop to any Google, Gmail or Google Apps account. Sync happens over-the-air.

CompanionLink USB 4.0 — $39.95
Allows sync from Outlook or Palm Desktop directly to Android or Palm webOS devices using USB cable. Secure and fast exchange of data without going through Google.

CompanionLink Express 4.0 — $69.95
Allows sync from ACT!, Lotus Notes, GoldMine, and GroupWise to phones or Google.

CompanionLink Pro 4.0 — $129.95
Includes everything the Express version has plus advanced CRM-like features such as Opportunity sync, support for multiple data sources, and an optional wireless sync subscription.

All prices are one-time charges. Technical support by phone and email are included at no extra cost.