CompanionLink Ranks Among The Fastest-Growing Companies In Portland

Posted on by David Z
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Over 800 people gathered last Thursday for the Portland Business Journal’s 100 Fastest-Growing Private Companies event, held at the Portland Art Museum. We were thrilled to be among them, knowing that CompanionLink had made the list, somewhere among the top 100 companies.

As the Portland Business Journal counted down from 100, we waited with anticipation to see where we ranked. As we listened for our name, more and more companies were recognized for their stellar year over year growth. The announcer finally arrived at CompanionLink Software – the 18th fastest-growing private company in Portland!

We are very grateful to have achieved this status, and we couldn’t have done it without you – our customers. Thank you for your support!

Which Sync Method Is Best?

Posted on by David Z
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This post will help you understand the differences between the four sync methods that CompanionLink offers you: Direct USB Sync, Local WiFi Sync, Secure Hosted Wireless Sync, and Sync via Google. Below, I’ll explain each one to help you find the best sync method for your setup.

Direct USB Sync

This method synchronizes your data via USB cable. It’s the plain “old-fashioned” method that HotSync provided in the old days. Data is directly transferred to and from your device without the need of any cloud or hosted services. USB sync is recommended if:

  • you require a high level of security
  • you are averse to hosting your data in the cloud
  • you do not need your data synchronized continuously throughout the day

Simply dock your phone to your PC and sync.

Works with: Android, BlackBerry, and webOS devices

Pros:

  • Secure and direct transfer
  • Data is stored locally
  • HIPAA friendly

Cons:

  • Must be connected to PC
  • Not a direct sync for iOS devices*

*Syncs via Outlook/iTunes

Local WiFi Sync

This method uses your local WiFi network to securely sync information from your PC directly to DejaOffice on your device. Both your PC and device must be connected to the same WiFi internet connection. Local WiFi Sync will then detect when you are within range of your local WiFi network and sync in the background, hands-free!* WiFi Sync is your best choice if:

  • you want a quick, wireless options for syncing data
  • you are in and out of the office or house all day
  • you regularly update your data throughout the day

Set it up once, then enjoy the convenience of a wireless sync.

Works with: Android, iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch devices

Pros:

  • Wireless sync – no cords!
  • Optional automatic sync*
  • AES-256bit encryption for security

Cons:

  • Range is limited to your local WiFi connection
  • Not available on BlackBerry, webOS, or Windows Phone

*Automatic sync is currently Android-only. iOS users must initiate the sync on the PC.

Secure Hosted Sync

Secure Hosted Sync is our most robust and reliable sync option. CompanionLink will sync your data securely to your device using AES-256 bit encryption. Most importantly, we do not host your data, meaning users who are concerned about security and hosting data online now have a convenient wireless sync option, all for just $9.95 per month! Secure Hosted Sync is recommended if:

  • you need a fast, secure, hands-free sync
  • you do not want your data hosted by a third party (such as Google)
  • you want the convenience of a wireless sync with the security of a wired sync

Secure Hosted Sync works in conjunction with our free Android and iOS app, DejaOffice (or DejaLink for BlackBerry users).

Works with: Android, iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, and BlackBerry devices

Pros:

  • Secure wireless sync
  • Works anywhere you have internet
  • We do not host your data
  • Automatic, real-time sync*

Cons:

  • Monthly fee
  • Not available on webOS or Windows Phone

*Currently Android-only. Coming soon on iOS, as well as for Zoho and SugarCRM.

Sync via Google

Sync via Google allows you to sync contacts, calendar and tasks from your PC to any Google, Gmail, or Google Apps account. Once your PC data has been synced to a Google account, Google provides wireless sync with most smartphone and tablet platforms. Sync via Google is best if:

  • you are looking for a free wireless sync option
  • you already rely heavily on Google for other services
  • you want hosted access to your data online
  • you have basic contact & calendar databases*

For more information on how to sync your device with your Google account, visit google.com/sync.

Works with: Android, iOS, BlackBerry, Windows Phone, and webOS devices

Pros:

  • Free wireless sync
  • Creates an online backup of your data
  • Sync your Google account to multiple devices

Cons:

  • Data is hosted by a 3rd party
  • Google controls the sync process to your device
  • Data is limited to basic contacts & calendars

*Google imposes certain limitations on the type of data we can sync. As such, we do not recommend Sync via Google for those with more complex databases.

DejaOffice Flies Past 100,000 Active Installs

Posted on by David Z
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I’m happy to share that we’ve passed 100,000 active installs of DejaOffice! That means that amongst you, our customers, there are over 100,000 Android phones & tablets, iPhones, iPads, and iPod Touches all over the world currently being enhanced by DejaOffice’s business-class productivity features. All this in just a little over one year, too!

2011 has already been an exciting year for DejaOffice. We’ve added dozens of new features and enhancements, from widgets to global search to grouping, and much more. But we’re not stopping there. We have even more great features planned. While I can’t get into the details just yet, I can tell you that 2011 will continue to be a very exciting year for DejaOffice. Stay tuned!

 

DejaOffice for Android 1.11.8 Beta Released

Posted on by David Z
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DejaOffice 1.11.8 beta is now available from www.dejaoffice.com/androidapp and brings a number of improvements and bug fixes. Most notably, we’ve adjusted the colors in the revised month view calendar we introduced in version 1.11.7. Some users reported that, while they liked the new layout, the colors were hard to see. With this update, the category colors should now be much easier to read!

If you’d like to test out the latest features, or are encountering any of the issues that are fixed in this release, head over to www.dejaoffice.com/androidapp and grab the beta!

Release Notes

DejaOffice v1.11.8 (06/15/2011)
-improved month view UI by increasing color luminosity
-month view layout now defaults to tablet style, now with the standard 3 font sizes
-added date to DejaCalendar search results
-fixed truncated text for 0 min duration events
-fixed an issues with editing multi-day weekly recurring events
-fixed issues with list view Go to Date/Today menu options
-fixed Business/Micro mode for View/Edit screens in tablet mode
-fixed an issue where “Show Private” did not work in DejaToday for hidden records
-fixed issues syncing Categories with native contact Phone accounts groups
-fixed an issue where DejaToday did not display All Day events
-fixed an issue where DejaOffice would sometimes not update the native Android contacts app after syncing

DejaOffice.com Receives A Fresh New Look

Posted on by David Z
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Just a quick update today to announce the brand new DejaOffice.com! We have completely redesigned the site so that it is easier than ever to learn about all of the great features in DejaOffice.

I encourage you to head over to www.dejaoffice.com and check it out. We’d love to hear what you think! Share your feedback in the comments below.

Hate Duplicates? We Do Too.

Posted on by David Z
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Duplicates. Perhaps the most despised sync issue that could arise. There are few things as annoying and damaging to your productivity as seeing 5 copies of your data.

At CompanionLink, we have worked hard to eliminate data duplication. With over 15 years in the business, we’ve learned a lot. But even the best sync solutions are prone to error. This is due to the fact that they must rely on a computer to make the final decision. The computer simply cannot know if the “John Smith” with just an email is the same as the “John Smith” with just a phone number.

In our own software, we’ve learned that if a user experiences data duplication, it is almost always a result of an incomplete setup. To that end, we have created a resource that quickly informs you how to achieve a proper sync setup. Head over to our Sync 101 page for the 3 easy steps that will help you avoid data duplication and save your productivity (and sanity!).

Take Two: The HTC Sensation & The Samsung Exhibit 4G

Posted on by David Z
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Today I wanted to talk about two upcoming Android phones: the HTC Sensation and Samsung Exhibit 4G. They are two very different phones and at CompanionLink we’re excited to see them released to two very different reasons.

The HTC Sensation looks like it will be just that – a sensation. With 4G speeds, the latest version of HTC Sense, a dual-core 1.2GHz processor, 4.3” display, 8-mexapixel HD camera, and more, the Sensation is poised to be one of the top Android phones releasing this summer. And at $199 it is priced to compete. We have yet to try one out ourselves, but from everything we’ve seen this will be the phone to get for those looking for a powerful Android experience. Look for it in Walmart stores June 12th and T-Mobile locations by June 15th.

That said, not everyone wants to spend $199 on a new phone. That’s where Samsung Exhibit 4G comes in. Providing a solid Android experience atop a 1Ghz processor handset, the Exhibit 4G should prove to be a popular phone among those looking for an entry-level smartphone. While it may not be the most powerful Android phone available, it packs plenty of features to satisfy the casual user’s needs. And at just $79, it’s priced to move. T-Mobile has yet to provide a set release date, but has promised we will see the Exhibit 4G this June.

Whether you’re looking for the latest, powerful Android handset or are hunting for a feature-rich phone at a great price, you’re sure to find something you’ll love soon. And, of course, with DejaOffice and CompanionLink you’ll be as productive as ever on your new phone!

Once released, we’ll be testing these phones to ensure they work as expected with DejaOffice and CompanionLink, but at this point we don’t foresee any issues.

DejaOffice 1.2.2 for iOS Now Available

Posted on by David Z
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DejaOffice 1.2.2 is now available from the iTunes App Store! We’ve added and improved a number of things, but the two biggest features we’d like to talk about are a separate contact database and “group by” options.

Our Own Contacts Database

We’ve created a separate Contacts database for DejaContacts. Previously, we used native iPhone Address Book to store our data. While this is convenient, it affected usability because we were forced to render our data only as fast as the iPhone Address Book allowed us to.

No more! With our own database, we can optimize speeds to best suit our app and it’s purpose – accessing thousands of business records instantly.

Please note: It is very important that you run the Import Contacts function if you’ve previously synced DejaOffice via CompanionLink. If you skip this step, you could potentially duplicate or delete all of your contacts data!

If you’d like to take advantage of features that the native address book offers (such as caller ID), you will still be able to sync DejaContacts with the native Address Book.

New “Grouping “ Feature

A powerful new grouping feature allows you to organize data in more ways. In our last email we showed you how categories are a highly efficient way to organize data. But what do you do for more granular control?

That’s where grouping comes in.

DejaOffice can sort your contacts by company, category, city, or city and zip code. For example, picture this scenario: you’re traveling to Atlanta and, while on the plane, you use DejaOffice to bring up a list of all your contacts that live there. You can now easily browse through this list and catch up with nearby clients or old friends.

We’re really excited about these new features and think you’re going to love them too! In fact, we’d love to hear how you will be using the new grouping feature.

DejaOffice for Android 1.11.7 Beta Improves Calendar View, Adds Ringtone Management

Posted on by David Z
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Click to Enlarge

Update: DejaOffice 1.11.7 is officially available in the Android Market.

The latest beta of DejaOffice for Android brings a host of new features, interface improvements, and bug fixes. In this post, I’d like to highlight two of them.

First, we’ve improved the calendar “Month View.” With a large amount of data in DejaCal, the month view could get fairly crowded and hard to read. By cleaning up the interface, we’ve made it much easier to view your agenda. For now, you’ll need to enable “Tablet Mode” to see this change.

Second, due to popular request, we’ve added custom ringtone management to DejaContacts. Now, when creating or editing a contact, you’ll be able to assign a specific ringtone. You can also assign ringtones to categories, making it easy to determine if an incoming call is business or personal! Of course, for custom ringtones to work, you’ll need to be syncing DejaOffice with the native Android contacts.

These are just two of many great new features and improvements in DejaOffice for Android 1.11.7 beta. Full release notes are available after the break, and you can download the latest beta today from www.dejaoffice.com/androidapp. Continue reading →

Sync the DROID X2 With Outlook, Zoho, and More

Posted on by David Z
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The Motorola DROID X2 has officially arrived in stores today. With a 1GHz dual core Tegra 2 processor, a 4.3” qHD display, 8 megapixel camera, HDMI out, and more, the DROID X2 is sure to impress.

We’ve had ours for a few days already and have been testing it to ensure that everything works smoothly with CompanionLink and DejaOffice. The verdict? It works great! As expected, the DROID X2 behaves similarly to other Motorola DROID devices, meaning that those who wish to sync via USB will need to be sure to put their new DROID in “Charge Only” mode (or “None”) when selecting the USB connection type.

CompanionLink makes syncing contacts, calendar, tasks and notes between the DROID X2 and CRM databases such as Outlook, ACT!, Palm Desktop, Salesforce, Zoho and more easy! In addition to the aforementioned USB sync, we offer local Wi-Fi sync, automatic wireless sync via Google, and our own Secure Hosted wireless sync service.

Find more info, as well as a 14-day free trial, at www.companionlink.com/phones/moto-droid.html

Sync Outlook and Google 5x Faster Than Before

Posted on by David Z
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We are happy to announce a new feature that enables a substantial speed increase when syncing with Outlook or Google. We call this feature “Optimized Update Sync” and we think you’re going to love it!

Optimized Update Sync (OUS) is now available in CompanionLink build 4044. If you haven’t downloaded it yet, head over to the downloads page to do so now! Our tests have shown sync speed increases of 5x on average. Some sync configurations even synced as much as 18x faster! Take a look at a sample of our tests below:

Reading this chart is fairly simple. “OLx32 Google 5000 50 Off” looks confusing at first, but it means we tested Outlook 32-bit syncing to Google with a database of 5000 contacts that had 50 changes and Optimized Update Sync Off. In a nutshell, the top bar of each group shows the sync with OUS off, while to bottom bar of each group shows the sync with it on. You can see the difference it makes!

A few notes for those of you excited to try out OUS:

  • – OUS is currently implemented for Outlook and/or Google. Expect it to be implemented for other platforms in the near future.
  • – OUS can be enabled/disabled via the Options menu. It is enabled by default.
  • – OUS does not affect initial syncs, P&Rs or rereads.

Full release notes after the break: Continue reading →

Zoho vs. Salesforce – A Quick Guide on How to Decide

Posted on by David Z
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If you’ve been searching for an online CRM solution, there’s no doubt you’ve come across both Zoho and Salesforce. Initially, they are hard to compare – the pricing is vastly different and neither of them offer any sort of comparison chart. After some research, however, you’ll begin to notice some clear similarities and differences.

As far as the basic components of CRM are concerned, both Zoho and Salesforce offer what any user will need. Accounts, contacts, campaigns, Outlook and Office integration, collaboration tools, etc. are found in both services. And, of course, CompanionLink works great with either Zoho or Salesforce! So how do you decide which is right for you? Let us help by highlighting the unique benefits each service offers.

Zoho: Affordable, Quick, Easy

The most obvious benefit Zoho has to offer is its pricing. At $12 or $25 per user per month, it’s $100 less than Salesforce’s most popular offering. Zoho even offers a free version for users who need a very simple CRM solution.

Of course, price isn’t the only benefit Zoho offers. Zoho is designed to be quick and easy, allowing even the smallest businesses to jump in and get started right away. Zoho also offers integration with their complete suite of Zoho Apps, providing access to chat, docs, invoicing, projects, meetings, and much more.

In the end, you’ll want to look into Zoho if you’re a small to medium business looking for a full-featured, yet affordable CRM solution.

Salesforce: Powerful, Customizable, Expandable

Salesforce generally gets accused of being more expensive than Zoho or other CRM options. With its most popular edition going for $125 per user per month, this may seem to be the case. However, Salesforce accounts start at just $5 per user per month for their more basic CRM solution.

That said, most users generally opt for one of the higher priced plans. The question then becomes, “What do I get for my money?” For sales and support teams, Salesforce Phone Integration often delivers quick ROI by reducing manual call logging and improving response time inside the CRM. In addition to all the benefits you’d expect from a CRM service, Salesforce offers the ability to customize your experience via custom apps and websites, a developer sandbox, and integration via a web services API. All that may sound a bit technical, but it essentially means that, with a little technical know-how, you can make Salesforce do exactly what you need it to do for your specific setup. To make customization even easier, Salesforce hosts a cloud-computing marketplace called AppExchange where you can find over 1,000 different apps that will help make Salesforce work for your setup!

Generally speaking, if you’re a medium to large business with custom CRM needs, Salesforce is a great option.

Hopefully this has helped narrow your search. In our experience, there isn’t a bad choice here.