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.

Is CompanionLink Part of the Google Tax?

Posted on by Rushang
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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).

How to Sync the Samsung Galaxy S II via USB

Posted on by Andy Sheragy
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We just received our new Galaxy S II (what an amazing device!), and wanted to share the specific procedures you’ll need to follow to sync via USB using CompanionLink and Dejaoffice.

The Galaxy S II performs a bit differently than other devices, so you’ll need to follow these specific steps if you want to sync via USB. You also may want to consider syncing the Galaxy S II via Wi-Fi, as it is not subject to any of these limitations.

When syncing via USB, DejaOffice normally connects the device’s USB storage drive automatically, but on the Galaxy S II the automatic connection does not work. Follow these instructions before each sync:

  • 1. First, ensure that the phone is disconnected from the PC.
  • 2. On the Galaxy S II, open Settings > Wireless and Network > USB Utilities.
  • 3. Select “Connect storage to PC”.
  • 4. Make sure CompanionLink is running on the PC, then connect the Galaxy S II to the PC using a USB cable.
  • 5. Open DejaOffice, then tap “Sync” to begin.

We’re working in a more automated method, but for now follow the steps above. Once again, our local Wi-Fi sync is fully automatic and is not subject to any of these restrictions. Questions? Comments? Let us know below!

DejaOffice for Android 1.11.6 Adds Great New Features, Beta Out Now

Posted on by David Z
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We recently released an update for DejaOffice for Android and we’ve added some great new features that I think you’ll really like. For the full release notes, head over here. In this post, however, I’d like to highlight 3 of my favorite new features: Group By for DejaMemos, Roll Over options in DejaTasks, and an option that allows you to add a number to DejaContacts upon completing a call!

Group By in DejaMemos works similarly to the Group By feature we added to DejaContacts in version 1.11. In DejaMemos, you’re now able to group memos by category, then sort by subject or most recent. The combination of grouping and sorting allows you to sift through large databases of memos much more easily than before!

Roll Over is a great new feature that helps ensure you’ll never miss an overdue task again. You can now bump the due date of a specific overdue task or all overdue tasks to today’s date. Of course, if you aren’t able to complete everything on your daily task list on a regular basis, you’ll find that bumping overdue tasks can become a task in itself. That’s why we’ve added the ability to automatically roll over overdue tasks at the end of each day. If you didn’t finish a task today, it will simply get pushed to the next day’s to-do list. Personally, this feature is one of my favorites in all of DejaOffice!

Finally, we’ve added the ability to add a number to DejaContacts after an incoming or outgoing call. At face value, this is a fairly simple feature. In practice, we think you’ll find it quite invaluable. For those of us who are regularly adding new contacts to our database, anything that helps to speed up the process is a welcome feature!

These are just three of a number of great new features in DejaOffice for Android 1.11.6. Head over to www.dejaoffice.com/androidapp to download the beta today, and look for it in the Android Market soon!