CompanionLink supports the invasion of Samsung Galaxy S4 Devices

Samsung has announced or launched four Galaxy S4 devices in the past 60 days: Galaxy S4, Galaxy S4 Mini, Galaxy S4 Zoom, and Galaxy S4 Active. While there is little or no common denominator from a design perspective, you can’t blame Samsung for trying to capitalize on their marketing dollars devoted to Galaxy S — the most popular Android brand. CompanionLink supports synchronization with the entire line of S4 devices. CompanionLink can synchronize one device to another, sync PC applications like Outlook with S4, or sync cloud applications like Salesforce CRM, Highrise, and Zoho CRM.

The Galaxy S4 is the flagship phone. Samsung markets it as a Life Companion to emote new fun features like Dual Shot for simultaneous front-and-back pictures, S Translator for spoken language translation, and Smart Pause for intelligent pausing of video when you look away.

The Galaxy S4 Mini is a smaller version of the Galaxy S4. It’s screen is 4.3-inch compared to the S4’s 5-inch screen size. Other specs on the S4 Mini are RAM also different than the S4. Here’s a full list of differences.

The Galaxy S4 Zoom sports a 16MP camera and optical zoom lens.

The Galaxy S4 Active is a certified water-resistant and dust-resistant device marketed as the perfect companion for the beach, pool, camping, or people on the go.

Samsung spent more on marketing their mobile devices than Apple last year, and they are reaping the benefits of extending

Salesforce Android App

The future of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) lies in the Cloud. Google, Microsoft and many other prolific tech companies offer Cloud storage as well as related web-based business solutions. Salesforce is clearly the leader in purely Cloud based CRM solutions. They offer a professional, communication oriented solution tailored for the information age, free from bloatware and lengthy software install procedures. A quick glance through their website will reveal the prominently displayed slogan “No Software!” It should come as no surprise, then, that Salesforce’s entire business model is web based. The drawback of this is obvious: the Salesforce Android app is not particularly robust or as functional as the Salesforce website. DejaOffice, the free mobile CRM app from CompanionLink, is a great alternative for Salesforce users seeking a solution custom tailored for the Android experience.

How Does DejaOffice Compare to the Salesforce Android app?

The DejaOffice advantage is clear. The first thing presented to you upon launching DejaOffice for the first time is a user-friendly Setup Wizard. Compare this with the ominous license agreement you see as soon as your open the Salesforce Android app, and you’ll see that DejaOffice is designed to be easy to use and intuitive from the very beginning. Additionally, the Salesforce Android app demands that you enter your passcode every time you launch it, which quickly becomes a tedious ritual. Finally, the Salesforce Android app is only free for 30 days!

DejaOffice for Android Syncs with Salesforce

The DejaOffice Advantage

  • DejaOffice synchronizes and integrates with the native Android address book
  • No required fields during the creation of contacts and events
  • Multiple calendar views are available
  • No mandatory passcode that you must enter, upon app launch
  • DejaOffice has free technical support via phone and web, even without a license

If you want a mobile CRM which seamlessly syncs with Salesforce and takes advantage of all that the Android platform has to offer, look no further than DejaOffice.

Sync Gmail with Outlook

Email accounts (and related services) are all about communication. Companies both large and small depend on contact lists, calendar entries, and tasks within programs such as Microsoft Outlook for effective communication and time management. It is essential for this communication to extend beyond one application – and even beyond computers as a platform. In this day and age, smartphones, tablets, PDAs, and phablets have become essential tools of communication with customers and co-workers, thanks to companies such as Google. So, how do you sync Gmail with Outlook?

All Syncs are Not Created Equal

For users who prefer a free, albeit very limited Google to Outlook synchronization process, there are a few solutions. It is possible to set up a new IMAP account within Microsoft Outlook, which can be connected with a Gmail account. However, this does not support full synchronization of existing Outlook data. Instructions for this process can be found here. A free program named Contacts Sync also exists, but “it appears to ignore Gmail entries without data in the last-name or e-mail fields,” according to Dennis O’Reilly of CNET. Neither of these free work-arounds appear to be a viable solution for business-oriented environments, in which data integrity is of critical importance.

Additionally, Google recently discontinued its free offering of its App Sync, which has left many people wondering what the best way is to sync Gmail with Outlook.  Though this option is still available for paid users of Google Apps for Business, this may be cost prohibitive at $50 per year for every user.

CompanionLink Syncs Gmail with Outlook

Sync Gmail with Outlook via CompanionLink

  • CompanionLink was designed for professionals who require functionality, reliability and performance.
  • No changes to your existing Outlook account are needed.
  • CompanionLink for Google offers a fully featured method to sync Gmail with Outlook data (PST files) — Contacts, Calendars, and Tasks are supported.
  • Your license is a one time fee; there is no expensive recurring cost.
  • Sync Gmail with Outlook free for two weeks, when you start your trial.
  • Free, detailed setup guides are also available for this process.

These facts and more make CompanionLink for Google the clear choice for your sync!

BlackBerry 10 wants you to manage Tasks with Priorities

Q: What’s a task list without priorities?
A: Just a list.

Let’s just say the late Dr. Stephen Covey might not approve of this.

BlackBerry 10 ships with an app called Remember that nicely organizes notes and tasks in one slick app. Think “Evernote meets [plug in any of the millions of Tasks apps available]”.

But the Remember app misses the mark on one key principle of any task management philosophy – prioritizing tasks!

The Remember app groups things into notebook icons. Each “notebook” can hold items like photos, lists, tasks, and web links. But the treatment for Tasks is like a plain text note – there are no task-focused features like priorities, recurring tasks, or task alerts.

Microsoft Outlook users will especially find this confusing because Outlook ships with task-focused features out-of-the-box. In fact, these features are what makes “task management” philosophies work because they require you to take a large set of things to do and organize them by priority.  Task management = prioritization.

If you want a Task Manager that works lock-step with your Outlook Tasks – including Task Priorities, Categories, and Alarms – download the free DejaOffice app for BlackBerry 10.

EDN gives CompanionLink great reviews for Outlook Google sync

Brian Dipert, writer for EDN Network, chose CompanionLink to sync Outlook with Google during an evaluation of sync tools available for this task.

I chose CompanionLink, although it was the most expensive of the three options, based on the comparative amount and percentage of positive feedback I came across regarding it in my research.

CompanionLink’s setup was straightforward, and the results have so far been rock-solid. Its settings options (including numerous sync-cadence candidates) are abundant but intuitively understandable.

CompanionLink often appears more expensive than other low-cost solutions. We feel our free phone support, ability to use one user-license on three computers (ie, work desktop, home desktop, personal laptop), and our policy to not charge you every time you change phones actually makes CompanionLink the best value on the market.

Sync Outlook with BlackBerry

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.

S4 Outlook Sync

CompanionLink will support Galaxy S4 Outlook sync from day one. Because most Galaxy devices do not ship with reliable Outlook sync software, CompanionLink’s products are used by thousands to synchronize Outlook contacts, calendar, tasks, notes, journal, categories, and contact photos with Galaxy devices like SIII and SIV.

CompanionLink already supports all Galaxy phones and tablets, including the popular S III. With the Galaxy S IV, CompanionLink extends their support of Samsung’s most popular line of smartphones for people using standalone Microsoft Outlook or other CRM tools like Salesforce CRM, ACT!, Lotus Notes, and Palm Desktop.

Multiple options for S4 Outlook sync

  • USB sync
  • DejaCloud push sync
  • Wi-Fi sync
  • Sync to Gmail or Google Apps

CompanionLink multiple protocols for S4 Outlook sync. Traditional USB sync is for those who prefer to connect their S4 with their PC. DejaCloud push sync is for those who desire a hands-free and over-the-air experience. DejaCloud is a new service offered by CompanionLink with emphasis on a private business cloud that does not sell or advertise users data like other large organizations. This service is for people focused on data security between Outlook and S4 devices.

Requirements

  • CompanionLink for Outlook
  • Microsoft Outlook 2000 or higher
  • Windows 2000 or higher, or Mac OS X 10.7 or higher

More information can be found at www.companionlink.com/s4.

How to sync Gmail contacts with Outlook

The most reliable way to sync Gmail contacts with Outlook is to set up a system that automatically keeps both sides synchronized. If you add, delete, or edit a contact recording in Outlook or Gmail, the changes are synchronized automatically.

Software options to sync Gmail contacts with Outlook

CompanionLink for Google is a low-cost product designed to sync Gmail contacts with Outlook. It goes beyond just contacts though. CompanionLink will also sync:

  • Outlook Categories with Google Contact Groups
  • Contact photos
  • Outlook Calendar with Google Calendar
  • Outlook Tasks with Google Tasks

An “Auto Sync” setting lets you set CompanionLink to automatically interface with Google every 5 minutes. You can also set the time intervals to longer periods.

sync-gmail-contacts-with-outlook

You may find other free options available. Pay close attention to which versions of Outlook they work with, whether or not they collect or advertise your data, and if the software requires special Outlook set up so Outlook doesn’t consider access to Outlook Contacts a malicious attempt.

Also key in your decision is to see if software is backed by phone support. Business-class software to sync Gmail contacts with Outlook should come with free phone support.

How to sync Outlook Notes with Android

Sync Outlook Notes with Android

People who use Microsoft Outlook for business rely on the Outlook Notes feature.  Insurance agents, for example, will use Outlook Notes to document details about each claim. Outlook Notes can be attached to an Outlook Contact record, letting agents search for a contact and quickly see the notes they’ve made.  Agents can also sync Outlook Notes with Android phones and tablets using CompanionLink.

Steps to sync Outlook Notes with Android

  1. Download CompanionLink for Outlook. It’s free to try for 14 days.
  2. Configure it to sync Android with Microsoft Outlook. Make sure the Outlook Notes checkbox is checked.
  3. Click the Sync button.

CompanionLink for Outlook is a PC software product that synchronizes Outlook Notes with Android devices.  The sync is two-ways so changes made on the Android device or in Microsoft Outlook are always updated.  If you configure CompanionLink to use their DejaCloud service, all your data will synchronize over-the-air without the need to connect your Android device to your PC with cables.

DejaOffice app for Android stores Outlook Notes

CompanionLink works together with an Android app called DejaOffice.  The app stores Outlook Notes, Contacts, Calendar, and Tasks from your PC.  In the example above of our agent, links between Outlook Notes and Outlook Contacts are maintained on the Android, just like on PC Outlook.  Categories are also maintained, allowing you to map all of your Outlook Categories from your PC to your Android. DejaOffice is available from the Google Play Store.

BB10 sync

BlackBerry 10 arrives on January 30. BB10 sync to standalone Microsoft Outlook is a topic that no one is talking about. If your company runs a Microsoft Exchange Server, BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 will manage over-the-air sync of Outlook data to BlackBerry 10 devices. People without Microsoft Exchange who are using the version of Microsoft Outlook that came with MS Office are left without any tools for bb10 sync.

Google Sync end-of-life affects BB10 devices

Google’s end of life announcement for free Google Sync services devastates BB10 users with Outlook. People with free Gmail accounts can no longer sync Outlook to Gmail to BB10 devices.  This directly affects standalone Outlook users because their data is now isolated on an island (ie – Outlook) with no options from RIM to get the data to BB10 devices. Legacy BlackBerry devices used BlackBerry Desktop Manager to solve this problem. However, BBDM will not ship with BB10 devices.

CompanionLink announces BB10 sync for standalone Outlook

CompanionLink will offer direct BB10 sync support for standalone Microsoft Outlook. BB10 sync options will include USB sync that works similar to BlackBerry Desktop Manager, and DejaCloud sync that works over-the-air. CompanionLink will ship their BB10 sync solution the same day the first BB10 devices arrive in people’s hands. Support for Outlook 2000, 2003, 2007, 2010, and 2013 will be included. For more info on BB10 sync, bookmark this page that will be updated by CompanionLink as more news about BB10 emerges.

Phablet sync

Phablet appears to be the latest literary phenomenon that will become a household name.  A phablet is a smartphone with a large enough screen to encroach on the definition of a tablet.  Huffington Post writes about the ire the term phablet is beginning to draw.  Samsung Galaxy Note can be credited as being the first mainstream device to challenge the sacred phone/tablet threshold.  (Dell made a valiant attempt to crack the phablet marketing with Dell Streak. However, they didn’t have the marketing cloud of Samsung.)

The first Galaxy Note device had a 5.3-inch screen.  Galaxy Note II stretched the limits even further with a 5.5-inch screen.  Galaxy Note III is rumored to have a gargantuan 6.3-inch display.

Phablet sync with phones and computers

The linchpin behind phablets is to achieve nirvana between desktop productivity and the mobile form factor.  People with mobile devices do not want to squint to read tiny, high-resolution font.  They hate being given a 10×10 pixel area button that accurately engages on only 60% of their tap attempts.  People who want a “large enough” screen for business productivity in a pocket-able form factor turn to phablets.

Phablet sync is a key factor in mobile productivity.  Business users of phablets need  a way to get their contact records and calendar agenda onto their phablet.  With phablets going mainstream, PC to phablet sync and smartphone to phablet sync will be in demand.

CompanionLink offers a simple solution for this called DejaCloud.  With one username and password, contacts and calendar information will be synchronized between PC, smartphone, and phablet.  This technology is available today for phablet early-adopters.

BlackBerry Link Outlook sync

Industry blogs shows that RIM will replace BlackBerry Desktop Manager with a product called BlackBerry Link with their new BlackBerry OS 10 launch. Screenshots leaked on various blogs show BlackBerry Link will manage pictures, music, video, and documents. However, there have been no screenshots showing support for BlackBerry Link Outlook Sync. Will RIM abandon their reliable USB sync between Microsoft Outlook and BlackBerry?

CompanionLink plans to support synchronization between Microsoft Outlook and BlackBerry OS 10 devices. You can choose from USB sync (works like BlackBerry Desktop Manager) or secure DejaCloud wireless sync. Please bookmark this website to stay current with the our latest news about BlackBerry 10 Outlook sync.

Galaxy Note 2 Outlook Sync

Samsung has a new ad promoting the Galaxy Note 2 as a business device. We couldn’t agree more because CompanionLink gets lots of calls from people asking about Galaxy Note 2 Outlook Sync.  These business people are crippled without their Outlook calendar, contacts, notes, and tasks on their Galaxy Note 2.  CompanionLink has software for Galaxy Note 2 Outlook sync.

How to achieve Galaxy Note 2 Outlook sync

  1. Download CompanionLink for Outlook from here. It’s free to try for 14-days.
  2. During configuration, select Android for device, DejaCloud for method, and Microsoft Outlook for database.
  3. Click the Sync button.

The Note 2 blurs the line between the three most popular mobile computing form factors – laptop, phone, and tablet.  The large 5.5-inch screen on Galaxy Note II gives business people laptop-like productivity.  The powerful quad-core processor makes Excel calculations a breeze and allows you to simultaneously run apps. The device runs the famous TouchWiz interface.

Google Calendar Sync program

Google stopped distributing their Google Calendar Sync program on December 14, 2012. You can read about that here. The called this a “Winter Cleaning”. CompanionLink feels there are still thousands of people who need a Google Calendar Sync program to keep their Outlook and Google accounts integrated.

CompanionLink for Google is another Google Calendar Sync program that does everything Google’s software did, but also adds features like synchronization of contacts, categories, tasks and contact photos. CompanionLink can be set up to sync multiple Outlook calendars to Google Calendars. You can sync Outlook contacts and calendar categories with Google. Calendar details such as accepted meeting invites and recurring appointments are handled flawlessly. Outlook task priorities and due dates sync over to Google nicely. Your contact notes, appointment notes, and task details sync to Google as well.

For a full list of Outlook data supported in CompanionLink’s alternative for the Google Calendar Sync program, please click here.

Sync Google Calendar with Outlook 2007

A very common customer service request we get is from people asking how to sync Google Calendar with Outlook 2007. Many people are still using Outlook 2007 because it is the last version of Microsoft Office that used the famous ribbon-less interface.

We have good news – CompanionLink for Google is a $14.95 tool that allows people to sync Google Calendar with Outlook 2007.  CompanionLink also has a feature to sync Google Contacts with Outlook 2007 that is built right into the product.

Google used to offer a tool to sync Google Calendar with Outlook 2007. The tool was called Google Calendar Sync. Google stopped distributing that tool on December 14, 2012.

Here’s the workaround to sync Google Calendar with Outlook 2007.

  1. Download and install CompanionLink for Google to your PC.
  2. During configuration, select “No device – sync with Google” from the list of device types.
  3. Select Outlook as your database. By default, contacts, calendar and tasks will synchronize between Google and Outlook 2007. If you want to change this, you can do so in the Advanced Settings area.
  4. Click the Sync button.

CompanionLink for Google can also be set to automatically synchronize Google Calendar with Outlook 2007.  Go to Advanced Settings > Sync Timer. You can select how often you wish to sync Google Calendar with Outlook 2007.

Outlook 2013 with Gmail (end of life for Exchange ActiveSync)

Integrating Outlook 2013 with Gmail just got a little more complicated. Google announced that they will cease support for Google Sync (which runs on Exchange ActiveSync technology) for new users on January 30, 2013. New Gmail accounts will not be able to use Exchange ActiveSync without a paid Google Apps account.

Here’s a workaround for integrating Outlook 2013 with Gmail.

1. Set up Outlook 2013 with Gmail IMAP to get email capabilities in Outlook.

A. Set up your Gmail acccount with IMAP.
Incoming Mail (IMAP) Server – Requires SSL
– imap.gmail.com
– Port: 993
– Requires SSL:Yes

B. Outgoing Mail (SMTP) Server – Requires TLS
– smtp.gmail.com
– Port: 465 or 587
– Requires SSL: Yes
– Requires authentication: Yes
– Use same settings as incoming mail server

C. Full Name or Display Name: [your name]

D. Account Name or User Name: [your full Gmail address] (user…@gmail.com). Google Apps users, please enter user…@your_domain.com

E. Email address:your full Gmail address (user…@gmail.com) Google Apps users, please enter user…@your_domain.com

F. Password: [your Gmail password]

2. Use the CompanionLink for Google tool to sync Outlook 2013 with Gmail.

CompanionLink will sync Outlook and Gmail contacts, calendar, and tasks. It’s available as a free trial for 14 days. Just $14.95 to buy and works on multiple PCs.

Credit steps in #1 above to Tiaan.