A Fresh New Look

Posted on by David Z
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Today, we’re excited to unveil our fresh new website. We’ve completely redesigned the look and feel, and we think it’s a big improvement! Not only that, but we’ve focused on making it even easier to get around. From the “Help Me Choose” widget on our home page to the brand new product pages to our handy “Getting Started” page, the new website was built to get you the information you need quickly, easily, and, quite frankly, beautifully!

So take a few minutes to check out the new site and let us know what you think! Leave your thoughts in the comments below or send us a note at marketing@companionlink.com!

The DROID BIONIC Has Landed – Now Sync It With Outlook & More

Posted on by David Z
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It’s been 9 months in the making, but the DROID BIONIC is finally here. It was first seen back in January, but delays, rumors of cancellation, and more delays have caused the BIONIC to become one of the most hyped phones this year. And based on its specs, Motorola is hoping to deliver on that hype.

It is no doubt a powerhouse, something the specs, and the price, reflect. The BIONIC features a 4.3” qHD touchscreen display, dual-core 1GHz processor, 1GB RAM, 16GB internal storage with a 16GB microSD card preinstalled, 8 megapixel camera, and much more. Running on Verizon’s 4G network, the BIONIC is listed at $299 with a new 2-year contract.

It’s place among the top Android phones is without question, but does it live up to the hype? Hear our thoughts in the video below:

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFzTb6nEOOY]
As you can see, we got our hands on the BIONIC and are happy to report that CompanionLink will allow you to sync the BIONIC with Outlook, ACT!, Salesforce, and more! Contacts, calendars, tasks, memos and more all sync seamlessly. Try it for yourself with our 14-day free trial or grab a copy of CompanionLink today. Prices start at just $49.95.

What do you think of the BIONIC? Do you have questions about syncing? Leave a comment below!

CompanionLink Adds Support for ACT! 2012

Posted on by David Z
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We weren’t the only ones with a big announcement yesterday – Sage officially released ACT! 2012 to the public. While I touched on support for ACT! 2012 in yesterday’s post, I wanted to highlight the topic in its own post.

With the release of CompanionLink 5 (currently in beta), we officially support syncing contacts, calendar activities, contact notes and histories, to-dos and opportunities between ACT! 2012 and many popular Android, iOS, BlackBerry, webOS, and Windows Phone devices, among others.

If you’re already using ACT! with CompanionLink and have upgraded to ACT! 2012, there’s very little you need to do to keep syncing – just ensure you’ve opened ACT! 2012 at least once. This allows ACT! to perform a necessary database update. After that, just make sure you’re running the latest version of CompanionLink and you’ll be set to sync!

CompanionLink 5 Beta Available Now

Posted on by David Z
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We’re pleased to announce the CompanionLink 5 beta is now available to download! We have been hard at work on CompanionLink 5, and we think you’re going to love this update. So, let’s jump in to what’s new!

An Entirely Rebuilt Experience

CompanionLink 5 brings a brand new user interface. We wanted to make the process of setting up and maintaining your sync easier than ever. As you walk through the setup, you’ll notice new wizards along the way. These are designed to guide you through the basic configuration – how the majority of people use CompanionLink.  If you have advanced needs, you’ll be able to customize your sync using the Advanced Settings button.

Support For The Latest and Greatest

CompanionLink 5 is built to support the latest hardware and software. Support for ACT! 2012, a product that was just released this morning, is already included in the first beta. When iOS 5 and Android “Ice Cream Sandwich” land in the near future, CompanionLink 5 will be ready to support them. And as new devices are released, CompanionLink 5 will be continually updated to ensure compatibility.

Multiple Profiles In Express

Until now, if you wanted to sync more than one device, you needed to upgrade to CompanionLink Professional and use our “Profiles” feature. Profiles allow you to sync multiple devices to one or more databases. You can even customize what data syncs to each device. It’s a great feature, and one that we want to make more accessible.

So, we are.

We’re adding support for two profiles in CompanionLink Express 5. CompanionLink Professional will support up to five profiles. Now, I should note that this feature isn’t in the beta just yet, but it will be making its way to the official CompanionLink 5 release!

Everything Else

By now, you’re probably wondering when the official CompanionLink 5 release will be. Starting today, we’ll gather feedback on the CompanionLink 5 beta and make any adjustments as needed. Once we’re satisfied with the feedback and performance, we’ll drop the beta tag and officially release CompanionLink 5. We expect that process to take a few weeks.

Here’s the best news: CompanionLink 5 will be a free upgrade for anyone who’s purchased CompanionLink on or after July 1, 2010. For everyone else, our upgrade pricing is coming soon.

Head over to our downloads page to try out CompanionLink 5 today! And please be sure to send us your feedback at marketing@companionlink.com or leave a comment below. We look forward to hearing your thoughts!

Note: We’ve been testing CompanionLink 5 extensively. However, as with any beta release, I’d like to remind you that you may encounter unexpected behavior. Please keep that in mind if you opt to try out the beta.

Sync the Samsung Galaxy S II Series with your PC

Posted on by David Z
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Image Credit: DroidLifeSamsung recently announced that their Android-powered Galaxy S II Series of smartphones will be available in three separate models beginning September 16th. The Samsung Galaxy S II Series will be available on AT&T, Sprint, & T-Mobile.

The Samsung Galaxy S II from AT&T features a 4.3” Super AMOLED Plus display, a dual core 1.2GHz processor, and AT&T’s brand new 4G speeds. The Galaxy S II will be available from AT&T on October 2.

The Samsung Galaxy S II is dubbed the Epic 4G Touch by Sprint and features a 4.52” Super AMOLED Plus display, a dual core 1.2GHz processor, and 16GB of built-in storage. The Epic 4G Touch will be available for $199 beginning September 16.

The Samsung Galaxy S II from T-Mobile boasts a 4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus display, 2MP front facing camera 16GB of internal storage. The Galaxy S II will be available from T-Mobile later this fall.

Each of these devices clearly feature the latest powerful hardware, yet they lack an easy way to sync with Microsoft Outlook and other CRM databases.

Using CompanionLink, it’s possible to sync contacts, calendar, tasks and notes between the Samsung Galaxy S II Series and CRM software such as Microsoft Outlook, ACT!, Palm Desktop, Lotus Notes, and more. You can sync direct via USB, over local Wi-Fi, via our Secure Hosted wireless, or via Google.

Find more info, as well as a 14-day free trial, at www.companionlink.com/galaxy

Want to sync the Samsung Galaxy SII with Outlook?
Download a free trial of CompanionLink for Outlook today!

CompanionLink Makes The Inc. 5000

Posted on by David Z
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Image Credit: Inc.CompanionLink recently earned the position of #2,057 on the 2011 Inc. 5000 list. The Inc. 5000 highlights the fasting growing private companies in the United States. To earn a spot on the list, a company is required to have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2007 as well as be based in the United States, privately held, for profit, and independent.

We’re thrilled, and honored, to be featured on this list. The past few years have shown amazing growth, not just for CompanionLink, but for the entire mobile industry. Looking back to March 31, 2007 – the qualifying date set by Inc. – the iPhone had not even made it’s way into the public’s hands and Android was entirely unknown to the masses. In just a few short years, we’ve all come a long way!

Looking forward, we’re excited for the future. We’re committed to enhancing mobile productivity on all the latest devices, whatever they may be!

webOS Lives On At CompanionLink [Updated]

Posted on by David Z
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Image Credit: HP

Update: USB sync is now live for all webOS devices! Read about it here.

The past week has been a bit of a roller coaster for webOS fans. We feel you – in fact, we’re right there with you. CompanionLink has worked with webOS since long before it was ever webOS. Back in 1997, CompanionLink was in the room at Palm’s first developer conference. Since then, we’ve worked closely with Palm, Palm OS, and webOS. Our software has allowed people to get their PIM and CRM information to Palm devices for years.

With the advent of webOS 2.x, we ran into a hurdle – as did many developers. The communication lines with the webOS team became blurred.  First, it was the HP acquisition. Then, the bombshell announcement by HP last week.

While CompanionLink was able to provide syncing options via Google, we could not find a way to connect via USB as we had in the past. I’m happy to announce that we plan to bring USB sync to webOS 2.x and 3.x in the coming weeks. This is a tribute to those people who have hung on to their webOS devices through thick and thin. It’s a shout out to those bloggers who have spent more than two years evangelizing the webOS platform.

We’ve had a long history with the Palm platform. While the future of webOS may be filled with uncertainty, there is one thing you can count on: we will continue to support webOS for as long as we are able!

Look for an update on USB sync for webOS 2.x and 3.x in the coming weeks!

 

BlackBerry 7 Devices and CompanionLink

Posted on by David Z
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Image Credit: VentureBeat.comPlanning on getting one of the new BlackBerry 7 devices that were released this past weekend? I have good news  – CompanionLink works great with each of them!

That’s right – the BlackBerry Bold 9930, BlackBerry Torch 9850, and BlackBerry Torch 9810 are all fully compatible with CompanionLink’s current sync options for BlackBerry. Whether you want USB sync via BlackBerry Desktop, basic wireless sync via Google, or advanced wireless sync via CompanionLink Secure Hosted, we’ve got you covered.

Head over to our downloads page to get syncing!

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

Posted on by Rushang
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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.

Study Shows Computers Are Here To Stay – But Are They Really?

Posted on by David Z
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Tablets won’t be replacing computers any time soon.

At least according to a recent study by Robert W. Baird & Co. 83% of consumers surveyed said that they could not do without a computer for the foreseeable future. According to consumers, tablets are cool. They’re fun. They’re wildly popular. But, for the majority of users, they simply cannot replace a computer. Not in their current form, anyways.

When compared to a tablet or smartphone, what is it that makes the PC so indispensable to the vast majority of the population? It’s not a keyboard or mouse – tablets can accommodate traditional input devices such as these already. It’s not power. Well, not for most users anyways. Today’s tablets and smartphones can easily handle the average users’ needs. For those that need more, it’s only a matter of time before mobile devices catch up to traditional PCs in terms of processing power, RAM, graphics, and storage. So if it isn’t these things, what is it?

In my opinion, it comes down to the form factor and operating system. Tablets and smartphones are great on the go, but it’s hard to beat a 24” screen with a “desktop-optimized” operating system when you’re at the office or at home. If that’s the case, why can’t tablets and smartphones offer these features as well? They can.

We’ve said it before – computers as we know them are going extinct. Devices like the Motorola Atrix and the Asus Transformer already offer tools for attaining the “desktop experience” from your mobile. Soon, many more mobile devices will offer the ability to dock to the traditional monitor, keyboard, and mouse setup. Your “computer” will actually be just a shell powered by your mobile device.

So 83% of consumers are in luck – they won’t have to go without a computer in the foreseeable future. What they may not realize, however, is that their computer will, in fact, be a tablet or smartphone.

Copy and Paste Events With DejaOffice 1.12 for Android

Posted on by David Z
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DejaOffice 1.12 beta brought a big new feature to our Android app: time zone support. That’s not the only big news, however. We’ve also introduced a feature that many of you have been asking for recently: the ability to copy and paste events in DejaCalendar.

Copying and pasting events works just like you’d expect. In the day view or week view, just tap and hold (long press) on an event to bring up the context menu. Then, select “Copy” or “Cut.” Next, navigate to the day/week you want to move it to, tap and hold in a blank calendar space near the time you want, and select “Paste” from the context menu. It’s that easy!

Can’t wait to try this out? Head over to the DejaOffice website to download the latest Android beta. Have any other ideas for us on how to make DejaOffice better? Let us know!

CompanionLink 4048, DejaOffice 1.12 (beta) for Android, and Time Zones

Posted on by David Z
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Image Credit: GigaOm

It’s been a busy week at CompanionLink! We have two new updates available today: CompanionLink 4048 and DejaOffice 1.12 (beta) for Android. They both bring a number of new features, bug fixes, and improvements, but the biggest new feature is time zone support. More on that in a minute.

CompanionLink 4048 addresses a number of bugs and offers some overall improvements, especially for Salesforce and Goldmine users. Build 4048 also adds improved support for syncing across time zones – a feature we’ve added to the latest Android beta of DejaOffice. Take a look at the full release notes at the end of this post to learn more about all the changes in build 4048.

DejaOffice 1.12 (beta) for Android is a significant update. We’ve improved quite a few features and fixed a number of bugs. Of course, as mentioned above, the feature we’re most excited to share with you today is time zone support. DejaOffice now offers you a choice in how to handle your events when changing time zones. Once you enter a new time zone, you’ll be asked if you’d like your events to shift. You can choose one of three options: “Not Decided,” “No,” and “Yes.”

Not Decided asks when changing time zones if you want event times to shift. This is the default behavior. You’ll have the option to select “Yes” or “No” each time you enter a new time zone. Alternatively, you can tell DejaOffice to always select one option.

Selecting “No” ignores the time zone at your current location. This prevents event display times from shifting when you travel to a different time zone. With this setting, an event set for 1pm Pacific Time will show up as 1pm when you enter Eastern Time.

Choosing “Yes” has the opposite effect. It adjusts the event display times using the time zone at your current location. This means an event set for 1pm Pacific Time will display as 4pm when you enter Eastern Time.

You can find these options under Settings > General Settings within DejaOffice. If you’d like to try out this new feature, as well as take advantage of the numerous other improvements we’ve made, download the latest Android beta here.

Read on for the release notes… Continue reading →

Infographic: A History of Mobile Productivity

Posted on by David Z
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From the pager to the iPad, mobile devices have been enhancing our mobile productivity in one way or another for decades. In their early days, mobile devices were largely business-focused. Since then, they have become sleeker, more powerful, and even more appealing to consumers and business users alike.  On today’s mobile devices, you can run your business, use your phone camera for professional photoshoots or play Angry Birds – or all of them!

Read through the infographic below and take a walk through a history of mobile productivity. Discover the first portable handset. Learn how the groundwork for today’s app stores was laid in the 1990s. Reminisce over the earliest smartphones and tablets. Then, share with us where you think mobile productivity is headed next!

A History of Mobile Productivity

The United States of Mobile

Posted on by David Z
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Image Credit: JumptapWe regularly see reports that show Android is leading the mobile market, but this is the first time I’ve seen a state-by-state breakdown of popularity. Jumptap, a mobile ad network, released a report today showing Android, iOS, and BlackBerry popularity at the U.S. state level. The data is based on activity on Jumptap’s network, a network that reaches 83 million users.

Check out the image above to see where your state’s allegiance lies. Most interesting to us – in our home state of Oregon, BlackBerry reigns supreme. At least according to Jumptap’s data…

[via TechCrunch]

Resolving A Google Calendar Error [Tech Tip]

Posted on by David Z
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Some users have reported seeing the following error message display in CompanionLink when attempting to sync with Google:

“Unable to access Google Calendar. Please create a record in Google Calendar first, then try again.”

If you are seeing this message, and have already created at least one event in your Google Calendar, please do the following to resolve the issue:

For Google hosted domain users:

1. Visit the following webpage in your browser:
https://www.google.com/a/<your domain name>/UnlockCaptcha

2. Enter your Google username and password (the same as the email and password you entered in CompanionLink), then solve the captcha and unlock.

3. Reattempt a sync.

For non-hosted domain users:

1. Visit the following webpage in your browser:
https://www.google.com/accounts/DisplayUnlockCaptcha

2. Enter your Google email address and password (the same as the email and password you entered in CompanionLink), then solve the captcha and unlock.

3. Reattempt a sync.

DejaOffice 1.11.9 Update Brings “File As” to Android

Posted on by David Z
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DejaOffice has supported sorting contacts by the “File As” field for some time. Until now, however, that field was not viewable or editable within DejaOffice – it was something you had to deal with in Outlook. With the release of DejaOffice 1.11.9, we’re bringing the File As feature to Android. You can now view, edit, and sort by the File As field on your Android phones and tablets. I’m sure there are quite a few Outlook users who will appreciate this!

In addition to File As, we’ve added and improved a number of features, as well as elimtinated a handful of bugs. Full release notes are included after the break.

Continue reading →