Tag Archives: google sync

How to synchronize Outlook Category Colors through Google Sync for your Android and iPhone

Posted on by Wayland Bruns
Reply
  1. Download CompanionLink for Google
  2. Set it to sync from Outlook
  3. Set it to sync your Google Contacts and Calendar
  4. On Android and iPhone set Google Sync.

I love category colors.  As a business person; green appointments mean money, red are urgent, yellow are cautious.  I use purples and blues for personal and recreational stuff.  When I glance at my day, or my week, it’s the colors that I see, not the text.

We were “in the room” when Google created Google Calendar.   That is; we were one of the companies chosen to see the “secret beta” back in 2006.  This was months before the Calendar was available to the public. It was a lot of fun to go to Google’s campus and to get the secret information.  What was not fun at all was understanding the level of inexperience Google had with PC office calendars.

In 2006, PC Outlook had been out for nine years, Microsoft Schedule Plus for about nine years before that. Polaris Packrat was in full swing back in 1986, and in 1984 I remember Commence had a great Calendar for Windows.  One would have thought that Google would take advantage of all these past Calendar products, and base their new offering on them.

Nope!  Google is a linux shop! Linux people always seem to want to create everything from scratch. So Google Calendar emerged with its own new way of handling recurring events, folders, and categories. It had few of the capabilities that PC calendars of that era offered.  It was a huge up for them to climb to add revision after revision for things that everyone could already do 20 years before on PCs.

One of those things is Category Colors.  Outlook ties colors to different categories.  So my business appointments are one color, and personal appointments are a different color.  Google first tied colors to different calendars, and then added a secondary color attribute.

CompanionLink for Google handles category colors well.  If you need your Outlook colors on your Samsung Galaxy Phone, or your iPhone 7, then a great way to move them is with CompanionLink for Google.

clg-2

While Outlook associates colors with a Category, in Google it simply shows with a color “dot” on our main Google Calendar.

If you want to see colors on your Android phone, or your iPhone, use the Google App on the phone.  This will Google Sync from your Google Calendar, and it will include the colors.

CompanionLink for Google is $49.95 and available for download now.  You can get set up in about 15 minutes.  Thanks for reading!

Wayland Bruns, CTO
CompanionLink Software, Inc.

 

Google Sync vs Secure Hosted Wireless Sync

Posted on by David Z
Reply

When it comes to syncing your mobile phone, some of the options available can be confusing. To help you navigate through the various options, I wanted to answer a common question we get from users trying our software:

“What’s the difference between Google Sync and your Secure Hosted Wireless Sync?”

While they accomplish similar tasks, there are actually quite a few differences. Google Sync allows you to keep your Gmail, contacts, and calendars synced wirelessly and instantly between your mobile device and Google’s servers. When used with CompanionLink, it is possible to sync data from Outlook, ACT!, and more to Google. Google Sync can then sync contacts & calendars to you mobile devices. Google Sync is free to use, and it works well for users who want a simple sync.

Secure Hosted Wireless, on the other hand, allows you to sync contacts and calendars, as well as tasks and memos, directly between your mobile device and your PC. One unique advantage to Secure Hosted Wireless is that we do not actually host your data online like Google. Additionally, we protect your data with AES-256 bit encryption. This alleviates potential security issues, which can be a big concern for business users. Since Secure Hosted Wireless sync is built to work directly with CompanionLink and DejaOffice on your mobile device, we are able to provide you with more advanced control over your data, as well as end-to-end support. Secure Hosted Wireless is $9.95/month and it works well for users who need a more secure, advanced wireless sync.

If you have any questions about the differences between these two sync options, let us know in the comments!

CompanionLink and Highrise – Keeping It Simple

Posted on by David Z
Reply

Recently, CompanionLink added support for syncing with Highrise. Highrise is a popular web-based CRM from 37signals.  It’s different from other CRM tools because it’s focused on simplicity and ease of use, something we’ve grown to expect from 37signals. They’ve cultured the ability to create something powerful, yet simple. This isn’t all that easy to do, especially when you’re developing productivity software. Initially, you want to pack as much functionality in as you possibly can.  While this can result in a powerful program, it is all too often convoluted and difficult to use.

Highrise offers something that is as powerful as it needs to be without sacrificing simplicity. At CompanionLink, we embrace that way of thinking too. Our goal is to make syncing so simple and easy to do that you don’t even think about it.

Syncing with Highrise via CompanionLink is simple and flexible. Use CompanionLink Express to sync Highrise contacts, tasks, and cases directly to your mobile device. It works with a wide variety of devices, including Android, BlackBerry, iPhone and iPad, Palm webOS, Windows Phone 7, Windows Mobile, and Nokia Symbian devices or any Google/Gmail/Google Apps account. Go pro with CompanionLink Professional and you will get real-time Highrise sync with other PC software such as ACT!, Outlook, and Lotus Notes. Get started at www.companionlink.com/highrise/.

Image credit.

Use CompanionLink with Gmail's new phone call features

Posted on by Rushang
Reply

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

PC World Reviews CompanionLink for Google

Posted on by Andy Sheragy
Reply

Yesterday, PC World writer Preston Gralla posted a helpful review of CompanionLink for Google. The review details the dilemma many users have in synchronizing their Android phones with Microsoft Outlook. CompanionLink for Google syncs Outlook contacts, calendar and tasks with any Google, Gmail, or Google Apps Premier account. Google can then wirelessly sync your Outlook data with most smartphones using the free Google Sync service.

Read the PC World article here. You can download a 14-day free trial of CompanionLink for Google at www.companionlink.com/google

Windows Guides reviews CompanionLink

Posted on by Andy Sheragy
Reply

A new review of CompanionLink has been posted over at the Windows Guides site. The review mentions, as posted earlier, that CompanionLink supports sync with Outlook 2010 64-bit. Head on over to https://mintywhite.com/software-reviews/companionlink-enables-sync-outlook-mobile/ to read the review.

CompanionLink launches O2g, a simple app to sync Outlook with Google

Posted on by Andy Sheragy
Reply

CompanionLink is proud to announce O2g, a fast, simple and affordable solution to synchronize Microsoft Outlook with any Google account. O2g delivers complete synchronization of calendar, contacts and tasks between any Google, Gmail, or Google Apps account and Microsoft Outlook 2000 and higher. O2g supports synchronization with the new Outlook 2010 64-bit, in addition to all versions of Palm Desktop.

O2g supports advanced functions such as mapping Outlook contact categories to Google Groups in Google Contacts. If the Google Groups don’t already exist, O2g will automatically create them to match the Outlook categories on the PC. In addition, Outlook tasks can be synchronized to Google Calendar as untimed calendar entries.

Using the free Google Sync service, O2g can synchronize Microsoft Outlook with many popular smartphones, including the Apple iPhone and iPad, BlackBerry, Android, Palm webOS, and Windows Mobile devices. O2g synchronizes Outlook calendar and contact data with Google, and then using Google sync, automatically updates the phone with the latest sync data.

O2g is now available for a one-time cost of $9.99, with a full 90 day guarantee. Support is offered via the official O2g forums, monitored by O2g personnel. For more information on O2g, visit www.o2gsync.com

Tech Tip: Sync your overdue tasks to Google Calendar

Posted on by Andy Sheragy
Reply

CompanionLink for Google has the ability to sync tasks from the PC as calendar entries into the Google Calendar. If the tasks have a due date associated with them, those will map into the Google Calendar at the appropriate time and date. However, many users have been asking, “What happens to overdue tasks?”

CompanionLink syncs all overdue tasks into a single all-day entry on the Google Calendar. This makes it easy to quickly view a summary of all overdue tasks. When that task is completed on the PC, CompanionLink will sync changes and remove that task from the list of overdue tasks.

Overdue Tasks

CompanionLink for Google retails for $39.95, a 14-day free trial is available here.

Urgent: Update available for CompanionLink users syncing their calendars to Google

Posted on by Andy Sheragy
Reply

Google has recently changed the URLs used to access the Google Calendar service. What this means for CompanionLink for Google users is that a software update is required to restore functionality to calendar sync. If you use CompanionLink to sync your calendar to Google (or sync to a phone through Google’s service), you will have to download an update to ensure continued synchronization.

The update is free to all CompanionLink for Google customers. To update your software, visit https://www.companionlink.com/downloads/updates.html to download the newest version of your software.

CompanionLink supports Motorola DEVOUR

Posted on by Andy Sheragy
Reply

CompanionLink Software is proud to support the new Motorola DEVOUR with MOTOBLUR. The Motorola DEVOUR builds on the great features of the popular DROID phone. The DEVOUR runs the Android operating system, allowing users access to the thousands of apps currently available.

With CompanionLink, users can synchronize contacts, calendar, tasks, and notes from popular information management software such as Microsoft Outlook, Lotus Notes, ACT! by Sage, Novell GroupWise, Palm Desktop and GoldMine to the Google account set up with the DEVOUR. Once data is synchronized to the Google account, the integration between Google and the DEVOUR will ensure data is transferred to the phone. CompanionLink is a cost-effective answer to people asking how they can get their desktop data on their DEVOUR in either a wireless via Google or wired USB fashion.

A 14-day evaluation version of the software is available at www.companionlink.com/android.

CompanionLink set to Introduce Business Apps for iPad

Posted on by Andy Sheragy
Reply

With the introduction of the Apple iPad, business professionals have another option to be productive while away from their office or desks.  Apple announced that the iPad is compatible with the thousands of apps that are currently available for the iPhone.

CompanionLink plans to fully utilize the tablet-friendly format of the iPad by launching a suite of business apps to manage large volumes of contacts, calendar events, tasks and notes. Managing this wealth of data will be even easier with voice commands and dictation features that CompanionLink will integrate into their apps.

A sign-up form for updates and announcements about CompanionLink’s new business apps for iPad is available at www.companionlink.com/ipad.

Read CompanionLink’s press release on business apps for iPad here.

Google Apps Sync for Microsoft Outlook works with Premier and Education editions only

Posted on by Rushang
Reply

Google offers a free plug-in for Google Apps Premier and Google Apps Education users.  The former requires you to pay an annual fee for the Google service.  The latter is for schools, universities, and other educational institutions.

What do users with free Google or Gmail accounts use to sync their data with Outlook?

If you’re looking to sync just your default calendar, Google offers a free solution called Google Calendar Sync.  If you’re looking to sync calendar and contacts, CompanionLink has a solution called CompanionLink for Google.  It also supports multiple calendars, sync to separate Outlook categories, and the ability to exclude personal data from syncing with business data.

Here’s a video on how to configure CompanionLink for Google to sync Outlook with Google in less than 4 minutes.