How To: Sync Android With Microsoft Outlook

There's a little secret to buying an Android phone, one that you may not learn until it's too late: Google really wants you to use Gmail, Google Contacts, and Google Calendar.

Sure, Android phones also support over-the-air synchronization with corporate Microsoft Exchange servers. And that's a fine option for syncing your mail, contacts, and calendars. But syncing local Outlook data (or any other local PIM data) via USB is a different story.

For its part, Google provides an official app for syncing Outlook calendars to Google Calendar. But old versions of Outlook (pre-2003) won't work; you'll need to export everything to a CSV file and then import it to Google Calendar manually. And this is only for calendar data. The free GO Contact Sync performs a similar service syncing Google and Outlook contacts. If you have a paid Google Apps for Business account, Google also provides an Outlook syncing app.

If you want to avoid using Google as a middleman, things get much tougher. Here are your choices:

Free Outlook Sync Options
Owners of some HTC devices like the and the Droid Incredible can use HTC Sync 3.0, which is a basic Microsoft Outlook and Windows Address Book-syncing app. It synchronizes contacts and calendars. An HTC spokesperson confirmed to us that this is still your best option, although he emphasized that cloud sync is much easier. HTC Sync 3.0 doesn't work with all HTC phones, though; the new Inspire 4G is just the latest, maddening example. (Hit HTC's site to get more information and download Sync 3.0.)

Think that's a mess? Samsung's situation is even more confusing. Samsung's Kies PC software synchronizes Microsoft Outlook contacts and calendars. It also backs up text messages and media, and it can transcode videos so that they play back properly. But Samsung's U.S. phones, by and large, block Kies access, or can change Kies access with different software revisions. For example, the for AT&T started out with Kies support, but then it got revoked with a software update. We can no longer recommend Samsung Kies as a solution.

For many Motorola Android phones such as the , Motorola's Web-based Phone Portal software lets you import and export CSV files full of contacts. It's a painful way to get contacts in and out of Outlook, but it isn't too bad if you only intend to do it once.

There's one other free option, though it uses the cloud. Funambol Sync (www.mm4android.com) bills itself as "MobileMe" for Android. Funambol syncs Android calendars, contacts, and photos across phones, tablets, and computers. But more importantly, it also syncs with Microsoft Outlook on PCs.

To try it, search for Funambol in Android Market, install it, and create an account (which you can do from the phone). Then install the Funambol Sync Client for Microsoft Outlook on your desktop PC. We tested Funambol Sync on an , where we set up an account and synchronized 1,500 contacts with Microsoft Office 2010 on a Windows 7 PC. It took about 20 minutes the first time, but generated a lot of "failed" errors on the Microsoft Outlook side; many users on the Internet have reported success, though.

Paid Outlook Sync Options
The ($39.95; www.markspace.com) syncs calendars, contacts, tasks, and notes locally with Microsoft Outlook and (on the Mac) Microsoft Entourage and Apple iCal. In our review, though, we found Missing Sync klutzy to set up, and we've received plenty of user feedback on how unreliable it is.

Another option is CompanionLink for Android ($49.95, www.companionlink.com). CompanionLink syncs Microsoft Outlook contacts, calendars, tasks, and notes via Wi-Fi or USB. CompanionLink synchronizes with Sage ACT!, Lotus Notes, GoldMine, Novell GroupWise, Palm Desktop, and even Salesforce CRM data. You can download a 14-day evaluation direct from the company at http://www.companionlink.com/downloads/. We haven't tested that solution.

If local Outlook Sync using a cable or Wi-Fi is important to you, and you don't mind buying third-party software, you'll probably have better luck doing it this way than with one of the free options.

Conclusions
We're not happy with this situation. There are too many Android phones that lack free Outlook sync options, while other phones either work intermittently or only on a model-by-model basis.

This being 2012, we think it's a bit much to have to spend $40 or $50 on a third-party program. If anything, give Funambol Sync a shot. But if you absolutely refuse to use anything cloud-based, The Missing Sync for Android or CompanionLink is probably your best bet. But triple-check with the company that your exact phone, carrier, Android revision, and Outlook version are supported, and prepare for at least some frustration.

For more, see PCMag.com's roundup of , as well as our full reviews of and .

Have you had better luck than us in syncing your local Microsoft Outlook data with an Android smartphone? Please tell us about it in the comments. We really want to know.