Smartphones and Time Matters - Update 9-2010
/This update to our early posts on Smartphones covers your options for synchronizing Time Matters with various phones. We recommend products and services that are stand-outs in their categories.
Phones
Android Phones
- Many synchronization options, but they take some effort to set up.
- Privacy concerns if you choose to sync with Google
- Over-the-air sync requires either Google sync, MS Exchange, or subscription to hosted Exchange
- Huge choice of apps
- May be heavier, bigger and a bit awkward to hold
Leading phones:
- Verizon - Droid
- Sprint - EVO
- Tmobile - MyTouch 3G
BlackBerry
- No-nonsense business phone
- Over-the-air sync requires MS Exchange and Blackberry server (BES), either on your network or by subscription
- Very limited choice of apps
- Good sound quality
Leading Phones:
- BlackBerry Bold
- BlackBerry Tour
- BlackBerry Tour 2
Time Matters Synchronization
Android Synchronization Over-the-Air
Recommended: Hosted Exchange subscription plus Touchdown app for Android
If your office has MS Exchange as a part of Microsoft Small Business Server, you won't need a hosted Exchange subscription. But for offices without MS Exchange, a subscription to an online hosted Exchange service is very affordable.
Google's synchronization options are attractive, but we prefer alternatives for privacy reasons. You do not have to use Google synchronization with Google phones such as the Droid line. Caution: Google can keep your Contacts and Calendar data private, but still, Google keeps your private data!
The Touchdown app connects your Android phone to either the MS Exchange server in your office or your hosted Exchange service. 30-day free trial. Cost: $19.99. http://www.nitrodesk.com
If you are not running MS Exchange on a server in your office, you can subscribe to a hosted Exchange service. That gives you continual, over-the-air synchronization of Time Matters and your phone.
Android Desktop Synchronization
To synchronize Time Matters Contacts and Calendar to your Android phone, you can synchronize Time Matters with MS Outlook and then synchronize Outlook with the phone using an app. This process is less convenient, obviously, than having automatic, over-the-air synchronization. But you avoid having to pay for and set up either MS Exchange or a subscription to a hosted Exchange service.
With The Missing Sync for Android, you can synchronize wirelessly via Bluetooth or WiFi. If you don't have Bluetooth on your PC, a USB adapter is very inexpensive.
Recommended: The Missing Sync for Android from MarkSpace.com
