Without paying for a solution, how can you get contacts, calendars (including tasks), and maybe even notes synchronized across computers (even different operating systems), web sites, instant messengers, and mobile devices? I’m not sure, I’m still looking…
However, what I do have is a somewhat working solution including Windows Live Custom Domains, Office Outlook Connector, Plaxo, Verizon Wireless Sync, Outlook, and Entourage. I am not sure this is the best solution, I am still looking for a better solution. For now, email comes across using IMAP, calendar and contacts are synchronized using Outlook Connector (for Windows Live) and Plaxo, and the mobile device is synchronized using the Verizon Wireless Sync. Here’s how it works:
On the Mac, Plaxo syncronizes to iCal and Address Book. Entourage has the ability to sync with those databases locally, keeping the Mac in sync with the cloud. From the PC’s, Outlook is synchronizing with Windows Live using the Outlook Connector. This helps keep Windows Live Messenger in sync (for Contacts and Calendar). This allows me to manage my Windows Live contacts in Outlook. Outlook is also synchronizing with Plaxo, which updates between the PC and the Mac. Lastly, Verizon Wireless Sync is running on the PC, which pushes updates to my mobile device.
So far, this is working. I can communicate to Yahoo contacts from Live Messenger, use it on my Xbox, and it sync’s to the Mac. Microsoft also has a Windows Live client for OS X, which seems full featured. It can also connect to Live Communicator in a corporate environment. The main feature it is missing on the Mac is video and audio chat. This is a very nice feature of iChat, which means I needed an iChat (AIM) account. iChat seems to be running on the AOL network, however I cannot find a way of signing up for an AIM account using an ID other than @aim.com, @aol.com, or @mac.com. Yet another ID to keep track of…
Obviously, while working, this system is held together with duct tape, and doesn’t work very well.
Files are synchronized using SkyDrive, Live Mesh, or manually (robocopy, rsync, SyncToy). They’re almost easier than contacts and calendar information.
I could get an Exchange account, so synchronizing between the Mac and the PC’s would be almost seamless. This would also allow me to keep the phone up to date. However, this excludes Instant Messenger completely. The Office Outlook Connector does not allow you to sync a separate Contact list, and this functionality is not built into Windows Live Messenger. This still leaves me with IM accounts on Windows Live, AOL AIM, and even Yahoo (not directly). At this point, I haven’t even begun to think about integrating contact information from Social Networking sites like MySpace, LinkedIn, or others.
Synchronization has been an issue for over a decade, and it still doesn’t seem to be any closer to a broad solution. Interoperable solutions and specifications have been available for years as well (webcal, vcard, etc).
I know there are other synchronization options out there, but they all involve extra components on top of what I already have in place.
Are there any simpler solutions?
