Has anybody found a decent Outlook sync app?

[rjones]

The Google sync with Outlook is lame. Calendars works fine, but Notes, Tasks, Contacts have problems. My contacts did not maintain addresses when moved to the DROID. I had to upload Notes as a csv and now it's a spreadsheet on the DROID and requires jumping through hoops to search and access quickly.  I need something like the Palm sync that works with Outlook. I do not use OUtlook Exchange.

I like this PDA, but the OUtlook issue is a major one for anyone who is a serious business user/road warrior.

[bryada]

I used KiGoo and it worked pretty well. Bad part is the free trial is only for 30 days.

[rjones]

It looks like primarily a calendar sync app and that's one app that Google has down pretty well. I need Contact, Task and Notes sync as well and it needs to go both ways and maintain fields. It needs to be bulletproof.

[SSHGuru]

I'm looking for this solution also.  They have a sync application for outlook but not for this phone yet.  Maybe when they get that done we can do this.

Until them my calander syncs every 2 hours via google and my emails come through POP3.

[rjones]

The Goodle calendar works great. I just wished the other databases did as well. Email isn't that big a problem. The Email app on the DROID is fine as long as you go into it and do manual setup for your accounts. I need Notes, Tasks and Contacts to work seamlessly.

[SSHGuru]

Email is a problem.  You pick a tone when you ge tone and it's annoying.  You choose vibrate and it will continue to vibrate until you read the message.

With the crackberry it would vibrate once or twice and stop.  That was perfect.

[ivorycruncher]

Just for the record, the ActiveSync capabilities on Android are basically the same as on the iPhone, i.e. mail and calendar works fine, but that's it.  No support for notes or anything else.  I don't know if this is because the iPhone and Android developers simply haven't added the features, or if Microsoft's licensing of the ActiveSync protocol for third-party use only allows mail and calendars to be synced.  As far as I know, right now Windows Mobile is the only mobile OS that supports full ActiveSync capabilities.  Blackberry might allow full syncing as well, but it uses its own proprietary interface, not ActiveSync.

Now, on to a potential solution.  It appears that there's a third-party utility that may help in this manner.  While not free, it's not terribly expensive.  It's called CompanionLink:

[edit]

The way it looks, this software will syncronize your Outlook data with a Gmail account, and then you can sync your Gmail account with your Android phone via Google Sync.  In case you're wondering what Google Sync is, it's a (free) service that lets you access your Gmail account via the ActiveSync protocol, similar to a Microsoft Exchange server connection.  According to the above website, all data types, including notes, are supported using this method.

Theoretically, you can take this one step further, and setup your Outlook to connect to Google Sync as well, thus eliminating the need for CompanionLink.  However, I haven't personally tested this to see if it's possible, and I don't know what this could potentially do to your existing Outlook profile, so proceed at your own risk.  If you're unsure, CompanionLink seems to be your best bet at the moment.

: {no third party software/apps links please}

[Rajaji]

Anyone tried HTC Sync on the Verizon Droid??? It is free.

http://www.htc.com/uk/SupportViewNews.aspx?dl_id=756&news_id=339

Info at http://news.softpedia.com/news/HTC-Updates-HTC-Sync-for-HTC-Magic-Hero-and-Tattoo-126964.shtml 

I haven't jumped ship on to the Droid because I love my Outlook and Droid won't sync to it.

[Haggie]

Google Wave has a couple of droid waves and several people mentioned Touchdown as a solid Exchange app. I haven't tried it yet.

Looks very full-featured to me:

{no third party software/apps links please}

[cgibney]

I'll vouch for the NitroDesk TouchDown app (available via the market). I've been running it since Friday afternoon after last week after getting my Droid. 

Some additional weaknesses of Exchange support if you stick with the built-in stuff in Android 2.0 that I've discovered so far:

1) To get to the e-mails in folders, you have to select the folder and then do a refresh. In the case of the Sent Items folder, it can be a slow process to wait for that refresh, and you'll only see recent items. 
2) no support for auto signatures when sending; 
3) can't get to global address book (GAL); 
4) no support for enforcing password security or remote-wipe via Exchange policies (important for us IT folk); 
5) can't open ".eml" (forwarded messages); 
6) no support or sync of Tasks/To-Do lists (as mentioned); 
7) no support or sync for Memos (as mentioned); 

I'm currently using NitroDesk TouchDown ($10) which cures all of the above except for the very last one (Memos). So far it works pretty well and has good flexibility and configuration options.