Frusterated with Microsoft and Apple

[rdubmu]

When you have a MAC computer (which I just bought as a replacement to my desktop that got fried) It doesn't work well with windows phone. Windows Phone 7 Connector works just fine. The problem comes with microsoft.

Outlook 2011- can't import windows live calendar
MobileMe/iCloud- can't import calendar onto your windows phone.

For this reason, I am thinking of returning my lumia because i need a simple solution to contact/calendar syncing.

I have tried using mBox for the mac, it works great with outlook except it doesn't sync contacts or calendar items.

Anybody else in a similar situation? if so, how are you able to get around it. I don't like how you can't turn off contacts on windows live with the windows phone. I would simply use gmail then. Sometimes I have contacts merged but then when I try to sync contacts through the browser. It shows up on my contacts on hotmail as a gmail contact but this information doesn't get pushed to my phone. Which is ridiculous! I wish that microsoft would support there products better. icloud works great on a pc/mac and iphone. Why can't windows phone do the same thing... ./rant

 

[J4rrod]

The problem is you're using a Mac.

Sent from my Samsung Focus S using Board Express.

 

[HeyCori]

I don't use Outlook, I'm all Live, so I'm not entirely sure what you're asking but hopefully these links will have the answers you're looking for.

Sync your Outlook calendar to Windows Phone (how-to video)

Import contacts from Windows Live Hotmail to Outlook - Outlook - Office.com

Export contacts from Outlook to Windows Live Hotmail

 

[jfa1]

There is a Mac connector for Live (Hotmail) program. There's also a program for outlook to connect to hotmail. If you are using MS Office for Mac you should be able to also use Office 365 which will sync to your office app and the calendar and email etc. Its as low as 6.00 a month

 

[.Emi.]

well I dont know if you know, but even in Outlook 2010 you cant use your Windows Live account without installing first this addon or whatever its called to be able to use your live account. after that you can sync contacts, calendar and such without going to hotmail.
i dont know if you have that in Outlook 2011, but if you say it doesnt import out of the box, and you cant find an addon or something, you should just give up lol.

I dont know mac or something, i just touched it couple times with my friend, and she already bought a Windows laptop. so i dont have to deal with mac anymore but maybe Outlook 2011 has an addon or something just like Windows version.

well i tried to find the connector and i didnt find it but someone asked this

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...-outlook/0cd51aec-6b8a-43ea-8d1f-1a9c681f0278

and here http://www.macworld.com/article/1155727/outlook2011faq.html

i found this
"Does Outlook 2011 have an Outlook Connector to connect to Windows Live accounts, like its Windows counterpart?
The Outlook Social Connector in Windows will not work with Outlook for Mac 2011. However, it will sync with Windows Live e-mail accounts through POP."

"Does Outlook support Hotmail syncing?
Outlook 2011 will sync e-mail with Windows Live Hotmail accounts. However, it won't sync calendars, contacts, or tasks from those accounts."

so it doesn't seem like its possible. sync from Outlook 2011 to Windows live and then your phone.

 

[rdubmu]

the hotmail connector isn't available for the mac

 

[socialcarpet]

The problem is you're using a Mac.

Sent from my Samsung Focus S using Board Express.

No, Apple doesn't make Microsoft's software. Microsoft does.

I'm going to try not to get sucked into a Mac vs. PC debate here. I use both, I prefer Mac OS X though. Windows 7 is very nice however, the first version of Windows that wasn't embarrassingly bad IMO (not counting Windows Phone of course)

But when you are used to having native multiple desktops, the dock, trackpad gestures and a bunch of other amazing features that OS X offers and Windows doesn't, it's hard to go back to Windows and not feel a little restrained.

Windows Phone poops all over iOS though.

Looking forward to seeing Windows 8. I'm hoping at some point Microsoft will offer native multiple desktops in their OS. It's a glaring omission. If they can make a separate desktop for the Metro UI then they can offer multiple desktops for the whole OS. If you haven't used a Mac recently or one of the many Linux variants that have had this ability for years, you have no idea what you are missing. It's an incredible tool for productivity.

 

[cp2_4eva]

You should simply use google's calendar. If you have a google account that is. I used to use the mac calendar as a long time Mac user (Ok 6 years is not a long time) but I found the replication between the mac calendar and the 2 desktops and iphone that I owned was stuuuuupid. I'd have appointments set for the year on a reoccurring basis and between on 3 of the devices I would have that same appointment x3 on my calendar. it got so out of hand, I stopped using it altogether. With google calendars, it seems to work VERY well with the WP7 platform. That's just my .02 on it though. sorry that your situation isn't a pleasant one.

 

[Big Supes]

Unfortunately for the OP, they're probably going to have to make the choice (sooner or later) whether to return their Lumia or not. Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 are going to be so tight that owning a Mac will make zero sense, IMO.

 

[socialcarpet]

Unfortunately for the OP, they're probably going to have to make the choice (sooner or later) whether to return their Lumia or not. Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 are going to be so tight that owning a Mac will make zero sense, IMO.

I guess that will depend on how much you tie between your computer and phone.

For me, it's very little, I keep them both pretty much separate.

That said, I think it would be unwise for Microsoft to write off Mac users. There's a good reason why Microsoft continues to make a great version of Microsoft Office for the Mac, not to do so would be leaving money on the table. I think the same is true as far as making sure there is a decent amount of interoperability between Windows Phone and Mac OS X.

Even though the Mac is a very small amount of the market, it will probably have at least equal marketshare to Windows 8 for at least the first 2-3 years after Win 8 is introduced. A LOT of people are going to stay on Win 7 for a long time, and virtually all enterprise customers will.

Who know though. If Windows 8 is really amazing and they introduce some astoundingly cool thing that ties into the phone, I could see myself using the PC more than I do now. I'm a fairly diehard Mac guy though, so it would take a lot.

If Microsoft does not, at minimum, keep the Mac connector software up-to-date and functioning well though, that is one of the few things that could be a deal breaker for me. I do use both Macs and PC's, but Microsoft refusing to provide at least a minimal level of support for Mac users would rub me the wrong way big time.

 

[jfa1]

well I dont know if you know, but even in Outlook 2010 you cant use your Windows Live account without installing first this addon or whatever its called to be able to use your live account. after that you can sync contacts, calendar and such without going to hotmail.
i dont know if you have that in Outlook 2011, but if you say it doesnt import out of the box, and you cant find an addon or something, you should just give up lol.

I dont know mac or something, i just touched it couple times with my friend, and she already bought a Windows laptop. so i dont have to deal with mac anymore but maybe Outlook 2011 has an addon or something just like Windows version.

well i tried to find the connector and i didnt find it but someone asked this

Can I sync my hotmail calendar with my outlook calendar on my iMAC - Microsoft Answers

and here Office 2011: Outlook FAQ | Macworld

i found this
"Does Outlook 2011 have an Outlook Connector to connect to Windows Live accounts, like its Windows counterpart?
The Outlook Social Connector in Windows will not work with Outlook for Mac 2011. However, it will sync with Windows Live e-mail accounts through POP."

"Does Outlook support Hotmail syncing?
Outlook 2011 will sync e-mail with Windows Live Hotmail accounts. However, it won't sync calendars, contacts, or tasks from those accounts."

so it doesn't seem like its possible. sync from Outlook 2011 to Windows live and then your phone.

I dont have a mac and I am using outlook. When I first got the windows phone *focus 1.3) I had already been using the hotmail connector for a long time anyway. I updated to the newest version and started using the hotmail calendar inputting appointments etc. and found an article on pocketnow and set up my desktop/laptop to use ion outlook my hotmail calendar inside Outlook and so I haver outlookfunctionality using my calendar at myusername@msn.com. It synchs calendar events to my focus just fine. This is office 2007 though. I am looking into getting office 365 which I can get for 6.00 a month which will do direct sync of calendar contacts etc. They have a free trial. My outlook is set to suck in emails from msn and my other email accounts automatically already. I am not sure if office 365 has compatibility with mac but I suspect that it does.

 

[rdubmu]

I honestly like my Lumia 900 more than any iphone I have ever owned. I really like the interface and it is pleasant to use. I have 30 days from the day I got the phone to decide if I want to return the phone. So far, I had to return the phone once due to a hardware issue (sometimes things happen). It is just frusterating I can't find a "free" calendar solution that can sync to all my devices besides gmail. I do not care for gmail. If I get an iphone, the calendar will work with it but not with my mac so there is no plus there, the only good thing is that i can sync an iphone to outlook

Right now, because I like windows phone so much, I like my iMac a lot I am not going to return either devices/computer...but I guess I will wait for a solution.

I would pay if Microsoft would let users use there @live addresses as there email in office 365. I would do it in a heartbeat...but I didn't want an @domain.onmicrosoft.com

Office 365 actually does what I want it to do but I just don't want to import my email to it. I would rather just use it as a sync for all my devices. I would pay the entry $6.00 per month to use that service...

 

[Fleon]

I honestly like my Lumia 900 more than any iphone I have ever owned. I really like the interface and it is pleasant to use. I have 30 days from the day I got the phone to decide if I want to return the phone. So far, I had to return the phone once due to a hardware issue (sometimes things happen). It is just frusterating I can't find a "free" calendar solution that can sync to all my devices besides gmail. I do not care for gmail. If I get an iphone, the calendar will work with it but not with my mac so there is no plus there, the only good thing is that i can sync an iphone to outlook

Right now, because I like windows phone so much, I like my iMac a lot I am not going to return either devices/computer...but I guess I will wait for a solution.

I would pay if Microsoft would let users use there @live addresses as there email in office 365. I would do it in a heartbeat...but I didn't want an @domain.onmicrosoft.com

Office 365 actually does what I want it to do but I just don't want to import my email to it. I would rather just use it as a sync for all my devices. I would pay the entry $6.00 per month to use that service...

This is a bit off topic (but not really) - if you do go office365, you might as well get your own custom domain and have a real, personalized email address!

Works really well!

 

[rdubmu]

well, for $6.00 per month you can pay to have the @(domain).onmicrosoft.com

if you want to pay an additional ammount to have your own domain you can but it can get expensive.

 

[rdubmu]

I have decided to use Gmail for calendar and task syncing.

I downloaded this free app called Gtask Plus, and I am syncing my calendar to my Mac and using the task manager on gmail to add task from my PC. I can't wait until reminders comes out on the next version of OS X (mountain lion)