How can I sync my Outlook email, contacts and calendar with Hotmai

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surfer100 - 23 Dec 2005 14:59 GMT

Until several days ago I was syncing my Outlook email, contacts, calendar and
task lists with the same fields in my Hotmail account. I am an MSN Premium
subscriber and was using Intellisync for MSN to do so.

Microsoft discontinued the Intellisync product several days ago. The links
offered two migration alternatives, MSN Premium with Outlook Connector or
Microsoft Office Outlook Live to achieve the same functionality.

Specifically the web site says: "MSN Premium and Microsoft Office Outlook
Live subscribers can use the Microsoft Office Outlook Connector for even
greater reliability and functionality, including access and synchronization
of e-mail messages, contacts, calendar, tasks, and notes." (Source:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/assistance/HA011000051033.aspx )

I have tried both approaches, installing the Outlook Connector with my
current MSN Premium subscription and even subscribing to Outlook Live, and
neither offers syncing of calendar or contacts! Only email is truly synched.
The calendar and contacts will display is side-by-side windows, but do not
sync information.

Help!! Any suggestions?

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surfer100 - 23 Dec 2005 20:55 GMT

Update: I have a dormant Yahoo email address. Today I've installed
Intellisync for Yahoo. It syncs Outlook's contacts, calendar, and tasks
with Yahoo's. Moreover, the contact info synchronization *includes* the
comment field at the bottom of the Outlook Contact window where I often put
much useful info re each contact. The now discontinued Intellisyn for MSN
never could do this! Even better...Intellisync for Yahoo is FREE!

Isn't competition a great thing? <g>

> Until several days ago I was syncing my Outlook email, contacts, calendar
> and
[quoted text clipped - 22 lines]
>
> Help!! Any suggestions?

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surfer100 - 26 Dec 2005 11:24 GMT

12/25, further update: Hotmail technical support just wrote to me saying,
"we currently do not have any software that can enable you to sychronize
your account information." That's that, I guess.
To all the others who have relied upon Hotmail, Microsoft Outlook, and
Intellisync for MSN, I share your upset. For now I'm using Intellisync for
Yahoo, which works even better than Intellisync for MSN and is free as
described below. Perhaps over time I will migrate my primary email from
Hotmail to Yahoo. That would be a big effort because I have been using
Hotmail as my primary since the internet began. But I'm confident that both
time and developments in the market place will give me the appropriate cues.

Sufer100

> Update: I have a dormant Yahoo email address. Today I've installed
> Intellisync for Yahoo. It syncs Outlook's contacts, calendar, and tasks
[quoted text clipped - 33 lines]
>>
>> Help!! Any suggestions?

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surfer100 - 29 Dec 2005 20:04 GMT

12/28 Even further update: A cd of Outlook Live came to me in the mail
today. I've previously unsubscribed
as discussed below. But I can't help quoting from their brochure:

"Account Synchronization: Whenever you dlete messages, add folders, update
contacts, schedule events, or
create tasks, the changes are automatically reflected in your Hotmail or MSN
Mail account as well as in Outlook.
This is true whether you make updates using Outlook or your Web-based email
account. So you don't have to worry about
remembering which application includes the most up-to-date information.
They both do!"

Well, we now know that this is not true. But does anyone out there know if
Microsoft/Hotmail/Outlook intends to
fix this problem so that Outlook Live will ultimately offer true
synchronization? Perhaps a Microsoft MVP?

Thanks.

> 12/25, further update: Hotmail technical support just wrote to me saying,
> "we currently do not have any software that can enable you to sychronize
[quoted text clipped - 50 lines]
>>>
>>> Help!! Any suggestions?

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Annoyed - 24 Dec 2005 05:53 GMT

I'm having the same problem. Why would Microsoft stop using Intellisync
without providing a useful altenative? I can't sync my Hotmail info to my
Palm now. The only reason I paid for Outlook Live was to be able to do so. Is
there any other way to do so? This was an extremely irresponsible move by
Microsoft.

> Until several days ago I was syncing my Outlook email, contacts, calendar and
> task lists with the same fields in my Hotmail account. I am an MSN Premium
[quoted text clipped - 17 lines]
>
> Help!! Any suggestions?

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farrel.buchinsky@verizon.net - 25 Dec 2005 17:48 GMT

I doubt Microsoft "chose" to do this. It has all the hallmarks of a
legal or business dispute. What has surprised me the most is how little
chatter there is about this problem. Does the mean that me, you and a
few other people were the only ones using this service?

I would love to know what went on behind the scenes and why it happened
so abruptly. Many of the Microsoft websites still trump this benefit of
using outlook and MSN. It clearly has not had time to percolate through
to the marketing personnel.

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