Is there anyone that has the ultimate contacts and backup solution?

[bocabean]

So after almost a month of owning my Razr Maxx (having converted back to Android from Blackberry) and going through the ICS update, I am still trying to get a once and for all handle on exactly how all of the assorted contact apps work with one another.

It seems that Verizon, Google, Gmail, and all of the various contact lists, email apps , backup programs, etc. are competing for the same real estate on your phone. It is no wonder that one becomes inundated with duplicate contacts, not to mention the issues of sync with this, make sure that you click off that, etc.

I feel that I am fairly computer literate, however the process of keeping my connections nice and clean has really gotten the better of me.

As of now, I have just gone into my Gmail account and wiped out every contact and group. Zip, all gone. I have done the same thing with Backup-up Assistant Plus on the website. On my device, I painstakingly deleted each of my contacts one by one. Under Accounts & Sync, the master switch is turned off. If I put it back on, only my two gmail accounts are set to sync.

I have always been a dedicated Outlook user. I do not plan to change. My business email has it's own domain name, so my "gmail" account is used for let's say unofficial business and entertainment.

I have exported my Outlook contacts (which were synced with the Linked-in Social Connector) into a csv file and I can import that into gmail again. BUT... before I pull the trigger and sync again, I want to ensure that I am not duplicating efforts with the following apps on my phone:

Backup Assistant Plus
DejaOffice (which happens to be my favorite for syncing with Outlook. Plus the calendar is far superior to the built in calendar).
Maildroid
LookOut
My Backup Pro
My Phone Explorer

And let's not forget about Gmail, Accounts & Sync, People, and all of the other places where contacts may show up on the phone.

What would be really nice is if someone can put together a simple flow chart that shows how all of these connections come together. What should stay, what should leave and what conflicts with what? I am open to suggestions.dancedroid

 

[wsmitty]

Excellent question. I am having the same problem. Some how, I also have some entries that were on my kid's phones. All the facebook entries aren't sinking with the entries I already had . I have double entries now of some people. It is driving me crazy figuring out which is the best way.

 

[bocabean]

Excellent question. I am having the same problem. Some how, I also have some entries that were on my kid's phones. All the facebook entries aren't sinking with the entries I already had . I have double entries now of some people. It is driving me crazy figuring out which is the best way.

I just got off the phone with the CompanionLink support people. They really are terrific in explaining what to do. At the risk of being a bit long winded again, here is what I am going to do (keep in mind that I opted to purchase CompanionLink/DejaOffice because it does everything that my Blackberry Desktop Manager did, only better):

1. Under Accounts and Sync, go through each of the accounts and ensure that both contacts and calendars are NOT set to sync.
2. Discontinue using any other backup program for purposes of backing up contacts. This includes Backup Assistant Plus.
3. In CompanionLink, set the sync to run one way from Outlook to the device AND check the box to wipe the contact list that is already on the phone.
4. I think the tricky part is to determine which account to sync with. I am choosing to simply use the Phone. Not Gmail, Facebook, etc.

One of the nice things that I found with CompanionLink/DejaOffice is that they give you the option of sync methods (i.e. USB, Wireless, etc.). They emphasize a particular USB method, but I also found that the wireless works pretty well.

When I am all finished with the above, I will then use a CSV exported contact list from my Outlook to upload back into my Gmail Account. Given that I have already wiped all of my contacts from the Gmail website, the onlly ones that will be there will be from the csv file that I am about to import. I guess as long as I do not give Gmail permission to sync contacts with my phone, then I should be good to go. I think that this should work pretty well. Also, after the one way sync is done with CompanionLink, I will then turn it back on to have a full two way sync again.

That's my plan. I do not know if this is viable for your needs but hopefully my process will work for me.

 

[DoraBologna]

1. Open the contact list on your phone.
2. Hit the menu button from your contact list.
3. From the list that appears hit the import/export tab.
4. This will bring up a list of available export and importing options.
Once you have picked the option that applies to you the list will be backed up. What's left to do is import the contact list on your new phone.
You need to follow this thread: How to Backup Android Contacts to Gmail