Best free Email/Contacts/Calendar/Tasks syncing for multi-platform?

[Shadrack]

Is there such a thing?  I'm currently on iOS, Mac, and Windows and I am using Gmail for my email, and iCloud for everything else.  I've had too many issues with syncing contacts with Google that I don't really want to mess with anymore.  Also, their web based contacts/calendar interface is hard on my eyes.  Out of the big 3, I'd say that Google has the worst looking interface with probably the best feature set.

 

I have flirted with Outlook.com, but the contact and calendar syncing for Mac is still a mess on that service.  Even Outlook 2011 for Mac only supports email with no way to setup calendar and contacts with Outlook.com.

 

Thought about using iCloud, but the space is really limiting.  I like the interface (and out of the 3, it has no ads).  But I have about 3.7GB of email on Gmail and if I decide to move that all to iCloud, that doesn't leave much from the 5GB of total free space.

 

Gosh, I wish Outlook.com just had proper CalDAV and CardDAV support.  If it did, it would be perfect.

 

Ultimately, I want to find a service that is preferably free and has great compatibility across all platforms. I'm willing to switch email addresses.  Although I've had my @gmail address since 2004, I think I'm OK with migrating to a new primary account and letting that one die.  But I haven't completely made up my mind yet, and will certainly try things out on any new platform before fully committing.

 

If I were to switch from iPhone, I'd likely switch to Windows Phone but may switch to Android.  I use to think that Google represented the best choice for folks who wanted good multi-platform support, and it seems that they are turning away from that.

 

Thanks for your input.

 

 

[#Michael]

If you plan on moving to a windows phone then you will become heavily invested in outlook as that is the primary driver of that ecosystem.  I personally use outlook and the activesync that is offered for it to sync between all of my ios devices.  And then I don't use an actual desktop client but rather the OWA interface of outlook.  Personally, I find the web interface better than any desktop client.  And outlook owa does a great job at contact/calendar syncing between devices.

[Shadrack]

Hi #Michael - Have you had any issues with photos assigned to contacts syncing?

 

I applied a picture of my wife on her Outlook.com contact info on my iPhone (sync'd via exchange activesync) and the picture never showed up in "People" on the web site.

 

The new version of Outlook for Mac will most likely have full support for Outlook.com... so a good desktop client for Mac is at least on the way...  If outlook.com supported CardDAV and CalDAV it would be perfect.  It is also kind of frustrating the Outlook.com does not support a contact export or import format that supports contact photos.  It only supports .CSV and not the far more advanced vCard format that Google and Apple support.  Isn't a big deal until switching services, but one more thing that if Outlook.com had it, "it would be perfect."  Why wouldn't MS want to add these few open standards to their platform?  The internet is riddled with folks complaining about the lack of support for these other-wise commonplace standards.

[farmeunit]

Of course, Android integration is MUCH better with Google.

Do you mainly do mobile or you looking for desktop as well?

I don't keep up on mobile as much, as I am Android and stick with it.

For the desktop, you can use Thunderbird with an addon for Contacts, and Lightning addon with an addon for Calendars sync.

[Anibal P]

Google apps do it all for me and family, too many issues with iwhatever, and Outlook is useless to all of us since wwe ado a lot on mobile and Android, works great even on the one iPhone

[Shadrack]

Of course, Android integration is MUCH better with Google.

Do you mainly do mobile or you looking for desktop as well?

I don't keep up on mobile as much, as I am Android and stick with it.

For the desktop, you can use Thunderbird with an addon for Contacts, and Lightning addon with an addon for Calendars sync.

 

I'm on both, desktop and mobile.  I use the websites for Windows though (as my work computer sync's with my work's exchange server but I still want to access my stuff via a web page).  I would like to use a desktop client for my Mac, and my preference for Mac would be to use the Calendar, Address Book, and Mail apps.  I think all of those work with Google services just fine but not with Outlook.com.

Google apps do it all for me and family, too many issues with iwhatever, and Outlook is useless to all of us since wwe ado a lot on mobile and Android, works great even on the one iPhone

 

What were your issues with iWhatever?  Also, I thought Outlook.com worked fine on Android via Activesync.  Am I mistaken about that?

[Shadrack]

Are there any services other than the ones from Microsoft, Apple, and Google even worth considering?

[ajua]

Outlook.com is great for all platforms. I've been on Android for more than a year and I only use my Gmail account for the requirements of Play Store and Google apps. My contacts, calendar and mail are in my Microsoft account. Exchange Active Sync is supported from all OEMs.

The only thing I've seen from OEM's EAS and stock Android is that with the latter you can sync even your subscribed calendars. With the HTC Outlook.com support only your main calendar. In this case I subscribed with Google and I have my country's festivities and sports teams schedules.

Microsoft has the best support for multiplatform, specially since Google hasn't bothered to publish apps for Windows Phone or Windows.

[syrom]

Funny there is no ongoing discussion on this subject: there seem to be surprisingly few people out there who want to remain truely independent from the three BigCorps Microsoft, Apple and Google.

I also keep on looking constantly for solutions that allow me to transit seamlessly between the MS, the Apple and the Android world.

Admittedly, the refusal of Microsoft to integrate calDAV / cardDAV support is one of the biggest pains in the derrière in this game.

The best solution I have found so far: set up your own owncloud server (to be independent at the core) and then use calDAV enabled clients on all sides. Android and iOS are easy (iOS out of the box, Anroid requiring the CalDAV-Sync and CardDav-Sync apps)....even if finding the right URL for the settings is not always easy, but it works.

Integration with the corporate outlook world (aka: my job PIM-information) worked (...against all prediction of the IT department :-) with the iCal4OL plugin into my job's outlook client.

Private Mac was no problem: owncloud-sync worked out of the box (...with the same cautionary note applying as above) for all elements, including tasks.

The private Windows laptop was really the toughest nut to crack:

Mozilla Thunderbird / Lightning looked like the best solution.....  just that it didn't work (seems to be some kind of issue with the SSL encryption of the communication with the owncloud server which is yet unresolved).

I finally ended up with the "em Client" - not really the most beautiful UI, but does all the  things I want it to do. In particular, there was no problem to sync the ownclound server not only  with calendars and contact info, but also with tasks.

If anyone know further Windows mail / PIM - clients worth trying out.... I'm all curious !

And for all those who do not wish to go thru the troubles of setting up & maintaining there own owncloud server: there are alternative services that allow you to maintain your own cloud information outside of the BigCorp infrastructre. The best experience I had (....before resorting to owncloud) was with a service called "fruux". Definetly worth a try to set up an account with them !

[anthony_may]

I've tried different solutions, but stayed with Android + Google.

And I agree, that there's no universal multiplatform perfect solution, because of corporations competition...