These days, most people have access to several computers that they use regularly. There is usually a computer at work and at home, but there may be multiple computers at either location. Although it can be great to have so many different computers to use, it can be frustrating if you don’t have all of your data in one place. Personally, I “live” in Microsoft Outlook, so I’ve got to have my emails, contacts, notes, calendar items, and tasks always available. There are a couple of different solutions out there. I’ve tried two free ones, and both do a decent job. Note: when I refer to Outlook data below, I mean those contacts, notes, calendar items, etc. Both of the software titles support Outlook, Outlook Express, and some web-based email services. Visit the sites to learn more.
Plaxo – Plaxo has really grown over the last few years. They used to be strictly a contact management site, and were often known for sending out unwanted emails to people telling them that you were using their service. They have gradually added more features, and can now sync all regular Outlook data. I’ve tested this on 3 different computers, and they sync up beautifully. I sync my contacts and notes among all 3 computers, and my calendar items between two of the computers. It’s great. By default, Plaxo adds all sorts of extra features to Outlook that I have no use for, but you can disable those, and use just the syncing feature. You can also access everything online if you need to.
SyncWizard – This is a new service from Michael Robertson and his Ajax13 company. They use several different open source tools to do the same sort of thing. I have only tried this briefly, but it seems to be able to sync up all of the same Outlook data. SyncWizard also has a web-based interface where you can see your data. As well, you can also backup some other things other than your Outlook data.
I prefer Plaxo, but if this is all new to you, give both a try and see which one you like.