CompanionLink for Outlook

Personal devices and phones are small computers in their own right, users can store a vast amount of information in them. However, we live in an age when most users have multiple accounts across multiple platforms or devices, with few ways to transfer the across. CompanionLink for Outlook helps solve this issue by transferring contacts and other information across to Outlook.

The user interface for the application is straightforward in its approach to users, setting it up displays dropdown menus with the picture and the clear name of each device it supports. Users only have to select what is familiar to them and begin entering in their various passwords and security measures. Synchronizing across devices can be very complicated and the application does a good job of presenting this in a non confusing way.

The application also includes a detailed and comprehensive settings menu for each application and system it supports. Users are presented with different windows and tabs depending on what they have selected, meaning customizing the application for their own personal system is much easier. While some of them can be a bit daunting for those not familiar with terms like Proxy Settings and Field Mapping, the tabs are clear enough for most to figure out.

An issue does arise though with its device compatibility, since each device supports its own custom settings menu, not all have the same support. The application is geared heavily towards certain devices and neglects others, specifically Android devices feature much less support and customization than the others. With many features not working to the same degree.

Synchronizing information is not only difficult, but, if it is not configured properly, it can actually disorganize and impair an already correctly organized database. The application goes a long way to make sure this doesn’t happen, with a good range of customizable options that allow users to control what exactly is synchronized and more importantly, what isn’t. This means that users can import their contact list into Outlook, but not their calendar information and so on.

The option to synchronize both ways is a very useful addition, if users do not wish their personal device to be filled with all their outlook information they can enable a one way transfer. Making sure that sensitive information, or perhaps just a bulk of information, is not transferred to their mobile device. The application also includes a detailed automatic synchronization options, users can select how often and at what specific time of day it occurs, so the transfer doesn’t interfere with day to day usage of the device.

The application is not free, so its value has to be taken into consideration, but, in this case, it does not present an issue. The application is clearly of a professional quality, it's easy to use and offers users excellent customization options in how it operates. Its biggest limitation is mainly on what devices it supports, especially for Android users, for which it offers significantly less options.