May 31, 2011
Here’s a Windows Phone 7 app that syncs tasks with Exchange. It’s not yet MYN compliant, but still it’s a start. But some background first.
One of my great disappointments with Microsoft as of late is the short-shift they are giving to client support for their Exchange tasks data. I am sure it is just lack of market demand, but other than in Windows Outlook, tasks are becoming a poor sister to the main data set of e-mail, calendar, and contacts.
This showed up first in the iPhone: Apple and Microsoft left Exchange task syncing out of package. Same with Android—no task syncing natively. Windows Phone 7 also left tasks out, which was surprising. And then Outlook 2011 for Mac shipped with far fewer task features than in the Windows version of Outlook.
So it has been up to third-party developers to fill these gaps; and they have on the mobile front. TaskTask filled the gap on the iPhone with an excellent app, and the superior app TouchDown filled the gap on Android.
And now we have third-party app on Windows Phone 7 that can sync tasks with Exchange. It’s called Appa Mundi Tasks, from a company of the same name.
It is not yet MYN compliant—it has almost none of the MYN-required view features. However I’ve communicated with the developer and they are willing to add them. You might want to contact them and tell them you want the MYN features—it would probably speed rollout.
So it’s good to see Windows Phone 7 being added to the Exchange Sync Task world!
Thanks to the reader who pointed this app out to me (sorry, I could not find our communication to get your name again—post a comment and I will give you the glory!)
Hi Michael, I gave Peter from Appa Mundi the information about TWC. It is a really fine program for a Windows Phone and I think they will work hard to make it compatible…
Michael,
Another app that syncs exchange tasks with WP7 very well also came out about a month ago. It is called “Tasks at last.” Have you tried this out yet? I am not sure how it compares to Appa Mundi but I thought I would let you know in case you wish to communicate also with this developer.
-THP
Hi again Michael,
An additonal comment to my most recent above. I did also notice on a demo last week that with the upcoming Mango update for WP7, Microsoft has added a tasks feature to WP7 that displays as an additional pivot “To-Do” view of the Metro UI in the Calendar Hub of the phone. Information is currently limited but I presume that this will allow native WP7 sync with either the To-Do list of the online Windows Live calendar and also possibly with any exchange account tasks. Perhaps you can find out more about this with any of your possible contacts within Microsoft that are more in the know. Perhaps you can have some proactive influence with the WP7 development team?
-THP
Hello Michael,
it’s great that you posted the Appamundi solution for WP7.
I posted a comment with a hint to Appamuni in your previous article about task syncing on mobile phones here: http://masteryourworkday.com/converting-e-mails-to-tasks-on-a-mobile-device-with-an-excerpt-from-the-new-outlook-book%E2%80%99s-3rd-edition
Yes Charlie, it was you who led me to Appa Mundi. Thanks for that!
Michael