Sync Google Contacts and Calendar on Symbian 3 devices without using Mail for Exchange (MfE)

So you have a shiny N8 or other Symbian 3 (S^3) device.  You use Google to manage your contacts, calendar, and to-do items on your PC/Mac/Linux/Whatever, and what that information synchronised to your phone.

You know that Mail for Exchange (MfE) on your S^3 device can do this for you, but you also know there are limitations:

• MfE will only show your primary Google calendar, and will not support shared calendars.
• MfE is limited to one instance on your device.  That means that if you need to access your work account, then you have to make a hard decision about what to choose.

There's a way, but I'll say that it is not free like MfE.  There are two things you need to do to avoid using your precious MfE account.

Sync Calendar using GoogaSync

Download and install GoogaSync on your S^3 device.  This application is a paid application, and at the time of writing costs about US$20.  

Tip: I'm sure you could get this price down a bit if you search for "GoogaSync Discount Coupon Code" on google. ;)

You get this from the Nokia Store as a trial for 14 days, by which time you will see it "does what is says on the tin".  Set up could not be simpler, and you can schedule your sync schedule.  It runs as a service, so it just synchronises your contacts at a frequency that suits you throughout the day. No need to have the application open.

Sync Contacts using Google SyncML

While Google offers Google Sync over MfE, you also have the option to synchronise your Contacts (and *only* your contacts) using SyncML.

Basically any handset with SyncML compatibility can use this service, however each handset has slightly different Sync setup procedures.

There are excellent resources on the Google SyncML site, and a procedure exists for Symbian 60 v3 and v5, but I think they are still catching up a bit with Symbian 3 (feel free to use this verified procedure, Google).

For those of us on S^3, here are the step-by-step instructions for our devices.

I have verified this procedure on my Nokia N8, which currently has the PR 1.0 launch firmware.

1. On the N8, press the Menu button.
2. Tap Settings > Connectivity > Data Transfer > Sync
3. Tap Options > New sync profile
4. In the wizard, tap Start.
5. For the Profile Name, specify any name you wish (for example, "Gmail Contacts SyncML") and tap Next.
6. For the Server Version, select "1.2", and tap Next.
7. For Applications in Sync, select "Contacts" only.
   Important: Google only offers Contact sync. Enabling other options will cause sync failure.
8. For Contacts Database, specify "contacts", and tap Next.
   Important: The word "contacts" must be lower-case in order to sync with google servers.
9. For Data Bearer, select "Internet", and tap Next.
10. For Host Address, specify "https://m.google.com/syncml". Ensure you specify "https" for a secure connection. Tap Next.
11. For Server ID, specify "Google", and tap Next.
    Important: The word "Google" must be title-case in order to sync with google servers.
12. For Username, specify your full gmail account name (for example, fullusername@gmail.com) and tap Next.
13. For Password, specify your gmail password, and tap Next.
14. The wizard informs you that you have successfully set up the basic settings required.  Acknowledge this message.  The wizard closes.
15. You are now back at the Sync main screen, and your new profile is displayed.
16. Tap Options > Synchronise.
17. Wait until the Sync is complete.
18. Verify the sync by opening your Contacts and reviewing the list in comparison to your Google contacts on a PC. 

Summary

You don't have to use your only MfE account if you are prepared to spend just a little cash on alternative solutions.  

Credits

Thanks to the author of this post, who alerted me to the fact that SyncML was an available option for Symbian.  Thanks also to the many forum posts I've read (too many to individually credit) that talked about GoogaSync.

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