How can I see, use and edit contacts on PC without...

Question

Now I finally worked out how to sync my contacts to my N95 8G (see earlier posts), I would like to use this data, plus the calendar data on a daily basis on my PC and update it where necessary, before finally synching back to the N95 at the end of the day.
Has anybody any ideas how this can be done ?
With my old Palm-based system I would use the Palm desktop but the PCSuite (v. 7.0) doesn't seem to offer this functionality.
Now the contct and calendar data must be copied there on the PC as I've performed a back-up via the Suite, but how do I get to see and edit this data (or a copy thereof) on the PC ?
If Nokia can't be bothered to work out how to do this, has anybody come across any third party vendors who have ?

Answer 1

01-Sep-2008 12:17 PM
larrygt wrote:
Hi - sorry for the tardy response.
When I saw that my Palm device was fading rapidly and that it was no longer supported by upgrades to new versions of Windows (a Sony Clie of 2002 vintage that I used for everything bar phone calls), I backed up my palm desktop contacts, calendar etc. to my Yahoo account with no problems.
My other posts on this forum described my frustration at not being able to simply export a file back out of Yahoo that the N95 would understand, without losing bits of the contacts (e.g. all the telephone numbers). In the end I had to go via Outlook - my other post (copied below) describes how I did it.
The approach is not perfect and I intend it to be a once only thing. I will still suffer the hassle of entering new contacts into both my N95 and my online address book as the Nokia PC Suite does not appear to accurately read csv files created by Yahoo.
My poor user experience with N95 will make me think seriously about going back to a Palm-based / Blackberry device when upgrade time comes around again.
1: Open Outlook and back up the existing contacts (that you wish to keep separate from your N95 contacts) by exporting them to the desktop in a .pst - "outlook.pst"
2: Once they are backed up to Outlook.pst, select all these contacts in Outlook and delete
3: In Yahoo, export all contacts to an Outlook format .csv file (note, Yahoo offers different .csv formats) - "Personal.csv"
4: In Outlook, import the new Personal.csv file you have created. Check contacts. Delete duplicates, and check/update errors (i.e. use Outlook like the PIM that PC Suite ought to be and isn't !).
5: In Nokia PC Suite, use the Synchronise function to synchronise the N95 with Outlook
6: Select all personal contacts in Outlook that you just imported via persoanl.csv, delete them to clean out Outlook.
7: Re-import the Outlook.pst file you originally created above to restore your original (work?) outlook contacts.
Thanks for taking the time to share "our" frustrations. As you've indicated, after enjoying the ease of managing Palm data both on the device and on the desktop, the Nokia N95 simply falls flat on its face (despite the shopkeeper's assurance it was far and above better). I have found that at least the generic PC Suite has a means to view the calendar and contacts on the desktop provided the phone is hooked up by USB. I still had to manually enter everything onto the phone to get it all as I want it, and have decided to only put the stuff I truly need to have with me at all times. I also tried to download an MP3 program but it won't accept the format (and I thought Sony had the wrap on exclusivity!?). When Nokia or another company comes up with a truly do-it-all-right format, I'll be first in line. Meantime, I will take my Palm on trips, and will tuck the MP3 player in a side pocket. This was an expensive mistake that I won't make again.