Windows Vista Sync Center: Some Background

[Jason Dunn]

The following information is what I received from Microsoft's PR people when I asked about Vista's Sync Center:<br /><br />"Over the past few years, the number of devices and data sources that customers connect to their computers has exploded. Corporate customers are more often using offline folders as well as datacentric devices, such as PDAs or cell phones, and home users have rapidly adopted digital media devices, smartphones, and connected hard drives. Today, there is no easy user experience to manage all these individual sync relationships, and users are tasked with many different sync experiences depending on the device or data source. Windows Vista unifies the sync experience across data sources and devices with the new Sync Center. The new interface will enable users to initiate a manual sync, stop an in-progress sync, see the status of current sync activities, and receive notifications to resolve conflicts.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/events/pdc/images/image001.jpg "><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/vista-synccenter.jpg" /></a><br /><span>[click image for full-sized version]</span><br /><br />It is important to understand that this tool provides customers with a unifying user experience only for synchronization. It does not subsume third-party sync functionality or infrastructure, but rather complements it. For example, Pocket PCs will still use the ActiveSync for physically synchronizing the data between a Windows Vista computer and a Pocket PC device, but the user can now go to one place in the system to manage that relationship alongside any other sync relationships. To change the granular sync settings for each relationship, Sync Center simply directs the user to the Microsoft or third-party device and data-management settings infrastructure. Certain components of Sync Center are present in the Beta 1 Windows Vista build. Other elements will appear in later builds."<br /><br />I was hoping we'd see the death of Activesync on the desktop and instead a new unified Vista sync client, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Regardless, this will be an improvement over the decentralized user interface that we have now, so I welcome it!

[Gremmie]

I like this...but the more and more that comes out about Vista, the more obvious it becomes that they are influenced by Apple.

[Perry Reed]

I like the notion of "mastering" different data on different systems or devices and syncing it everywhere else. For example, today I sync my PDA with my work PC and grab email, calendar, and tasks. But I sync with my home machine for MS Money, and with my hosted Exchange server for contacts. They need to do more of this, setting up where each type of data is mastered.

Additionally, I'd really like to see them recognize that most people have two distinct sets of all of that data -- personal and business. I'd love to be able to sync both sets of data on my Pocket PC but with my home and work PCs, respectively. And I'd like the sync to keep track of which data "belongs" where.

[whydidnt]

I wonder if it's concern over anti-trust violations that keeps MS from just being the sync hub for all devices? This is a step in the right direction, but it would be even better if we didn't have to worry about installing sync software from various third parties that probably won't talk to each other.

I suppose it would require the development of a sync API that all third parties would have to agree to use though to reach my "utopia".

[Paragon]

I'm not sure I want Activesync totally becoming part of a larger application. There are surely some positive features in doing what they are doing in Vista, but in all honesty Activesync on its own can become fubared, imagine what nightmares their could be if it was combined with everything else? Yikes!!

I'll take my Activesync on the side please, and while you're at it make the AS team part of the Mobile Devices team again....I am right, aren't I.....the AS team has been a part of the Windows team for some time now?

Dave

[Jonathan1]

I'm not sure I want Activesync totally becoming part of a larger application. There are surely some positive features in doing what they are doing in Vista, but in all honesty Activesync on its own can become fubared, imagine what nightmares their could be if it was combined with everything else? Yikes!!



Yah. You aren't kidding. I can't tell you how many times I've had to redo a computer because Internet Imploder has gone belly up and unlike most apps I can't uninstall and reinstall IE. For the love of god do not integrate this crap into Windows. I will take the minor discomfort of reinstalling an app vs. the MASSIVE PITA it is to redo a computer from scratch. No. NO NO NO NO NO!

[Gremmie]

^ They just need to create stable programs.

[Phillip Dyson]

I like the notion of "mastering" different data on different systems or devices and syncing it everywhere else. For example, today I sync my PDA with my work PC and grab email, calendar, and tasks. But I sync with my home machine for MS Money, and with my hosted Exchange server for contacts. They need to do more of this, setting up where each type of data is mastered.

Additionally, I'd really like to see them recognize that most people have two distinct sets of all of that data -- personal and business. I'd love to be able to sync both sets of data on my Pocket PC but with my home and work PCs, respectively. And I'd like the sync to keep track of which data "belongs" where.

OMG! YES!

[hysteric rant]
I would settle for true category filtering! It can't be that hard! Please Microsoft. Please give me control. Please. {breaks into hysterical giggling}
[/hysteric rant]