I’ve been using a Zimbra account for the past couple of weeks and have found it not to be reliable in syncing my desktop and laptop (both Macs). Yesterday, I was looking at iCal on both machines plus the web interface. I kept synching both machines, but all 3 screens remained different. I had to maually create copies of the appointments on the other Mac, then the web client got duplicates. So I’ve been considering giving up on Zimbra entirely.
I haven’t even gotten OTA sync for the BlackBerry hooked up yet, but if I can’t count on the sync – the only thing I want from it – I can’t use it. Google Calendar is looking better and better.
SpanningSync looks promising:
http://blog.spanningsync.com/
Have you checked out Scalix (http://www.scalix.com)? Not sure how it “behaves” with the Mac though.
Doesn’t look like Scalix has a Mac client.
> I’ve been using a Zimbra account for the past couple of weeks
At the outset, did you perform resets? (Did you begin with an empty Address Book and iCal on one of the two desktops?) From past experience, I guess it’s helpful to do so.
Were any other devices (such as phones) involved, or have the syncs been limited to the two desktops?
Whilst I haven’t used Zimbra, I *am* interested in its promise/capabilities…
May I ask which Zimbra host you decided on? Just went through the same ‘vendor list’ on Zimbra’s site. Frustrating. Thanks for the recap in your other post – glad I found you.
Graham – yes, I deleted everything from my laptop and the Zimbra account, then sync’ed the desktop to the Zimbra server. Here’s the kicker – before I sync’ed to the Zimbra server, I synced to my BlackBerry. Then I sync’ed to the Zimbra server, then sync’ed the BlackBerry again right after. When I sync’ed to the BlackBerry the second time, I got alerts that ~25 calendar items had been deleted and did I also want to delete them from my BlackBerry. Apparently the act of syncing to the Zimbra server deleted some of my calendar entries. Not cool.
Ben – Sonoma Creative is a good bet here in the states. Simple Mail Solutions seems decent in the UK – no BlackBerry connect there though. ondecktech.com got in touch with me to let me know they were rolling out personal Zimbra accounts with BlackBerry support, I told them to get in touch when it was set up but haven’t heard back from them yet.
What are you using for the Blackberry sync? Have you posted anything on your sync adventures prior to this?
I ask because I’m looking at Zimbra and there would be a need to sync to two different Macs plus one PDA in at least one case, in our office.
I now sync my BlackBerry with my Google Calendar using iCal and PocketMac. Since Zimbra’s sync process was deleting my data I’m not willing to go near the product anymore.
We have rolled out the personal accounts with Blackberry support and Zimbra 4.5.3, already 5 updates from the issues Alex experienced. One of the reasons we are pleased with Zimbra is their dedication to continuous improvement, and the results they’ve shown over the last year.
Alex, we’d love to have you give it another shot, do we have to send you a laptop and a blackberry to try Zimbra again? 🙂
We offer free trials, as well as a 30-day money-back guarantee. With the iSync connector directly syncing with sync services on the Mac, the Outlook connector providing a MAPI compliant client for Windows, Zimbra supports Windows Mobile and Plam devices directly, and we have installed and support our own NotifyCorp NotifyLink server to sync customers’ Blackberry devices with our Zimbra servers.
Thanks for your consideration.
Research Zimbra in our presales portal knowledgebase:
https://admin.ondecktech.com/helpdesk/?group=presales
I appreciate the follow-up, but I’m just not willing to trust my data to the product after the failures I experienced. I also not really anxious to pay $350 for a year of service when Google Calendar is meeting my needs rather nicely for free.