Which is the best way to sync contacts across iOS (iPhone and Mac OS), Outlook, Gmail, Facebook and a BlackBerry?

See my answer

Plaxo offers a solution to keep contacts in sync between Gmail, Mac, Outlook, iOS, and Blackberry using local apps and server to server syncing. They also offer the added benefit of deduping contacts and adding missing information you may not have had for some of your contacts (name, photo, email address, mailing address). As for Facebook, since their developer APIs around contacts are so limited there isn't a great solution there. However Plaxo does allow you to use Facebook to add contact photos for your friends which may have been missing in your other sync end points. More info: http://www.plaxo.com/products/PlaxoPlatinumSync NOTE: This will only work with Blackberry OS5 devices and lower.  Currently, there is no version for OS6 or OS7.

The short-answer is that you're not. As long as Google and Facebook are having their very public spat, their data will not connect to each other.  At the very least, your data has to pass through one cloud service provider to act as a middle-man.  The more services you add to patch-work a solution together, the dirtier your contact will get and the chances of duplicate contacts increase. At this moment, the only way that I am aware of to pull email addresses out of Facebook is by MANUALLY importing them through Yahoo mail.  Even then, you still have to manually export the contacts and import them somewhere else. Microsoft has an interesting arrangement with both Facebook and LinkedIn.  In Hotmail, you can SEE your contact's information from both services, but you cannot export or sync it.  This is why Outlook 2007 and 2010 have "".  To grab that data, you'd have to manually copy and paste it from each contact. Both the iPhone and Blackberry have built-in to synchronize the contacts.  For the Blackberry, you have to configure it within your BIS portal.  HOWEVER, this synchronization is limited on the Blackberry in that. It will not sync GROUPS/Categories, It will not sync the photo avatars It will not sync ALL URLs, just the fields it has available It has no fields to add IM screenames Someone left a comment on my blog offering a possible solution to sync Google Contacts with Outlook, but I have yet to try it so I don't know if it works or not "Set up Google (regular old free Google is fine).  Open Outlook and right click on the top bar in the Contacts view.  Select Properties>Home Page. Insert the URL for Google Contacts (http://google.com/contacts) and click "show home page by default." Apply. OK. It'll ask for your login. Select stay logged in. Bam. Your Contacts from Gmail in Outlook. It's beyond syncing. It's exactly the same. Same routine for Calendar.  The URL for Google Calendar is http://www.google.com/calendar...." will work, for all but Facebook, if you have an older Blackberry.  Currently, their BB App does not support or work on OS6 or OS7 devices. Personally, from my expert opinion, only because you have so many devices and services to keep in sync, I would recommend going with either and (both built on the open-source SyncML technology). The only catch is if you're using a 64-bit version of Outlook To see why all of this is such a mess, you might want to read this blog post of mine: http://stayinginsync.squarespace.com/blog/2011/6/21/the-world-of-contact-synchronization-in-the-cloud.html It has an infographic showing exactly why we're all SOL...

Best and easiest ways:  One all-purpose way to sync your contacts between iOS and E-mail. ,More info on http://www.apowersoft.com/transfer-contacts-from-iphone-to-gmail.html 1. Download and install the program on your computer. Connect your iPhone to computer through USB cable and click “Trust” button when a dialog pops up on your phone. 2. Tap on “Contacts” icon after entering into the main interface, choose the contacts you want to transfer and then click “Export” button to transfer contacts in Vcard form on PC. 3. Open you Gmail on the browsers and click “Gmail” to find out “My Contacts”. Hit “More” dropdown menu and then choose “Import” button. 4. Click “Choose File” and find the vCard file on computer to transfer iPhone contacts to Gmail.

The way I've found more convenient for a iPhone to Mac to Outlook to Gmail to Blackberry sync (phew) is using the http://Soocial.com Address Book. It just works so natively, you basically connect your mail accounts to it and then use apps on every different platform, e.g. an app for the iPhone and another one for the Blackberry. Didn't really find such a native work-around for Facebook, but my Android phone pulls some data from there (pictures, mails) so when they're on the phone, they get synced via Soocial too.

Well, we all know the importance of backing up iPhone contacts to more than one place for keeping them safe and sound from any unexpected situations.And there are more than one way to backup iPhone contacts.1, Transfer iPhone Contacts to Gmail.If you have a Gmail account, you can save your iPhone contacts to your Gmail account directly. For that, you need to use iTunes. Open your iTunes and select “Info”. Check “Sync Contacts with” and then choose “Google Contacts.” And then click “Configure” to add your Google username and password. Then click “Apply”. Your contacts are exported directly to your Gmail account. 2, Transfer iPhone Contacts to Computer.Saving contacts from iPhone to PC/Mac is also a good way. And you can use https://www.imyfone.com/iphone-data-recovery/ or https://www.imyfone.com/iphone-data-recovery-mac/ to back up your contacts and other data from your iOS device to your computer.The transfer tool has some key features: Both the data on iPhone and computer won’t be effected. Contacts, text messages, photos and other 20 types of file can be saved. You can preview the contacts before backing up them to computer. You can back up your iPhone data to computer within easy operation. And iMyfone D-Back also offers the free trial version for both Windows and Mac users to confirm whether the tool is useful for them.3, Transfer Contacts from iPhone to iTunes. Connect your iPhone with your computer and launch iTunes. Click on the iPhone icon in the top bar of iTunes. In the Summary option, click Back Up Now. This method will not save contacts in a unreadable form, but it will allow you to restore all of iPhone's content back to the phone.4, Transfer iPhone Contacts to iCloudOn your iPhone, go to Settings → iCloud and turn on Contacts. And this will sync your contacts to iCloud.You can see them on your computer by going to https://icloud.com/ and logging in with your Apple ID and password.If you have a Mac you can also turn on Contacts in System Preferences → iCloud and they will appear in your Contacts app.Hope any one of them will help.

In fact, the simplest way is use iOS tools, you can sync iPhone contacts easily. like MobiKin Doctor for iOS. Have a try. Hope this helps! http://www.mobikin.com/idevice/transfer-contacts-from-iphone-to-computer.html

I'm having a similar issue trying to figure out what the best portal is to sync contacts. In my case, I have contacts on GMail, Apple Contacts, Facebook, and then through Outlook (for work related contacts). Bare with me, as I explain the dilemma. All of these services have their advantages -- 1. Apple Contacts allows integration with Siri, so when I want to say "Call John Smith" it recognizes this. 2. Google Contacts has all of my email addresses, since my primary email provider is GMail. 3. Facebook has birthdays / profile pictures of my contacts. 4. Outlook has my work related contacts' email addresses. Now, I've tried Soocial -- and though it's good, it doesn't integrate with Facebook contacts. Ideally, I'd like to use Apple Contacts as my hub since most of my devices are Apple products, but the features in Contacts are limited. Not allowing me to "merge" contacts, but rather "link" them. Any one have a solution? Preferably long-term since I'd like to not have to update these things every time a new service decides to fix or add a new feature.