Backup, Sync, and Transfer Contacts on LG Rumor Touch for Free!
Common Problem!
Until today, I had not yet found a contact backup app for the LG Rumor Touch.
Since I'm with Virgin Mobile, I had one official choice to backup my contacts : Contact Vault.
Now, I have lost my contacts before due to freak phone accidents, and I value backing contacts up for future emergencies. I have (for two months now) paid Virgin Mobile $1.99 a month for Contact Vault.
What I do not like about Contact Vault is that I do not have any export options from the website where my contacts are "vaulted". I'm sure this is for the app's "job security", as it limits you to exporting ONLY to their vault and importing ONLY from their vault to your phone.
As a long term plan, Contact Vault is just unacceptable.
Solution #1
GoogleSync
+All Gmail contacts sync to phone
-Only one way Gmail-->phone
You can get this app at my hub on installing apps.
If you are the kind of person who has all their contacts already loaded in to Gmail, this may be your best option.
You may want to combine with Solution #2 for ultimate backup.
Backup Preferences
Which backup method do you most prefer?
See results without votingSolution #2
JContactBackup
+Import and Export to Vcard 3.0/2.0
+Works with memory card
+Free and Open Source
-No other formats than Vcard
-No online backup options
This is my new favorite. Its an app developed and hosted on Sourceforge.
Its completely free and editable (if you're a rockstar like that).
If you download the files from Sourceforge, you will need to fix the JAD file (see my hub on fixing JAD files if you want to learn how).
I will also upload the recent version with the fixed JAD file as a zip file on my hub, which you can download below from Mediafire:
I have personally tested the import and export capabilities with complete success both ways.
I've also used the exported vcard files to import contacts in Gmail and other mail applications for further backup.
UPDATE (9/12/2010)-Solution #3
There is a third free solution I discovered yesterday!
If you have a bluetooth PC adapter, you can send all of your contacts by bluetooth to Outlook or to a file.
1. Pair your phone with the PC (this can be frustrating...so keep trying...make sure they are both in pairing mode)
2. Give your PC "trusted device" status in your phone.
3. In TRUSTED DEVICES, select your computer and choose SEND ALL CONTACTS.
4. The first time I did this, I had to grant access each time it send a contact (which was really annoying), but I'm sure there is a way around this. It was successful, however, and I now have all of my contacts backed up to a file and to the Outlook on my PC.
5. See my hub on BlueFTP for a fabulous file manager and bluetooth transfer client for regular files.
Good Luck!
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Brand New Sealed in Package PCD Venture (Virgin Mobile)
Current Bid: $74.99
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Brand New Sealed in Samsung Intercept (Virgin Mobile)
Current Bid: $74.99
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Motorola Triumph (Latest Model) - Black (Virgin Mobile) Smartphone
Current Bid: $154.95
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Brand New Sealed in Package HTC Wildfire S (Virgin Mobile)
Current Bid: $137.99
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Motorola Triumph (Latest Model) - Black (Virgin Mobile) Smartphone
Current Bid: $11.49
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Brand New Sealed in Package LG Optimus Slider (Virgin Mobile)
Current Bid: $144.99
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My LG Rumor Touch Feed
- How to Install Apps from the Opera App Store on an LG Rumor Touch- The Willie Files Episode 3
LG Rumor Touch from Sprint or Virgin Mobile can download apps from the Opera Mobile App Store. - 15 months ago
- How to Read EPUB and PDF Ebooks on Your Virgin Mobile LG Rumor Touch with Bookworm Reader
Read ebooks on your LG Rumor Touch using Bookworm online service and the EPUB document format. - 22 months ago
- The Willie Files Episode 1- Virgin Mobile or Sprint LG Rumor Touch OTA Apps, Ringtones, and Wallpapers
Learn how to install apps, games, ringtones, and wallpapers without connecting your LG Rumor Touch to your PC. - 18 months ago
- How to get Google Apps on the LG Rumor Touch- Calendar, Voice, Maps, Sync, and Gmail
Google Account on Your Virgin Mobile LG Rumor Touch-Google Calendar, Gmail, Contact Sync, Google Voice, and Google Maps. Download links and suggestions for Google Mobile applications - 17 months ago
- How to Use BlueFTP LG Rumor Touch App to Install Free Ringtones
BlueFTP is the best bluetooth manager for the LG Rumor Touch and the best file manager. Learn how to use it to create free ringtones from your own music for the Virgin Mobile or Sprint LG Rumor Touch. - 21 months ago
Get Involved!
Comments
A real easy solution to this problem is to connect the LG Rumor and your new phone via bluetooth. Go to contacts select more then Send Contact then select all,continue, and select your new device in the list of devices.
@Rfet, hmmm, you can try uninstalling and reinstalling and see if that makes a difference.
As to the touch issue, if your phone is less than a year old, you should ge twarrenty service from the manufacturer.
I get a "ERROR javax.microedition.pim.PIMException: List not available" when attempting to start JContactBackup. It does not bring up anything but this error message upon startup. The message appears in a smaller Black background box with the rest of the window being Gray. I have loaded / reloaded this program several times in the past and tried but same issue. I have downloaded the 'Good' 'Fixed' zip file and have both programs in the APPS directory. Other downloads seem to work fine.
Another issue is that this LG's Touch Screen has lamination seperation and the 'touch' ability is gone so it only displays - I am therefor limping along with only the keypad and many of the lower level 'on/off' type on-screen menus are unaccessable from the keyboard. So I can not turn on 'Bluetooth' or even the Sprint Wireless Backup. Probably should have posted the Error message sooner.
@Meli, no, there is no J-break. You just uncover a hidden menu. Virgin Mobile does this with other phones too like the LG Optimus V and its mobile hotspot button.
As to assuming you are clueless - I'll need some specific questions on what you are struggling with. The main hub that talks about the process of installing apps is below:
http://hubpages.com/hub/Install-Non-Virgin-Mobile-
And if that does not answer your questions, then you can email me at ireadyourblogs@gmail.com and I'll do my best to help you out.
You can also look up LG Rumor Touch Hack Central on Facebook and talk to me from there.
hey dana, do you have to j-break the rumor touch to use most of the apps you offer/suggest? and would it be possible for you to assume we are actually completely clueless...because there are so many details missing for me when i read your articles;) p.s. nice avatar
@David, use JContact Backup. Its just as good as contact vault and free. And Google Sync will only erase your contacts if you have no contacts in Gmail, as it syncs gmail contacts to your phone ---- not vice versa. Sorry you had a bad experience.
Warning, GoogleSync erases all the contacts on your phone, even if you tell it not to! Don't ask how I know. Because of that I'm going to use ContactVault from now on.
Can somebody please tell me how to use the J contact backup please? I have the app but how do I get my contacts?
I just got a replacement phone and don't want to manually transfer 600 numbers. Please Help me??
Cool got Jcontactbackup working..... I'm lovin it.... I will mark this site.... a lot of good tips
Nevermind Dana.... I see upon further investigation that it is an archive format.... I will investigate further to de-compress it.
Thanks
Sorry Dana I am new to this phone and unknowledeable. JContactbackup is a .jar file. Do I copy this to my brew directory on the massage storage and run the app on the phone? I understand the part about exporting to the mass storage device.
I just tried out JContactBackup and it worked perfectly!
Thanks again for taking the time to maintain such helpful info for Virgin cell phones owners. I was torn between the LG Rumor Touch and the Samsung Intercept, and so far I'm just loving this phone more and more after finding great info like yours.
jcontactbackup for vm510 worked like a charm.
Thanks!
I agonized over a workable solution to this, was able to purchase a VM Samsung Intercept, (android) after accidentally giving my Rumor touch a bath - ruining the keyboard. When I finally thought to link the two units together by bluetooth I was prompted to import contacts? Yipee, of course I said "Click" and vcards were automatically created, sent and received. I am sorry i signed up for Contact Vault, not thats its so expensive, just that i didnt think of the other solution first.
Thanks, Dana! Your posts and apps for the Rumor Touch were the reason I decided to buy one and try VM again. The Google Sync and Gcal went off without a hitch!
Cheers!
Agreed with Joseph above. Export your Google conteacts as a vCard file and when you send that file to the Touch via BlueTooth it will not ask for confirmation for every entry. Hope that helps!
you can actually back up the vcard file. go to gmail and import then choose the vcard file and it imports them. THANK YOU SO MUCH!
@nettie, you can import a cvs file from your microSD that you place there from your computer or you can export your contacts to your microSD and then transfer to the computer. You update by creating a new export or import.
i'm sorry. how exactly to i use the dcontactbackup program? do i need to create a csv file on my comp? or can i enter my contacts on the phone and export it to my microsd? then how do i update my contacts on the microsd?
I would like to have my windows mail(outlook) contacts exported to phone and phone to windows like motorola phone tools does. Is this possible? also my notepad file has has a a bunch if gibberish in addition to name and number.
Successfully using jcontactbackup. I dont remember how I did it, but all my contacts are now on my PC in a notepad file. I think will be OK. Thanks again, your blog is really making me want to keep this phone, as I just got it and giving it a test run. so far so good.
@danx (myself) The secret is to click on Menu, then Target Dir, instead of typing in the directory. Then navigate to the memory card. Or type in the following: file:///MemoryCard/
I get an java.lang.IllegalArgumentException error when JContactBackup asks for the directory. I tried: MemoryCard, then /MemoryCard, APPS, ., /. I know you use the memory card as the directory, but what is the exact characters you enter to specify the memory card (or a subdirectory of the memory card)?
@boxofrocks, you would use your memory card as the directory. You can import vcard files.
I installed JContactBackup but I am confused how to import the contacts. It asks me to choose the directory. Which one do I choose?
VM is doing a phone swap for me, my phone is not storing the msid correctly but somehow still texts and makes calls. This app is a real time saver for when I get the new phone, thanks.
@DS, Since I still have a subscription to Contact Vault, I thought I would try it out for ya! YES it works! I imported the same list I exported and it doubled all the contact entries. It would be nice if it did not double the contacts and could sync rather than just import blindly, but it is sooooo much better than any other option right now!
Just for kicks, I also deleted all of my contacts after doubling them and imported from my backup file made by JContactBackup, and everything is as it was before.
I'm actually quite impressed!
Dana...one more comment. I successfully imported all my contacts, using the 3.0 vcard file generated by JCContactBackup, into my Google contact list... the most critical fields were populated properly but some "minor" fields were not (job title, company name). All in all a great backup program!
Dans...I left several questions for you yesterday regarding using Google Sync to backup my VM LG Rumor Touch phone address book...the JCContactBackup program appears to be a much better solution (no need for a computer, etc.). I have exported my phone address (as a 3.0 vcard text file) and saved it on my micro SD card but haven't tried to restore (import) the file to my LG Rumor Touch for fear something may go wrong. Have you tested the restore (import) feature yet? Did it successfully restore all contacts with all fields intact? Thanks again for all your expertise!
Gushwa 3 months ago
As Motaz suggested below, You can Bluetooth Pair the RT, to your new phone (mine Moto Triumph), recive entire file to your SD card, then Import to new phone, from SD card. SUCCESS!
PS;WEHW, That was a challenge, cause I didn't know how, and just applied common sense!