Which PDA to use with both a Mac and a PC?

On Wed, 14 Dec 2005 13:22:47 -0800, "anjtc" <jcallahaprovak.org> said:
>
> My question is, is there a PDA that is cross-compatible between
> the two platforms?

Check out The Missing Sync from Mark/Space.

<http://www.themissingsync.com/>

You can hook up your Mac to just about any PDA.

Palms will, generally speaking, have superior Mac support to a PC, but
if you have access to both, there's no reason not to use a PocketPC or
Blackberry.

--
  Nik
  nikfriedmanfastmail.fm

At 1:22 PM -0800 2005/12/14, anjtc wrote:
>The company I work for is going to issue me a PDA, which I can use
>to sync with outlook, etc. I use a PC at work, but being a person of
>discriminating taste, an iBook G4 at home.
>
>My question is, is there a PDA that is cross-compatible between the
>two platforms? (My co-workers all use Dell Axims, but I could
>probably get the company to issue me something else if I ask). -- If
>you want to unsubscribe or change your address, use this link:
>http://emperor.tidbits.com/webx?unsub.3c3f6899!u=308797de

I've been using Palms for years, syncing successfully with both my
Windows desktop computer and my Powerbook. If you use Entourage on
your Mac and Outlook on your Windows PC, everything should sync
properly.

--
K
Kat Nagel, MasterWork Consulting
http://www.masterworkconsulting.com
katnagelmasterworkconsulting.com

On 12/14/05 4:22 PM, "anjtc" <jcallahaprovak.org> wrote:

The company I work for is going to issue me a PDA, which I can use to sync with outlook, etc. I use a PC at work, but being a person of discriminating taste, an iBook G4 at home.  

My question is, is there a PDA that is cross-compatible between the two platforms? (My co-workers all use Dell Axims, but I could probably get the company to issue me something else if I ask).

It really depends on what you want to do with it. Palm OS devices are more compatible out of the box, they come with their own Palm Desktop program for accessing PIM data, installing programs, managing files and software for syncing on both platforms. You can also sync a Palm with Outlook for Windows and Microsoft Entourage. I’m not sure about the current status of syncing Palm with Apple programs like Address Book or iCal.

WinMobile devices, naturally, come with Windows software (ActiveSync) for syncing PIM data with Outlook for Windows, installing programs and managing files. On a Mac you must resort to 3rd party software. The two choices I know of are PocketMac Pro and The Missing Sync. From the user comments I’ve read and the experience of an associate it seems PocketMac Pro is very buggy and unreliable. While user comments are not universally good, The Missing Sync seems to be better. If you opt for a WinMobile device, I’d suggest checking to see which devices most often successfully work with The Missing Sync then buy that model. Unfortunately The Missing Sync hasn’t been updated to be compatible with the latest version of WinMobile (5.0) so you’d either have to pick a PDA running WinMobile 2003 2nd Edition or wait for Mac syncing capability. I briefly had a Dell Axim X30 this year that ran 2003 2nd Ed. and now have an HP iPAQ rx1950 running 5.0. I’m by no means a power user of a PDA but I wouldn’t have a problem going back to 2003 2nd Ed.

Perhaps things have improved but I’ll share my cautionary tale. A few years ago I had a Palm III and synced it with Palm Desktop on my Mac and with Outlook for Windows at work using the free Yahoo branded version of TrueSync. With some regularity the syncing became “confused” and I’d end up with calendar events and contacts doubled on the computer and Palm. It didn’t just happen when syncing on on the Windows computer so I can’t pin the blame solely on TrueSync. It was a real annoyance to delete all the duplicated entries.

On 12/14/05 15:22, "anjtc" <jcallahaprovak.org> wrote:

> The company I work for is going to issue me a PDA, which I can use to sync
> with outlook, etc. I use a PC at work, but being a person of discriminating
> taste, an iBook G4 at home.
>
> My question is, is there a PDA that is cross-compatible between the two
> platforms? (My co-workers all use Dell Axims, but I could probably get the
> company to issue me something else if I ask)

I would HIGHLY recommend not just using a PDA that's not a cell phone. It's
silly to have both separate these days.

For the Exchange syncing, is your company using Exchange 2003? If so, things
get simpler.

We use Exchange 2000 and GoodLink, (http://www.good.com/) so all the
exchange sync happens Over The Air, (OTA), and all I need is decent cell
reception. I currently use a PPC - 6601 from Sprint, and it works pretty
well with Missing Sync for Windows Mobile. I can sync via USB or Bluetooth,
and even get it to work with Address Book via BT, (albeit spottily). I can
also use the BT file transfer utility to move files on/off my phone, so with
the 1GB SD card, it's pretty sweet.

john

--
John C. Welch Writer/Analyst
Bynkii.com Mac and other opinions
jwelchbynkii.com

I would use a Palm handheld in your place. It is compatible with both Mac and Windows, and they have several models any of which could fit what you want to do with a PDA:

http://www.palm.com/us/products/handhelds/

Palm also has a combination PDA/cell phone, the Treo, which you may also find useful as it saves you from having to carry a cell phone separately. http://www.palm.com/us/products/smartphones/treo650/

Victor Daniel a.k.a The MacNut Listmom, ClarisWorks/AppleWorks email list: http://awlist.macnuthome.com

I've used a SideKick, a BlackBerry 7100, and now a Treo 650. I think the Treo is BY FAR the best device.

I have no idea about WinMobile devices, but the BlackBerry just doesn't play well with Macs. The SideKick works with both but has its own set of problems (one of which is that apparently the company has no desire to market this beyond the under 25 bunch). Missing Sync works great with the 650. And if you want the best email application, do yourself a favor and get ChatterEmail. It does true push email on the Treo 650, good IMAP implementation, and more.

On 15 Dec 2005, at 14:37 , John C. Welch wrote:
> I would HIGHLY recommend not just using a PDA that's not a cell
> phone. It's
> silly to have both separate these days.

Gotta disagree. I'd rather have a good phone and a good PDA thane a
mediocre phone/pda.


--
Bishops move diagonally. That's why they often turn up where the
kings don't expect them to be.

On 12/16/05 14:31, "Google Kreme" <gkremegmail.com> wrote:

> Gotta disagree. I'd rather have a good phone and a good PDA thane a
> mediocre phone/pda.

I haven't had that problem in years. The 6601 is a top - notch PDA and an
excellent phone.
http://www.sprint.com/business/products/phones/ppc6601_allPcsPhones.jsp

--
John C. Welch Writer/Analyst
Bynkii.com Mac and other opinions
jwelchbynkii.com

Thanks for all the input! I just can't get over how willing complete strangers are to step forward and help save me time and energy by relating their experiences. I'll try to reciprocate sometime.

Now, I have bad news and good news:

1. The bad -- I'm not going to get a new PDA after all. The company can't see doing that when it's got a number of perfectly good Dell Axim X5's sitting around collecting dust.

2. The good -- The recommendation for The Missing Sync seems to be spot on. This is really what I need, presuming it works. I don't see a trial version available on the website, but I've sent a message to MarkSpace asking about one.

I've used Eudora for years, but I do have Entourage on my computer (as well as Apple Mail, and I think Opera mail, and I could download Thunderbird ... heck I probably have Claris E-mailer around here somewhere) and if needed I can always re-train myself to use whatever The Missing Sync supports best.

Thanks again for all the input!

- jc

On Dec 18, 2005, at 10:52 PM, anjtc wrote:

> 2. The good -- The recommendation for The Missing Sync seems to be
> spot on. This is really what I need, presuming it works. I don't
> see a trial version available on the website, but I've sent a
> message to MarkSpace asking about one.
>
> I've used Eudora for years, but I do have Entourage on my computer
> (as well as Apple Mail, and I think Opera mail, and I could
> download Thunderbird ... heck I probably have Claris E-mailer
> around here somewhere) and if needed I can always re-train myself
> to use whatever The Missing Sync supports best.

The Missing Sync DOES work well, I've used it on the Palm for years.
I highly recommend joining the appropriate mailing list for your
device, as they are an invaluable source of information and are the
best way to learn about beta bug-fix releases should you run into
problems.

AFAIK, Mark/Space will not give you a trial download. Still, it's
cheap and again, it does work.

--Nik

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On 20.12.2005, space aliens observed Nik saying:
>The Missing Sync DOES work well, I've used it on the Palm for years.

Something I learned the hard way: You can't install The Missing Sync on
Mac OS X Server. There doesn't seem to be any technical reason for this,
but if you manage to get it installed anyway, Mark/Space won't provide
any support.

This is the only application I've ever found which can't be installed on
Server.

lucas

- --
"Much learning earns you much trouble.
 The more you know, the more you hurt."
  -- The Quester

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