[fsandsmark]

I have a Palm Tungsten E and currently use the Palm Desktop application on my Mac. I use my Mac Address Book for email addresses only, and the Palm Address book for street addresses, birthdays, etc. I am interested in merging the two. I know iSync can do this.
But I'm curious if I should also switch to iCal instead of the Palm Desktop's calendar. Is anybody doing this? Is there a compelling reason to do so? Is iCal substantially better than the Palm Desktop? I don't need to share my calendar or post it online, so that's not an issue for me.
Anybody made this switch? Are you happy with the decision? Any caveats?
Thanks,
--FS

[d00d]

I switched to iCal because I have .Mac and several computers, and I like being able to subscribe to calendars at iCalShare. I also like the interface better. However, iCal doesn't capture all of the information in Palm's and vice versa.

[RonAnnArbor]

I have been unsatisfied with BOTH Palm Desktop and iCal and address book...
I like the fully featured PIM of Entourage myself.
That being said, I could not STAND Palm Desktop and do like some of the features of iCal etc...
It's a personal thing, but I liked all mine integrated in one place (i.e. Outlook on my PC and Entourage on my mac)

[fsandsmark]

Can you be more specific about what's not captured in iCal that is in Palm Desktop's calendar? (I use the calendar in the handheld VERY heavily -- much more than I use the calendar on the computer -- and would not want to lose anything!)
Thanks,
--FS

[fsandsmark]

Ron,
Thanks for your post. Do I understand right, that you use the handheld with both a Mac and PC and keep all three synchronized?
--FS

[d00d]

If I remember correctly, later versions of the calendar program in Palm's have categories. They don't transfer to iCal from what I've heard (my Palm lacks those categories). Otherwise, I think it's pretty complete.

[RonAnnArbor]

Yes, I sync with a PC at work, and my powerbook at home and on the road. It works perfectly between the three. Outlook on the PC, Entourage on my mac.

[sarapugh]

I have a tungsten E and want to use my ical and mac address book on it, however I can't work out how to use these programes on the palm. Is it possible? How do I do it?
Any help greatfully received

[d00d]

You don't use iCal or the Mac Address Book on a Palm. You can synchronize the data from those programs for use with the programs supplied on the Palm.
What are you asking?

[maclust]

Great post. Very interesting.
I have the same Palm, and still have the same questions as you; even though it's been 8 months I am unsatisfied with either option.
While I use my Palm less and less now that I increasingly take my Powerbook EVERYWHERE, my Palm has become less and less 'necessary' to carry around. But I still want to leave that option open.
Despite the marketing re: the ease of syncing with isync, I still find the same issues mentioned in the posts. I have therefore retained Palm Desktop for calendar, and phonebook and birthday tracking.
But I am still using Apple's address book everytime I look up an address using Mac Mail.
And I am no longer syncing to my .Mac account. I find this account not as user-friendly as promoted - particularly with backup, and syncing email messages.
A convoluted message? Admittedly yes. But also a convoluted set of 'solutions.'
I'm hoping that Tiger remedies some of these only remaining complaints.
Let me know if I can be of further help.

[d00d]

In reply to:

---

And I am no longer syncing to my .Mac account. I find this account not as user-friendly as promoted - particularly with backup, and syncing email messages.

---

I'm not sure I understand what you are saying here. /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

[maclust]

Derik,
Let me know if this helps you a bit:
Both myself and 2 friends (they each have iBooks) find that idisk does not afford the same ease of use as other things Mac.
Examples include making room on the iDisk so backup can store stuff on the iDisk, and syncing the .Mac email account info. on Mac Mail and on the web.
While I know the remedies to these things, as do my friends, they are still the source of much confusion, each time for different reasons.
It is lousy that there is no phone support for .Mac; call me crazy, but I like problem-solving with humans. Even when I have coaxed Applecare people into helping me remedy matters, they too have often been stumped. The online help documentation is often of no use.
I've read a great deal of your posts. It's clear that you very confident finding your way around OSX, and remedying issues. Unfortunately, neither I nor my friends are blessed with your level of technical prowess. While Apple usually caters to people like my friends and I, we don't find this to be the case with .Mac.
I guess the question then is, does the original poster in this thread identify more with your profile or ours?

[d00d]

Well, the reason I ask is that perhaps there is some simple core reason you have/had problems. In particular I ask because there should be no syncing involved with .Mac mail itself.
If I can better understand your problems, I'd be more apt to agree with you. As it stands though, I don't understand and have had no issues with my .Mac account (regardless of my experience and expertise).

[maclust]

Hi Derik,
Thanks for your enthusiasm to be of help.
"Well, the reason I ask is that perhaps there is some simple core reason you have/had problems."
====> I fully agree. I'm suggesting that the core reason that I and others continue to have complications with these particular issues is a result of their not being as user-friendly as the other Mac apps., utilities, and so on.
"In particular I ask because there should be no syncing involved with .Mac mail itself."
=====>True, but what happens if you configure the mail utility to retrieve your .Mac mail messages, as I have? Under the Mailox tab in Mac Mail I scroll down and have the option to "SYNCHRONIZE MACLUST@MAC.COM."
Also, the trashcan in Mail can be emptied on my .Mac account on my computer, AND/OR on the .Mac server.
"As it stands though, I don't understand and have had no issues with my .Mac account (regardless of my experience and expertise)."
=====> Again, while I appreciate your enthusiasm to help. If you are saying that nothing in your .Mac account has been defective or contrary to what is advertised, then I understand.
But as I explained in my original post, I was specifically trying to highlight the discrepancy in USER-FRIENDLINESS and EASE OF USE between .Mac and other Mac software/services.
Therefore, unless you have an alte- ego, I'm not sure how you can be certain that your experience with .Mac has occurred 'regardless of my experience and expertise.'
Again, thank you for your willingness always to help.