Palm OS vs Windows for handhelds?

Deighve

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I am thinking of a treo. I use entourage on a mac for GTD. Entourage syncs pretty well with palm devices through missing sync, but not perfectly. For example limited number of tasks. I was wondering if the windows operating system on a treo would do a better job? or maybe even a blackberry perhaps?
 

fokke.kooistra

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Treo 680 and Entourage work very well for me

Hi,

I use a combination of a Treo 680 and Entourage. I don't use Missing Sync, just the plain old Palm Hotsync together with the Entourage Conduit. I don't know of the limit on the number of tasks but I haven't had big problems with this combo.

In fact for me it is a GTD system I trust and rely on. If you need any info feel free to ask.
 

Deighve

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Thanks for your reply. Do you think there is much diff among the diff treo models? I am thinking of picking up one used as they are pretty expensive without signing a contract.
 

fokke.kooistra

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I only think you should be careful with models like the Treo 600 and lower.

The Treo 650 and newer models should be OK. What model are you thinking of?

Fokke
 

Deighve

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I was thinking the 650. My contract is up in may so if I like it I could get the newest model then. Alternatively I could just sign now with the new carrier and count the next for months for a loss.
 

Jay Levitt

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At this point in the game, I wouldn't recommend a Palm for anyone if you plan to install and depend on third-party applications. Or maybe even syncing.

I've owned a PalmOS device of some sort since 1996. I'm big fans of the company, their developers, their founders, everyone. But they're circling the drain and have been for years. Very few people are still developing or updating their apps for it. Even Palm doesn't develop on Palm anymore. Sooner than later, things will start breaking from bit rot.

As much as Windows Mobile gets it wrong, and in exactly the same way PalmOS got it right, it's the only semi-stable choice for the present. Again - even Palm is developing on it!

iPhone and Google Android are changing the game, but it may be a year or two before we see some real, high-quality app choices for them.
 

moises

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I just removed all tasks from my XV6700 which is a Windows Mobile device. It can't handle thousands of tasks. And even though most of these tasks are marked completed, ActiveSync will not allow my to synch only active (uncompleted) tasks. Users of Palm OS have written on this forum that they have no such limitations. Blackberry users have not responded clearly one way or another.

I am seriously considering abandoning WM until they can handle power users of tasks.
 

MrProactive

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Treo 700p * the * thing for Task productivity

I too have been using a Palm for a LONG time. When my old cell phone finally died, I decided I would (a) only carry one device and (b) I would "come into the 2000's and get an updated device as, just as another post mentioned, the base Palm software hasn't changed much since 1996. So, I got a Treo 700w -- the Windows Mobile version.

:( I returned it in a week. :(

It was slow --- it took it 15 seconds to show my task list (I have about 300 tasks on my list). The whole thing was sluggish.

It was not intuitive and took too long to enter things like calendar, tasks, notes, etc.

I yearned to return to the Palm platform, so I got the 700p, and :) I love it. Yes, it's the * old * software, but it has been optimized for one hand quick lookups, it displays my task list instantly, and it's very intuitive -- it lets a mobile person be mobile (and productive) quickly and easily.

This is a great article in the NY Times awhile back, about the newer Centro, that really hits the nail on the head.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/11/technology/circuits/11pogue.html?pagewanted=1&8dpc

I hope all of this helps.

Best,
 

carrdwight

Registered
Palm and Treo Support

I have been a long time palm user as well. Making the initial transition to Palm OS 5 was a real head ache. I had to start over, load each software application individually, test it and if it caused problems, I eliminated it. It took months, but now I use a Treo 650 with a Palm TX and have no problems with either. I was using a Treo 700P, but I had to move to a unlocked phone, so I got a used Treo 650. I wish there were some way to combind the Treo with the TX, but for now I just carry two devices. I love the TX screen and the Treos key board. A lot of people complain about the key board, but once I started using it, I loved it.

I do a soft reset of each device each morning. I don't know if that helps or not, but I have not had either device reset while in use for a long time.

Software that I currently use and have no problems:
On the Treo, I use FieldPlus to access the Command ToolBar, along with Treo Camera Timer and CallRec. All of the following are on the TX, and some are also on the Treo 650, but the Treo 650 doesn't have a lot of spare memory. I use DateBook 6, TakePhone, 2Day, Bonsai with Back2Bonsai Daynotez, CanDo, Adarian Money, Pop!, TealTracker, TealDocs, TealLock, 9.95 Clock, 9.95 Fuel, Hi-Launcher, pToolSet, Resco Explorer, Resco Viewer, HandyShopper, FontBucket, Icon Manager, Muhrta, QuickWrite, Mobile Write, snapCalc, snapDates, Undupe, Unitconverter, Currency Converter, lots of games, ...

Anyway, I just want to confirm that the Palm TX and Treo 650 and 700P are stable, there is a lot of software development and support and Palm as a company seems to have learned the importance of customer service.

Dwight...
 

GTDWorks

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I have lived in both camps since becoming a Palm V user in October of 1999. I now use a Palm 700 p because my phone carrier didn't have a Windows Mobile device at the time I was buying my smartphone.

While I love and miss Pocket Informant as a PIM, and miss the multitasking power of WM, I am satisfied with the performance of my Treo 700p. It's rock solid, quick at opening applications, and simply works - 100% of the time.

I do have to admit my displeasure at Palm not keeping up with the timesand I may return to WM once it's time to upgrade my phone. But for now, the Palm works well.
 

Jay Levitt

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moises;54866 said:
I just removed all tasks from my XV6700 which is a Windows Mobile device. It can't handle thousands of tasks. And even though most of these tasks are marked completed, ActiveSync will not allow my to synch only active (uncompleted) tasks. Users of Palm OS have written on this forum that they have no such limitations. Blackberry users have not responded clearly one way or another.

I am seriously considering abandoning WM until they can handle power users of tasks.

Well, it sounds like there are a lot of "cold, dead hands" Palm lovers here, so you may be making the right choice! :)

That said, a lot depends on what software you're using. Are you syncing outlook-to-outlook? I have no experience with that; I use MyLifeOrganized and its PPC version. That was, indeed, painfully slow for a while; I know their last major release replaced ActiveSync with their own syncing software, and it's said to improve things greatly. (I lost my iPAQ around that time, so I haven't had a chance to try it yet.) I imagine that other programs may have similar alternatives.
 
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