Question for PPC / Mobile 5.0 Users

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Claudia

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Help! I'm fed up with my Palm T2 and am seriously considering a switch to PPC. I use the projects-as-contacts approach, and this works just fine on Outlook 2003 on my laptop synching to KeySuite.

So, my question is: Can I synch multiple contact folders between Outlook on my laptop and Outlook on a PPC? Does Mobile 5 have an "Outlook Mobile" or is it just the basic contacts/calendars/to-do/notes organizer stuff?

I have tried to find out more information about Mobile 5.0 but the Microsoft website is not helpful in this regard.

Hoping beyond hope that I can keep using projects-as-contacts on a PPC!

Thanks for any input you can provide on this,

Claudia
 
Hi Claudia

Interesting timing - I've just gone the other way. Long time Palm user, made the switch to WM5, and now back to Palm. Read about my experiences here.

In short, don't do it.

While WM5 has many great features, IMHO it tries to do too much. List management is not simple, and I built up a lot of resistance to using the device for my lists - I actually went back to paper. ActiveSync is really flakey, and the whole thing is just not smooth. Whilst PalmOS certainly has limitations, its simplicity makes it a charm.

I tried WM5 for over a year, and only 3 days back to Palm now, my speed of doing stuff on it has picked up immmensely.

Cheers

Des
 
Please note that the above experience is not typical and people change to ppc from palm every day without problems.

I have been experimenting with and thinking about and reading about this exact topic for a while. I even started a thread here named "PocketPC and Outlook Projects as what?" that got one reply. Well two replies but one was mine.

I am using Microsoft PocketPC Version 4.20. I am using Outlook 2003. I am using ActiveSync 4.2.0. You can download the latest version of ActiveSync from the Microsoft site. You are not limited to the version that comes on the CD with your device. And I am using Windows XP Professional.

And I am using the following software purchased through www.handango.com:

ListPro
Sbp Backup
Sbp Pocket Plus
Sbp Time
Pocket Informant
Pocket Informant Square Icon Set
Pocket 15C SE Scientific Calculator
PhatNotes
PhatSpell
MLO PocketPC
Journal Sync

I can link contacts to contacts on the on the PPC. I can link contacts to contacts in Outlook on my desktop. The problem is that contact to contact links do not ActiveSync either way.

I can create joural entries linked to contacts on the PPC. I can create journal entries linked contacts in Outlook on my desktop. The problem is that contact to contact links do not ActiveSync either way. The great thing is that you can purchase software named Journal Sync that will provide for ActiveSync of journal entries both ways. This is fantastic for me.

The good news: You can create categories on the PPC and in Outlook and link contacts to those categories. Those links ActiveSync both ways. This is wonderful. Outlook allows you to view all your contacts in a view that is grouped by category. This shows all the categories with the contacts under them. If a contact has multiple categories checked, that contact is shown under each of those categories even thought there is only one actual contact. On the PPC, you go to contacts, and then you filter based on a category or multiple categories, and then only the contacts associated with that category, or those categories, show on the screen. You do not see any others. A little different on the different devices, but workable.

I have my customer names as categories with their correct name, so when I email those contacts around the office those customer names are not strange, and I have my projects as "00 project name" so that my projects sort to the top when you press the Outlook [Categories...] button on the for contacts and journal entries forms.

Right now this is all I am doing and it works for me. I do not know yet about appointments or documents. I would think we will find that a PPC PROJECTS AS CATEGORIES setup will have several limitations over the desktop projects as contacts, but I am not there yet.

Another thing. The PPC does not see, and I think the Blackberry also does not see, contact folders created on my laptop Outlook other than the main one.

Another thing. I contacted the developer of Pocket Informant and Journal Sync (the same developer makes both products). They are coming out with an upgrade to Pocket Informant and they did not know yet if they where going to include Journal Sync in that upgrade. But they also told me that they are not working on a contact sync program like the Journal Sync program to handle the contact/contact link situation. And I have not found another developer who has or will have this. Darn.
 
Ok. Working with categories in Outlook is a pain. A royal pain.

There are several web pages giving information about how to edit the windows xp regestry with regedit.exe to modify your Outlook categories or to copy them to or from another computer.

But. Then. I found this:

http://www.outlook-tips.net/howto/categories.htm

Yes!

Everybody. Link that now. Print that out now. No matter what. You may need that in the future and you may not be able to find it.

First. If my workmate sends me a contact with South Building Supply as a category, that category remains with that contact even though it is not in my Outlook master category list. And simply dropping that contact into my contacts does not add that category to my master list. Even though that category now shows up on my contacts current view by category. The fact that it is not on the master list means that you can not open another category, or a new category, or a new journal entry, and click on Categories, and link to it. It has to be added to the Outlook master list first.

But darn. It is in my categories list. Do I have to type it in again?

No.

I created a contact named "zz Category Backkup". I went to the contacts, view by category, and dragged and dropped that contact into every category. Now that contact has every category associated with it. So...first...if for any reason someone, or you, reset the categories to default, or you move to another computer, or some other reason, you will have all your categories in one place.

This next part is going to be difficult. Bear with me. If you are the type of person that has to have everything spelled out correctly you may not be able to do this. It takes a little computer savy craftyness.

Go to Outlook on your main computer and open a contact that has categories assigned to it. I will go to my "zz Category Backup". You will see a list of comma delimited (comma separated) categories. You do not know yet which of these are in your master list. Click on the [Categories...] button. The Categories dialog will come up. You will see a list of all the categories in the master list, and all the categories associated with this contact not in the master list, and will show all the associated categories with check boxes.

I do not know exactly, because all mine are in my master list, but those categories not in the master list will have something like (not in master list) after them. Well. How do we get those in the master list? And how do we copy a coma delimited list of all the categories so we can save them to a backup file or add them to another computers master list?

working on this reply...
 
WM5 devices

Claudia said:
Help! I'm fed up with my Palm T2 and am seriously considering a switch to PPC. I use the projects-as-contacts approach, and this works just fine on Outlook 2003 on my laptop synching to KeySuite.

So, my question is: Can I synch multiple contact folders between Outlook on my laptop and Outlook on a PPC? Does Mobile 5 have an "Outlook Mobile" or is it just the basic contacts/calendars/to-do/notes organizer stuff?

I have tried to find out more information about Mobile 5.0 but the Microsoft website is not helpful in this regard.

Hoping beyond hope that I can keep using projects-as-contacts on a PPC!

Thanks for any input you can provide on this,

Claudia
Click to expand...

Hi Claudia,

I've been using my Sprint HTPC (PPC-6700) for several months now, and I would not think of getting rid of it. I am sorry to hear 'tim99' has had issues... I reboot my device maybe twice per month... which, while not perfect... is about on par with my fellow Palm users.

I prefer the slide out keyboard on the 6700 to the keyboard on the Treo. I would summarize this way: the Treo is more convenient as a phone, but the 6700 is more convenient for email.

Plus, I've found Activesync 4.1 (and now 4.2) much easier to deal with than any Palm software ever. Keep in mind I deal in a 'corporate' environment... I cannot get over the complexity of Palm's software relative to Activesync when synchronizing with Outlook.

I have zero issues with Activesync personally.

Categories have been fine in my case.

I personally prefer Mobile Outlook to Palm's Versamail. I sync my Hotmail, Exchange account, Gmail, SMS Messages all to the same device. I am an Outlook user at work so I am more at home with Mobile Outlook.

The only way I know of to sync multiple Contact (or multiple of any other) folders is by using a Third party package such as Chapura's Pocketmirror Pro. I have one user that syncs her boss' Calendar as well as her own calendar to her Treo 700w. She loves it. Note that Mobile Activesync will only sync one of each type of personal folder - i.e. one Calendar, one Tasks, one Contacts, etc. To sync both you need a wire.

I don't use the Projects-as-a-Contact approach... so I am not much help there.

For what it's worth,

-Jeremy
 
Thanks to all for your thoughtful responses. My new iPAQ 2790 arrived yesterday, and I'm having a blast playing with it.

I realized that the main advantage of the projects-as-contacts approach is the ability to see all activities associated with a project, which is very helpful during the Weekly Review. But even with Palm and KeySuite, I didn't get this view on the PDA, just on Outlook on my laptop. So, even though the project 'contacts' can't be synched over, I'm still way ahead with the iPAQ. What I *can* do is periodically/regularly export my project 'contact' records to an Excel file, which can then be copied onto the PDA. Problem solved!

Again, thanks to all.

Claudia
 
Windows Mobile, Pocket Informant and Listing Tasks By Project on WM5

Perhaps this requires a separate thread, but I currently use the netcentrics program and review all of my actions by location which you can view in pocket informant on WM5 beautifully.

HOWEVER, is there a way that I can review by projects on my WM5? If not - is there a good way perhaps to printout the projectlist from Outlook at any given time to take with me? This actually would be ideal, in that you could simply execute actions in context on your WM5, while looking at them in context of the project on paper - once you have gotten back to the computer you could always bring yourself back up to date by entering in the next actions in the correct project.

The only other question remains, if you USE the netcentrics program and are replying to traveling email - how can you send out a reply or delegation from WM5 and have it link properly to a newly created task?
 
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