Full Support for New Palm Apps

R

Robert Barrimond

I'm greatly disappointed with the speed the MBD is developing updates to
handheld sync for the newer Palm PIM applications. <rant>Obviously PalmOne
or PalmSource or whoever developed the basic apps to conform to
Outlook/Entourage's calendar, contacts, and task formats. Why do we have to
deal with substandard support for so long? My goodness, this isn't rocket
science. Even more ridiculous is the fact that Microsoft supports the Palm
and not the PocketPC!</rant>

I think it would be wise and profitable for Microsoft to simply license the
database API to as many vendors who wish to pay, as I suspect they've done
with the PocketMac folken. Mark/space would be the obvious next candidate.
It's not their core business, but it sure makes their product more valuable.
It even does so in a way that actually enhances their ability to charge for
Office!

Anyone have a clue to when this long standing problem will be fixed?
 
P

Paul Berkowitz

I'm greatly disappointed with the speed the MBD is developing updates to
handheld sync for the newer Palm PIM applications. <rant>Obviously PalmOne
or PalmSource or whoever developed the basic apps to conform to
Outlook/Entourage's calendar, contacts, and task formats. Why do we have to
deal with substandard support for so long? My goodness, this isn't rocket
science. Even more ridiculous is the fact that Microsoft supports the Palm
and not the PocketPC!</rant>

I think it would be wise and profitable for Microsoft to simply license the
database API to as many vendors who wish to pay, as I suspect they've done
with the PocketMac folken. Mark/space would be the obvious next candidate.
It's not their core business, but it sure makes their product more valuable.
It even does so in a way that actually enhances their ability to charge for
Office!

Anyone have a clue to when this long standing problem will be fixed?
Click to expand...

It was quite widely reported from last June's WorldWide Developer Conference
(WWDC - run by Apple) that Apple is developing some sort of sophisticated
"constant sync" mechanism for Tiger (OS 10.4) and, at last, making its APIs
available to all 3rd-party developers. (There has been some sort of unknown
standoff between Microsoft and Apple over iSync and Entourage, with neither
company wanting to open up to the other. I'd guess that on the Apple side it
must have been some sort of licensing terms dispute, since they have made
iSync available to other developers.)

Anyway, iSync is disappearing when Tiger comes out - it will be replaced by
this new mechanism. So I doubt Microsoft is going to bother with iSync or
with other specialty syncs, even for PocketPC. Instead, I'd expect that they
will join the bandwagon and plug into this new sync mechanism, which will
automatically sync then to whichever devices can also access it,. I'm sure
that Mark/Space and others like PocketMac will adapt their own sync engines
to sync to the new central store - that's pretty obvious.

For this new mechanism to work with Entourage you'll have to wait until MS
release a version of Entourage that can do this. That might not be until the
next major version of Office - but not necessarily. No one knows the timing,
but I'm sure it's coming sometime. I'm sure that every application and
device will want to interact with Tiger's new sync mechanism, and it's just
a matter of time as to when that might occur.

Until then, you'll have to make do with current limitations.

--
Paul Berkowitz
MVP MacOffice
Entourage FAQ Page: <http://www.entourage.mvps.org/faq/index.html>
AppleScripts for Entourage: <http://macscripter.net/scriptbuilders/>

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ignored.

PLEASE always state which version of Microsoft Office you are using -
**2004**, X or 2001. It's often impossible to answer your questions
otherwise.
 
T

Tony Burch

on 25/11/04 17:43, Paul Berkowitz wrote:

For this new mechanism to work with Entourage you'll have to wait until MS
release a version of Entourage that can do this. That might not be until the
next major version of Office - but not necessarily. No one knows the timing,
but I'm sure it's coming sometime. I'm sure that every application and
device will want to interact with Tiger's new sync mechanism, and it's just
a matter of time as to when that might occur.

Until then, you'll have to make do with current limitations.
Click to expand...

Aahh! That explains the current log-jam!!

I'm having terrible trouble deciding what to get next - it doesn't seem too
much to ask for a combined PDA/mobile phone but it is incredibly hard to
work out what will sync with my mac.

Looks like I'll have to tread water for 6-12 months while Entourage gets
Tigerised...

Tony
 
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