[pond]

i am looking for some advice.
i have been interested in buying a palmpilot for a while now, but am concerned about being able to sync with my G4's ical /address book/mail with palmzire or Tungsten. is this a straight forward process? can i syn with the mac programs or will i have to use the software native to the palm pilot? (i am a novice)

in an ideal world i would just buy an ipod. however, i want to be able to jot down a list or an appointment on the go-which, if i understand correctly, the ipod can not do.

any guidance?

thanks!

[slider]

You are correct, the iPod is not a PDA, therefore you cannot enter data directly to the iPod. All PDA's running Palm OS must have Palm's "Palm Desktop", and Apple's iSync Conduit to be able use iSync to sync with iCal and Address Book. The boards are pretty knowledgeable about PDA's in general, so when your ready just do a search here and/or post a question if you run into trouble. It's pretty straight forward as long as you can follow directions. As for which to get, well, that depends on what you are using it for. There are serveral Tungstens to choice from, I know the Tungsten E includes Documents to Go 6 to use with your M$ word and excel files. Ask yourself what you need it to do and what you think you will what to do, then look for the Palm that best fits your needs. Make note of the OS, Palm 5.x or 4.x, and the processor, TI Arm, Motorola dragonball, or Intels, used on the particular device. Personally I would go with a Palm running OS 5.x and either an Intell or TI arm processor, but again, it really depends on what you need it for, of course there is future growth which is why I state me personal preference. Good luck with your search.

[SupahCoolX]

If I were you, I'd get a Palm Tungsten E ($200) or Zire 21 ($100) as your first PDA. Then, pick up an iPod ($300-$500, but older ones can be found for as little as $150) for MP3's.

For Palm syncing: Palm Desktop software handles everything be default (address, calendar, to do, memos, software installation, etc). If you install iSync and the iSync Palm Conduit, then it will take over the Addresses, calendars, and to do syncing. Palm Desktop will still handle the other functions. It's really easy, as long as you just read the Read Me files and follow their instructions.

The iPod's ability to display your addresses and calendars is a nice, convenient little add-on, but it does not replace real PDA functionality.

[pond]

thank you for the advice. i think a palm is the way i need to go and use the ipod for the music.