[Zoom]

I didn't take time to search on this topic, so please excuse me if this has been hashed to death somewhere.

I've got an iPod (3G) and a Mac (see sig). However, I'm finding the combination severely lacking for a PIM. You can't enter stuff into the iPod directly and the interface for to-do's and calendar just aren't ... well, usable. I use iCal, Address Book and .Mac for calendars and contacts, and occasionally for to-do's. The web publishing is nice. However, it's not worth $100/year anymore.

For that same $100, I could get a Palm z22, for instance. I could also set up a public webdav server, if Palm supports such a thing.

Let's get down to it. I need the basics, but I want them to work very well. Here are my requirements:

1) Flawless sync with Mac and PC. If I have to port all my contacts and calendars one time, so be it, as long as the new app (Palm Desktop or whatever) works and works well.
2) I need good to-do software. Ideally, I want Franklin Covey style (A1, B2, etc).
3) Goal stuff would be nice, too (long term milestones, light-weight "project" mgmt).
4) Bluetooth sync would be nice, but I don't need WiFi (unless it comes cheap).
5) Full-featured calendar with support for multi-day and repeating events.
6) Web calendar publishing a big plus.
7) Color screen, not too big, not too pricey.

I don't need a Tungsten. A z22 would be fine and it's my primary target. However, there may be other PDA's out there I'm missing. I've been out of the market for years now.

How about third-party PIM S/W? Can you buy better software for existing devices? I know there's Ipod It, but I still don't think that meets my needs.

Do you still need mark/space SW to sync a Palm device?

I'm a software engineer and I might even be willing to WRITE the software I need, if necessary. What platforms are easiest and cheapest to develop on?

[Randman]

.Mac will take care of many of your needs. Same with a number of PDAs or even smart phones such as the Series 60 line from Nokia.

I have the 6630 and bluetooth/sync my iCal/Address book data to and from it with no problems. I can do a voice memo or write a short message.

You could also look into hybrids such as the Nokia Communicator or Treo line.

[Zoom]

I don't really like phone/PDA combos. They're too big and clumsy for a phone, and too small and clumsy for a PDA. As much as I wish I could combine them, I just haven't seen anything that works for me. I have a RAZR now, too, so I'm not looking to change anytime soon.

So, I'm looking for a dedicated PDA, I think, that comes with good PIM software. The key is that I want to be able to work with the data, especially calendar and to-do, through the device itself. The primary master copy will be on the device, not the computer. With iCal and AB, this is basically reversed. I have to be at my Mac to enter data, and then I push that data to "read only" locations like .Mac and my iPod. I want to get back to having the device be the primary, with the computer being a nice secondary entry point for info. However, I still want web-accessible data where possible in case I left my PDA at home or don't have it handy.

[selowitch]

It's so nice to meet a developer who is interested in PIMs, which are something of an obsession of mine. The fact is, there is a definitely market space for a full-featured PIM. I had hope for Mozilla's Thunderbird/Sunbird, which are open source, but which lack a Mac Palm conduit and are not quite fully ready for primetime. Also on my radar is Chandler, which is Mitch Kapoor's project at the Open Source Applications Foundation, but development there has been rather slow.

Personally, my central frustration with PIMs is their stubborn near-total lack of true relational database design. Palm in particular is stuck in the rut of one-address-per-person and no-families-no-home-address stupidity.

If I were building a PIM from scratch, I would make each person, place, or organization a separate object, which could then be placed in relationships that make sense. For example, I could be one person-object and my wife and second person-object. Each of our workplaces would be a distinct place-object, and our home would be another place-object. Then a relationship record of type "marriage" could be created linking the record id for my person-record to the record id for my wife's person record. Next, a workplace field for my person-record would record the id of my workplace's record, etc. This would enable the database to truly "understand" the real-world relationships between people, places, and organizations — finally!

I'd like to see this done in an open-source (but for-profit), cross-platform manner. I would even be willing to forgo a proprietary interface and build the damn thing with a browser GUI backed by PHP/MySQL. It might not look fancy, but it would work.

[Zoom]

Amen, selowitch!! I've said the exact same thing for YEARS. (You can probably even find a posting in this forum to that effect.) I've considered writing just such a beast... maybe I will. I agree, cross-platform is important - more so than looks, though I think you can have your cake and eat it, too. Maybe I should whip up a little Java/MySQL PIM app. I've got some other ideas, too, actually.

Anyway, given that that is not something I can do overnight, I still want to know what's available now.

[selowitch]

Originally Posted by Zoom

Amen, selowitch!! I've said the exact same thing for YEARS. (You can probably even find a posting in this forum to that effect.) I've considered writing just such a beast... maybe I will.

Let's explore this idea further.

Originally Posted by Zoom

Anyway, given that that is not something I can do overnight, I still want to know what's available now.

Well, I assume that you already think that AddressBook.app/iCal.app is not fully adequate. Have you looked at Now Up to Date and Contact? I despise Microsoft, but I grudgingly acknowledge that Entourage is not horrible as a PIM.

[Zoom]

I haven't looked at Now for years. I'd forgotten about it! I'll check it out. It works with Palm, I assume? I'll have to dig through the product descriptions.

I've been using Mail since it came out, though I do have Entourage. I despise M$, too, mostly because of all the proprietary crap. With Outlook, God help you if you wanted to export your emails to some open format. With FrontPage, God help you if you want to edit your web page with any other app. Drives me nuts. Nevertheless, I've heard good things about Entourage and if it's good, I'd consider switching.

[Zoom]

Any other ideas, folks? My .Mac subscription ends Nov 14 and I want to make the call before then.

[Westfoto]

Originally Posted by Zoom

Any other ideas, folks? My .Mac subscription ends Nov 14 and I want to make the call before then.

http://www.chronosnet.com/Products/po_product.html

I looked at this a while back it does seam very powerfull. But I staid with what I was using at the time, (what ever that was). It will sync with a Palm also.

I am currently using the mac products (iCal, Address Book, ect.) with my Treo 650. I have found that to be a good combo so far.

West

[wilsonng]

I have Now Up-To-Date/Contact. It hasn't really changed much except turning it into an OS X interface and being less buggy.

I am personally looking forward to Chronos SOHO Organizer which is the successor to Personal Organizer.

http://www.chronosnet.com/Products/sohoorganizer.html

OD4Contact shows promise but it doesn't have enough calendar features for me. If they beefed up the Calendar features, I'd take a look again.

The OS X PIM software market has been lacking for a long time.....

[Zoom]

Yeah, I saw the SOHO Organizer thing - sounds interesting.