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semora · Feb 15, 2006, 10:14 PM

I've been scouring the internet for an alternative to Entorage for OS X. I've found a number of similar apps and applications whos creators swear that their app is not only a good alternative, but in fact better than entorage and list a number of reason why i should go ahead and buy their software. I've tried what seems like a hundred different applications only to be let down by one thing or another.

I suppose I should have started with what it is that i like about entorage. I like the integration of email, contacts, notes, todo's and a calendar all in one app. What I like even more is that you can manage projects and link the projects to any of the abbove mentioned items. What i don't like though, is that it doesnt run off of the system address book, system calendar, system whatever. It is all within entorage and, since I am a .mac member, i would like to be able to have everything native to os x for syncing and backup and whatever else i can come up with.

Anyone have any ideas as to what i good alternative app would be? I would really like something witth that tiger feel, integration of system apps (ical, addressbook, etc. ), and an all in one interface that worked seamlessly with .mac syncing.

kcmac · Feb 15, 2006, 10:35 PM

Usually, the apps that are combined into one tend to want you to live inside of them.

I prefer the method of using apps that have a sole purpose. Mail. Address Book. iCal. Etc.

You might check out an app called CRM4Mac. Look it up on macupdate or versiontracker. it works with Apple apps.

semora · Feb 16, 2006, 12:21 AM

i don't mind having to live in an app so much, if by live you mean do everything from that app and not do everything from that app without it cooperating with the other iApps. CRM4Mac is one of the many apps i looked at before coming here. One of the things i didn't like about it is that it seems as though it's more geared towards freelancers or small studios in that the contacts are linked to companys as are tasks and things. i know this is a build in functionality of address book and mail.app, but it doesn't try to force it on you as much.

i suppose that's one of the biggest complaints i have about most of the other alternatives out there. i work for a large, international company, i freelance in the evenings, and in the little spare time that i have work on a number of pro-bono and personal projects. i want a PIM that allows me manage all of those different categories.

what would be really nice is an apple script or something that runs automatically that syncs entorage with ical/address book/mail all the time so that if at any time i wanted to send one of my friends, family members, colleauges, whoever an ical file of dates and things, i could do that even though i use entorage.

semora · Feb 16, 2006, 12:24 AM

also, i really like the note functionality of entourage. i like the fact that i can save notes whether they pertain to a project or not and organize them how i want. i take lots of note on things all the time that don't necessarily need a project folder (either because they are too abstract, too small to merit their own folder, span multiple categories, or just don't fit for whatever other reason) and i like that it organizes them all right there along side my email and calendar. at the same time i have all sorts of notes related to any number of projects which i can easily assign within entourage and it still manages both for me all right there.

kcmac · Feb 16, 2006, 09:02 PM

Too bad you are not a developer. You may be able to come up with something a lot of others might be looking for as well. For me, I prefer the multiple app system. Especially since they tie into so many other third party apps.

Good luck finding something that will fit the bill.

semora · Feb 21, 2006, 09:52 PM

too bad indeed. for a short while i was thinking about getting into it and learning how to make my own app as I'm sure there has to be at least one other person out there looking for the same thing I am....but then, after I got a little sleep, I realized that it would be quite impossible as I'm already working so much now that I only sleep every other night, and that that is the reason I'm looking for such an app in the first place.

i decided to jump into the daylite 3 beta. i figure if there isn't already a solution that is exactly what i'm looking for, then I had better start figuring out which application I am going to be using instead. and, while daylite 3 is in beta, lacking many of it's intended final release features, and not exactly what i'm looking for, it has made it to the finals and so i'm giving it a shot.

and on that note, anyone know when the final release of daylite 3 is scheduled to become available? i thought for some reason i saw it posted somewhere before, but i checked again last night and couldn't find it anywhere.

and another thing.....

does anyone know anything about project x or whatever it's called that just won best of show (or at least i think it did) at mac world expo 2006?

Orion27 · Feb 22, 2006, 08:35 PM

Originally Posted by semora

too bad indeed. for a short while i was thinking about getting into it and learning how to make my own app as I'm sure there has to be at least one other person out there looking for the same thing I am....but then, after I got a little sleep, I realized that it would be quite impossible as I'm already working so much now that I only sleep every other night, and that that is the reason I'm looking for such an app in the first place.

i decided to jump into the daylite 3 beta. i figure if there isn't already a solution that is exactly what i'm looking for, then I had better start figuring out which application I am going to be using instead. and, while daylite 3 is in beta, lacking many of it's intended final release features, and not exactly what i'm looking for, it has made it to the finals and so i'm giving it a shot.

and on that note, anyone know when the final release of daylite 3 is scheduled to become available? i thought for some reason i saw it posted somewhere before, but i checked again last night and couldn't find it anywhere.

and another thing.....

does anyone know anything about project x or whatever it's called that just won best of show (or at least i think it did) at mac world expo 2006?

I use DayLite on a daily basis and I really like it's integration with Apple mail. I have not migrated
to DayLite Beta 3 as yet but will upon it's Alpha Release. I believe DayLite 1.9 has more immediate
functionality which is why they offer a free upgrade to Beta 3 with a purchase of 1.9 . I highly recommend DayLite to anyone looking for a top shelf contact manager.

Hamamac · Mar 7, 2006, 09:05 AM

Originally Posted by Orion27

I use DayLite on a daily basis and I really like it's integration with Apple mail. I have not migrated
to DayLite Beta 3 as yet but will upon it's Alpha Release. I believe DayLite 1.9 has more immediate
functionality which is why they offer a free upgrade to Beta 3 with a purchase of 1.9 . I highly recommend DayLite to anyone looking for a top shelf contact manager.

I second that. Daylite, once you get used to it, does all of what Semora is looking for and then some. There's some strong similiarity to Entourage, but Daylite moves/integrates better with Apple.

I've acutally had conversations with the folks at Daylite and they are very helpful. Right now I'm using 1.9 and foodling around with the Beta. The Beta is better looking, but I guess I got too use to the original and can scoot around on that real well now.

Hamamac

altimac · Apr 28, 2006, 09:34 PM

Daylite user interface is really bad designed and it's a mess. You can try OD4Contact (http://www.objective-decision.com) which is younger and more Mac like.

jasong · Apr 28, 2006, 09:47 PM

You've said what you like about Entourage, but not really what you don't like, which makes it hard to suggest alternatives. It seems you want something that uses the system-wide features, such as the address book and calendar, have you tried Entourage with the latest updates? The latest update adds sync service awareness, so you can have your contacts share between Mac OS X Address Book and Entourage, same with the calendar. It's not perfect, but it's not terrible either.

Does this fix your problems with Entourage?