05-21-2003, 04:00 PM
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Review Coordinator Emeritus
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 451
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Make Note of It: Commontime's Cadenza mNotes 3.02 Reviewed
Synchronization of data with your desktop PIM is one of the most important capabilities provided by a Pocket PC. Microsoft's desktop PIM, Outlook, is well integrated into the Pocket PC right out of the box. But, if your organization uses the other leading enterprise PIM, Lotus Notes, where does that leave you? With Cadenza mNotes 3.02 from Commontime, you can take Lotus Notes with you everywhere you go.
Synchronization of data with your desktop PIM is one of the most important capabilities provided by a Pocket PC. Microsoft's desktop PIM, Outlook, is well integrated into the Pocket PC right out of the box. But if your organization uses the "other" leading enterprise PIM, Lotus Notes, where does that leave you? With Cadenza mNotes 3.02 from Commontime, you can take Lotus Notes with you everywhere you go.
Synchronization Challenges
Contrary to what many people believe, there are some categories of basic office software in which Microsoft still has strong competition. The most prominent of these categories is the Personal Information Manager, or PIM. In many large corporations, IBM has a major presence with their PIM product, Lotus Notes. Notes has become very popular over the past few years, mostly by virtue of its groupware and application development capabilities. However, in corporations that use Notes, the most visible component is its PIM desktop client, which has much of the same functionality as Outlook.
So, if Lotus Notes is your PIM and you have a Pocket PC, what are your choices for synchronization? Several companies market general purpose synchronization software that handles a number of PIM and/or email products not supported by ActiveSync, such as Outlook Express, ACT!, Lotus Organizer and Novell GroupWise, as well as Lotus Notes. These products include IntelliSync by Pumatech and XTNDConnect PC from Extended Systems. IBM (the parent company of Lotus) markets its own solution, EasySync Pro, which is a privately branded version of XTNDConnect PC.
A Dedicated Solution
In contrast to these general purpose programs, Cadenza mNotes v3.02 is dedicated to Lotus Notes. It has been developed using the same APIs (application programming interfaces) used for Lotus Notes to optimize its ability to leverage a wide variety of the special capabilities of Notes.
So what does that mean in a practical sense? Here's a list of capabilities of mNotes that the general purpose products lack:
- Create/accept/decline/counter/delegate invitations
- Correctly update or delete an appointment created through an invitation
- Reserve rooms and resources
- Check free time for others
- Synchronize with multiple Notes address books, calendars and mail files
- Correctly handle recurring appointments in Notes
- Remotely forward email
- Full email folder support
And all of these capabilities on the Pocket PC side are available through the familiar Pocket Outlook applications, Calendar, Tasks and Inbox. Those applications are given additional functionality by mNotes to handle these capabilities.
If your organization uses Notes to its full extent, the capabilities listed above enhance the interaction between Notes and your Pocket PC to a tremendous degree. In my mind, mNotes is the solution of choice if you need to access Lotus Notes with your Pocket PC.
What's New?
mNotes version 3.0 is a major new release with many enhancements. The UI on the Pocket PC side has been completely redesigned for greater ease of use. Replication is now managed through ActiveSync rather than being a separate process. And best of all, replication speed has increased dramatically.
Installation
Installation is a two phase process. First, the desktop-based server is installed, followed by the software on the Pocket PC. Both of these installations are simple and straightforward.
Figure 1: The Cadenza Services dialog on the PC
The server portion is controlled though the dialog box above. mNotes reads the configuration information in your Lotus Notes desktop client and sets itself up to synchronize with it.
Replication
Figure 2: We are rockin' and rollin'... and replicatin'
Aside from the server dialog above, nearly everything else is controlled from the Pocket PC. The Replication screen shows the items that you�ve chosen to replicate, as well as the date and time they were last replicated. Progress is also shown while replication is being performed. mNotes can be set to replicate on connection, and then it will replicate at a specified time interval or on demand. A variety of functions are available from the Tools menu, including contacts import/export and categorizing. Categories can be applied to contacts, tasks and calendar entries, and mNotes uses the standard Pocket PC categories.
Figure 3: Setting the date range for Calendar replication
Additional options are available for certain types of replicated items. For calendar items, you can set the date range of items to be replicated. This will establish the ongoing range, and the number of days that the date range represents will continue to be replicated going forward.
Figure 4: Mail Folders dialog
Attachments can be automatically downloaded, and you can set a size limit so that very large attachments won�t be downloaded. Again, you can select attachments to be downloaded during the next replication. mNotes automatically uses the conversion settings in ActiveSync to process attachments. In other words, if you set Word documents to be converted to Pocket Word, mNotes will convert Word attachments to Pocket Word when it downloads them. More receive options include a setting to download only read messages, only unread messages or both, and to restrict the number of days for which messages will be retrieved.
Calendar
Appointments and events can be entered on either the Pocket PC or through the Lotus Notes client on the desktop, and the replication process will keep them in synch in both environments. Special calendars for project teams or other groups can be created through Notes, and mNotes provides the capability of supporting up to three of these additional calendars. Since Pocket Outlook has only a single calendar database, mNotes uses categories to keep the entries for a specific calendar distinct from entries for other calendars.
Invitations
Figure 5: Responding to an invitation
Just as with the desktop Notes client, invitations are received in mNotes via email. When you open an invitation in Inbox, mNotes displays an icon in the bottom toolbar that you can use to select your response. If you accept, mNotes will respond to the chair indicating that you�ve accepted, and a meeting will be set up in your calendar. You can add comments to your response if you�d like.
Figure 6: Proposing an alternative for an invitation
You can also propose an alternative, if the time on the invitation isn�t good for you. The dialog for this allows you to select a date, a time and a room. Finally, you can delegate the meeting to another person by entering his or her name in the Delegate To: field. mNotes will automatically forward the invitation to the person you specify. To-Do entries have similar options to Invitations when they�re assigned to someone.
Contacts
Lotus Notes supports a huge variety of Address Books and mNotes can support them as well. The Pocket PC has only a single Contacts database, so mNotes uses categories to distinguish between different lists if you use them. No additional commands are necessary for Contacts, so the standard Contacts interface isn�t changed.
Mail
Figure 7: Remote Forward command in Inbox
Notes supports the standard set of email commands, such as reply and forward, commands which are already covered in Inbox on the Pocket PC. The only additional command provided by mNotes is the Remote Forward command. This provides forwarding of large messages and attachments that you have downloaded to the Pocket PC without having to transmit the message back to Lotus Notes. With large attachments this can be a significant timesaver.
Support
Commontime�s home office is located in the UK, so US customers may wonder about the responsiveness of support given time zone differences. In my experience, support from Commontime has been nothing less than outstanding. In many cases, if I submit a support request through email first thing in the morning (US CST), I�ll get a response that same day. I�ve never gone longer than one business day without a response. And the responses come from support people who know the product very well, so most inquiries are resolved with a single response.
Gotchas
- Although replication is initiated by ActiveSync, it often continues after ActiveSync synchronization is complete. Make sure that replication is complete before disconnecting.
- Delegate option for invitations needs a Contacts lookup function.
- As with most products of this type, it�s a bit pricey.
Where To Buy
mNotes can be downloaded from the Commontime site. A single license sells for $75, and volume pricing is available.
Specifications
mNotes server software requires Windows 95, 98, ME, NT4, 2000 or XP. Lotus Notes 4.5 or greater is also required. On the portable device side, mNotes supports Pocket PC, Pocket PC 2002, Palm-size PC, HPC and HPC Pro. Storage space is approximately 600KB. A version is also available for Palm devices.
Conclusion
I�ve tried several of the available solutions for synching Lotus Notes to the Pocket PC, and mNotes is the one that I recommend most highly by far. It supports the most comprehensive set of Lotus Notes features of any product offered for the Pocket PC. Performance is fast and rock solid. And Commontime�s support is second to none. Finally, the "wow" factor with your co-workers is great fun... they find it fascinating that I can look up anyone's phone number or create a meeting right on the spot. There�s really no reason to consider anything else.
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05-21-2003, 05:08 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 18
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You're right about this software - it really is the best Notes sync software around. I can use my network PC card in my HPC to access my Notes mail anywhere on the company LAN - without any server installations, just leaving my laptop/desktop on and connected to the network. Great for avoiding network administrators :lol:
One thing I've found is that when I write emails on my HPC it's best to use internet mail addresses rather than the Notes style addresses as I don't have those saved in my HPC Contacts. If I just send to a name then mNotes tries to assign a Notes style address and can't match it to my Contacts - make sense?
The support is superb and once you've paid the upfront cost the annual support costs are quite low. Far more options and power than the other sync offerings.
Of course offering a Palm version rounds things off...I guess there are still people using Palms....
Cheers
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05-21-2003, 05:29 PM
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Oracle
Join Date: May 2003
Posts: 984
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This is VERY timely... we are currently getting ready to migrate to Notes. I tried EasySync Pro and was very underwhelmed. This looks much better - I just downloaded an eval and I am replicating to our test system as we speak.
Well, there are a few issues - it appears that I cannot both replicate with mNotes and synchronize with my personal Outlook data, unless I am missing something. That's a bit of a pain but otherwise looks good so far.
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05-21-2003, 05:32 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 97
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Definately the BEST
For syncing notes there is nothing better. NOTHING.
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05-21-2003, 06:56 PM
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Philosopher
Join Date: Apr 2002
Posts: 574
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by doogald
Well, there are a few issues - it appears that I cannot both replicate with mNotes and synchronize with my personal Outlook data, unless I am missing something. That's a bit of a pain but otherwise looks good so far.
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Reason for me to switch to the microsoft to Notes connector......
Jaap
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05-21-2003, 07:32 PM
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Sage
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 740
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K... Where is that thread about MS asking what kind of features the new ActiveStink...uh ActiveSuck...uhhh, ActiveSINK, no that's not quite right either...ActiveSYNC (that's it!) should have?!?
This review needs to be forwarded to them IMMEDIATELY!!
I've been looking for Accept/ Decline/ Tenative/ Delegate/ etc. features out of my Pocket PC since 1999 (it may have been my HPC Pro or my PsPC...same difference).
The Product Manager/ Engineering Manager/ HMFIC of ActiveSync over at MS should read this and build ALL OF THIS into the next version of AS. It doesn't all have to be done on the PC side, as mNotes shows us.
These features are MUST HAVE'S for me. Its impossible to invite others to meetings when you can't create an Invitation on your Pocket PC. The ability to do this seems core to me, especially if you have Wi-Fi at the office and sync when NOT connected to the host PC. Ever since I discovered that, I've been foot lose and fancy free.
I've used Notes before, and while its great for collaboration, i thought it stunk for e-mail. Outlook was much better. I also liked Outlook more for its Calendar, too. Phone Books are phone books... Notes was just as effective in managing contacts as Outlook was, so they were about even.
If the next version of ActiveSync doesn't include client side features like this, I truly believe that I may have to try to convince the office that they want to dump Exchange in favor of Domino and that moving mail to Notes is just the next logical step...
Hey, can you blame me..?? Don't you want your PPC to do this, too?
Kind Regards,
Christopher Spera
__________________
Kind Regards,
Christopher Spera
Gear Diary Review Team
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05-21-2003, 08:13 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 217
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Chris Spera, have a look at Symmetry Pro from Infowave if you are looking for something similar on the Exchange mail side. It has the ability to manage and create metting requests while wireless (though I believe they still lack delegate support).
Infowave also has licensed the CommonTime solution for over a year so if you are looking for a solution that can handle both Exchange on Notes, they are a good solution to check out. I believe the Notes feature is for their enterprise server product only however, but maybe they will license a client only version to add to their SymmetryPro line of products.
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05-21-2003, 08:19 PM
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Oracle
Join Date: May 2003
Posts: 984
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by doogald
Well, there are a few issues - it appears that I cannot both replicate with mNotes and synchronize with my personal Outlook data, unless I am missing something.
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Never mind. A later connection worked fine.
Thanks again for the review.
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05-21-2003, 08:38 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 21
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In addition to Doug's review, here's some extra useful information I've picked up about mNotes in my 3 months evaluating it.
It's the kind of software that quickly gives you confidence in it. We actually tried IBM Mobile Connect before that but we got sick of reinstalling it after it constantly fell over... :roll:
They really didn't miss a trick with this from the install/uninstall process to the settings available for the various types of data you can replicate. Everything works as you would expect it to - which is nice! 
Here are some things which I think are worth a mention...
First, the server part of mNotes will run in one of 3 modes:
Personal mode, as reviewed, consists of the mNotes server application running on top of your Notes client on your PC. It's a one user solution.
Workgroup mode also runs on top of a Notes client, but supports multiple users. We have chosen this configuration as it easy to set up and doesn't involve any changes to the Domino server. You just set up a server or PC running a Notes client and mNotes in Workgroup mode. All your PPC clients can then connect to this to replicate.
Server mode runs on a Domino server and supports multiple users just like Workgroup mode. I suspect you may gain some performance by doing it this way, and it's probably simpler in the long run, but we didn't want to mess with our Domino servers!
The great thing is that switching between these modes is a case of selecting a different radio button and restarting the mNotes server! 8)
The mNotes server also includes a 'Push' service which will push Notes updates to your PPC when connected.
Something not in the review was the mNotes control database. This is a Notes database where all the mNotes configuration info is kept. It stores logs, user profiles, device profiles, licence information, even a downloads area where you can make files available to your mobile users.
In case you're wondering, the control database can be kept on any accessible Notes server, it doesn't have to be in the Notes data directory on the machine mNotes is on.
There's a mine of information in each user/device profile, including repeating entry controls, whether individual users can store the mNotes password on their PPC, what password to use, (internet, profile, either or Notes ID), you name it. For each user, you can configure up to 4 mail files to replicate, 4 address books, and configure whether the user should be able to update each one or not. You can even override the categories applied to each of these, change the Notes field mappings, it goes on...
Incidentally, if you attach the user's Notes ID to the profile and set it to authenticate them with their Notes ID password, they can download and read Notes encrypted mail on their PPC! 8)
It's also useful to know that mNotes will perform free time lookups and supports Notes Journal databases. Journal entries are sync'd as PPC Notes files.
mNotes replicates when you ActiveSync, on a schedule, or a combination of the 2, and I've tried this through ActiveSync, a network card, a modem card and over a GSM dialup.
(Note: Watch out if your users are going to do dialups. We found that if the dialup connection is lost part way through, mNotes appears to hang for 5 minutes or so. This is actually the PPC socket timeout and can be adjusted.)
As AndrewJHScott said, CommonTime's support is excellent. I've submitted a couple of issues, all of which have been acknowledged within hours, (and usually resolved), or in one case, put into the next mNotes build within weeks!
Since we started evaluating mNotes, it's gone from version 2.x to 3.0, 3.0.1, 3.0.2 and now 3.0.3. Don't think this is because it's full of bugs, it's not! 3.0 worked just as well as the current version, but each one has just improved on things, such as moving the new mail notification icon to the notification area. It's nice to see it's being actively developed and improved.
CommonTime also produce a product called mForms. Although this is a separate product, it is definitely worth a mention. If you want more information, check out the website, but it lets you replicate other databases, even non-Notes databases, to your PPC.
Anyway, I hope that's enough to convince anyone looking for a Notes -> PPC replication product to at least try mNotes.
If anyone wants any more information please ask, I've had lots of experience with this product!
Mike
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05-21-2003, 10:01 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 21
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Great Product
Except for the fact that one must first uninstall a prior version, I can't say enough good things about this product for all the reasons noted in the review and MikeKey. I have used it since its first version (with my HP548)with no problems. I too was glad to have access to the control file to tweak some of the conversion settings. I now use version 2.5 wth my Loox 600.
Unfortunately (Fortunately) my firm is now converting to Outlook, and I will no longer need this product.
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Linear Mode
