Palm to PPC Convert - With a few gripes!

[BJAndersen]

I've been using PALM devices now for about four years. I just purchased my first PPC (Dell Axim 400...can't beat the price). I've spent a week with it, and I've done a bit of reseach and I still have a few major gripes:

1) Pocket Outlook Contacts doesn't sync SUB-FOLDERS?!? WHAT? I've looked at MS' "Patch" but its not a workable solution for me (doesn't sync Contact Notes)...any other ideas?

2) In trying a workaround for the above problem, I imported a LARGE (3Meg) database of contacts to my PCC. I went into Pocket Contacts and viewed each catagory, and the darn PPC just about siezed up! My Handpring would breeze through that huge list, but it took Pocket Contacts about 30 seconds to show a complete list...anyone else having problems with PC. Other recomendations for contact DB's that interface with the Inbox "Send To" list??

3) After syncing, it stored all my "Notes" in the root of "My Documents" making a total mess out of that directory. Can I move these elsewhere where notes will find them??

Other issues are minor (not able to move group of cells in Excel without Cut/Paste, only 9 items on the start menu, no easy way to "Exit" an application (I don't yet trust that it really knows how to "manage" the memory for 12 open applications).

Don't get me wrong, on the whole I'm happy, but these are major annoyances.

Thanks for any help!

[Ed Hansberry]

I've been using PALM devices now for about four years. I just purchased my first PPC (Dell Axim 400...can't beat the price). I've spent a week with it, and I've done a bit of reseach and I still have a few major gripes:

1) Pocket Outlook Contacts doesn't sync SUB-FOLDERS?!? WHAT? I've looked at MS' "Patch" but its not a workable solution for me (doesn't sync Contact Notes)...any other ideas?
In each of your sub-folders, select all of them an right-click. Select Categories and assign them a category. This is better than sub-folders. Subfolders only allow you one "category" per item. If you use real categories, one contact can be Family, Vendor and Christmas Card. Then move them all to the main contacts folder. Very few of my contacts are just one category.

Also, what do you mean contact notes don't sync? I ahve notes in tons of my contacts.

2) In trying a workaround for the above problem, I imported a LARGE (3Meg) database of contacts to my PCC. I went into Pocket Contacts and viewed each catagory, and the darn PPC just about siezed up! My Handpring would breeze through that huge list, but it took Pocket Contacts about 30 seconds to show a complete list...anyone else having problems with PC. Other recomendations for contact DB's that interface with the Inbox "Send To" list??
3MB? How many is that? I know people that have 4000-5000 and Contacts doesn't lock up.

3) After syncing, it stored all my "Notes" in the root of "My Documents" making a total mess out of that directory. Can I move these elsewhere where notes will find them??
Most people that use Notes extensively get HPCNotes from www.phatware.com.

Other issues are minor (not able to move group of cells in Excel without Cut/Paste, only 9 items on the start menu, no easy way to "Exit" an application (I don't yet trust that it really knows how to "manage" the memory for 12 open applications).
No, drag and drop isn't supported. Get PocketNav to manage tasks. http://www.scottandmichelle.net/scott/cestuff.html

[BJAndersen]

Hi Ed,

I'd love to use catagories, but my problem THEN is with Outlook 2000 on my desktop - When you write an e-mail and press the "TO" button to get the list of e-mail addresses from your contact list, ALL e-mail addresses are listed. The majority of the e-mail I write is to the 10 people in my office. Sorting through 2000 entries is a bit of a drag. With seperate folders, I put the office people in the main folder, and sub folders for family, clients, etc. In InBOX, each folder gets its own group, whereas catagories get all lumped together.

I wouldn't mind having one BIG list of e-mail addresses on the PPC, but my desktop needs to be easy to use.

Thanks for the input!

[Ed Hansberry]

Don't use the TO: button for common emails.

Type a portion of their name. It is far faster to type hans;dunn;breg then tab down to the subject.

Watch Outlook, it will expand those to Ed Hansberry, Jason Dunn and Marlof Bregonje (or whoever your popular people are) for you. You can hit SEND before it has done the autoexpand and that will force it.

The only time I use the TO: button is when I am sending out an email that may interest a lot of people and I want to scan my entire list to make sure I don't leave anyone out.

FWIW, you can do this on the Pocket PC too. It won't auto-complete in the background though. Either hit SEND to force it or Edit|Check Names.

[ux4484]

only 9 items on the start menu, no easy way to "Exit" an application (I don't yet trust that it really knows how to "manage" the memory for 12 open applications).
Thanks for any help!

BJ,

Palm convert also.

You can add more than 9 items to the start menu, but you have to do it from explorer (either on the PDA or from explore in AS). Just make a shortcut to the app you want and cut/paste it into the start menu: \Windows\Start Menu . If you have more than 11 items in the start menu you get scroll arrows top and bottom, and you loose your Start menu skin to a plain white background.

explorer.....another sore spot: Use all locations all-explorer or preferably Resco explorer (demo on Dell CD) both are infinately better than MS's explorer.

The task switcher app that comes with the Dell is not very different from Pocket Nav that Ed mentions (both are free), Dell's adds a battery and backlight shortcut. If you want it to start with the unit (after a reset) make a shortcut to the:\Windows\StartUp folder. Both let you close the current or ALL apps with two taps. Or you can try WISBar to put a "tap and hold" close box on every app, but I found it flakey on my Axim, maybe I should try the previous version and not the beta.

I too am a little sad in the not quite "instant on" of my Dell and the sometimes slight delay in getting my PIM info in not quite the way I like/am used to. But then again......there's no way I could carry around as much data AND have wireless networking on my Visor. Makes going to Caribou much more fun :D .....now I stay after I get my cup 'o Joe.

[BJAndersen]

Thanks for the tips!

I guess I haven't gotten it into my head yet that this is WINDOWS and we can manually tweak it. I'm not used to having that ability with my handheld.

Are there any places I can find information on the structure of the directories, which files do what, etc, etc? Every time a new version of windows has come out, I've gone to the store and gotten "WindowsXX Secrets", and learned the new OS from top to bottom. I'd love something like that in either book form or on the web...any ideas??

Here's the latest thing I'm scratching my head about...Seems like I have TWO "My Documents" folders. One for ROM (maybe??), and one for the internal storage (RAM?? - I'm using the Dell Axim X5). How do TWO "My Document" folders work? Do they just get combined??

Everyday I'm coming up with more questions like this...thanks for all the help!

Brett...

[Ed Hansberry]

Thanks for the tips!

I guess I haven't gotten it into my head yet that this is WINDOWS and we can manually tweak it. I'm not used to having that ability with my handheld.
Because you've never had a handheld with this much power before. :wink: :lol:

Are there any places I can find information on the structure of the directories, which files do what, etc, etc? Every time a new version of windows has come out, I've gone to the store and gotten "WindowsXX Secrets", and learned the new OS from top to bottom. I'd love something like that in either book form or on the web...any ideas??
Good idea. If anyone has seen one, link to it. Otherwise, here is a quick stab at the biggies:

• My Documents - obvious - though I'll explain your question below in a sec.
• Program Files - obvious again. Caveat though. If a program installs on the storage card(s) it is \storage card\program name, not \storage card\program files\program name.
• Storage Card [2 3] - the path assigned to a storage card in on your system. The first is Storage Card\, the second is Storage Card2, the third is Storage Card3. Haven't seen a PDA with 4 storage cards yet - takes an iPAQ with a dual CF/PCMCIA sleeve and internal SD to get 3. :D
• Temp - temp folder. I highly recommend you get ClearTemp from http://www.scottandmichelle.net/scott/cestuff.html and put it in your startup folder. It will clean it out at each soft reset.
• Windows - the main Windows folder. Apps drop lots of .dlls, .bmp, .html (help) files here when they install. Not everything goes in the program install folder.
• Windows\Avantgo - Your Avantgo cache.
• Windows\Cookies - your cookie files
• Windows\Favorites - PIE Favorites - the mobile favorites are under here if you sync those.
• Windows\Fonts - dunno. I guess you could manually add .ttf fonts here, but the PPC keeps its own fonts in \windows. :?
• Windows\help - where help files (usually html files) go.
• Windows\History - nonbrowseable folder with index.dat in it. Can't see your history like you can on the desktop.
• Windows\messaging - Inbox emails. Attachments are in the \attachments subfolder.
• Windows\programs - where some programs (out of 35 on my machine, 1 put stuff here - Citrix) put info.
• Windows\shared - where common DLLs go, but everyone seems to cram them in \windows. :( Resco uses this folder though. :way to go:
• Windows\Start Menu - all your start items are here. \Programs and subfolders has lots of shortcuts in it. \settings isn't really used. I guess some apps might, but none of mine do. The Settings icons are built from control panel type files, not shortcuts.
• Windows\startup - things in here run when your machine does a soft reset.
• Windows\temp - old holdover for compatibilty. The PPC doesn't use it, but an old app might.
• Windows\Temporary Internet FIles - PIE's cache
• Windows\update - Compaq uses this for ROM XIP's. I'd bet all OEMs do since this is really an MS issue. Leave this folder alone.

Here's the latest thing I'm scratching my head about...Seems like I have TWO "My Documents" folders. One for ROM (maybe??), and one for the internal storage (RAM?? - I'm using the Dell Axim X5). How do TWO "My Document" folders work? Do they just get combined??
They get combined. If you had a My Documents folder in RAM, in your ROM storage and on several storage cards, it would look like one big folder to all of your apps. Only File Explorer will show them to you separately. Usually, your apps will show the files icon with a little floppy disk if it is on the storage card.

[BJAndersen]

Wow! Thanks for that run down! I've since explored all those folders on the train ride home...I've got a better handle on things now.

About RAM vs. ROM - Tonight I moved all my folders from the ROM to the RAM to test the "My Docuements" questions I had (came up with the same result). But...is there an advantage to using the built in RAM over the ROM? Is one faster than the other?

Can I move other items to RAM...like my LARGE contacts database?? Will PPC find it??

Thanks for the continued help!

[Ed Hansberry]

RAM is the fastest.
CF is generally next fastest.
SD cards next
FlashROM is usually the slowest.

That said, I can run video out of all of them. FlashROM read speed is pretty good. Writing is horrible though. Day to day documents 100K or less, you probably can't tell the difference between RAM, CF or SD, reading or writing. Writing larger than that and you'll notice.

All PIM databases are in RAM and cannot be moved. The only exception is email attachments. You can tell Inbox to store those on a storage card.