Mac Users, Free Yourself from Palm with PocketMac Pro 3.0 [Archive]

View Full Version : Mac Users, Free Yourself from Palm with PocketMac Pro 3.0

Zack Mahdavi

06-21-2004, 07:00 PM

<img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/mahdavi-jun04-pocketmac-0.jpg" /> Product Category: Synchronization Software Manufacturer: <a href="http://www.pocketmac.net/">Information Appliance Associates</a> Where to Buy: <a href="http://store.esellerate.net/pocketmac/buypro">PocketMac.net</a> Price: $41.77 USD System Requirements: <a href="http://www.pocketmac.net/products/pmpro3/devices.html">A list of supported Pocket PCs is here</a> Pocket PC Requirements: USB Cradle and 200K of available storage space Macintosh requirements: OS X 10.2.6 Jaguar or 10.3 Panther. 4MB of disk space. Pros:<li>You can sync your Pocket PC with your Mac! <li>Multiple Connectivity Options (USB, Bluetooth, WiFi); <li>Syncs with Entourage, Apple Mail & Address Book, and OneNotes; <li>Integrates with iApps including iSync, iPhoto, and iTunes.Cons:<li>Synchronization gets “in your face”; <li>File synchronization is slow; <li>iSync integration is slightly dangerous.Summary: Have you wanted to make the switch to a Mac without abandoning your beloved Pocket PC? PocketMac Pro 3.0 is your answer, substituting as ActiveSync for the Mac. Although there are some bugs that will need to be ironed out, this program is an excellent Pocket PC to Mac synchronization program. Read on for the full review!<!> <PAGEBREAK> Overview PocketMac Pro 3.0 fulfills what many thought was impossible, syncing a Mac with a Pocket PC. It works with a variety of Pocket PCs (a list can be found on their <a href="http://www.pocketmac.net/products/pmpro3/devices.html">Web site</a>) and Personal Information Managers (such as Apple Mail, Apple Address Book, Apple iCal, Microsoft Entourage, and Now Contact). In addition, it supports some cool extras such as iTunes and iPhoto synchronization. This review breaks the product down into the basic categories it supports. Installation Installing PowerMac is a fairly straightforward “double-click to install” process. One small quirk is that the installer launches iTunes and iPhoto to install scripts for PocketMac integration. It may be a little weird to see applications launch, but luckily an installation is usually a one-time occurrence. After the installer completes, a restart is required since a couple kernel extensions are added into the operating system. After the computer has restarted, PocketMac asks for a registration code that is more than 25 characters long! PocketMac installs a small program on the Pocket PC. I am not exactly sure what the program does, but I believe it aids in configuring ActiveSync and installing CAB files. The Program <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/mahdavi-jun04-pocketmac-1.jpg" /> Figure 1: The menu bar PocketMac uses is very convenient. PocketMac installs a little status icon in your menu bar. This allows for easy access to the program at all times. In addition, PocketMac places “drives” of your file store, storage card, and “My Documents” conveniently on the desktop. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/mahdavi-jun04-pocketmac-2.jpg" /> Figure 2: Pocket PC “Drives” shown on Desktop. Double click on a drive, and you get an explorer style way to browse your PocketPC. It’s very useful for quickly transferring files between your Pocket PC and your Mac. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/mahdavi-jun04-pocketmac-3.jpg" /> Figure 3: The Files “Finder” for your Pocket PC. File Synchronization <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/mahdavi-jun04-pocketmac-4.jpg" /> Figure 4: Files Preference Pane. You can sync the files in your My Documents folder to your Mac. The feature works nicely, although I find the transfer speeds too slow (it takes more than 10 minutes to synchronize a 5MB mp3 file). This is mostly a problem with Pocket PC transfer speeds and not with PocketMac itself. You can also have the files sync to your Storage Card, which is very useful, especially if you have a large storage card. PocketMac includes a feature known as “File Copy,” which automatically copies select files to the Pocket PC during every sync. This is useful for those text files or Word files you modify on a daily basis. Kudos to IAA for this ingenuity I have never seen from Palm’s Hotsync. <PAGEBREAK> Contacts Contacts can be synced from the Pocket PC to a variety of Mac programs, including Apple’s Address Book, Microsoft Entourage, and NowContacts. I have not tried using PocketMac to synchronize NowContacts since I do not own this program. However, PocketMac synced well with the other programs. It also did a good job synchronizing contacts within categories. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/mahdavi-jun04-pocketmac-5.jpg" /> Figure 5: Annoying Confirmation Box Pops Up During Sync. There’s one annoying thing about the synchronization, which also applies to calendar synchronization. If you remove any entries on the Pocket PC and then sync, you have to face this dialog box that asks whether you’re sure you want to remove the entry from Apple’s Address Book. It would be nice if PocketMac silently handled the synchronization and quietly alerted you at the end. Calendars <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/mahdavi-jun04-pocketmac-6.jpg" /> Figure 6: Calendar Preference Pane. I was thoroughly impressed by the Calendar synchronization of PocketMac. Again, you can choose to synchronize between Microsoft Entourage or Apple’s iCal calendar program. Also, like every other synchronization program, you can set a limit on what dates to synchronize. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/mahdavi-jun04-pocketmac-7.jpg" /> Figure 7: iCal After Sync. Unfiled Events go in “PocketMac” Calendar. The calendar synchronization program was utterly amazing. PocketMac quickly plowed through my calendars and synced them together very quickly. I use Pocket Informant to set categories for my appointments. PocketMac treats the categories as separate calendars in iCal. Tasks & Email <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/mahdavi-jun04-pocketmac-8.jpg" /> Figure 8: Tasks Preference Pane. PocketMac’s task synchronization needs some work. Generally when I mark a task as complete, I expect it to be hidden but easily retrievable at a later time. PocketMac, however, kept trying to remove completed tasks from iCal. I never found a workaround and eventually turned off the tasks feature as a result. Hopefully a later version will address this issue. Email synchronization also doesn’t work very well. I tried syncing my Mail.app email to my Pocket PC using PocketMac. During the first sync, my email copied over quite nicely. On the second sync, PocketMac duplicated all of email in my Inbox. Instead of a synchronized inbox, I just ended up with multiple copies of the same message. <PAGEBREAK> Music & Photos PocketMac can copy music and photos from iTunes and iPhoto, respectively, to your Pocket PC. The implementation is very well done: a playlist is installed in iTunes named “PocketMac Mobile Tunes,” and in iPhoto, an album named “PocketMac Mobile Photos” is installed. Want to put some music on your Pocket PC? Just drag the songs into the playlist. Want to install some photos to your Pocket PC? Just drag some photos to the album. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/mahdavi-jun04-pocketmac-9.jpg" /> Figure 9: PocketMac Mobile Tunes Playlist in iTunes. PocketMac even lets you upload the music and photos to the storage card instead of main memory. Also, PocketMac can automatically resize the photos you upload. These features are useful, although the copy process can be slow. Synchronizing <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/mahdavi-jun04-pocketmac-10.jpg" /> Figure 10: The Main Window for PocketMac. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/mahdavi-jun04-pocketmac-11.jpg" /> Figure 11: PocketMac opens several Windows during a sync. The synchronization happens quickly, but not without user intervention. Every now and then, a dialog box will nag you for attention. I prefer Palm’s intuitive synchronization more. Asking questions may be safe, but it can be annoying. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/mahdavi-jun04-pocketmac-12.jpg" /> Figure 12: PocketMac’s iSync integration is a nice feature, but clunky. PocketMac can integrate with Apple’s iSync, a multi-device synchronizer. I set up my Sony Ericsson T610, my Pocket PC, and my iPod to all be synced together. I don’t like the way that IAA implemented it. Instead of having iSync coordinate the required actions on the Pocket PC, PocketMac launches and starts synchronizing Calendars and Contacts while iSync is trying to synchronize other devices. I’m afraid this might corrupt my files in the long run. PocketMac is full of connectivity features. I was successfully able to synchronize my PocketPC using Bluetooth and WiFi. It was really easy to set up and only took a few steps to get things working. <PAGEBREAK> Installing New Software As a Pocket PC Thoughts reader, you probably love finding and installing cool, new programs on your Pocket PC. I cringe when I look at how much I spend on software! Most developers, however, now force users to install PocketPC programs using a Desktop software installer. The problem with these installers is that you can’t run them on Macs! PocketMac provides alternatives to installing programs, using a CAB file or attempting to install an EXE file. In addition, Information Appliance Associates provides a free developers kit that developers can use to create an installation program for their software. WebIS provides a PocketMac installer for their popular package, Pocket Informant. I’d like to see other developers follow in WebIS’s footsteps. So how do you install programs from a Mac to a PocketPC? Most of the time, you need the CAB file, which is a package of the program that decompresses on a Pocket PC. Most developers will be glad to send you the CAB files for a program if you need them, so ask away! A CAB file is easy to install on a Pocket PC. Just click on the Pocket PC in the menu bar, and click install new software via CAB file. The file is transferred to and installed on your handheld. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/mahdavi-jun04-pocketmac-13.jpg" /> Figure 13: PocketMac’s *.EXE Extractor helps uninstall CAB files. PocketMac comes with a program called PMCabTool which attempts to retrieve the CAB files from a Windows *.exe file. To tell you the truth, I have never been able to decompress an EXE file using this program. However, IAA states clearly on their web site that this program won’t work most of the time. One thing that would be nice is the ability to set the installation location of a CAB file. In order to install an application to a memory card, you have to copy the CAB file over to the Pocket PC and then use a program like <a href="http://www.geocities.com/s_k_s_k_s_kru/util.html">CabInstl</a> to install the program. Conclusion When I originally switched to a Mac, I thought I’d feel abandoned in this Windows dominated world. That can’t be further from the truth! Programs like PocketMac help bridge the two platforms together and unite the users. Okay, if it doesn’t do that, it sure is one heck of a good Pocket PC synchronizer! There are some bugs to work out, but Information Appliance Associates looks like they’ll stand behind their product. I believe this program is well worth the $41.77. If you want to switch to a Mac but don’t want to leave your Pocket PC behind, then this is the solution for you! If you're interested in another viewpoint on PocketMac, Marlof Bregonje has also written a review of the product. It can be found <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=26293">here</a>.

marlof

06-21-2004, 07:31 PM

Indeed, a program like PocketMac Pro shows you that no matter if you're running Windows or MacOS, you can keep your Pocket PC in sync. Choice is a beautiful thing. Great review, Zack! I'm glad you've decided to hook up with the Thoughts Review Team.

Jonathon Watkins

06-21-2004, 07:44 PM

Agreed. Nice review Zack. 8)

Jonathan1

06-21-2004, 08:24 PM

A tad off topic sorry. But can a PPC be setup through Virtual PC on a Mac? So say I get VPC setup with Activestink to install apps and let the Mac handle the PIM syncing the rest of the time. Is this workable? I've heard that VPC doesn't play well with some USB devices.
I'm looking at going Mac whenever Apple decides to grace us with a G5 17" PowerBook and am very interested in making sure my PPC makes the trans to the Mac with me.

lawson

06-21-2004, 08:25 PM

Nice Review!

I've been using PocketMac Pro 3 with a Toshiba E-800 and a PowerBook for about four months now, and it does work nicely (outside of the slow document sync).

For anyone who's interested, it does seem to work just fine with Windows Mobile 2003 SE, and syncs very nicely via Bluetooth as well as via USB.

- Chuck

Bill Gunn

06-21-2004, 08:30 PM

It's sad that Mac users have to fork over $42 just to sync. If I where a Mac user I would be looking hard at a Palm PDA, especially given the higher resolution screens in new devices.

johncruise

06-21-2004, 08:36 PM

klinux

06-21-2004, 09:10 PM

But can a PPC be setup through Virtual PC on a Mac?

Yes, but of course you will be synchonizing with Outlook on VPC as opposed to iCal, Address Book, and Mail.

The ActiveSync does not always work perfectly but that is par for the course! :D

marlof

06-21-2004, 09:23 PM

It's sad that Mac users have to fork over $42 just to sync. If I where a Mac user I would be looking hard at a Palm PDA, especially given the higher resolution screens in new devices.

You mean higher resolution than 640x480 as in the Toshiba e805, running Windows Mobile 2003 SE with native support for that resolution? I didn't know such a Palm Device existed.

Next to that, the link John Cruise provided would show to you that in the next generation of Palm devices native Mac OS support is dropped as well there. Happily a third party alternative will be available from Palm users, from the people of Mark/Space, who also offer a Mac synchronization tool for the Pocket PC.

All in all: I think neither resolution nor the need for third party synchronization should be issues that would force you to go Palm.

TMann

06-21-2004, 09:48 PM

The other Mac/PPC syncronization software from Mark/Space is priced the same at $40. Anyone used both of these products and have an opinion?

TMann
Mac/Windows/Palm/PPC user

Zack Mahdavi

06-21-2004, 09:51 PM

Thanks all for the kind words. I appreciate it. :)

It's sad that Mac users have to fork over $42 just to sync. If I where a Mac user I would be looking hard at a Palm PDA, especially given the higher resolution screens in new devices.

Yes, it would be nice if all PDA manufacturers provided Mac support, but unfortunately they all don't. It's not a big deal since we have good third party sync tools available. Synchronization is an important part of the PDA experience, so I don't think $42 is that much at all.

Palm's Hotsync support for Mac OS X is botchy at best. The program is very unstable and crashes often. To remedy this, you have to constantly trash your preference files. In addition, Palm has been slow to offer fixes for the latest OS X updates. In general, the Palm Hotsync program feels like it's 5 years old (which it basically is).

Also, many software developers don't provide conduit support for the Mac. The PocketPC's ActiveSync technology provides internet access straight to the PDA so no conduit is generally needed for most programs.

I hope this makes things clear to you why the Palm OS isn't such a straight shot choice for PDA buyers.

Ryan Joseph

06-21-2004, 09:52 PM

Great review, Zack! I'm not a Mac user, so this doesn't apply to me, but it's good!

Seeing your review on the front page makes me look forward to my first review being published. :mrgreen:

marlof

06-21-2004, 10:05 PM

The other Mac/PPC syncronization software from Mark/Space is priced the same at $40. Anyone used both of these products and have an opinion?

If you use Entourage Pocket Mac Pro is your only option right now. If you use the iApps both will do. See my review of Missing Sync (http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=20801) for info on that one. See PDAntic (http://www.pdantic.com/reviews/macs2ppcs.htm) for a comparison review.

whatevrnvrmind

06-21-2004, 10:09 PM

I just recently purchased an Xda II to use with my PowerBook. I have been put off by Palm devices and always thought that Pocket PCs were nice. I found that PocketMac was the best solution, though I based that on reviews and user experiences of the MarkSpace syncing program. Tech support is pretty dismal with PocketMac. I have had a couple of issues already and two weeks later they still are not solved. It takes support days to get back to you and there is not phone support, which is very frustrating. Other than that, Zach did a great job of showing the cons, with which I totally agree. I only hope that they actively develop the product.

As a side note, since I'm a newbie to the Pocket PC platform, finding good information and user experiences with the Xda II in the US is proving difficult. If anyone has any pointers, please message me privately. I have a couple of questions about upgrading firmware, etc. Thanks!

Prevost

06-21-2004, 11:25 PM

A question: which one is "safer": to sync a PPC to a PC (ActiveSync), or to sync a PPC to a Mac (whichever program used for that)???

whatevrnvrmind

06-21-2004, 11:33 PM

I don't think either one is safer than the other. Once the information is on the Pocket PC, it's "safe," if I'm understanding you correctly. You can always backup your data as well.

A question: which one is "safer": to sync a PPC to a PC (ActiveSync), or to sync a PPC to a Mac (whichever program used for that)???

mangochutneyman

06-22-2004, 12:15 AM

arnage2

06-22-2004, 01:21 AM

Thanks for the great review. Im now going to start syncing my X30 to my powerbook.

BrianCooksey

06-22-2004, 02:40 AM

slightly dangerous

why do I find myself thinking...

Dr. Peter Venkman: I'm fuzzy on the whole good/bad thing. What do you mean "bad"?
Dr. Egon Spengler: Try to imagine all life as you know it stopping instantaneously and every molecule in your body exploding at the speed of light.

(http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0087332/quotes)

marlof

06-22-2004, 10:29 AM

PalmOne will likely bundle MarkSpace Missing sync with PalmOS Cobalt devices to enable mac sychronization OTB FYI...

We'll see about that. So far PalmOne hasn't promised they'll do so. If they do: more power to them! And hopefully, Pocket PC OEMs might see this as an advantage. After all, Sony never did, and see where it took them. ;)

Pixelnose

06-22-2004, 12:51 PM

If I were a Mac/Palm user, I'd be sad to only have Markspace as my option, because quiet frankly I find their software to be subpar (user of TMS for Pocketpc and Clie) and unstable.

Pocketmac isn't without it's quirks, like how completed tasks won't sync to ical, and how the mobile web sync thing always crashes, but otherwise it's 1000% more stable for me than TMS ever was. I even did clean installs of Panther and still TMS could corrupt isync, it's bluetooth daemon freeze-up, etc.

Another gripe of TMS is its lack of international timezone support. Especially for all-day recurring events. Events will be on the correct day in your pocketpc, but now Christmas is on the 26th in iCal. From 1.0 to its current 1.04 I believe, they have not even tried to address this. Instead, they'll blame your mac when you email them. Well, if it's my Mac, then how can Pocketmac be syncing it correctly?

Pocketmac actually does the job it's supposed to do, and doesn't drop the connection or corrupt isync's database... at least not for me.

All-in-all, a far better program. I used to complain on Markspaces mailing list until other disgruntled users told me how Pocketmac worked for them. I should have listened the first time!

elehcdn

06-22-2004, 06:18 PM

It's sad that Mac users have to fork over $42 just to sync. If I where a Mac user I would be looking hard at a Palm PDA, especially given the higher resolution screens in new devices.

Not to disappoint future Palm and current MAC owners but....

http://www.palminfocenter.com/view_story.asp?ID=6547

PalmOne will likely bundle MarkSpace Missing sync with PalmOS Cobalt devices to enable mac sychronization OTB FYI...

So in other words, rather than having to pay extra for the sync software, PalmOne will just add it into the cost of the machine? Wonder if Windows owners will be happy to be paying extra so that Mac users will be able to connect ...

fwiw, I was a happy Tungsten T3 user, who got frustrated with the lack of movement on a WiFi solution and poor iApps (iCal & Address Book) support. At the very least, PocketMac can sync BOTH Home and Work addresses and natively supports categories in the Calendar.

bmhome1

06-23-2004, 02:58 AM

I use Virtual PC6 running Win2000 from OS10.3.4 and USB Activesync my iPaq 3955 exclusively and problem-free. Others have no success syncing their PPC with USB from VPC. I have 100% results and posted tips to achieve that here:

http://homepage.mac.com/brucemillerphoto

Its important to note that PocketMac and MissingSync PPC cannot co-exist on the same OSX system. Indeed, it is critically important to first scrub any trace of the other to even install correctly.

Also, there have been reports that both programs interfere with VPC Activesync working, so the choice of one solution for syncing PPC with a Mac is important to decide carefully.

KevinMilesCmh

06-23-2004, 04:30 PM

Just to put my thoughts in on this. I believe some of you may remember that I wanted some information on The PPC to purchase next? I wanted a not too expensive PPC with the latest version of PPC decent screen size and with WIFI, and a builtin thumbboard. - I still have my PPC Phone Edition from Hitatchi (G1000) Although, it had all the fatures except for one WIFI (support for it added later). I was able to use Mark/Space TMS with it on My Macintosh. I thought the program did an ok job, like others posted it had problem on my Mac with dates etc.

As I was shopping for a new PDA, the price for the Palm Tungsten C dropped. At this same time I remember hearing about the issue with the new version of PalmOS Cobalt (OS6) and not being native supporting the Macintosh. So, this means that if and when the newer devices and or OS 6 is released Palm will basically abandon the Macintosh. I love my new PDA Tungsten C No problems syncing it at work or home (Work = Windows 2000 Pro, Home = Mac OS 10.3.4 Panther)

I dropped the PPC PDA only because I refuse to pay the price of a cheap Laptop or Desktop for a PDA in order to have WIFI. and having to pay extra for a WIFI card (Hitachi G1000) is not an answer (the card sticks out and looks ugly. The PDA is way too heavy.

Palmone, PalmResource expects us to pay another 40.00 or more inorder to Synce with there device. I for one will not be buy another PDA from PALMONE. Palm has done this in the past, before USB. If you had Macintosh you had to buy an additional adaptor to connect it to your Mac.

They would claim to be Mac compatible. They expect you to pay the same price as a Windows PC Owner, Then you would have to Download the sync software, then buy an additional adaptor.

This company does not deserve our money. Although, I recently purchased the Tungsten C Palm will not see any additional money from me if the decide to charge us additional money to connect to a Mac. Or if I have to purchase a syncing program from M/S that for 40.00 that doesn't do its job well. It is plainly unacceptable.

As for the Pocket PC (whatever version) I knew before I even thought about buying one that if I decided I wanted it to work with my Mac I would have to pay extra. Palms decision to not natively support the Mac in the future is plainly a slap in the face to Macintosh owners who have support the Plam PDA. I say that if this is the case GOOD BYE to Palm.

whatevrnvrmind

06-23-2004, 07:54 PM

As a lifetime Mac user, I certainly didn't want to get a Pocket PC, but you do get what you pay for. I think you get WAY more bang for your buck with a Pocket PPC. I'm bummed about the Mac support costing extra too. I went through it with Palm, Handspring (I think), Sony and now O2. Complaining and saing you won't give your money ain't gonna change the fact that us Mac owners are in the monority. I'm perfectly comfortable being in the 3% of computer users. I have awesome gear and I paid a pretty penny for it. Just my $.02.

Rod3

06-25-2004, 03:03 PM

Can you sync multiple PPCs with PocketMac? I use more than one, and can keep them all in sync on my PC. I'd love to be able to do that on my Powerbook.
Thanks,
Rod3

dean_shan

08-01-2004, 06:24 AM

Just bought it tonight (hurray for student discounts). Very nice, no glitches at all. Speed is not as good as with WinXP (especial in file transfer) but it is still a pretty solid program. I mainly bought it so my contacts would be the same on my Window, Mac, PPC, and future phone with out having to input it all everytime. Now all I need to do is update/create contacts on one machine and it syncs to all via PPC.