WebIS Releases CorrectTime 2.0

[Janak Parekh]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.pocketinformant.com/p_correcttime.php' target='_blank'>http://www.pocketinformant.com/p_correcttime.php</a><br /><br /></div>Looks like Alex is having a busy day over at WebIS. ;)<br /><br /><i>"Currently, Microsoft's Pocket Outlook application for Windows Mobile 2002/2003 treats the starting times of all appointments as being relative to Greenwich Mean Time. So, when you travel with your Pocket PC, and you change time zones, all of your appointments appear to start at the wrong time...PI CorrectTime™ for Windows Mobile fixes this problem by undoing the 'work' that Pocket Outlook does. With PI CorrectTime™ installed, no traveling Windows Mobile user will ever have to be worried about this problem again."</i><br /><br />We've had long debates on what the "correct" behavior of handling appointments shifts when moving timezones is, and even the MVPs can't agree. But if you don't like the Pocket PC way of handling this, you might want to check this program out -- it works in the background and "prevents" this shift from happening.

[JonnoB]

When I get appointments from people outside of my time zone in Outlook, it sets it according to GMT... which is set to the correct time regardless if I stay in my time zone or go somewhere else. If I use this tool, will it then mess with those appointments?

[jt3]

Not long ago, there was a discussion or twelve about the high water mark when it came to PocketPC application pricing. The general consensus seemed to be that most people will adjust their own personal spending limit based on the usefulness of the application, but that any application that costs more than, say, $20 had better be darn useful (or darn fun for games).

This application seems like a GREAT idea, especially for those who travel between time zones a lot, but at $24.95?!? Sure, it throws some in a couple of useful tasks, but primarily, it only fixes the timing of scheduled notifications when you change timezones. IMHO, this isn't $24.95 worth of utilities, but then... that's just my opinion... maybe others find this to be an acceptable price.

[gorkon280]

The default behavior is correct. You always enter appointments with yuor timezone, so you'd have to move it ....unless you ue exchange then you get appointments using other people s timezone settings. In any case, you want these appointments to move so say if you ahve to go away but are going to be teleconferencing in at 2pm EDT and your in PDT, you'd miss the appointment by several hours of it did not shift when you changed timezones.

[torok]

If you want to trick yourself into thinking that timezones don't exist, then don't switch you timezone in the first place.

[Dennis]

This application seems like a GREAT idea, especially for those who travel between time zones a lot, but at $24.95?!? IMHO, this isn't $24.95 worth of utilities, but then... that's just my opinion... maybe others find this to be an acceptable price.

I agree with JT3. When I read the story, I said to myself that this is the software that I need, as I cross timezones at least twice a month!
When I saw the price, I found it much too expensive.
I'm ready to spend $15, at most $20 for an app I can also live without, even if it is very useful!

Therefore, from being ready to download and buy the software immediately, I decided to keep using my PPC the way I've doing for years:
I managed to never miss an appointment, so why spend so much money?
It is a comfort utility. Not an essential one.
Hence, it is overpriced.

If someone comes with a better priced similar app, they can be sure they'll have my business!

[Sven Johannsen]

I was probably one of the biggest arguers on the issue. I've just decided to live with it. This one doesn't get the cigar from me because of one line in the description

"Just change your time zone as you normally would, and then run PI CorrectTime™. Moments later, all of your appointments appear at the correct start times... it's that easy. "

That's one step too many. I've just taken to changing the clock, and this is no easier. The find and replace thing might have some utility, but if it doesn't prevent the appointment movement in the first place, it doesn't meet my needs.

Incidentally, this is not restricted to PPC Outlook. The desktop version did this long before PPCs. It's just that few folks likely changed their timezones on their laptops when they traveled, so the behaivour wasn't that widely publicized and understood. The PPC just continued on with the concept.

I have long since quit saying that the way it works is wrong. There are many folks who use it, love it and believe in it. I don't, and I'm not alone. So, give us a choice.

[ianbjor]

I don't get this. What problem is this fixing? I travel a lot, and have never had problems.

My appointments are set my home time zone. When I travel, I change the time zone I'm in on my PPC (the Clock tool has "Home" and "Visiting" choices, I set Visiting to where I am), and my appointments are shifted appropriately.

[king-pong]

I would like to see a "Time Zone" field when I enter appointments and have outlook automatically adjust the time for me like DateBook did (does? it's been a while) on the palm. anyone know of such an app?

[alex_kac]

When it comes to timezones and appts - there are two kinds of people. Those - like myself- that think globally and deal with timezones as a natural part of life. Then there are those - a good majority I'd say - that think locally.

The way I like to put it is - if you "get" it, then PI CorrectTime is for you. If you don't "get" it, then its not for you :)

[Sven Johannsen]

I don't get this. What problem is this fixing? I travel a lot, and have never had problems.

My appointments are set my home time zone. When I travel, I change the time zone I'm in on my PPC (the Clock tool has "Home" and "Visiting" choices, I set Visiting to where I am), and my appointments are shifted appropriately.

Then you offset your appointments when you put them in. If you are in LA and are entering a noon lunch date for next week in NY, you must enter it at 9AM. Then when you change to 'visiting' when you get off the plane in NY, it shifts that appointment (and all the others) placing it at 12 Noon. That's fine if you think like that.

I think Lunch is at 12 and that's when I put it on my calendar. I make the assumption I am actually going to be in NY when my lunch appointment is in NY. I don't need to know all week when my lunch date would be if I wasn't in NY. When I get to NY I need to know what time it is there, and not what time, in NY time, all my other appointments are taking place where I am not.

There are rare exceptions, for me, like conference calls. That's useful, but I always used to understand that my 8AM conference call (in LA) happens at 11AM when I am in NY. I can still do that. That is a situation in which the event doesn't really happen where I am. Most of them do.

I assume all you timezone guys, used to carry a day planner in which you wrote appointments. When you had a lunch date in NY, did you write down, Lunch at Sardi's 9AM PST? I'm sure you did. That way if you missed your plane, you would know to call Sardi's at 9AM and apologize.

[ombu]

This (browse down the page) (http://www.geocities.com/alexaleks3/)is what I used to use, it's free, don't know if it works for WM2003, maybe somebody finds it useful.

Regards.

[whydidnt]

I side with Sven on this one. I NEVER change the time-zone on my PPC, because it messes up my appointments. - When I set an appointment for 9:00 in Boston, it means 9:00 in Boston, not 9:00 minus 1 hour in my home location. The only time the time shift is helpful is for Conference Calls or appointments that are occuring in your "home" location.

When I enter my return flight time as 5:00 PM - I really mean 5:00 PM from wherever I'm flying back from. I dont' want the PPC to change the time to 6:00 PM because I'm in a different time zone when I'm flying back. That just causes me to miss my flight and make me very unhappy.

I don't think correct time really helps me because it's a global thing. It's easier for me just to adjust the clock on my PPC than deal with the Time Zone stuff. What would help is an option when setting the appointment to tie the appointment time to a TimeZone, that way when PPC makes the auto-adjustment it would know to change the appointment or not.

As a side note - this isn't really a PPC issue - I sync my appointments to a Z600 mobile phone as well, and if I let the phone auto adjust the time/time-zone, it does the exact same thing!!

[dh]

Yes, time zones can be a problem, that's for sure. I would have thought this app would just be included in a new version of PI. As much as I like the work Alex does, I wouldn't spend $25.00 on htis one.

[ianbjor]

When it comes to timezones and appts - there are two kinds of people. Those - like myself- that think globally and deal with timezones as a natural part of life. Then there are those - a good majority I'd say - that think locally.

The way I like to put it is - if you "get" it, then PI CorrectTime is for you. If you don't "get" it, then its not for you :)

Alex, I _do_ use timezones every day. Outlook handles them with no problems -- so when someone schedules a meeting for 11:00 EST, it shows up in my calendar at 8:00 PST. And it shows up at 8:00 on my PPC, too). If I travel to Chicago, and change the timezone on my PPC to CST, the meeting displays at 10:00 on my PPC.

This is using the built-in Time Zone functionality on the PPC (i.e. Home or Visiting time zone).

I can see how, if I were to just change the clock on the PPC and set it forward by 2 hours when I go to Chicago (instead of telling it that I'm in a different time zone), appointments will be wrong... but why would you do that when PPC has good timezone support already?

[whydidnt]

This is using the built-in Time Zone functionality on the PPC (i.e. Home or Visiting time zone).

I can see how, if I were to just change the clock on the PPC and set it forward by 2 hours when I go to Chicago (instead of telling it that I'm in a different time zone), appointments will be wrong... but why would you do that when PPC has good timezone support already?

So how do you enter an appointment for the time you will be visiting Chicago??- If you have a lunch appointment at noon in Chicago, what do you enter in Outlook - if you enter noon, when you change time zones your lunch appointment will be moved to 11:00 or 2:00 or some other unacceptable time. The ONLY way outlook works is if you recalculate all of your appointments while traveling to local time before you travel. A royal PIA in my opinion.

Do you enter your return flight time? If so, do you "precalculate" how the time zone change will affect that? The airline schedules are all based upon local time, not your home time zone.

The bottom line is that ANY way somebody does this, there will be some appointment times that are wrong when traveling UNLESS an option exists when setting the time in Outlook attach a time zone for that appointment.

[intastella]

I agree with all those who think $25 is far too much for what is essentially a single purpose app.

Still, there's obviously a market for this - and I am one of the people that think the Pocket PC shouldn't be messing with time zones. I have given up on changing my location and resort to just changing the time.

As there's such a market - why doesn't someone come up with a $5 or $10 version?

Or, Microsoft could listen to it's customers and give them a choice. People have been strongly compaining about this 'unfeature' for years.

[Kacey Green]

Does Pocket informant suffer from this user interface problem?

[ctmagnus]

Nope. afaict, it's an OS-level issue.

[dmy]

When it comes to timezones and appts - there are two kinds of people. Those - like myself- that think globally and deal with timezones as a natural part of life. Then there are those - a good majority I'd say - that think locally.

Yep yep.... I'm between three time zones several times a month these days... with appointments in 2 of them.... rare occasions in the third.... I deal with it as a natural part of life as well.

The way I like to put it is - if you "get" it, then PI CorrectTime is for you. If you don't "get" it, then its not for you :)

Heh, but while we feel the same on the first, we're exactly opposite on this one (e.g. If you "get it" then you don't need to program).... so there is still no answer other than having an option.....

ON THE OTHER HAND: One feature that I'd like to see PI bring over from Outlook (Note... not Pocket Outlook) is the ability to display two timezones on the agenda view. On my desktop, I put up Central and Pacific times, and can see the shift at a glance.... I'd like PI to have a checkbox to display the home and "visiting" timezone, and as a selection on the new appointment screen (so I can say what time the appointment is and assign it to a TZ as I input it).

Then again if they did this, they couldn't sell us a new program..... Hmmmm... I'd pay more than a few bucks for a plugin that would do what I want.... (HINT HINT!!)

Cheers,
D.

[Pony99CA]

This is using the built-in Time Zone functionality on the PPC (i.e. Home or Visiting time zone).

I can see how, if I were to just change the clock on the PPC and set it forward by 2 hours when I go to Chicago (instead of telling it that I'm in a different time zone), appointments will be wrong... but why would you do that when PPC has good timezone support already?
So how do you enter an appointment for the time you will be visiting Chicago??- If you have a lunch appointment at noon in Chicago, what do you enter in Outlook - if you enter noon, when you change time zones your lunch appointment will be moved to 11:00 or 2:00 or some other unacceptable time. The ONLY way outlook works is if you recalculate all of your appointments while traveling to local time before you travel. A royal PIA in my opinion.

Do you enter your return flight time? If so, do you "precalculate" how the time zone change will affect that? The airline schedules are all based upon local time, not your home time zone.
Yes, you can precalculate the time zone shift, but people who travel a lot are probably pretty good at it.

For those who aren't, there's a simple alternative. When you want to enter a meeting that takes place in a different time zone do the following:

In the Clock settings applet, set your Visiting time zone to the one where the meeting takes place.
In the Calendar, enter the appointment at the time shown (no precalculation of the shift).
In the Clock settings applet, switch back to Home.

Now your appointments will be entered correctly so that, when you visit the place where the meeting takes place and switch the time zone, the meeting time will be displayed correctly.

Your method leads to other problems -- like possibly conflicting appointments that you fail to notice.

For example, suppose you live in New York and have a meeting at 2 PM in California. You enter the meeting in New York at 2 PM a week before your trip. Just before you leave, your boss tells you to call him at 5 PM to let him know the status of the meeting. You enter the 5 PM call in your Calendar, but forget that actually conflicts with the 2 PM meeting in California -- until you get to California and are in the meeting, of course.

The bottom line is that ANY way somebody does this, there will be some appointment times that are wrong when traveling UNLESS an option exists when setting the time in Outlook attach a time zone for that appointment.
Not true -- if you understand how time zones work. All times are displayed relative to the current time zone you've set. To see appointments in other time zones, just change the Clock settings applet to Home (for items where you live) or change the Visiting time zone (for items in a third location).

It's very easy -- once you know how it works. However, I do agree that Outlook could simplify the process by allowing you to specify a time zone when creating an appointment.

Steve

[whydidnt]

Steve,

Thanks for the tip, I can see how it could work, but seriously 3+ steps just to set an appointment on my PPC. What if I'm setting the appointment on my PC for transfer to the PPC -do the same rules apply?

I can see it now.... I'm on the phone to set an appointment, yes, 2:00 works for me, let me put that on my calendar, hold on please -- click start->settings->-system->clock->change time zone-> back out to calendar (hopefully using PocketPlus or something), enter the appointment - back thru the same process to reset the Time Zone- By this time my associate thinks I'm playing solitaire, I've been pecking at my PPC so so long -- And of course I don't even want to think about what happens if I'm interrupted by a something in the middle of this and really get things messed up.

It is a possible solution and I may even try it, but its far from the right solution in my opinon.

[numb]

but you wouldn't know if "2 works for you" unless you switched to your visiting timezone before you checked :roll:

I like the idea of this app - I've always thought the way the timezone stuff is done in PPC is crazy. But I do think its a bit expensive.

on the other hand, I'm in the UK, and the £ is strong, so maybe its a good time for me to buy!

[numb]

has anyone tried this? I downloaded the trial version, installed it, changed my time zone, ran it......no change?

[Pony99CA]

has anyone tried this? I downloaded the trial version, installed it, changed my time zone, ran it......no change?
That may be working just fine, then. After running the program, I think that your Calendar should show appointments at the same time as you entered them, so it would appear that no changes were made from what you entered.

If you meant that you changed your time zone, viewed your calendar and saw the appointments "moved", ran the program and saw no changes, that might be different.

Steve

[numb]

Nope, unless I'm going mad....
I had an appointment for 20:00-21:00 this eve. I changed my time zone to European, and the appointment changed to 21:00-22:00, as expected. I ran the app, but the appointment is still showing 21:00-22:00 - I would expect it to show 20:00?

I think I'll carry on using CityTime for now, which lets me put in appointments/flights etc using locations and adjusts them for me. Not ideal, but I already have it, and it works, and it doesn't cost $24!!!

[Pony99CA]

Nope, unless I'm going mad....
I had an appointment for 20:00-21:00 this eve. I changed my time zone to European, and the appointment changed to 21:00-22:00, as expected. I ran the app, but the appointment is still showing 21:00-22:00 - I would expect it to show 20:00?
It sounds like you did what I would have tried, and I would also have expected the appointment to go back to 20:00. Maybe Alex can clarify what's going on.

I think I'll carry on using CityTime for now, which lets me put in appointments/flights etc using locations and adjusts them for me. Not ideal, but I already have it, and it works, and it doesn't cost $24!!!
Yeah, that price does seem a bit high. Pocket Informant is certainly worth that much, but I think CorrectTime should be a $5.00 utility.

Steve

[Reidar]

I have been waiting for a long time for this program or something similar. I am firmly in the camp that finds the default "solution" infuriating, but I also recognize that it seems to work fine for some. Unfortunately I cannot get the trial version to work, either. I use a Dell Axim X5, with Pocket Informant and World Mate Pro as my main programs for handling calendaring, travel, and checking time zones. I have tried all kinds of combinations in terms of entering "visiting time", changing home time zone with World Mate, etc. -- but for me at least, Correct Time does absolutely nothing when I run it. All the appointments that were moved when I changed time zone remain as they were, showing what for me is the wrong time.

Any thoughts or suggestions? I have tried to post a request for support to the makers of the program, but for some reason their site will not allow me to submit the request -- it seems there is some information missing, but I can't figure out what it is. Much as I like Pocket Informant, and applaud the makers for coming up with a utility like Correct Time, I think for such a high asking price the program should work as advertised! Or am I doing something wrong?

[smittyofdhs]

I don't get this. What problem is this fixing? I travel a lot, and have never had problems.

My appointments are set my home time zone. When I travel, I change the time zone I'm in on my PPC (the Clock tool has "Home" and "Visiting" choices, I set Visiting to where I am), and my appointments are shifted appropriately.

here's a good sample:

Say I know I'm going to Chicago (from California) on Tuesday. I make an appointment (while in Cali) for 10:00 AM Tuesday morning in the office in Chicago. When I get to Chicago airport and change my time zone setting the meeting at 10:00 is changed to 12:00 PM. Therefore I just missed my meeting by 2 hours.

[Kacey Green]

not a fix but it works, if you set an appt. to be carried out in another timezone, change zones right after you make the appt. and see if that works, if not adjust the time, before its too late, oh, don't forget to change back to your zone.

alternatively
switch zones, set appt. change back voila

[Sven Johannsen]

Steve,
Thanks for the tip, I can see how it could work, but seriously 3+ steps just to set an appointment on my PPC. What if I'm setting the appointment on my PC for transfer to the PPC -do the same rules apply?

As an aside, yes. The PC Outlook does exactly the same thing. Take a look at your appointments today. Open the clock applet and change your time zone. You will see all of your appointments shift based on the TZ change. Outlook has always worked this way, but most PCs stay pretty fixed. Even laptop users probably didn't depend on Outlook as they travelled all that much, or they put in a 10AM appointment at 10AM and looked at their watch to see what time it was now, after having fixed the watch for the TZ.

Differeing time zones between the PC and PPC is a common problem that comes up. The symptom is all the appointments are offset between the two boxes. That's because they are stored in a universal format and diplayed based on the current selected zone.

I had an interesting thought. Anyone here have a SPOT watch? One feature is that you can have your appointments sent to your watch. Another feature is that it automatically updates over the air, both the time and Time Zone. I haven't travelled across zones with mine yet. Has anyone else? Does it shift the appointment FOR you. That would tick me off, as that is not how I operate.

[rhmorrison]

There is a new FREEWARE solution to this problem called Time Zone v1.0 (http://www.pocketpcfreewares.com/en/index.php?soft=717) for those of you that use the built-in calendar application. It adds a new menu item "Change Time to City" and the cities offered can be configured by you to keep the list down to what you really need. This is a pretty easy and quick solution. Just add your appointment for the local time that it is supposed to occur and if it is in a different Time Zone then select the new "Change Time to City" and select the city that the appointment is for!

:beer: