How Do You Sync?

[Jason Dunn]

I'm using the Dell Axim X30 now as my daily Pocket PC, and with the built-in WiFi it makes synchronizing to my desktop anywhere in my house quick and easy. I was curious how you all sync, so it's survey time! I should point out that I'm thinking specifically of the desktop sync here (for files and such), not PIM sync against an Exchange server (which I also do). I'm also asking for what you do most of the time - if you sometimes do a WiFi sync, and sometimes do a USB sync, select WiFi.

[Ollie03031]

Even though I have the ability to sync many ways ( modem, WiFi and Ethernet) I can only sync with the USB cable. All other methods still have the Guest problem. No matter what I do when I connect to my desk top with the other means it always comes up as a Guest. That is with both a iPAQ 2210 and a Dell X5.

[SHC]

I sync with a mini-sync USB cable at work and use bluetooth at home. (when it works - most of the time fortunatley)

[Kacey Green]

I sync USB and Cradle

[PR.]

I use the cradle, I used to Sync using WiFi but now I have a Work VPN setup it dials when ever I try to sync and makes the sync take ages to happen. :(

[Ed Hansberry]

I mostly sync via USB but sometimes via WiFi and sometimes via an ethernet CF card. Major pain switching those cards to "WORK" to sync and "INTERNET" to browse the web and check email. Sometimes it is just easier to walk upstairs and drop it in the cradle. :evil:

[Pony99CA]

I usually sync my iPAQ 5550 with a cradle, but sometimes use WiFi. I always sync my iPAQ 3650 with the cradle (but hardly use it).

Steve

[GraemeF]

I can sync with my laptop at home where both it any my iPAQ are connected to my wireless LAN, and I can occasionally sync with a bluetooth network connection (to the same laptop) when I'm at work. I haven't really tried to get the bluetooth sync working reliably, because last time I tried I couldn't get WiFi sync working again...!

[SassKwatch]

I do the WiFi thing occasionally, but mostly rely on the USB/cable way simply because of the additional benefit of charging the battery at the same time.

[Pony99CA]

I mostly sync via USB but sometimes via WiFi and sometimes via an ethernet CF card. Major pain switching those cards to "WORK" to sync and "INTERNET" to browse the web and check email. Sometimes it is just easier to walk upstairs and drop it in the cradle. :evil:
Is that using Pocket PC 2002 or Windows Mobile 2003? (It sounds like the former.)

I'm sure I'm just missing something, but why do you have to switch from Internet to Work and back? On Pocket PC 2002, I always used Work when I was home and just checked the This network connects to the Internet (or whatever it was called) setting on the Proxy Settings tab of the Network settings dialog, and could sync and browse the Internet without problem.

That works in Windows Mobile 2003, too.

Steve

[Anthony Caruana]

I didn't vote as I use WiFi, Bluetooth and USb at different times deoending on where I am. In the office I use either BT or USB depending on where I am in the office. At home I use the cradle, BT or WiFi.

The only option in you list I've not used is the ethernet cable conenction.

[wbuch]

Hey, you didn't list IR or serial! 8O

[Steven Cedrone]

Since I throw my 2215 in the cradle every night to charge (and it sync's at the same time) I consider that the primary way I keep data sync'd. If I am not near the PC and I have my WIFI card with me, I'll use that. Otherwise(and as my last resort) I just use Bluetooth.

[brntcrsp]

I'm with the fella above - i frequently use WiFi, USB, and IR.

[OSUKid7]

I primarily use my USB cradle, so I can charge my PDA at the same time, but also sync wirelessly a lot.

[bleeman]

I sync via WiFi. I do drop my unit into the cradle for recharging but I don't have it's USB cable plugged into my laptop. That way if I need to walk away from the desk and I'm in "mid-sync" I don't have to wait for it to finish as it stays connected via the WiFi connection. I've even found I can leave home and let a sync finish as I can get 2 to 3 tenths of a mile away before I lose my WiFi connection. Makes my wife a lot happier too. In the pre-WiFi days she'd get frustrated with my, "I'll be ready in a second, just need to finish syncing" speech, as we were going out the door somewhere :D

[that_kid]

I sync via wifi and bluetooth. I never use usb sync. As a matter of fact my cradle's usb cord isn't even plugged into my computer. The only thing i use my cradle for is to charge my 5555's battery in my 5455.

[Jason Lee]

I sync via usb now... I still can't get bluetooth sync to work. It connects just fine activesync starts doing it's thing then boom! Unrecognized device, do you want to disable sync to not see this message again or retry... Haven't had much time to play with it though. :(

[sripathi]

I sync my PDA thru my laptop IRDA. Big files thru card reader.

[Eos]

This would be my correct answer

[Jerry Raia]

I sync my 5555 with BT on both my desktop and laptop on the road.

[Gavin Henriques]

I sync via my USB cradle. It feeds my thirsty I-Mate and the bluetooth has been buggy with the I-Mate. When I was using my iPAQ 4150, I synced mainly with bluetooth but still used the USB cradle which allowed me to charge my device.

[CoreyJF]

At work I sync with the cradle at home Wifi

[blot]

I generally use USB at home(cable) and at work(cradle), though I use wifi sync when I'm away from my desk and need to synchronize.


*edit* nevermind about the vaporware poll thing, it appears like it was just me.*

[christak]

I didn't vote as I use WiFi, Bluetooth and USb at different times deoending on where I am. In the office I use either BT or USB depending on where I am in the office. At home I use the cradle, BT or WiFi.

The only option in you list I've not used is the ethernet cable conenction.

Ditto...
8)

[Kevin C. Tofel]

I voted for Cradle because that's the majority of my synching.

At work, I synch Contacts, Messages, Tasks and my Calendar via Cradle

At home, I synch MSMoney via WiFi.

KCT

[Stephen Beesley]

I voted for Cradle synce, but to tell the truth I very rarely actually synce my PPC with a desktop at all. Once in a while I synce the contacts with outlook on my pc at home, but at work I never synce anything - just use the partnership for copying files etc and installing programs.

I sometimes use wifi to copy files over, but as my PPC is a Jornada and I therefore if I am using my wifi card I cannot have a memory card in this only works for smallish files so I might as wll use the cradle (although that really is painfully slow)

The other thing I do while the Jornada is cradled is use internet pass through to check a couple of POP3 accounts and update Today Weather (http://www.ajoliver.f2s.com/pocketpc/todayweather/) on my Today screen.

If I could synce my files from the storage card I would probably use it much more.

[Dave Beauvais]

I sync using WiFi about 99.9% of the time since the charge/sync connector on my h5455 is broken to the point that USB no longer works. (And charging is unreliable, at best.) I use Ir to setup the initial partnership with my desktop after a hard reset and WiFi from that point on.

As an aside, why don't PPCs have the option of using a simple two-conductor barrel-style charger like almost every other electronic device? The cynic in me says is because this way if you need an extra charger, you can't just go to your local Radio Shack and pick one up for $5; you have to get one with a "special" connector from the manufacturer for $30.

[buckyg]

Usually I sync via the USB cradle. Never had any luck syncing via wifi, though I'll try again soon.

I have been able to sync via BT. In fact, that's the only time I've used BT. Found a cheap BT dongle on sale, so the tech geek in me just had to try it. Kind of complicated to setup the first time, I thought, but now it isn't difficult now that I know how.

[AZMark]

USB here.

Used to be bluetooth, but!

DELL HAS REFUSED to support PPC2003, X5 and "their" cf bluetooth card.

What's worse than not offering an upgrade to the new version of PPC, offering the upgrade, and then stopping the support!

[omikron.sk]

I use BT and USB craddle (half to half), but I voted for USB 'cause I used it before I bought BT dongle.

[claud9999]

I don't sync. I backup to my SD card and copy the backup file off the card to my Powerbook for backups. My PDA is my sole calendar/phonebook, why sync? (Ok, I do sync to install some s/w...And I use a zip-linq cable for that, and charging the battery. So convenient!)

[Ed Hansberry]

My sync methods - which are more than I had realized earler - in order of frequency:

• USB - vast majority
• WiFi in my intranet at home (start|settings|connections.blah.blah.blah|work |ok|sync|start|settings|connections.blah.blah.blah|Internet|ok|log back into Messenger) :evil:
• IR
• Bluetooth->GPRS->VPN to my work LAN
• Ethernet
• CF modem->ISP->VPN to my work LAN
• CF modem directly to my RRAS server

That's right. NO bluetooth to my machine directly. :wink:

[Kowalski]

That's right. NO bluetooth to my machine directly
interesting. you even use IR but no BT directly???

[dean_shan]

I usally use USB so I can charge my PPC at the same time.

[cyclwestks]

Since I've had my bluetooth dongle I haven't synced with the cable. In fact, I moved the charger to my bedroom, so when I'm done in the evening, I can just lean over & charge so it's all ready to go in the morning.

One of these nights my wife's gonna wake up & see that blue light flashing, & think we're being invaded.

[jeffmd]

ever since for no reason what so ever, synching would crash active synch, I just stoped synching. I install everything by hand (cab install) if I can. I have both high speed wifi and bt connections for my pda.

[ctmagnus]

Usually USB cradle, but occasionally Wifi or BT over the lan and once in a while a lilsync cable.

[jrb]

You do not have an option for GPRS. I finally got it working with a little help from the forum at xda-developers.com:

http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?t=3398

It is nice to be free from the cradle, but I wish it were easier to set up and faster.

[Brad Adrian]

I didn't vote as I use WiFi, Bluetooth and USb at different times deoending on where I am. In the office I use either BT or USB depending on where I am in the office. At home I use the cradle, BT or WiFi.

The only option in you list I've not used is the ethernet cable conenction.
Do you find it equally easy to use the various methods, or do some work better than others (once you have everything set up)?

[ctmagnus]

I find Wifi to be faster than BT ( :duh: ) which is in turn faster than a USB cradle ( :confused totally: ).

[martynb]

.....I'm another of the few using IR......
Martyn.

[Zack Mahdavi]

I almost always sync via USB. On occasion, I'll sync over GPRS when I'm away from home.

[farnold]

Bit tight on Alternatives here... I only sync via GPRS and Exchange Server 2003 on the backend.

Wouldn't it be interseting to know how many people are doing it this way?

[JWK]

:) Use Bluetooth for laptop and desktop...works great...have an Ipaq 2215

[yankeejeep]

I usually sync and charge at the same time. At work, I drop my e805 into the USB cradle when I'm at my desk. At home, I connect to my notebook with a sync'n'charge USB cable (although I do an occasional hit and run sync using IR when I can forego charging).

[OSUKid7]

I sync via WiFi. I do drop my unit into the cradle for recharging but I don't have it's USB cable plugged into my laptop. That way if I need to walk away from the desk and I'm in "mid-sync" I don't have to wait for it to finish as it stays connected via the WiFi connection. I've even found I can leave home and let a sync finish as I can get 2 to 3 tenths of a mile away before I lose my WiFi connection. Makes my wife a lot happier too. In the pre-WiFi days she'd get frustrated with my, "I'll be ready in a second, just need to finish syncing" speech, as we were going out the door somewhere :D
Thanks for that great idea. :) I've started doing that too now. Very nice to be able to pick up my iPaq and still have it stay connected.

[minimage]

I use usb and WiFi (when my PC isn't on my work's VPN). Before I got my TabletPC, I used IR. I have never had a bluetooth anything, and I have never used ethernet to sync any of my PDAs.