06-21-2004, 07:00 PM
|
|
Pontificator
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 1,055
|
|
Mac Users, Free Yourself from Palm with PocketMac Pro 3.0
Product Category: Synchronization Software
Manufacturer: Information Appliance Associates
Where to Buy: PocketMac.net
Price: $41.77 USD
System Requirements:
A list of supported Pocket PCs is here
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:- You can sync your Pocket PC with your Mac!
- Multiple Connectivity Options (USB, Bluetooth, WiFi);
- Syncs with Entourage, Apple Mail & Address Book, and OneNotes;
- Integrates with iApps including iSync, iPhoto, and iTunes.
Cons:- Synchronization gets �in your face�;
- File synchronization is slow;
- 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!
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 Web site) 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
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.
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.
Figure 3: The Files �Finder� for your Pocket PC.
File Synchronization
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.
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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.
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
Figure 10: The Main Window for PocketMac.
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.
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.
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.
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 CabInstl 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 here.
|
| |
|
|
|
06-21-2004, 07:31 PM
|
|
Contributing Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 1,350
|
|
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.
|
| |
|
|
|
06-21-2004, 07:44 PM
|
|
Swami
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 4,303
|
|
Agreed. Nice review Zack. 8)
|
| |
|
|
|
06-21-2004, 08:24 PM
|
|
Pontificator
Join Date: Mar 2002
Posts: 1,329
|
|
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.
__________________
PDA History: Palm Pilot 5000 -> Apple Newton 2100 -> Casio E-11 -> iPaq 3650 (64MB Upgrade) -> iPaq 3700 -> Casio EM-500 -> HP Jornada 568 -> HP iPaq hx4705 www.spreadfirefox.com |
| |
|
|
|
06-21-2004, 08:25 PM
|
|
Neophyte
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 8
|
|
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
|
| |
|
|
|
06-21-2004, 08:30 PM
|
|
Ponderer
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 85
|
|
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.
|
| |
|
|
|
06-21-2004, 08:36 PM
|
|
Theorist
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 275
|
|
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Bill Gunn
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
__________________
John Cruz
|
| |
|
|
|
06-21-2004, 09:10 PM
|
|
Sage
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 735
|
|
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Jonathan1
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! 
|
| |
|
|
|
06-21-2004, 09:23 PM
|
|
Contributing Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 1,350
|
|
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Bill Gunn
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.
|
| |
|
|
|
06-21-2004, 09:48 PM
|
|
Intellectual
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 157
|
|
Any chance of a comparison between Mark/Space and PocketMac
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
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Linear Mode
