How to use new Sync services with a Palm?

[Jim Banks]

In the past, I have completely avoided using iCal, Mail and Address Book
because I'm a long-time Entourage user and have had no devices that would
require using iSync; I have synced Entourage with my Palm using the
MS-supplied handheld sync solution.

So now, the latest Office update makes it possible to start using an
iSync-able phone or an iPod and sync it to Entourage without all the extra
third-party software, right?

I would be very grateful if someone could explain how to transition to the
new Sync Services features in Entourage if you have not been using them
before, but have only been using the previous MS-supplied Entourage handheld
sync to sync with a Palm.

Also, for what it's worth, it seems as if the new Entourage Sync stuff (and
the Spotlight stuff) has just been thrown out there with no official
documentation from the MacBU, leaving the Office MVPs to clean up and fill
in the gaps. That seems a bit irresponsible and unprofessional, to me.
Perhaps MS will finish the job themselves in the next few days.

Jim Banks

 

[Diane Ross [MVP]]

I would be very grateful if someone could explain how to transition to the
new Sync Services features in Entourage if you have not been using them
before, but have only been using the previous MS-supplied Entourage handheld
sync to sync with a Palm.

See the links here:

<http://www.entourage.mvps.org/faq_topic/update.html>

 

[Corentin Cras-Méneur]

Hi Diane,

See the links here:

<http://www.entourage.mvps.org/faq_topic/update.html>

I didn't find all the info for Palm synchig, so let me add a couple of
comments:

You basically have two options for Palm synching now:
- use the regular Entourage conduit with Palm Desktop or The Missing
Sync as you did before.

- use Sync Services with The Missing Sync 5.1b. That's the option I
chose. You have to disable the Entourage conduit and use the MarkSpace
conduits for calendar, address book and notes. It works remarkably well
for me.

Corentin

 

[Alan Schaevitz]

Hi Diane,



I didn't find all the info for Palm synchig, so let me add a couple of
comments:

You basically have two options for Palm synching now:
- use the regular Entourage conduit with Palm Desktop or The Missing
Sync as you did before.

- use Sync Services with The Missing Sync 5.1b. That's the option I
chose. You have to disable the Entourage conduit and use the MarkSpace
conduits for calendar, address book and notes. It works remarkably well
for me.

Corentin

I use the Entourage conduit with The Missing Sync v5.0.3. The question I
have is, what is the benefit to upgrading to Missing Sync v5.1b in order to
use Sync Services instead of sticking with the Entourage conduit? I haven't
found any benefit analysis.

 

[Corentin Cras-Méneur]

I use the Entourage conduit with The Missing Sync v5.0.3. The question I
have is, what is the benefit to upgrading to Missing Sync v5.1b in order to
use Sync Services instead of sticking with the Entourage conduit? I haven't
found any benefit analysis.

I had nothing but problems with 5.0.x. I migrated to the 5.1b pretty
quickly so I don't really remember (beside bug fixes) what the internal
differences were. Their release notes mention mostly fixes (and the fact
that it's now a universal binary).

Corentin

 

[Daniel Loyd]

Well, I can report that it is working.

I have a Sony T616 and Entourage. My cellphone is set to sync every time I
come into range of the computer, as well as twice per day (morning and
night) using ProximitySync from Braddolman.com. I used to use a combination
of Salling's Mobilesync for contact sync and iSync for calendar/tasks
(Mobilesync does not sync tasks). To get the calendar/tasks into ical, I
would use the applescript Sync Entourage/iCal from applescriptcentral.net.
This would involve a daily applescript session (automatically triggered as a
schedule from Entourage), and two sync sessions from proximity sync.

Now I have activated Entourage Sync Services, deleted all calendars except
the newly created 'entourage' calendar from iCal, deleted all categories
execept "Cellphone" from Address book, and am using isync exclusively. To
get iSync to sync ONLY the 'Cellphone' Category from Address book, I used
the tips posted here and did this.

I modified the applescript from http://www.cortig.net/wordpress/?p=73 to
copy my Entourage categories into custom phone number one, which for me was
unused. I renamed it "Category" and this information was sucessfully
mirrored in Address book. I then setup a smart group in address book that
filtered using that custom field, then dragged the results into a non-smart
group named "Cellphone". I then set iSync to sync only contacts from that
group.

Now iSync works, and I have my contacts in the Mac os PIM for use in other
Mac programs. I do not have categories or multiple calendars in iCal or
Address book, but for most of my uses, it's fine.

I do think eliminating the address book step would improve the experience,
but for now. Thanks!

 

[Alan Schaevitz]

I had nothing but problems with 5.0.x. I migrated to the 5.1b pretty
quickly so I don't really remember (beside bug fixes) what the internal
differences were. Their release notes mention mostly fixes (and the fact
that it's now a universal binary).

Corentin

On the Mark/Space website I only see v5.0.3 so where is 5.1b? Also, the
second part of my question is what benefits are there to using Sync Services
vs the Entourage conduit?

 

[Corentin Cras-Méneur]

On the Mark/Space website I only see v5.0.3 so where is 5.1b? Also, the
second part of my question is what benefits are there to using Sync Services
vs the Entourage conduit?

Try http://www.markspace.com/testing/
SyncServices seem to sync a lot more data (fields) than the Entourage
conduit does.

Corentin

 

[Corentin Cras-Méneur]

Well, I can report that it is working.

Nice

[...]

I modified the applescript from http://www.cortig.net/wordpress/?p=73 to
copy my Entourage categories into custom phone number one, which for me was
unused. I renamed it "Category" and this information was sucessfully
mirrored in Address book. I then setup a smart group in address book that
filtered using that custom field, then dragged the results into a non-smart
group named "Cellphone". I then set iSync to sync only contacts from that
group.

Interesting... I didn't even think about using Phone numbers to do
that....

Now iSync works, and I have my contacts in the Mac os PIM for use in other
Mac programs. I do not have categories or multiple calendars in iCal or
Address book, but for most of my uses, it's fine.

I do think eliminating the address book step would improve the experience,
but for now. Thanks!

Yeah, if the categories could have synced direcly from Entourage to the
Sync Services and the Address Book, that would have made things a lot
easier :-\

Corentin

 

[Bill Aviles]

The only benefit that I can see is that more fields are supported. In other
words, you can transfer home addresses and business addresses to your Palm,
IM, web page, birthday etc.

Let me know if I'm wrong about following. I'd love to be told that I'm
wrong.

1) I thought that categories would be supported on the Calendar. As far as
I can tell, every event is categorized as "Entourage", which means that you
still only have one category.

2) If you have more than one Entourage Identity, with each syncing up to a
different handheld, you lose that ability. Only one identity can be active
at a time with Sync Services.

3) Everything gets transferred with sync services. With the Entourage
Conduit, you can exclude a category of your choosing. I have a category
("don't sync") filled with crap that I don't want on my Palm.

As a result, I'm sticking with the Conduit.

 

[Corentin Cras-Méneur]

1) I thought that categories would be supported on the Calendar. As far as
I can tell, every event is categorized as "Entourage", which means that you
still only have one category.

Yeah, but the problem is that in iCal it's not a category... it's a
calendar...

Entourage supports multiple calendars, each using multiple categories.
iCal supports multiple calendars... no category :-(
I would have voted for a pref allowing us to match Entoruage categories
to iCal calendars though...

Corentin

 

[Scott Melendez]

Corentin,

When I try to use The Missing Sync 5.1, the Entourage information does not
show up in the Mark/Space conduits. For example, in the iCal conduit, I see
Home, Work, and Birthdays; yet in my iPod info, I see the Entourage
calendar.

 

[Corentin Cras-Méneur]

Corentin,

When I try to use The Missing Sync 5.1, the Entourage information does not
show up in the Mark/Space conduits. For example, in the iCal conduit, I see
Home, Work, and Birthdays; yet in my iPod info, I see the Entourage
calendar.

I just checked and in the settings for the Markspace conduits, I sure
see the different calendars in the Sync Service database... As I
mentioned before (maybe in another thread though), SyncServices don't
sync categories. If you want to use the Entourage categories, you
shouldn't use the Sync Service database.
Entourage will snc all it's data to a single calendar called Entourage.
Sync Services don't support categories and will show you all it's
available calendars.

Corentin

 

[Scott Melendez]

No, I am not trying to sync categories, just the calendar itself.

I can see the Entourage calendar in iCal (although some events are missing);
I just don¹t see it in the Missing Sync conduits.

 

[Corentin Cras-Méneur]

No, I am not trying to sync categories, just the calendar itself.

I can see the Entourage calendar in iCal (although some events are
I missing); just don't see it in the Missing Sync conduits.

You have the latest beta of TMS ??? I sure see it on mine :-\


Corentin

 

[elvinc]

Are folks able to sync larger notes now to Palms with newer PIMs? No
free trial period on the TMS? Otherwise might be better to wait until
final release of 5.1 to test this out.