Mobile Computing: Put Outlook on Your Palm

We pick two utilities for moving data from Outlook to Palm PDAs.

James A. Martin

Feature: Outlook on Your Palm

In an office building hallway, one businessman asks another, "What time is the meeting tomorrow?"

"Eleven," comes the reply.

The first businessman fumbles for his PDA, to no avail. "Would you e-mail me a reminder?" he asks his colleague, exasperated at his own haplessness.

"I'll go you one better," says the other. "I'll Outlook you."

Somewhere along the way, apparently, Microsoft Outlook has gone from being a mere noun to a verb. The e-mail/calendaring/to-do list program, included in Microsoft Office suites, has become entrenched within small businesses and enterprises alike.

That's all well and good. But until recently, there was no easy solution for folks who wanted to carry their Outlook data around on a Palm device: Many Outlook database fields don't have a direct equivalent in the Palm's built-in applications. Outlook's Contacts utility, for instance, includes fields for instant-messaging address, manager's name, assistant's name, and spouse's name that the Palm Address utility lacks. Hence, that information isn't automatically copied onto a Palm when syncing with Outlook.

Two new Palm utilities--DataViz's Beyond Contacts and Chapura Software's KeySuite--seek to bridge the Outlook-Palm disparity. Both programs duplicate the features and database fields of Outlook on a Palm, though each goes about it a bit differently.

[Author's note: Palm's new Tungsten E and Tungsten T3 devices include upgraded versions of Palm's built-in applications that provide enhanced support for Outlook fields. However, third-party programs such as Beyond Contacts and KeySuite still offer more robust Outlook support than do the Tungsten's newly upgraded applications, according to a Palm spokesperson.]

Based on my informal tests, Beyond Contacts is a good choice for most Outlook users, as its interface more closely resembles Outlook's. KeySuite, on the other hand, provides a bit more control--such as the ability to determine which Outlook folders to sync--that makes it more suitable for power users.

For more information about syncing Outlook with a Palm OS device, see "Mobile Computing: Move Data Between PDAs."

DataViz Beyond Contacts

Beyond Contacts (current version 3.002) is from the company best known for Documents To Go, which allows Palm OS PDA users to view and edit Microsoft Office documents on their handhelds. (See this week's Handhelds section for news about the new Documents To Go 6 version.)

Pros: Beyond Contacts' interface closely mirrors Outlook's, complete with a Today view that provides an at-a-glance peek at the day's appointments, tasks, and unread messages. You can easily jump between Beyond Contacts utilities (such as Calendar, Contacts, Tasks, and Notes) from the Today view by clicking on their respective icons, just as in Outlook.

Beyond Contacts offers other nice touches. For example, an ABC tab, located to the right of your contacts, makes navigation easy; KeySuite doesn't offer such a tab. The Beyond Contacts Calendar provides daily, five-day, seven-day, and monthly views; KeySuite offers only day, week, and month views. And Beyond Contacts includes Inbox To Go, a program that syncs your Outlook e-mail messages on your PDA.

Cons: To install Beyond Contacts, Outlook must be your default e-mail application. Admittedly, the concept behind Beyond Contacts is to synchronize with Outlook. But not everyone who uses Outlook for contact management/calendaring also uses it for e-mail.

Outlook 2003 Compatibility: Beyond Contacts 3.002 will sync with Microsoft's new Outlook 2003--but not with Business Contact Manager for Microsoft Office Outlook 2003, the new Outlook add-on, according to a DataViz spokesperson. Outlook 2003 should be available by the time you read this.

Recommendation: If you're a basic Outlook user and want the ability to carry your data on a Palm, Beyond Contacts is the program for you.

Buying Info: Beyond Contacts lists for $50. You can download a free trial, or buy the program online, at the DataViz site. Go to the PCWorld.com Product Finder to check the latest discount prices.

Chapura Software KeySuite

KeySuite, first released in June, places four utilities on your Palm handheld: KeyDates (calendaring), KeyContacts (address book), KeyTasks (to-do items), and KeyNotes (note taking). KeySuite 2.1, the current version, syncs your Outlook data with these applications--unlike PocketMirror, another Chapura utility, which is included with Palm handhelds and syncs Outlook data with the Palm's built-in programs.

Pros: KeySuite allows you to customize the Outlook folders that are synced on your Palm, which can help speed the HotSync process. For instance, using the HotSync Manager on your PC, you can tell KeySuite not to synchronize with Outlook's Calendar, Contacts, Tasks, or Notes folders. You can also add, edit, and remove Outlook folders for syncing (except e-mail folders).

KeySuite has some nice interface touches, too. For example, unlike DataViz's program, contacts in KeySuite that are linked to other contacts are flagged with a business-card icon. Clicking the icon calls up the contact link, which allows you to remove the link or view the linked contact.

KeySuite 2.1 also includes a KeyContacts Activities screen, which provides a quick, easy, at-a-glance view of all activities (such as tasks and appointments) linked to a contact.

Cons: KeySuite utilities, especially KeyDates, look more like Palm apps than they do Outlook. And KeySuite lacks the integrated Today view offered by Outlook and Beyond Contacts.

Outlook 2003 compatibility: A future version of KeySuite will be compatible with Outlook 2003 and the Business Contact Manager add-on, according to a Chapura Software spokesperson.

Recommendation: KeySuite's un-Outlook interface requires users to work just a bit harder, but they're rewarded with more robust features. I recommend it for power users.

Buying Info: KeySuite 2.1 lists for $80 but has an introductory price of $50. Go to the Chapura Web site to download a free trial, or buy the program.

Notebooks & Accessories

News: Future IBM Notebooks Will Be More Ergonomic

Mobile professionals who awkwardly type on notebooks in cramped settings, only to suffer from a stiff neck, blurry eyes, and throbbing hands, take comfort: IBM feels your pain.

Big Blue recently showed prototypes of notebooks designed to reduce those ailments. One prototype, based on the current ThinkPad T40, includes a hinged display that can be elevated up to three inches and a keyboard that slides forward for more comfortable typing. The other prototype includes a detachable wireless keyboard and a display that can be elevated. No word yet on availability or pricing for either device.

Reader Response: Vertical Mouse Stands Tall

In a recent newsletter, I wrote about the importance of ergonomics for notebook users and suggested that, whenever possible, you should use keyboard shortcuts as well as external keyboards and input devices, such as trackballs. Marilyn, a newsletter reader (she declined to give her full name), wrote to recommend Evoluent's VerticalMouse. "Whether I'm using a laptop or desktop, the Evoluent mouse is the only one to completely eliminate the arm/wrist/hand pain that comes from using conventional mice or trackballs," she writes. (Marilyn promised me she has no affiliation whatsoever with Evoluent and is simply a satisfied consumer.)

PCWorld.com's Michael Lasky, in an October 2002 review, was bullish on the VerticalMouse, too. "Even if you have no physical problem using a regular mouse, the VerticalMouse is an excellent $50 investment in preventive, pain-free mousing," Lasky wrote.

News: 3D Without the Glasses

Sharp recently announced its first computer to feature a 3D screen. The PC-RD3D notebook, which can display objects in three dimensions without the need for special glasses, is aimed at CAD designers and other content developers. It's scheduled to be available in Japan and the United States by year's end, the company says. U.S. pricing and exact availability weren't available at press time.

Handhelds

News: Native Word and Excel Files on Palms

The latest version of DataViz's Documents To Go offers native support for Microsoft Word and Excel files. In the past, Word and Excel files had to be converted on a Windows PC before they could be viewed or edited on a Palm. With native file support, Palm users can, for instance, send and receive Word and Excel files as e-mail attachments, without the need for a server-based conversion service such as DataViz's own Inbox To Go service. (The company plans to continue offering the Inbox To Go service, however, a spokesperson says.) Documents To Go 6 includes lots of other new features and is available in Premium ($50) and Standard ($30) editions.

News: Palm's Camera and Wireless Keyboard

Palm recently announced a 1.3-megapixel digital camera card that slips into the Palm expansion slot and is compatible with Palm Tungsten devices. The $100 digicam is scheduled to be available in December, Palm says.

Meanwhile, Palm's new wireless keyboard ($70) communicates with most Palm PDAs via infrared wireless connection. The keyboard folds up when not in use to the size of a paperback book and can work up to three feet away, Palm says.

For more details on both devices, read "Wi-Fi Comes to Cameras, Consoles, and More."

News: Track Your Stolen PDA

PC PhoneHome, which makes theft protection software for notebooks, is now offering PC PhoneHome for Pocket PC ($30), a version of its tracking software for PDAs. The software sends a stealth e-mail to the stolen device's owner once the missing PDA is connected to the Internet. The e-mail contains information that can be used to locate and return the missing item to its owner. The initial version works only with devices running the Windows Mobile 2003 operating system; a version for Palm OS devices should be available soon.

Wireless

News: AT&T's Windows-Based Smartphone

Motorola's new MPx200 clam-shell style cell phone uses Microsoft's Windows Mobile 2003 Smartphone operating system. The phone measures 1.9 by 3.5 by 1.1 inches, lets you surf the Web and access e-mail, includes a Secure Digital slot, and has an external speaker. A digital camera accessory is available separately. AT&T will offer the phone in the U.S. later this year.

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