One frustration that has been present for users of Palm OS devices working with users of Windows Mobile devices is that one cannot easily beam appointments, contacts or memos from one device to the other. This is no longer a problem. Software for both devices exists and allows data to be easily exchanged using the infrared beaming capability. Note that the software is a complete solution so only the Palm OS user or the Windows Mobile user needs to install a package.
Peacemaker Professional from Conduit Technologies installs on the Pocket PC and recognizes other devices including Psion devices and adjusts the information to be compatible. It also accepts information from other devices and reformats it for the Pocket PC. It has been very effective in tests, except if you attempt to beam an entire category from a Palm OS device. Only a single contact is created with information taken from all of the "cards" that were beamed. The current version is compatible with all versions of the Pocket PC operating system including Windows Mobile version 5.0. Peacemaker costs $14.95. More information is available at www.conduits.com/products/peacemaker/default.asp.
For Palm OS devices, there is BeamPRO from Ecamm network. This software allows multiple files and Palm records to be sent to another Palm, expansion card, cell phone, Pocket PC or desktop computer. BeamPRO uses infrared beaming or Bluetooth capability of the Palm. One nice feature is that category information for addresses and memos are maintained. As with Peacemaker, the application only needs to be installed on the Palm OS device to have all of these capabilities. BeamPRO is able to beam a wide variety of non-Palm files either from main memory or from an expansion card. There are a number of limitations. Currently, the application does not work with the Tungsten TX. It does not allow specification of which storage card is used when beaming to devices with more than one storage card such as the LifeDrive or Tungsten T5. With some Windows mobile devices, address entries from BeamPRO are received with information jumbled. Overall, this is still a very capable application. It costs $8.00. More information is available at http://www.chapura.com/pocketcopy.php.
Finally, if you are migrating from a Palm OS device to a Pocket PC, look at PocketCopy from Chapura Software. This is an application for converting your Palm Desktop Address Book, Date Book, To Do List, Memo Pad,Contacts, Calendar, Tasks and Memos into Microsoft Outlook Contacts, Calendar, Tasks and Notes. These can then be synchronized with the Pocket PC device. It should be noted that PocketCopy is designed to perform a 1-way, 1-time transfer of data from the Palm Desktop into Outlook. PocketCopy will not keep data synchronized in both places. However, for users changing platforms, this is a solution that avoids a lot of re-entry of data. It does not damage nor change the Palm Desktop information. PocketCopy sells for $9.95. More information is available at www.chapura.com/pocketcopy.php.
