Re: Re:Getting ready to jump ship

katmmv said the following on 16/5/09 19:41:
> So... I don't know. I feel like iPhone is the wave of the future, but 
> not sure how they are for managing memos/emails/contacts/calendars. 
> Whether you stay or go with Palm will depend on why you have liked the 
> Palm and are now reticent to leave. But I agree that Blackberry isn't 
> necessarily the best option.

As a former Palm (T3 and multiple older models) user and a current 
iPhone fan, I want to give you some info on the move. Note, I'm a Mac 
user (switched from Windows in 2005 and never looked back).

1. Calendar:
I use iCal and the integration with iPhone is fine. I do miss the 
DateBk6 functionalities, most importantly the templates. But entering a 
new appointment on the iPhone is fast enough for me. As a leftover from 
my short Nokia days, I still carry a paper notepad with a small pen to 
note an appointment and enter it on the desktop later.

2. Contacts:
Integration of the Mac Address Book and the iPhone is ok. Strangely 
smart groups are not copied onto the iPhone, but not very problematic 
for me. All info is copied and visible and editable on the phone and 
when you have multiple phone numbers for a contact, the phone 
application lets you select which number you want to dial.

Con: it's not straight forward to turn a new number into a contact on 
the phone (selecting it does a redial :-( ).

3. Notes:
Basically the Notes application on the iPhone is useless, since there is 
no sync to the desktop application. Rumors has it that this will be 
fixed in the next iPhone update planned for June 2009.

I used to be a big notes user under Windows, but abandoned it since the 
Nokia also didn't support it.

As alternatives you can have a look at EverNote and Upvise. These are 
webbased applications that sync fine with the iPhone but require a web 
synchronization over WiFi or 3G.

4. Tasks:
The number of ToDo applications for the iPhone is overwhelming. I 
finally settled for Things, because it also has a (Mac-only) desktop 
version. Though I must confess I rarely use the iPhone version.

5. Other apps:
The number of available applications for the iPhone is enormous. 
Basically you can't imagine a purpose for your iPhone without finding an 
application for it in the App Store.

The only thing I really missed was HandyShopper. I've finally bought 
Splashshopper, since it also has a desktop version. It's not as 
versatile as HandyShopper (e.g. no alarms, but that could also be due to 
the iPhone SDK), but it works although it's very sllloooowww.

Currently the iPhone doesn't support copy and paste. This is part of the 
upcoming version 3.0. I must confess that I don't often miss it.

In hindsight I'm glad I moved to the iPhone, but my use has changed from 
the way I used my T3. A large part of that change was due to my previous 
move to a Nokia N95 and it's limitations.

If you think about the iPhone do three things:
- consider a plan with unlimited internet connection, since the iPhone 
often goes online to check for updates and because you will quickly use 
it for its internet-related capabilities.
- check the reviews of the iPhone compared to other smart phones to 
figure out if the iPhone and you can match functionality and use (you 
will probably need to adjust the way you use your new device anyway).
- check the App Store in iTunes for relevant applications and do read 
the reviews because applications in the top-10 might not necessarily 
have the desired functionality.

Hope this helps.

Bye, Helma