iSync conduit for Treo 650 no longer working after installing Leopard

Here you go:

Palm Conduit: 3.2.1
Mac OS X Build Number: 9A581
Serial Number: YA3

Let me know if I can provide more info.

Thanks!
Rob

iSync isn't working with my Treo 650 GSM Unlocked.

Here my log:

HotSync 3.2.1 started 10/29/07 11:16:37 AM
Local Synchronization
OK Install
OK TomTom Conduit
iSync Conduit starting 10/29/07 11:16:43 AM
iSync Conduit: received NULL message, disconnecting... 10/29/07 11:17:12 AM
OK iSync Conduit
OK Voice Memo
OK Media
OK Passwords Plus
OK Note Pad
OK Memos
Memo Pad did nothing
OK Documents To Go
OK Adobe Reader
OK Install
Backed up PassPlusDB.pdb
Backed up Saved Preferences.prc
OK Backup
Last sync time and PC ID updated on handheld
HotSync Complete 10/29/07 11:19:19 AM

Same problem with my 700p, same NULL message in log when trying to sync through iSync with HotSync Manager.

Palm Conduit: 3.2.1
Mac OS X Build Number: 9A581
Serial Number: U9E

I'm surprised Palm was not prepared ... they had months to make sure this would work

This actually has nothing at all to do with Palm: this is all about Apple, because it is Apple that wrote and packaged the iSync Palm Conduit.

With regard to Palm, however: the Palm Desktop is not now, and never will be, Sync Services compliant, and is essentially a dead technology. I don't suspect that it is explicitly compatible with Mac OS X 10.5, and have no idea when or if it will be.

I was assuming that Apple pre-released Leopard to developers, so that Palm would have time to make sure iSync Palm Conduit in Leopard works with their product. I admittedly know nothing about this, so I should put it in the form of a question: Is it fair to assume that Palm had a pre-released version of Leopard to work out the bugs?

Palm surely had access to alpha and beta copies of Mac OS X 10.5, but your presumption that Palm has anything to do at all with the iSync Palm Conduit is incorrect. Palm has nothing to do with the iSync Palm Conduit: it is produced and distributed (actually bundled, more correctly) solely by Apple.

What is true is that the iSync Palm Conduit requires Palm's HotSync Manager and Transport Monitor to operate, hence the requirement to install the Palm Desktop prior to attempting to use iSync and the iSync Palm Conduit to synchronize a supported organizer or smartphone.

Although I no longer synchronize to a Palm device, I can appreciate how inconvenient a 90 day wait is. You can find an official statement here from Mark/Space concerning Mac OS 10.5 compatibility.

In their defense, I can say that the release version of Leopard has—to some degree—apparently caught a number of developers large and small by surprise, and there are substantial changes and bug fixes in the most recent release of the Sync Service framework that must be dealt with. This is a very complex software environment. That said, there are also clearly significant issues going forward related to synchronization.

I noticed that in the thread you pointed to, that one self-described higher education information technology director was upset enough with Mark/Space to license synchronization software from a competitor. All I've got to offer him is the thought that if he is unhappy now, just wait until he has to rely on software from PocketMac! He has no idea what he is in for…

I won't upgrade to Mac OS X 10.5 for reasons unrelated to such compatibility issues for some time, as Leopard offers a lot of flash but very little substance—in my estimation—for serious business users who must continue to work unimpeded and uninterrupted. It's a lot like the iPhone: a marvelous technology demonstration, but not sufficiently practical or productive for most serious business users. Nor, I admit, did Apple intend it to be. I am frankly less than impressed with this OS release, considering it the most problematic release in a very long time.

In fact, I recently downgraded from Mac OS X 10.4.10 to 10.4.9 to mitigate substantial wireless networking issues. Drops are gone, poor performance is no longer an issue, and 802.1X secure interconnection once again works. It may be months until I am satisfied that Leopard adequately addresses such issues, and it is clear that—in the networking and synchronization areas—there are some very substantial unresolved problems. Whole technology hooks, like the telephony bundle which provides for Bluetooth dialing and SMS, have disappeared. Apple has a big job ahead to address some of these issues that may be meaningless to typical non-business or academic, single-platform users, but critical to others who use these tools.

End of rant and of feeble defense of other developers.

Any thoughts on how difficult a problem this is for Apple, Palm, or Mark Space to solve? Estimated timeframe?

Thanks

Well, Mark/Space estimates that all of their affected programs except SyncTogether will be Mac OS X 10.5 compatible within 90 days, or roughly no later than the end of January 2008.

Palm is not involved, and I would not be expecting anything from them at all. They are sort of 'stuck in the 80s' with regard to Mac OS X, but you can check this page periodically for updates.

Apple? It's really hard to say. I have filed two reports—one concerning an issue with the iSync Palm Conduit used with iSync 2.4 on intel machines in Mac OS X 10.4.9 and 10.4.10, and the other with the latest version of Mac OS X 10.5—and both are still open. The latest was filed on Sunday, October 28, 2007 and they haven't had time yet to frame the issue which relates specifically to the NULL message return when a synchronization event is initiated under Mac OS X 10.5. Though the initial indication is that this is an Apple issue, it may also involve a previously undiscovered incompatibility with Mac OS X 10.5 on the part of the HotSync Manager. These matters take time to investigate and isolate, and I don't want to hazard a guess, at this, point how long it will take until the matter is resolved.

Let me add another report of what I think is the same issue. My PDA is T3 running OS 5.2.1. I upgraded to Leopard on Friday. I should have known better and waited a few months for these sort of things to sort themselves out. I did a clean install of the OS, migrated the old user folder, then when I discovered Missing Sync no longer worked I deleted all Palm Hotsync and missing sync software and reinstalled the Palm software. I am getting the same error reported by others. This is the log from my most recent attempt to sync:

HotSync 3.2 started 10/29/07 12:22:04 PM
Local Synchronization
OK Install
iSync Conduit starting 10/29/07 12:22:06 PM
iSync Conduit: received NULL message, disconnecting... 10/29/07 12:22:16 PM
OK iSync Conduit
OK Voice Memo
OK Media
OK Note Pad
OK Memos
Memo Pad did nothing
OK Install
Backed up Bluetooth Trusted Devices.pdb
Backed up Bluetooth Device Cache.pdb
Backed up Saved Preferences.prc
OK Backup
Last sync time and PC ID updated on handheld
HotSync Complete 10/29/07 12:22:19 PM

I am unhappy with Mark/Space that they haven't dealt with this problem. It would have been nice if they had included this in their latest monthly e-newsletter. It would have been better if they had a solution ready for Leopard's release. For now I am stuck with a PDA and iCal that won't talk to each other. It is only a matter of days before I double book appointments or miss appointments I have scheduled. - Dan

I am having the same problem (more or less) with my Treo 650. My address book seems okay but my calendar is not syncing:

OK Mark/Space Contacts
This conduit cannnot be synchronized because there are no writable calendars available to synchronize. To correct this, select a writable calendar in the conduit's configuration window.
No writable calendars exist
OK Mark/Space Events with 2 messages(s)


I have all of my calendars selected. None of my calendars right now are actually read only.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks so much.

I'm considering using an older powerbook running 10.4.10 to sync my new Centro which is due to arrive any day (and is replacing my Treo 700p). I will sync Address Book and iCal, as well as third party programs such as SplashID, etc. Then, I will sync addresses and calendars via .Mac to my new laptop running 10.5, Leopard. My third party programs will not be on my new laptop, but at least my Address Book and iCal information will be there.

Thoughts on this strategy? I know it won't work for everyone, as you have to have a second computer.

I too can no longer sync my Palm Treo 650 with Sprint service to iCal and Address book. After calling Sprint support for the Treo and also talking with a Palm support person and an Apple support person, the sync now appears to sync the Address Book with Palm Contacts, but doesn't try to sync the calendars. If I set iSync to sync only calendars and not contacts, it appears to sync the calendars, but only one way. An item added to iCal got tranferred to the Treo 650, but an item added to the Treo 650 calendar did not get transferred to iCal. In both cases, I get messages saying that there are conflicts between the Mac and Treo with the contacts and with the calendar.

Here is the Hot Sync (3.2.1) log from the last sync attempt:

HotSync 3.2.1 started 10/30/07 9:50:17 AM
Local Synchronization
OK Install
iSync Conduit starting 10/30/07 9:50:17 AM
iSync Conduit: received NULL message, disconnecting... 10/30/07 9:51:02 AM
OK iSync Conduit
OK Voice Memo
OK Media
OK Note Pad
OK Memos
Memo Pad did nothing
OK Install
Backed up Saved Preferences.prc
OK Backup
Last sync time and PC ID updated on handheld
HotSync Complete 10/30/07 9:51:05 AM

The version of the Apple conduit in the Palm Hot Sync library is 3.0.2. I'm not sure how to get a newer version. I have also tried reinstalling the Palm Desktop software, so I assume I got the latest conduit from the download.

A bit more information - I did an erase and install when I installed Leopard, first saving data on my second internal hard disk. I then copied relevant data back to the primary hard disk.

I've also enabled the iSync conduit in Hot Sync, which is why it's even trying to sync the contacts and calendars.