Replacing Palm and Syncing with Mac

Question

Replacing Palm and Syncing with Mac

I have been using a Palm handheld (the bottom-of-the-range Z22) for many years, together with the appropriate version of the Palm Desktop application on my Mac. Now my handheld has given up the ghost, and, having begun to look for a replacement, have begun to realize that the world has changed while I haven't been watching. Where have all the Palm handhelds gone?

I would be really grateful for advice, since any replacement will have to fulfil the following requirements. Firstly, I must be able to back up data from it onto my Mac (and vice versa), just as I have been able to do hitherto. Secondly, I want to be able to transfer all my data from my present Palm Desktop application to the new device and whatever desktop application comes with it. (As far as my contacts are concerned, I have kept them in an AppleWorks database as well as on my Palm and Palm Desktop. I suppose it conceivably might be easier to import them from the AW database than from Palm Desktop. But my diary entries for the next year or two, and my Memo data, will in any case have to come from Palm Desktop.)

The crucial thing in both these matters is that my computer is a PPC one and my operating system is Tiger (10.4.11), and I am not proposing to upgrade these, since a great deal of my expensive software would also have to be upgraded if I did.

As far as I can see, only fossilized remains of plain old handhelds (diary, address book, memos) now exist. I do not really want a smartphone, since I have an ordinary mobile 'phone anyway and do not require mobile access to e-mails and internet. But if I have to have a smartphone, so be it, as long as I can synch it with my Mac and can import my data from Palm Desktop into it.

Thank you very much for suggestions, ideas amd advice.

Posted on Oct 14, 2011 6:34 AM

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Answer 1

Best reply

a brody

Level 10

82,841 points

Oct 18, 2011 8:38 AM in response to Michael Graubart

Appleworks is no longer supported. So a Palm software may actually be better when moving to the modern day. See this user tip with regards to converting your Appleworks files:

https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-2522

According to:
http://roaringapps.com/app:2293
It appears Palm has abandoned the Mac as well, and Missing Sync is your best bet to keep your old files updated:
http://www.markspace.com/osx-lion/index.html

So you might want to consider their software, and compatible devices to integrate yourself when you move up to Intel Macs. This migration tip explains other things you may need to consider:

https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-2295

And if upgrading to Leopard:

https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-2275

Or Snow Leopard:

https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-2455Or Lion:

https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-2465

Should be in your future.

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Answer 2

Oct 18, 2011 12:48 PM in response to Michael Graubart

There's a wealth of useful information there, A. Brody. Thank you very much. While I study it and think about it (and while I figure out what to do about all my musical scores in Finale, whose layouts will probably become corrupted if I upgrade to a version of Finale that will run in Leopard or Snow Leopard, as they did when I upgraded from a version that ran in OS 9 to one that worked in OS X), an interim solution has now become apparent to me: I can still get exactly the same model of Palm PDA that I have been using, and which has died on me, from certain dealers via Amazon.

As far as all the major recommended updates are concerned, though, including a new computer (since my present one is a PPC one), I do have to point out that there are people in this world (including, as it happens, me) who quite literally have not got enough money in their piggy-banks or under their beds to be able to upgrade; and it is, perhaps, not such a good idea to treat them with the subtly implied contempt that shines through all well-meaning advice to upgrade as a solution to all present problems.

I admire the technological and programming progress that is continually happening. I, too, was once a development engineer in electronics before I decided on music as a career. But I do not admire the inevitability of adopting the fruits of this progress. When I say that my present hardware and software are perfectly adequate to my requirements and I should like to keep them working, I fully understand that that is not the way the world works any more, but that is the way I propose to work as long as there is any possible way of doing so.

Thank you again, and I will think about all the options.

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Answer 3

LEE 3103

Level 1

9 points

Jun 24, 2012 8:04 AM in response to Michael Graubart

Why doesn't Apple buy the Palm Desktop back and bring it up to par in Lion. I would gladly pay for it - especially after they tune it up for Apple-wide use and sync.

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Answer 4

Jun 24, 2012 8:46 AM in response to a brody

I have not upgraded yet, A. Brody. But I have tried to use Missing Sync in place of Palm Desktop and HotSync because of an annoying and time-wasting bug in the Palm software, and have run into a serious problem. If you have time, would you be so kind as to have a look at my post in the iCal community under the titleiCal does not show list of calendars

I should be most grateful if you could solve the mystery and help me get this stuff working.

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