[kilofoxtrot]

See that is the problem. Your way isn't the only way.

But it is the smartest, most timely and most efficient way.

I have enough USB cords and dongles as it is.

[hparsons]

...
What is this Apple? Where they tell me what I need and what I can do?
...

Except they're not telling you what you can do. They're telling you that they're not going to do it for you. If someone else offers it, they're not going to stop them.

Somewhere along the line, Palm dropped the IR port. I wasn't particularly upset, since I had quit using it years before. As a matter of fact, I was more upset when they lowered the power of the IR port, because that meant my new device (don't even remember which one it was now) no longer worked as a remote control for my TV.

[Twisted-D]

See that is the problem. Your way isn't the only way. They have the ability to do both and that is how it should be so the consumer chooses how to sync.

What is this Apple? Where they tell me what I need and what I can do?

If they did something like this and Palm offered it many here would be all over Apple and rightfully so.

The way I described isn't the only way. There is also Exchange and Facebook contact syncing. There is also the Palm service that has so far not had a lot of information detailed.

Do that many people honestly sync there contacts with outlook? I don't know anybody that ever has. I do however know a lot of people that A) Have gmail/facebook and B) If you ask them for a number they pull out there phones and look for the number, even if they are sitting at there computer with outlook open.

[Aero]

herbie, why do you keep beating this horse to death? what's with this <<edited by berd>> crusade for the cloud? YES, i believe the cloud is the future and in 10 years everyone will use it. but we are far from there. your mission to single handedly convert everyone over to the cloud has grown tiresome.

Lol, I guess you did realize everyone with a smartphone is on the cloud already.

[eekinsman]

I understand synergy and I use the cloud and sync through it already-love it, will use it everyday on the Pre, but not to the EXCLUSION of local sync. As to hparsons, three thoughts come to mind:
1. None of hparsons "thoughts", even if accurate makes a compelling case to me against native desktop sync.

2. There are many features on many devices that I find useless or redundant, yet other users really like and use them. IT NEVER OCCURRED TO ME TO RANT AGAINST A FEATURE where its inclusion did me no harm.

3. hparsons doesnt know what he is talking about, and he admits it.

My apologies. I'm not a Mac user, so did not realize this. I thought I had read several times in the past that Mac users purchased sync software.

[philipsv]

See that is the problem. Your way isn't the only way. They have the ability to do both and that is how it should be so the consumer chooses how to sync.

What is this Apple? Where they tell me what I need and what I can do?

If they did something like this and Palm offered it many here would be all over Apple and rightfully so.

Amen.

[rhewitt]

I've never synched my phone to my desktop specifically because I am in your 95% running Outlook, Exchange, and Windows. I synch it with Exchange, and if I need to hard reset I will far-more-often-than-not be away from my desk. For all practical purposes, the data reside on my Exchange server, not on my desktop. If you are in the "95%" then isn't that true? Do you not synch your Outlook with an Exchange server? If not, then you're in the 5% and so.... ;-)

[hparsons]

I understand synergy and I use the cloud and sync through it already-love it, will use it everyday on the Pre, but not to the EXCLUSION of local sync. As to hparsons, three thoughts come to mind:
1. None of hparsons "thoughts", even if accurate makes a compelling case to me against native desktop sync.

Hmmm, you did see this part, right:

First of all, I want to say I'm not talking against desktop syncing generally, just against the argument that it should be included with the Pre when you purchase it.

2. There are many features on many devices that I find useless or redundant, yet other users really like and use them. IT NEVER OCCURRED TO ME TO RANT AGAINST A FEATURE where its inclusion did me no harm.

Again, it's a discussion, not a rant. You'd have a point were I talking about something that is included. I'm not. I'm discussing that I agree with what is apparently a decision that Palm has already made.

As I said, were they to go ahead and include it, I have no issue with that.

3. hparsons doesnt know what he is talking about, and he admits it.

Well, I did know about some of what I was talking about. The part I was wrong on - that's called "learning".

But, you did prove my point about the asbestos suit...

[philipsv]

The way I described isn't the only way. There is also Exchange and Facebook contact syncing. There is also the Palm service that has so far not had a lot of information detailed.

Do that many people honestly sync there contacts with outlook? I don't know anybody that ever has. I do however know a lot of people that A) Have gmail/facebook and B) If you ask them for a number they pull out there phones and look for the number, even if they are sitting at there computer with outlook open.

Almost EVERYONE I know syncs their contacts with Outlook.

[hparsons]

I've never synched my phone to my desktop specifically because I am in your 95% running Outlook, Exchange, and Windows. I synch it with Exchange, and if I need to hard reset I will far-more-often-than-not be away from my desk. For all practical purposes, the data reside on my Exchange server, not on my desktop. If you are in the "95%" then isn't that true? Do you not synch your Outlook with an Exchange server? If not, then you're in the 5% and so.... ;-)

I've been syncing my Treo to GroupWise via "the cloud" for 3 years now (you know, that "beta cloud"). Fortunately, in this case, Novell recognized that many GroupWise users are going to want to sync to WinMo and Palm OSs, so they provided the mechanism to sync their product (GroupWise) with those devices.

That's the shift that I believe Palm will bring about by not including sync software with the device. Instead of having to chase multiple OSs and applications, they will let the application developers produce their own for the WebOS devices.

It may not work. WebOS may be unpopular enough that Palm has to go back to the "old way"; but I agree completely with their decision to give it a shot.

And, I'm confident enough of my beliefs that I can post my thoughts without name-calling or profanity against those that disagree with me.

[DougB541]

THERE WILL BE A DESKTOP SYNC BY SOMEONE.


Quote me.


I hope this nonsense ends now.

[urkel]

I think (from all appearances) that Palm is handling this issue the right way.

Here's how I've sync'd the latest phones:

Brothers iPhone:
Mac <-> Phone

HTC Touch Pro:
Computer <-> Phone

Palm Pre:
Computer <-> Google <-> Phone

Im not saying synergy is bad, I'm just saying it's an unnecessary (and unreliable) step for enough people and it's a major turn off for an underdog product.

BTW, a 3rd party app offering desktop sync is NOT the same as having it built in.

[asforme]

The "cloud" simply means a real server that you connect to directly. An authoritative owner for your data that is accessible from multiple clients. The "cloud" is not in beta. However, the state of desktop syncing should still be considered in beta. If you notice, the iPhone and iPod can only be setup to "sync" with one computer, because the syncing technology still can't intelligently deal with more than 2 devices. ActiveSync tries to make it work, but it's a mess and and your data has a good chance of mysteriously vanishing or being duplicated. And God forbid if you try updating different parts of the same contact or file on both devices then sync. Desktop syncing is full of strange idiosyncrasies and I am thankful that palm is ditching it in favor of a logical system that has clearly defined servers and clients.

Any serious business users are kidding themselves if they think they can get away without having exchange, groupwise or some kind of hosted calendar/contacts/email service.

[hparsons]

...
Any serious business users are kidding themselves if they think they can get away without having exchange, groupwise or some kind of hosted calendar/contacts/email service.

Wow! There's a bold statement... Hang on a second...
...

...

...

...

Ahhh, there it is. My extra asbestos suit. I got too fat ... I mean ... big for it after several years sitting in front of a computer for a living. Try it on guy, I think you're about to need it ...

[asforme]

Here's how I've sync'd the latest phones:

Brothers iPhone:
Mac <-> Phone

HTC Touch Pro:
Computer <-> Phone

These, you are syncing, because no device owns the data. Whichever device updated the data last has to tell the other device that it was updated and transfer it. Which only happens when you plug in your usb cable.

Palm Pre:
Computer <-> Google <-> Phone

Im not saying synergy is bad, I'm just saying it's an unnecessary (and unreliable) step for enough people and it's a major turn off for an underdog product.

This is inaccurate, with synergy and the "cloud", google is not "syncing" with anybody. The Phone and the Computer are both clients to the google service. They are either operating on Google live, or are using cached data. But you can be sure that whatever device you're looking at always has the most up-to-date data without having to think back to when you last synced because the server owns the data and always has the latest versions.

[eekinsman]

Sorry, hparsons but what is your point then if you, "have no issue" were Palm to include native local sync??????????????

Again, it's a discussion, not a rant. You'd have a point were I talking about something that is included. I'm not. I'm discussing that I agree with what is apparently a decision that Palm has already made.

As I said, were they to go ahead and include it, I have no issue with that.

[hparsons]

Sorry, hparsons but what is your point then if you, "have no issue" were Palm to include native local sync??????????????

Because they don't, and several people seem to have an issue with that. It's a discussion point, plain and simple. Besides, I learned something. Other folks might too.

I guess I could have gone with another SERO thread...

[Twisted-D]

Here's how I've sync'd the latest phones:

Brothers iPhone:
Mac <-> Phone

HTC Touch Pro:
Computer <-> Phone

Palm Pre:
Computer <-> Google <-> Phone

Im not saying synergy is bad, I'm just saying it's an unnecessary (and unreliable) step for enough people and it's a major turn off for an underdog product.

BTW, a 3rd party app offering desktop sync is NOT the same as having it built in.

The problem with your examples is that your starting point is contacts stored locally.
Here is a different example

Gmail Contacts via Browser on Computer A <-> Pre
Gmail Contacts via Browser on Computer B <-> Pre
Gmail Contacts via Browser on Computer C <-> Pre
Gmail Contacts via Browser on Computer D <-> Pre
OH NO MY PRE GOT STOLEN, NOW WHAT TO DO????
Gmail Contact via Browser on Computer A,B,C OR D <-> New Pre

That is my view on the subject

[EeZeEpEe]

The problem with your examples is that your starting point is contacts stored locally.
Here is a different example

Gmail Contacts via Browser on Computer A <-> Pre
Gmail Contacts via Browser on Computer B <-> Pre
Gmail Contacts via Browser on Computer C <-> Pre
Gmail Contacts via Browser on Computer D <-> Pre
OH NO MY PRE GOT STOLEN, NOW WHAT TO DO????
Gmail Contact via Browser on Computer A,B,C OR D <-> New Pre

That is my view on the subject

Just simplifying your example:

Gmail, contacts, calendar via browser on ANY computer <-> Pre.

I love the idea of being able to access and sync instantly with whatever computer I'm on and not just my home computer. It's far more practical for me because I sync my Treo 755p probably only once a month. Synergy gets my vote.

[mvpsanto]

i heard in some video that it can sync with itunes hmmm interesting . i have a feeling the guy demostration the phone was wrong thou its to good to be true