I wrote earlier that I was looking for a personal "Holy Grail of Synchronization" to keep my contacts on my Palm device in sync with my email. I was fully willing to move to whatever platform gave me that option and I was rooting for Google since they already had an API for their Calendar web application. I am still a fan of Google's Gmail, but I still stand behind my previous statement that Yahoo Mail provides much more features that I can't leave behind if I switched.
Of all the features I want out of an email client, integration with Palm devices was my number one. Yahoo came closest with their Intellisync product, but the product was outdated and no longer worked with the majority of Palm devices. Intellisync tried to be part of Palm's HotSync process, the process by which the Palm would synchronize information with information stored on the computer. Adding Yahoo's Intellisync product slowed down the HotSync process so much that often the HotSync itself would timeout and fail. Eventually Intellisync stopped working altogether as new Palms came out or an update to the HotSync tool was released.
Nothing happened for years afterwards, but there was always people looking around for some sort of solution to the problem. A few articles were written, some buzz after Google released an API for their Calendar, but still things stayed the same. Eventually I wrote a blog post about the issue as well, where I suggested that someone just export the contact information directly out of Palm Desktop instead of using the HotSync process. Well, it appears that someone (I'm sure it was just a coincidence) was listening, and this time it was Yahoo.
Yahoo quietly released an update to Intellisync; well it's more like an entirely new product, called Yahoo Autosync. This tool does almost exactly what I originally suggested: it will export your contact and calendar information out of the Palm Desktop (avoiding the HotSync) and sync those setting directly with Yahoo Mail! I was so ecstatic that I could barely contain myself. Finally the tool I was waiting for!
Actual Experience
After downloading the tool, I had some initial problems, which I will post here in case you've run across the same issues. As usual, I wrote to Yahoo about the problems and got an automated response basically telling me that it's a free product and I'm on my own. I guess I could have written back and said my $25/year for Yahoo Plus did in fact qualify me as a non-free user, but that's not the point.
The first limitation I noticed was that it appeared as if the Calendar sync didn't work at all. Turned out that if I limited the time span for it to sync that I finally got a successful sync (limited to 30 days). I also originally installed the program on the D drive, which I believe also caused some errors until I uninstalled and installed on the C drive. That might have more to do with the discovery that Calendar syncing wasn't working, but I thought I'd mention it in case someone runs into the same problem.
I've also noticed a few contacts disappear here and there. I'm not sure when it happens, but it all started when I told the Autosync application to do a Two-way sync between Yahoo and Palm instead of a one-way Palm beats Yahoo role. After a couple of times when I picked up my phone only to find someone I call quite often suddenly missing from my contacts list I switched back to One-way sync from Palm Desktop to Yahoo.
Other Thoughts
I'm also a bit surprised that this tool hasn't gotten more recognition from the blogging community. The "Holy grail of synchronization" blog from a year ago was a huge hit, but the steps involved were crazy. It almost seems as if Yahoo doesn't stand a chance against Google because a certain population is so enamored with Google that they refuse to use any other service. It's almost as if they hear silence every time I mention the word Yahoo.
I love Google, and I really like Gmail, but I know at the end of the day that I need certain features and I'm not willing to jump through a bunch of hoops to get them when another service provides them easily for free. When are we going to see a little retro-feedback for Yahoo already?
-jj
Has your experience changed after using Yahoo AutoSync? I am forced into a similar situation as you. I used Yahoo Mail for home but for the last several years have sync'ed my Palm TX at Work (using mNotes). My calendar, tasks, memo's, and contacts were all sync'ed with our coporate email system (Lotus Notes). I received a notification today that this will be changing, we will not be allowed to sync corporate data with personal PDA's as of Thursday. My plan is to switch from using mNotes to Yahoo AutoSync since this would allow me to have my Yahoo Address book up to date.
ReplyDeleteSorry it's taken me so long to post (was out of the country). I'm still using Yahoo AutoSync and it still seems to be behaving the same.
ReplyDeleteWhich is not necessarily a bad thing since it is working, although with the same limitations I've previously listed. Unfortunately I think Yahoo is the only service that is even targeting the issue.
I also have to mention that I found out that my company will be switching from Treos to Blackberry, which means it will be the first time in almost 10 years I'll be without a Palm. Who knows what a Blackberry syncs with :)
Good luck
Oh, I almost forgot. The AutoSync application add a "Intellisync Record Id" to almost everything. All my contacts now have a Note with the id in them, and the same when I tried to sync my Notes. Just something to keep in mind in case you noticing Palm records with all these IDs in them.
ReplyDeleteI also tried for some days this AutoSync. But then I left it behind for 3 reasons:
ReplyDelete1) very slow. My Palm contains many data and even if I setup some filtered sync the process went thru all my palm record taking some time;
2) yahoo contacts do not take all my palm contact information. For example it takes only one email address (but most of my contacts have several)
3) I was really annoyed by the spam "Intellisync Record Id" that AutoSync spread all over inside my data.
Walter
I was looking for an online Calendar to my liking. Google is nice, but I prefer Yahoo just because of the tasks list that is not provided in Google.
ReplyDeleteI was also looking for a straightforward way to sync with my Palm, and AutoSync does a nice job.
So far, I have only one complaint. Tasks in my Palm Desktop get exported OK to Yahoo, but not vice versa. I have also tried the one way (Yahoo->PDA) option, and still the tasks in Yahoo do not show in Palm Desktop. Might be just me, or my PC, or my XP or such.
Anyway, I've been considering switching to iPhone so I might have to re-do my search for Yahoo doesn't sync with iPhone, at least not yet.
page 10 of the iPhone 3G User Guide (http://manuals.info.apple.com/en_US/iPhone_User_Guide.pdf
ReplyDelete) seems to say that Yahoo<->iPhone sync is now supported.
Disclaimer:
I haven't tried this sync, but I'd sure love to migrate all (Contacts, Calendar, Tasks, Memos) from Treo to iPhone.
Has anyone gotten such a chore to work?
--
Matthew
Treo 700p
Palm Desktop 4.2
I have the paid version of Yahoo even though I only do email online. I have used Intellisync to sync my Palm hand held to Yahoo with great success for years. It no longer works and I cannot get the Autosync to do a true SYNC -- especially the calendar. (If it syncs to the desktop, then the desktop does not want to sync to the hand held!!!)
ReplyDeleteThis makes the Yahoo apps useless to me. Does anyone have a suggestion for on line apps that will sync to Palm hand held - - especially a calendar that sends email reminders???