Palm Desktop On Windows Vista

We have seen several people inquiring about support for Palm Desktop on Windows Vista:
http://blog.palm.com/palm/2007/04/editors_note_bl.html#comment-68399558.

I wanted to let everyone know that we are working on a beta release of the new Windows Vista-compatible Palm Desktop and HotSync Manager software - time frame for the release is this summer. I will make sure to let everyone know when the software is available.

Also, here is a link with info on Windows Vista for Palm's Palm OS and Windows Mobile devices: http://www.palm.com/us/support/windowsvista/.

David Sloan - Product Manager

Comments

[Hengeem]

Any word on the new hawkins 3rd business? Jeff mentioned this in several interviews over the last 2 years, when will palm say something? They better say SOMETHING soon! The stock price has tanked 20% in the last 4 weeks.

[Alan Grassia]

David,

Thank you for the update. I know that there are a lot of Palm's customers looking forward to improved Palm Desktop and HotSync support with the Windows Vista family of operating systems.

Cheers!
Alan G

[Jake Thomas]

That's Great. How about a Palm Desktop for Mac OS X that rivals the Windows Version.

Lets face it, the current Palm Desktop for Mac is nothing more than than Claris Organizer with the Palm Logo.

RIM supports full syncing capabilities with OS X by supplying a free license for a third-party solution.

Why has Palm abandoned the Mac community?

[Merlyn 3D]

I fully agree with Jake. Palm Desktop on the Mac is deplorable at best. It isn't even a universal (intel compatible) application. In addition, syncing with ANY of the built in Apple applications doesn't work correctly, just try to get your contacts to sync with categories properly.

[AJ0230]

What about more enhancements to the desktop? It seems over time youve limited the desktop vs adding to it.

Aside from the ability of syncing media, youve taken away, notes, expense, etc.

Can you give us a glimpse of some of the enhancements youre going to add to the desktop?

PLEASE??????

I dunno maybe something like the ability to add holidays? Just about every other calendar/PIM software has this basic functionality and yet Palm hasnt ever added this why?

What about the ability to pull a sync from the desktop vs pushing it from the handheld? Why are we limited by this?

etc etc. I can go on and on about the limitations of the software Im just hoping you will give us some morsels of what you have planned to add to it?

Thanks!

[HelixOne]

Any thoughts on providing OS upgrades for older devices. (Not for free, but for a charge. This way you could cover development and additional licensing costs).

For example, I would love to be able to buy an OS upgrade to my Treo, that mirrors the software on the 680. (Well as much as can fit).

I also would be willing to pay for a software upgrade to linux on my 700p.

You can get in the business of selling OS upgrades. (This is not the same as firmware updates.)

[700p-MacOS-User]

> That's Great. How about a Palm Desktop for Mac OS X that rivals the Windows
> Version.

While I am totally for it, and use Palm Desktop for Mac OS 10.4.9, I gave up on Palm updating it. Now with iPhone, Palm is in HEAD 2 HEAD fight with Apple, trying to SURVIVE!!!

Palm expects us, Mac users to run for iPhone, even if some skip iPhone 1.0... So why even bother?

I hope Apple doesn't cut Palm Off, when Leopard, Mac OS 10.5 comes out... Otherwise, how will I be able to Export my Palm Desktop and to what?

Addressbook is lame, no Memos, and I don't trust Entourage.... - Unstable and Slow... If iPhone runs Microsoft's Office etc, Palm is FINISHED!!!

And, how about this for crazy?

For about a week now, here in NYC, I see Verizon Wireless TV commercials lauding 700p (not W!!!) Funny, since we all are still waiting for the UPDATER which will come about 2 weeks before 6/15/07 iPhone Release!!!!

What a ZOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Bryn]

Is there ANY way at all to get 4.1.4e to work with the media conduit that ships on the 650 CD? As it stands, I can't install 4.1.4e without uninstalling 4.x that ships on the CD, and that means removing the media enhancment AND the Media plug-in (Photo.dll). I've tried hi-jacking and manually installing the media conduit (dlls, appropriate registy entry, etc... yes, I'm a Palm developer who writes conduits) but the Media conduit never shows up under "Custom". It's a shame it's taking this long to get a working desktop out there for Vista. A month or two after Vista ships, yes, but summer....?

[Aaron Chang]

As always, Alan Grassia brings great points and I strongly agree that Mac support for the new Palm Desktop and and syncing is badly needed.

[Slamchez]

How about a solution for those of us who don't want to wait for summer and are either running Vista now or want to upgrade? Why the delay? It's not like you guys didn't know Vista wasn't on its way.

[RP]

Solution which I just sent to Palm support after reading this post (I was not aware there is a problem for other people using HotSync under Vista). - I never had a problem using HotSync under Windows Vista. I simply right clicked the HotSync.exe app and chose "Compatibility" and "Run this program as an administrator" and the same for the Install Tool (Instapp.exe). Then, by right clicking a .prc or .pdb file and selecting "Send To >> Palm Powered(TM) Handheld" the HotSync process works perfectly and the file is synced to the device. I hope this helps.

[Eric]

My Palm Desktop works fine on Vista. So what's the problem. The only application what doesn't work for me is QuickInstall.exe probably due to a used WinXP UI dll, because the old Instapp.exe works fine. I just had to reassign all my Palm files (prc, pdb) to open with InstApp.exe

[Thomas (Toem) Dornscheidt]

That sound's good. Do you have any idea when you want to publish a new Mac OS X version.

[Tony Cheung]

Palm Inc has been stressing that most of its engineers are software engineers.

However, why does it take so long to come up with a Vista compatible Hotsync Manager and Palm Desktop?

Besides Vista compatibility, will there be any new feature or new UI?

[Robert Hurdman]

You've got to be kidding. Windows Longhorn has been in the works for how long, seven years? And you just now realize that maybe you should make the antiquated Palm Desktop compatible? If this is a reflection on the amount of forward thinking you folks are capable of, I'm sure glad I only ever developed for the Palm OS as a hobby. If it had been my livelihood, you'd be killing me!

[BG]

I am currently using Vista Ultimate and a Treo 680 and everything works fine. I had to install it in XP compatibility mode but no problems since then. Everything works.

[Will]

Will that be for 32 bit Vista only or x64 as well? What about support for XP x64?

[AJ0230]

With the eminent release of the Linux POS, it would be an incredible opportunity to really, REALLY enhance the POS desktop.

See this thread in TreoCentral for some more ideas!

http://discussion.treocentral.com/showthread.php?t=134842&highlight=desktop

Please make the desktop as current as possible. (how about adding the ability to sync/manage our songs and playlists now that PocketTunes is part of the Palm offerings?)

Can you tell Im pretty passionate about this one?

[Garman]

A repost of a comment made earlier that is more suited to this entry.

Was it just the Ipod or did a little thing called the Itunes store contribute to such groundswell. More than requesting for Wifi I would throw my 2 cents for a Palm Desktop with some kind of web access, rss, conduits, Api, updates, something. Isolation doesn't lead to growth and I am tired of only finding third party apps that work only for Microsoft Outlook and feeling limited by my Palm's own native and most compatible Desktop App. It's an mp3 player, a movie player, has wifi, and has a touch screen ... No, It's a Palm TX.

PS - If we can send a man to the moon can we reach beyond 15 categories. That alone would bring thunderous applause but i wouldn't want to clap for too long about for something not so revolutionary.

[roman]

Hello,

While you're at it, what about getting rid of the silly 15 category limit on the palm on the desktop and the OS? I have a palm TX with sufficient memory, is this some kind of technical obstruction you can't get past?

Sometimes, I think I'm too negative whenever I'm posting, but when I think about it again, it's valid, b/c you guys have been doing some poor work in keeping up with the industry in general.

It's really really too bad that you aren't dominating the PDA and smartphone market even more. You had a great rep. Over 10 of my friends used to use palms, but they all stopped, b/c it was such a pain, and you stopped innovating to make things easier.

You shot yourselves in the foot.

[David Sloan @ Palm]

Thanks everyone, for the comments.

Some more information... The main purpose of this new Windows Palm Desktop is to replace Palm Desktop 4.1.4e and 4.2 which have problems on Vista due to Palm Quick Install not running properly. Also, the new installer is more flexible and the HotSync manager interface is much improved. We are only supporting XP and Vista 32-bit in this release.

Regarding Mac support: http://blog.palm.com/palm/2007/05/palm_desktop_on.html#comment-68767748:

Not much I can comment on at this time, other than we are aware that the Palm Desktop for Mac has not changed much in recent years. We do have a plan for Mac users and definitely value our large Mac install base. But, for now, I cannot give away our Mac support strategy until its ready for release.

Something else Mac users may want to check out is our partner, Markspace. Their app, MissingSync (http://www.markspace.com/missingsync_palmos.php) provides more more robust desktop sync functionality for those who want more than Palm Desktop can offer. Full-disclosure, it does cost $39.95.

[BJ]

What are you guys up to? You're still trying to work out VISTA compatibility? Vista was released 6 months ago. Geez.

Meanwhile, RIM is eating your lunch. They've introduced 3 innovative smartphones when you've introduced... uh... none? (Don't even try to argue that the 680 is as innovative as any one of the Pearl, 8800, or Curve.) And RIM just released a .Net developer kit, MVX integration, and Blackberry virtualization. You squandered a lead in PDAs, now you are squandering a lead in smartphones.

Don't get me wrong, I love using Palm OS. I've created software for Palm OS. But if you're new device doesn't blow the iPhone and Curve out of the water and be TRULY innovative and not obviously hobbled from Day 1, you guys will be out of business by 4Q08.

[Tom Sweet]

I'm pleased to see efforts to improve Palm Desktop.

I think it would help the product immensely if Palm made sure to completely follow Windows Logo Program Requirements to make it install on all supported NT kernel-based OS's, Win2k and up. Use the profile directories, proper registry keys, test with folder redirection, windows installer, application publishing, single or multiple OS user install, one or more devices per OS user. Configuration management through Group Policy would be a great help as well. Get more info at MS' Windows Logo site http://www.microsoft.com/winlogo/ (MS Partner Registration required).

At a minimum, all the items at AppDeploy.com must be fixed.
http://www.appdeploy.com/packages/detail.asp?id=162

If this is done right, Palm may be able to realize a single download that would install and run on everything from win95 with IE 5.5 and the desktop update to Vista. I believe going below win2k with IE6 may not provide enough of a return to make it worthwhile.

[icarus]

What I also miss, is multiple platform compatibility.

Something Mozilla Foundation is doing quite well.
Having their Firefox, Thunderbird, Sunbird, etc. running under Windows, Apple, Linux,....

This is a great thing. That gives you platform independence. You can setup a system and don't need to worry about changing to another platform.
(I am presently running on Windows 2000, but looking into changing to openSUSE Linux or so.)

Especially with the new Linux PalmOS, I would expect something in this direction.

With a powerfull PalmDesktop, there might be no need for Outlook.
And how about integration with Thunderbird and Sunbird?

However, I am looking forward to a strong combination of Linux PalmOS and a new (multi-platform) PalmDesktop.

[Joseph P. Sabeh]

I wish I knew that the design team was so far behind the curve. I bought my new computer with bluetooth so I could sync with my Treo 700p using this technology. After spending at least 4 hours with the Palm Techs they finally admitted that they knew of the Bluetooth Sync problems and are working on a fix. If I would have known this prior to buying the 700p I would have opted for something other than the palm. Even though I have had a palm since the VIII.