Thread: Palm user: is it time to move to the Nxxx?
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pk11 is offline pk11
2008-01-27 , 05:24
Posts: 8 | Thanked: 2 times | Joined on Jan 2008 @ /dev/random
#43
Originally Posted by abby_normal View Post
Have been following this discussion with interest. Sounds like a number of former Palm users find GPE lacking in comparison. May I ask why? Syncing is clearly an issue (although robust two-way syncing with Google calendar would seem to go a long way towards addressing that issue if it could be ironed out). Tight integration with other apps (e.g. email) is also clearly lacking at this point. But what else do Palm users miss with respect to the PIM functions?
The tablet trumps non-phone Palms on everything except calendaring. Media playback, Skype, IM, and a wealth of ported or portable Linux apps make for a great experience. I definitely don't want a phone, so the tablets are a great choice.

Re: PIM functionality. GPE is very close to being usable instead of a Palm calendar. It currently lacks

1. Alarms that wake from power off. GPE must be running for alarms to work. The GPE alarms need to be integrated with the "system alarms" that do work from power off.

2. Customizable alarms, with at least the ability to see upcoming alarms and silence them (meetings etc.)

3. Direct file based synchronization of desktop calendars (via .ics files) or even a direct sync with iCal (Mac) and Outlook (Win). Unfortunately google calendar sync is simply not acceptable for business use.

4. Ease of use optimizations. DateBk on the Palm is very slick in comparison to GPE owing to careful optimization of the layout, dialogs etc. for the small Palm screen.

I am not a developer but these missing features (1-3) all seem doable. Sync via e.g. Opensync is close.

I also agree with Sean Luke's essay http://cs.gmu.edu/~sean/stuff/n800/ which applies to the whole Maemo experience. OS2008 feels much better than OS2007, but most of comments still apply.