Yet all these protocols IM and Skype/Gizmo protocols have no way to sync with each other because there is no standard. They're vendor lock-ins. Also, its not only for syncing contacts. PIM is much more; e.g. calendar and todo lists.

OpenSync/SyncML provides a framework for this. You can pick your own server to sync with or one online (gratis or for fee), and many other open source software also supports this. Another standard is iCal.

If your PIM application on the NIT supports this, and has a good interface making use of Hildon & touchscreen this means 1) a user doesn't need a seperate device for PIM anymore adding substantial value to the NIT for many users 2) the user can pick either her NIT or e.g. her laptop, mobile device for this functionality.

The added value of such feature is not to be underestimated, and the functionality has been asked for in various threads.

Yes, some people use mCalendar for this purpose but it only speaks Google API, and some people do not use (nor wish to) use Google Calendar because of fear of vendor lock-in, privacy related reasons, or because their other applications support open standards.

Imagine there is no such thing as Pidgin (and other multi-protocol clients). Then you'd have to run all the protocols in a seperate client. Would you want such for PIM? Besides that, ICQ & AIM and MSN & Yahoo are nowadays compatible with each other.

But it's ok that the various protocols can't sync with each other, since my contacts are using those services, and that's how I reach them.

I agree that calendar / todo / alarms are useful to keep synced across all devices. I said that above.

Yup, but the contacts are saved server-side.

ICQ98/99 didn't support server-side contact list so after a reinstall (which happens on Windows 9x) you'd have lost your client list. Unless you had a backup. Those who had not would ask for authorisation with a message "lost my list, sorry!". Also, on newer ICQ clients you could install ICQ on another device and use your server-side contact list.

The problem with the incompatible IM clients is that some people (only) use a specific IM client. In several countries, different IM protocols are standard meaning that most of the population uses a specific protocol. In The Netherlands this is MSN, in Russia this is ICQ, and in Poland this is Gadu-Gadu. Were the IM protocols based on a standard or had compatibility with each other one would not have to install seperate clients for each seperate IM protocol, Multi IM protocol clients like Pidgin solve this issue, providing one consistent UI at the price of losing some (specific) IM protocol features.

If one co-employee would use SyncML and another would use Google then you'd have the same issue as without Pidgin.

And, with PIM, one can assume the user doesn't always use the same device to access the PIM data therefore its important the user is able to synchronize the data.

I think I know what would accelerate development - commercial development, that is. But you're not gonna like it...

DRM.

Yeah I hate it in my AACs and on my games but I find a way around it. When it's well done it's not all that intrusive. I *might* be tempted to develop something small without it but I doubt many would be crazy about drag and drop pirating, I'm sure.

Palm has its Hotsync Name, WinMo has its registry, iPhone has its jail. And it kinda works, you know? Tens of thousands of apps result from it. We have 271.

I'm more than willing to shell out for a good app I need, AND put up with a well-thought-out DRM if it means a useful platform, which this is turning out not to be.

Oh that's an easy set of scenarios:

I am at home, I mythically sync my N800's calendar, todo, contacts.
I get in the car, I drive my daughter to school, I catch another dad in the parking lot who wants to get together. I look at my calendar and can find out when. I add him to my contacts and add a to-do to email him my contact info. (Or heck write the email offline and queue it to send.)

I go to my church vestry meeting where there is no WiFi, they ask when we can meet to talk about something, I look at my calendar instead of going "uh, I dunno", and can even make an appointment.

I am the passenger in my car driving 2 hours to my brother's place. I want to call someone that's not in my phone to tell them someone else's address, also not in my non-smartphone. I look it up and tell them.

Data portability and control is important, very important. Public WiFi isn't everywhere and I have no WiFi available at work. My tablet is offline all day long and when I'm in the car. It would vastly increase the value of the tablet.

I understand the concern about native apps to use standard data formats. It's all part of the puzzle.

If it means growing the big-red-candylike-sync to the point where extra steps are inserted to translate from SyncML or whatever would work to each app then those are extra steps that can be programmed. This is a computer. It's programmable. It's not a locked-down carrier-chokehold-victim smartphone or dumb phone.

If the PIM apps are open source you'd think they'd have a separate data layer from the presentation layer or something.

Nokia's solution in Maemo 5: HSPA.

most featurephones i have seen last couple of years have both calendar a address field on contacts. but then they have been using fatory defult firmwares...

but then sync is stil nice to counteract single points of failure. specifially a sync to the "cloud".

Data plans are ridiculously expensive in the US, even moreso if you want to tether anything to a phone via Bluetooth.

I would like to use a device independent of my telephone, especially since two of the four major carriers (including the #1 carrier Verizon) use CDMA systems and not GPRS/EDGE/HSPDA systems. Requiring a data plan and carrier lock-in is a cop-out.

I'll pay for software, what $20 a year? $50 a year? $99 a year for a full suite? But I won't pay $1,200 a year ($40-50 for data plus 50-60 for tethering) on Verizon to allow my tablet to connect to the outside world (and I think it would block my phone from working at the same time).

InfinityDevil: You misunderstand; there would be no tethering, the HSPA modem will be built-in to the next-gen tablet. However, some carriers might take "not-my-device" attitudes and say, "if you want to connect your non-standard device to our network, it will cost you $x extra." Not much we can do about that, and I suspect that will be a big problem here in Canada.

You might be interested in N810WME (WiMAX Edition). Otherwise, besides HS*PA there isn't a 24/7 wireless connectivity available (yet). Maybe LTE in the long-term future, or the HS*PA prices might drop due to competition.