Mobile Computing: Put Outlook on Your Palm

Feature: Outlook on Your Palm

In an office building hallway, one businessman asks another, "What time is the meeting tomorrow?"

"Eleven," comes the reply.

The first businessman fumbles for his PDA, to no avail. "Would you e-mail me a reminder?" he asks his colleague, exasperated at his own haplessness.

"I'll go you one better," says the other. "I'll Outlook you."

Somewhere along the way, apparently, Microsoft Outlook has gone from being a mere noun to a verb. The e-mail/calendaring/to-do list program, included in Microsoft Office suites, has become entrenched within small businesses and enterprises alike.

That's all well and good. But until recently, there was no easy solution for folks who wanted to carry their Outlook data around on a Palm device: Many Outlook database fields don't have a direct equivalent in the Palm's built-in applications. Outlook's Contacts utility, for instance, includes fields for instant-messaging address, manager's name, assistant's name, and spouse's name that the Palm Address utility lacks. Hence, that information isn't automatically copied onto a Palm when syncing with Outlook.

Two new Palm utilities--DataViz's Beyond Contacts and Chapura Software's KeySuite--seek to bridge the Outlook-Palm disparity. Both programs duplicate the features and database fields of Outlook on a Palm, though each goes about it a bit differently.

[Author's note: Palm's new Tungsten E and Tungsten T3 devices include upgraded versions of Palm's built-in applications that provide enhanced support for Outlook fields. However, third-party programs such as Beyond Contacts and KeySuite still offer more robust Outlook support than do the Tungsten's newly upgraded applications, according to a Palm spokesperson.]

Based on my informal tests, Beyond Contacts is a good choice for most Outlook users, as its interface more closely resembles Outlook's. KeySuite, on the other hand, provides a bit more control--such as the ability to determine which Outlook folders to sync--that makes it more suitable for power users.

For more information about syncing Outlook with a Palm OS device, see "Mobile Computing: Move Data Between PDAs."

DataViz Beyond Contacts

Beyond Contacts (current version 3.002) is from the company best known for Documents To Go, which allows Palm OS PDA users to view and edit Microsoft Office documents on their handhelds. (See this week's Handhelds section for news about the new Documents To Go 6 version.)

Pros: Beyond Contacts' interface closely mirrors Outlook's, complete with a Today view that provides an at-a-glance peek at the day's appointments, tasks, and unread messages. You can easily jump between Beyond Contacts utilities (such as Calendar, Contacts, Tasks, and Notes) from the Today view by clicking on their respective icons, just as in Outlook.

Beyond Contacts offers other nice touches. For example, an ABC tab, located to the right of your contacts, makes navigation easy; KeySuite doesn't offer such a tab. The Beyond Contacts Calendar provides daily, five-day, seven-day, and monthly views; KeySuite offers only day, week, and month views. And Beyond Contacts includes Inbox To Go, a program that syncs your Outlook e-mail messages on your PDA.

Cons: To install Beyond Contacts, Outlook must be your default e-mail application. Admittedly, the concept behind Beyond Contacts is to synchronize with Outlook. But not everyone who uses Outlook for contact management/calendaring also uses it for e-mail.

Outlook 2003 Compatibility: Beyond Contacts 3.002 will sync with Microsoft's new Outlook 2003--but not with Business Contact Manager for Microsoft Office Outlook 2003, the new Outlook add-on, according to a DataViz spokesperson. Outlook 2003 should be available by the time you read this.

Recommendation: If you're a basic Outlook user and want the ability to carry your data on a Palm, Beyond Contacts is the program for you.

Buying Info: Beyond Contacts lists for $50. You can download a free trial, or buy the program online, at the DataViz site. Go to the PCWorld.com Product Finder to check the latest discount prices.

Chapura Software KeySuite

KeySuite, first released in June, places four utilities on your Palm handheld: KeyDates (calendaring), KeyContacts (address book), KeyTasks (to-do items), and KeyNotes (note taking). KeySuite 2.1, the current version, syncs your Outlook data with these applications--unlike PocketMirror, another Chapura utility, which is included with Palm handhelds and syncs Outlook data with the Palm's built-in programs.

Pros: KeySuite allows you to customize the Outlook folders that are synced on your Palm, which can help speed the HotSync process. For instance, using the HotSync Manager on your PC, you can tell KeySuite not to synchronize with Outlook's Calendar, Contacts, Tasks, or Notes folders. You can also add, edit, and remove Outlook folders for syncing (except e-mail folders).

KeySuite has some nice interface touches, too. For example, unlike DataViz's program, contacts in KeySuite that are linked to other contacts are flagged with a business-card icon. Clicking the icon calls up the contact link, which allows you to remove the link or view the linked contact.

KeySuite 2.1 also includes a KeyContacts Activities screen, which provides a quick, easy, at-a-glance view of all activities (such as tasks and appointments) linked to a contact.

Cons: KeySuite utilities, especially KeyDates, look more like Palm apps than they do Outlook. And KeySuite lacks the integrated Today view offered by Outlook and Beyond Contacts.

Outlook 2003 compatibility: A future version of KeySuite will be compatible with Outlook 2003 and the Business Contact Manager add-on, according to a Chapura Software spokesperson.

Recommendation: KeySuite's un-Outlook interface requires users to work just a bit harder, but they're rewarded with more robust features. I recommend it for power users.

Buying Info: KeySuite 2.1 lists for $80 but has an introductory price of $50. Go to the Chapura Web site to download a free trial, or buy the program.