New to PPC. Need PIM like Datebk4 for Palm

G. Christopher · 02-23-03, 02:08 AM

Hi all. I just made the switch to the PPC from my Palm IIIc.

I really liked Datebk4 (now Datebk5) as a PIM. Is there any other PIMs out there for the PPC that is like Datebk4? Does not necessarily have to be freeware.

bajjer31 · 02-23-03, 08:43 AM

Pocket Informant is good, it's quite a bit like Datebk4. $20 or so, but they offer a 30 day trial period. I think you'll like it.

02-23-03, 08:46 AM

I, too, was a Palm/Handspring/Datbk user. I think the two choices you have with the PPC are Pocket Informant and Agenda Fusion. Both seem to be popular and award-winning programs, with loyal followings.

I chose Pocket Informant and am VERY happy that I did. (No knock on Agenda Fusion, just love the one I chose.).

Both are available at Handago.com and I believe both have trial versions you can download. Each should run you about $20 to $30. and would be worth the price.

Keep in mind that since both are so popular and since they are direct competitor's, each program is constantly changing and matching the others.

For more specific reviews, etc., search this board for Pocket Informant and Agenda Fusion. Many of us have already weighed in on this popular topic.

-- ADG

diesel · 02-24-03, 03:33 AM

hahaha, likewise, i'm a former palm/datebk user who recently made the switch to the axim and i have been trying out Pocket Informant and Agenda Fusion trying to decide between the two. In terms of functionality, they have the same features it seems (i've only had my axim for 4 days :) ) However I did notice a few pros and cons to both.

I love the user interface of Pocket Informant, it's just very well done and asthetically pleasing to the eye. Very nicely done, however at a certain price i think. Pocket Informant loads noticeably slower than any other app i have loaded on my axim. Agenda Fusion loads instantly, but PI seems to load in a few seconds and the screen seems to "refresh" as it loads. Kind of annoying waiting a couple of seconds for it to load.

Agenda Fusion looks okay, not as nice as PI but loads quickly. A gripe that i have about agenda fusion is that the Tasks list doesn't word wrap like Pocket Informant does. PI has the tasks list, and the tasks are word wrapped so you can read the whole text of a task without drilling down. with Agenda fusion u have to drill down to read the whole text of a task.

Well i'm sure there are bigger differences then the ones i've listed above, however that's what i've noticed so far. Right now i'm leaning towards Pocket Informant because it just makes for nicer eye candy :) despite its slower loading speed.

Let me know which one you decide on

Eric

bunger · 02-24-03, 07:37 AM

I completely agree with that review! I have been switching back and forth between PI and AF for about a week a week now and am *reluctantly* using PI simply because it is so much easier to use. BUT the slowness of the app is getting quite annoying...

shdytxmn · 02-24-03, 08:16 PM

And now, another former Datebk user adds his 2cents. I likewise tried Pocket Informant and Agenda Fusion. Both are good but like Agenda Fusion just a bit more. You can download trials for both.

JakeRich · 02-25-03, 08:55 AM

I use PI and keep it in memory all the time. It's quick, once loaded, so by having it running in the background it's available. It's the first app I start after every soft reset I have to do. You might try just leaving it running in the background so that you don' t have to wait for it to load.

ArnonR · 02-26-03, 03:28 PM

Quote:

It's the first app I start after every soft reset I have to do.

You can copy the shortcut from windows\Start Menu\Programs
to the windows\StartUp

And it will run automatically when you do a soft reset

Arnon

G. Christopher · 02-26-03, 11:19 PM

Thanks for the great response guys...especially the ones who have used Datebk for the Palm before as they would have a certain incite to my dilemma.

I'll try agenda fusion and pocket informant to see which I find better to my liking.

Anyone know if Datebk will be written for the PPC?

plazman30 · 02-27-03, 11:25 AM

I tried both apps also and I ended up picking Agenda Fusion for one reason alone: Notes. It seems that Pocket Informant keeps Notes in it's own little database, while Agenda Fusion uses the Notes format of the standard PocketPC Notes App. I was concerned that this proprietary note format would lock me in to using PI for life.

diesel · 02-27-03, 12:17 PM

plazman,

i didn't know that. i'm not really a big notes user but if that's the case i wonder why PI did that...........seems strange to me

plazman30 · 02-27-03, 01:19 PM

I'm not 100% sure why they did that either, but if you have notes currently in your Notes app, you won't be able to see them in Pocket Informant.

G. Christopher · 03-11-03, 12:23 AM

After using both Agenda Fusion and Pocket Informant at the same time (had them both loaded and used them concurrently), I decided to stick with PI. Both programs seem very similar, not much difference between the two.

However, I liked the "look and feel" of PI over Agenda Fusion...a little more polished and refined.

As you may know, both Agenda Fusion and Pocket Informant has come out with upgrades 4.92 for AF and ver 4 for PI.

plazman30: your critique of PI is valid, however, I bet if you and others provide your input, they may change it in later versions to make it better.

Still like my Datebk though.

plazman30 · 03-11-03, 08:07 AM

Yeah, there's nothing like DateBk5. I still find the Palm to be a much easier to use platform than the PPC platform.

Andy

NeoAxim · 03-11-03, 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by plazman30
I'm not 100% sure why they did that either, but if you have notes currently in your Notes app, you won't be able to see them in Pocket Informant.

Just upgraded to PI ver4.

Never noticed this feature in 3.6 or below so it is possible that this is a new feature of version 4 but you can see "standard" Outlook notes in PI.

Click the notes tab, on the bottom of the screen you will see an icon that looks like a curled sheet of paper. Click that and check "display Outlook notes".

tada - standard notes displayed on your PPC, with the option to convert them to the PI "Alarm Note" format.

I have been a PI user for close to 2 years now and for my money it doesn't get much better as far as a PIm is concerned.