Muskiedoc

OK

My Wife, who hates email,who hates computers wants to start using a PDA. She is starting to realize the advantages of the use. She has friends who download books, schedule appointments and would like to know what my schedule is at times when she is out and about.

She is very non tech orientated. I would like to get her an Axim 3 but my concern is she will some how delete my contact list or change my appointments when she syncs to outlook.

I am sure i am not alone in this issue. How is this managed. Out side of my backing up my data every night? Do you keep separate oulook files and the a joint one or what.

I look foreward to your suggestions, tricks, help.

PS She is a wonderful person with a big heart...she just feels as thogh she was born in the wrong century.:D

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Muskiedoc

Mike Jenson

Check out DataViz web site - look into Beyond Contacts - I believe it offers multiple users??
You may have to move to another sync software that also allows multiple users.

VanHlebar

Quote:

Originally posted by Mike Jenson Check out DataViz web site - look into Beyond Contacts - I believe it offers multiple users?? You may have to move to another sync software that also allows multiple users.

Unless I am mistaken, this product is only usable on a Palm OS. I think he stated he wanted to get his wife an X3 so he wouldn't be able to use it.

I too would be intrested in something like this. Currently both my wife and I use Outlook and then she uses Agenda Fusion and I use Pocket Informant on our respective ppcs. I wouldn't mind being able to make it so she couldn't delete/move my appointments or contacts, but I can say this. In both of us using ppcs now for about 18 months or better, we haven't really had a big problem with this. She also is not very good using computers, but she has seemed to figure out the basics of the ppc without too much help. :)

-Eric

doogald

How about setting up a separate user account on the PC for both of you - then her contacts are hers, your contacts are yours, and vice versa. Same with calendar and tasks.

VanHlebar

Quote:

Originally posted by doogald How about setting up a separate user account on the PC for both of you - then her contacts are hers, your contacts are yours, and vice versa. Same with calendar and tasks.

But can you then share the calendar information then? In our setup we do have seperate accounts under XP Pro but we do not have seperate Outlook accounts. We never were able to get this working correctly and after we thought about it, we really wanted to have access to both of our schedules on our respective ppcs.

-Eric

doogald

Then you are SOL unless you export and import with each other's Outlook - or something like that - manually.

PPC will synchronize all items that it has to each partner. If it is on the PPC, it'll be on the PC. You can filter items on the Pc to PPC exchange, but not the other way around.

If you want to segregate your contacts on your PPC, that could be one way to go - categorize all of your contacts on your PPC in your name, the same on hers, and set ActiveSync on your account to synchronize contacts and categories only in your category. But that won't give you what you want. What you will get is Outlook on the PC with both calendars integrated, but each PPC would have its own contacts. But it also means being diligent about setting a category for each items when you create something new.

VanHlebar

Yeah that is pretty much what we had thought of and tried at first, but as you said it ended up being more trouble than it was worth.

As I said in an earlier post, we really haven't had an issue of either of us accidently moving the other persons appointments or deleting them, but since someone else had posted the question I thought I would see if anyone had comeup with a better solution yet.

I guess we will stick with what we currently have since it has been working for the past year or better. :)

-Eric

dcwebman

I am in the same situation with my wife. We have 2 separate computers and use ShareOutlook from:
http://shareoutlook.4team.biz/?page=...d.asp?catID=10

It should work the same within the same computer and separate email accounts. It's not entirely perfect but it's the best and cheapest solution I could find.
Jeff

Muskiedoc

dcwebman

We also have separate computers so the "shareoutlook" may be a helpful answer.

I looked at the website you listed. http://shareoutlook.4team.biz/?page...ad.asp?catID=10
Read through the manual on the product.
Is it very time intensive after you initally set it up?
Do you or your wife accidently cancel out each others appointments?
Form the documentation it appears i would recieve notification of a change in my address book. Does this include deleated items?
Thanks

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Muskiedoc

dcwebman

It wasn't too bad setting it up, just need to install on both computers. I haven't seen any cancelling of appointments, maybe because I have given strict orders not to delete anything. :D There is the option to be asked everytime a change comes in if you want to accept it or not. It doesn't seem to work 100% of the time but I do get the prompt sometimes. The only problem I have had, which may or may not be my fault, is she sends back contacts or appointments that I have set up and they show up as new ones in mine. I just have to look and then delete the duplicate. This could have something to do with the syncing of PDA's on each computer but I haven't really investigated it yet. I think they have a trial version so give it a try and let me know how you make out.
Jeff

Muskiedoc

Thanks Jeff.
I'll give it a try. the Axim will be a secret Xmas present for my wife so i don't expect I'll get back to you till January sometime.

In regards to the duplicaytes in outlook which are sometimes created I found a freeware program,hich is repitable for removing the extra outlook entries. I found it on the newbie board. I have yet to try it: perhaps you have already seen it. http://www.hlyspirit.org.uk/outlook.php

Good Luck

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Muskiedoc

dcwebman

Yup, I've tried that and it works for the most part. What I'd like to try and do though is figure out how to avoid the dupliates. I'm not sure if it's the PDA or ShareOutlook that's doing it though. Just haven't had the time to investigate. Happy Holidays!
Jeff