Share Two Calendars With DualDate

Posted By: Ed Thursday, June 6, 2002 2:00:50 PM

Palm Inc. has released DualDate, which allows two different calendars to be displayed simultaneously. The primary calendar works like Date Book, the built-in app most users are familiar with. The second calendar can be beamed from another handheld running DualDate. It can only be displayed, not edited, and alarms from the second calendar aren't transferred. DualDate is freeware and is available now.

The main calendar and the shared calendar are displayed side-by-side in Day View and "merged" in the Week, Month, and Agenda Views. Tapping on an icon toggles between single- and dual-calendar display.

Private events can be shared. If they are, the only description is "**PRIVATE**".

It runs on handhelds with Palm OS 3.5, 4.0, or 4.1.

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DualMate?

I.M. Anonymous @ 6/6/2002 2:19:26 PM #
it is called DualDate.
RE: DualMate?
Ed @ 6/6/2002 2:20:26 PM #
Sorry, my spellchecker betrayed me. I accidentally changed it once to the incorrect name and the spell checker changed them all. Machines, why do they have do what we tell them to, not what we want?

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News Editor

just tried it!

I.M. Anonymous @ 6/6/2002 2:21:02 PM #
I llike this app.

Here is some clarification about private events, though:

Private events can be shared. If they ARE, time is still blocked off but the only description is "**PRIVATE**".

RE: just tried it!
Ed @ 6/6/2002 2:25:15 PM #
Sorry, I misread that. Maybe its because I think it's kind of a lame way to handle it. I'd prefer it have three levels, which could be specified when beaming the calendar.

  • Hide Private Events
  • Don't display Private Event Descriptions
  • Show Private Events

    I might not want my boss or co-workers to know what I'm doing, but I'd be OK with my wife knowing. But I'd still want by boss to not schedule a meeting when I'm busy doing something else.

    Maybe something for DualDate 2.0

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    News Editor

    • RE: just tried it!
    Scott R @ 6/6/2002 2:39:15 PM #
    Ed, see my comment below (separate post). This app appears to be a scaled-back WeSync. I've had some contact with one of the WeSync people a few months ago. The problem you noted is the same problem that I brought up to him as being the biggest problem with WeSync. Basically, I don't want to classify an entire calendar as Public/Private. What I want to do is classify certain users as being able to view my full details and certain users to only see the time slots used.

    Scott

    RE: just tried it!
    Scott R @ 6/6/2002 2:41:08 PM #
    One more note. If you are married or are on a team with other Palm users and _especially_ if your spouse (or fellow teammates) are using wireless-enabled Palm OS devices, you really should try out WeSync. My wife and I each have Samsung i300's. So long as we each keep our Palm's synced up regularly, we can keep up to date with what we each have on our calendar.

    One last note. There's also a WeSync app for Contacts which allows you to share your contact list in a similar manner. And, as a side benefit, it enables you to assign contacts to multiple categories. I can't say too much about it beyond that because it initially caused my i300 to crash. The guy I conversed with at WeSync sent me a beta which supposedly fixed the problems but I haven't gotten around to installing it yet since I didn't have a strong need for it.

    Ed, do everyone a favor and download and try out WeSync. Maybe you'll love it and can foster a groundswell of support from the Palm community to influence Palm to _really_ maximize this technology.

    Scott

    RE: just tried it!
    joeberk @ 6/6/2002 2:51:38 PM #
    My wife & I still use WeSync... what makes it really nice is you can maintain a shared list of contacts... which helps us out a lot.

    And it was great when she was still in school... I could tell when she was in class, and she could tell when I was at my desk.

    No idea why Palm didn't integrate that into every Palm... and make it another selling point.

    RE: just tried it!
    I.M. Anonymous @ 6/6/2002 6:06:57 PM #
    "I might not want my boss or co-workers to know what I'm doing, but I'd be OK with my wife knowing."

    Or depending on what kind of trouble one was getting into after work, vice versa. Hehe.

    Finally! Thanks Palm!

    I.M. Anonymous @ 6/6/2002 2:28:58 PM #
    This is what I've been wanting for for a long time. This is a closer fit to what I want than WeSync ever was. And it's free. Very nice. Now...if it only did multiple calendars! Nevermind. I'll take this gift horse the way it is.
    RE: Finally! Thanks Palm!
    I.M. Anonymous @ 6/6/2002 2:48:36 PM #
    Well, I take it back. It's not hi-res aware. I requires a reset, and it assigns itself to your datebook button automatically. I have a Handera 330 and have set the font to be very small on my datebook. DualDate doesn't understand anything more than the three normal Palm fonts, so everything is huge. Plus, it is not VFS-aware as is stated in the user guide (can't keep it on a memory card). It does seem like they stripped the guts of WeSync and left a basic calendar behind. Too bad. But it will still be good to share calendars, just not as my default datebook application.
    RE: Finally! Thanks Palm!
    I.M. Anonymous @ 6/6/2002 3:02:49 PM #
    I'll second that it is a bummer that this doesn't support hi-res like the HandEra 330 Date Book app. Then I could just replace my Date Book app with it.
    RE: Finally! Thanks Palm!
    I.M. Anonymous @ 6/6/2002 4:08:40 PM #
    in looking at the Palm Knowledge base for DualDate, they do state that

    Information on Palm™ DualDate™ support for Expanded Memory

    Installing Palm DualDate onto an expanded memory card – such as SD/MMC, Memory Stick, or Handspring's Springboard Memory Module – is not supported. If you attempt to do so, unpredictable behavior may result.

    As far as Hi Res support, well, maybe Palm will do it in the next update.

    Should'v

    I.M. Anonymous @ 6/6/2002 2:27:38 PM #
    Again, This should've been done from the start. Now they gotta charge people for it?

    We all need to learn from APPLE. they're the only ones that "Sorta" do their homework when it comes to creativity. Mind you, I am not saying they're gods, they just get some things right. doesnt mean i am an apple user. hell no. PC all the way.

    I am just saying. they come up with an app now and they wanna charge for it when it should've been thought of and created and included on all PALMS ever since day 0 (day 1 for the non tech people)!!!!!

    RE: Should'v
    big_raji @ 6/6/2002 2:32:08 PM #
    Yeah, you're right. They should NEVER have released this program as Freeware, as stated in the article. Why would people pay for this?

    Hmmm, wait a second...


    Urrrrmmmm...

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    What's Wrong With This Picture?
    http://raj.phangureh.com/picture.html

    RE: Should'v
    I.M. Anonymous @ 6/6/2002 5:38:19 PM #
    oh oops,
    i might have jumped the bandwagon. i didnt see it was freeware. i feel foolish.
    Nevertheless. IT SHOULD'v been done from the start!
    RE: Should'v
    I.M. Anonymous @ 6/6/2002 9:39:47 PM #
    You can't spell. I disregard your posts.

    Horrible waste of WeSync purchase

    Scott R @ 6/6/2002 2:30:56 PM #
    This looks like nothing more than a severely trimmed down version of WeSync. Palm purchased WeSync a couple of years ago and pretty much sat on the technology. I only learned about WeSync a few months ago and have to say that it was one of the best ideas out there but is in need of some enhancements. Palm should have used all of this time to incorporate these enhancements and leverage the AnyDay web PIM technology (later incorporated into the MyPalm portal...later scrapped altogether) and touted it with the i705. Instead, like I said, they completely ditched the AnyDay system, sat on the WeSync technology, and didn't even bundle WeSync (in it's current form - still good, but lacking), with the i705.

    I know people like to bash Palm's former CEO, but I believe he was at the helm when they purchased WeSync and AnyDay. Someone (maybe not him) at some time shared the same vision I have about making other people's PIM information easily accessible by others but Palm, Inc. no longer has that vision.

    My sympathies to the folks at AnyDay and WeSync who had great ideas, only to have them purchased by Palm, Inc. and wasted.

    Rant over.

    Scott

    RE: Horrible waste of WeSync purchase
    I.M. Anonymous @ 6/6/2002 2:40:59 PM #
    WeSync was a great idea but it was ahead of its time. It's was really cool and all but not enough people wanted it for it to make any money.

    The MyPalm portal was a victim of necessary cost cutting. Unprofitable projects had to be dropped and MyPalm was very unprofitable.

    Palm still owns the technology. It could bring it back, once it looks like there is enough demand for it to pay for itself.

    I don't think DualDate is a waste at all. It is something I've wanted for a long time and is simple enough to work. It fits in with KISS, where WeSync was a bit complicated.

    RE: Horrible waste of WeSync purchase
    Scott R @ 6/6/2002 2:48:08 PM #
    Well, just as an FYI, last time I checked the WeSync web site was still out there and you could still download and use the software. This is encouraging considering that in order for it to work, it has to store data on their (now Palm, Inc's) servers.

    Scott

    RE: Horrible waste of WeSync purchase
    Scott R @ 6/6/2002 2:51:24 PM #
    Another comment regarding KISS. I haven't downloaded DualDate (something tells me it might not play nice with WeSync already installed), but WeSync is not horribly difficult to use at all. There's some setup that's required on the WeSync web site and with the WeSync software that runs on the PC. Yes, it could be simplified. I tend to doubt that the interface/usability of the app running on the Palm itself looks much different.

    Scott

    RE: Horrible waste of WeSync purchase
    I.M. Anonymous @ 6/6/2002 9:59:46 PM #
    I like WeSync. Works great to separate my personal calendar from those of the group at work. Then my wife an I have a 3rd one for the family. Updates from either my computer at work or hers at home. I cant see why they dont replace the built in app.
    DuoDate seems ok but would be a pain for more than 2 users. Can you imagine trying to beam between 12 people at work every morning to update the daily calendar?

    Hotoru

    DateBK4/5 & PocketMirror Pro

    PFloyd @ 6/6/2002 3:06:08 PM #
    Not sure. Is this roughly a capability of combining DateBk 4 or 5 with PocketMirror Pro? You can assign someone elses calendar to a category on the palm and then have DateBk display it optionally, etc. Is this right?

    RE: DateBK4/5 & PocketMirror Pro
    I.M. Anonymous @ 6/6/2002 3:15:50 PM #
    Well, I think Chapura PocketMirror Pro includes a calendaring app that does this with calendars in Outlook only (no special dual views though). I don't see what DateBk4/5 has to do with it.
    RE: DateBK4/5 & PocketMirror Pro
    I.M. Anonymous @ 6/6/2002 3:29:20 PM #
    Maybe its because you can assign categories in DateBK? In essence this is the same as having two different set of Datebooks.
    RE: DateBK4/5 & PocketMirror Pro
    skytraveler @ 6/6/2002 5:53:53 PM #
    What my wife and I do with our Datebk 4 aps is this:

    I set the preferences on my program to set all new appointments to a category with my name on it. My wife sets her preferences so all new appointments have a category with her name on it. Then we each set our preferences so the two categories are in two different colors. Then when we hotsync, I can see her appointments and she can see mine. We can tell them apart because of the different colors. Even on the month view we can see the different colored icons. It works great!

    The SkyTraveler

    RE: DateBK4/5 & PocketMirror Pro
    sandbuck @ 6/6/2002 6:59:11 PM #
    Sky Traveller:

    Great! I can't get my wife to even carry a Palm....

    RE: DateBK4/5 & PocketMirror Pro
    I.M. Anonymous @ 6/6/2002 11:16:01 PM #
    SkyTraveller - I've never used DateBk4/5 (although IIRC it's a descendant of DateBook+
    that I have on my Prism, isn't it?) but this sounds interesting - are you saying that DB4/5
    would allow me and my wife to share our calendars? Even enter appointments on each other's
    schedules? If so, I've been looking for it for two years now - I love WeSync Contacts, but the
    WeSync Calendar app bugs (CONSTANTLY duplicating events, dropping them, asking unintelligible
    queries - like, "delete event from handheld/PIM or from handheld/PIM?") drove me insane
    until I finally gave up on it. Who makes Datebk4/5?
    RE: DateBK4/5 & PocketMirror Pro
    Scott R @ 6/6/2002 11:35:29 PM #
    Thanks for bringing this to my attention. That said, WeSync does have the edge in the following areas:

    1) I can sync multiple people's calendars without having to beam or sync to the same computer. That's because it has a conduit which connects to the internet and stores the data on a WeSync server every time I sync my Palm.

    2) There's a wireless refresh feature. So, if I'm away from work for a while (where the computer that I sync with is at), and my wife has synced her calendar today, I can update her calendar data on my Palm wirelessly.

    Scott

    RE: DateBK4/5 & PocketMirror Pro
    Ronin @ 6/7/2002 12:10:25 AM #
    Tried it out and I think this functionality is pretty spiffy. However, I do have a few comments/observations.

    • the program plus data files is pretty big, on my Palm, once I rcvd my wife's calendar, it takes up 741K (this does not include my datebook file)

    • the program functions and is apparently intended to be a full replacement for the built-in datebook

    • the beam to exchange data is pretty fast

    • I wish DateBk5 had this feature, has anyone written CESD about it? BTW, I appreciate the simple and efficient solution suggested above of simply using categories and colors to accomplish this. However, I see two drawbacks to this method. The first is I lose a category and a color for use in my personal calendar and I use all of both now. Second, this information would sync to my desktop calendar and I would not want it there because of the clutter it would create and it does not colorize an appointment according to category and would essentially lump all of the appointments together.

    RE: DateBK4/5 & PocketMirror Pro
    PFloyd @ 6/7/2002 12:28:26 AM #
    Learn about DateBK here at www.pimlicosoftware.com.

    RE: DateBK4/5 & PocketMirror Pro
    deitch @ 11/27/2002 10:29:22 AM #
    skytraveler et al,

    I understand you use DateBk4/5 to maintain and view separate calendars for you and your wife. What do you use to sync them up, since you cannot use multiple Palms with one desktop "user." I have the exact same issue: I want to use something like DateBk4/5, along with my wife, but want to sync them up. At least we share a desktop...

    Thanks

    Now if it could just sync with a desktop.

    I.M. Anonymous @ 6/6/2002 3:07:55 PM #
    If this program could just sync the second calendar from the desktop, it would cover my needs. Having to always beam the calendar to someone else is going to be a pain, when we could just get it from syncing to the same computer.
    RE: Now if it could just sync with a desktop.
    I.M. Anonymous @ 6/6/2002 3:49:27 PM #
    Completely agree. I downloaded DualDate hoping it could do this, even though it's not stated in the description.

    It seems to me that there would be much greater demand for the ability to sync with two desktop calendars--for instance, with a personal calendar and a shared office calendar.

    If there's a way to do this that I am unaware of, please respond below.

    RE: Now if it could just sync with a desktop.
    Scott R @ 6/6/2002 4:06:04 PM #
    I think WeSync may meet your needs.

    Scott

    RE: Now if it could just sync with a desktop.
    I.M. Anonymous @ 6/6/2002 6:06:26 PM #
    > I think WeSync may meet your needs.

    Maybe for the other poster, but I personally have an aversion to placing my personal calendar, contact, whatever info on somebody else's server.

    RE: Now if it could just sync with a desktop.
    I.M. Anonymous @ 6/6/2002 11:23:41 PM #
    Not to mention that WeSync Calendars is filled with bugs - see my post above. How come they can get WS Contacts to work so well, but have never been able to fix WS Calendars? If it worked reliably, it would be great!
    RE: Now if it could just sync with a desktop.
    Scott R @ 6/6/2002 11:32:22 PM #
    I haven't had the kinds of problems with WeSync Calendar that you described above. Do you have the latest version? That said, ever since Palm purchased them, new development seems to have shut down. Two years later and DualDate is all they have to show for it. Sad.

    Scott

    multiple calender feature needed

    I.M. Anonymous @ 6/6/2002 7:48:00 PM #
    This begins to sort of answer a glaring need. I have been looking for a way to keep multiple calendars on my palm, in order to track various production schedules, etc. I haven't found an elegant way to do it, The only thing that may come close is a package such as the Fast Track Schedule package, and that is a $300 or so investment, since the desktop project management software is required to make it work. Anybody know a better way?
    Datebook 5 can do all of this
    I.M. Anonymous @ 6/6/2002 10:53:05 PM #
    If this sounds like something you want to do, check out datebook5, from pimlico software. You can have as many different calendar's as you want on your palm. I carry around my wife's and daugther's, in different fonts and colors. It is really useful.
    RE: multiple calender feature needed
    Ronin @ 6/7/2002 12:35:23 AM #
    Are you referring to the assignment of category to each person ethod mentioned above or are you talking about a different feature in DateBk5?

    If you are, please elaborate as I am unaware of this functionality.

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