Features make PDA's even more helpful
By MIKE BERMAN
Scripps Howard News Service
October 01, 2003

Which came first, feature-rich contact management software or the handheld computer?

Now, before you scream "contact management software, you idiot!", notice that I qualified my question by using the words "feature-rich." Obviously, there has been some type of address book or calendar program since the Dark Ages of the PC, but their evolution into what we see today is a rather recent phenomenon.

Now, every program of this type that crosses my desk has the ability to make what you see on your Palm or Microsoft-based handheld resemble what you've become used to seeing on your computer. Of course, 99.9 percent of these programs are designed to work with Microsoft Outlook.

The latest arrival in this growing list of Palm/Windows-based programs is Beyond Contacts ($49.95) from DataViz Software.

Although there are dozens of programs out there - and a few on the horizon - that allow you to transfer your e-mail, contact list and calendar items from Microsoft Outlook to your Palm computer, few offer the sophistication we've come to expect from DataViz applications.

Among its key features are:

- The ability to sync data from multiple computers.

- It retains the look of Outlook, with the familiar "Today" view, which provides a preview of what's on your Calendar and e-mail Inbox.

- You can add or remove people from the contacts field of Outlook Calendar, Tasks, Notes and Contacts.

- It installs Outlook-like applications on your handheld without having to "map" your data from fields on your PC to fields on your Palm.

- It brings all the fields you have installed on your PC down to your Palm.

- You can quickly move between all of your contact list applications, including Calendar, Contacts, Tasks and Notes and your e-mail inbox.

- You can dial any number directly from your Contact list using a Smartphone.

If you're hungry for a feature-rich application to handle all of your contact and scheduling information on your PC and synchronize with your Palm or I-Pod, you should take a look at Now Up-to-Date and Contacts ($89.95) from the Now Software division of Power On Software.

Originally developed for Macs, the latest version of this program gives you access to all of your critical data (remember Goldmine?) on multiple platforms, allowing users of Windows and Macintosh-based computers to share everything from schedules to appointments.

Its key features include:

- You can share calendars and contact information on your network.

- Calendars and contacts can be updated remotely via the Internet.

- You can look up maps, restaurant information, the weather and more, using the program's Web applications.

- You can choose which contacts you want to synchronize with your Palm.

- You can install and start using he program without reading the manual.

- Because it's cross-platform, it looks and works exactly the same on a Mac as it does on a Windows-based PC.

So, which came first? I guess it depends on the chicken (or egg) you ask.

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