.KEYWORD cesynctalk
.FLYINGHEAD PRODUCT REVIEW
.TITLE SyncTalk: beaming across the OS chasm
.OTHER
.SUMMARY Imagine you work with colleagues or clients who use handheld devices other than Windows CE-based computers. Now let’s assume you’ve wanted to beam information to them (and, yes, it is possible). SyncTalk does just that. Gregory Lea reviews a new application that promises to tear down the walls between the battling operating systems.
.AUTHOR Gregory Lea
If you are a Windows CE user like me, then you probably feel a little alone in a world of Palm devices. Owning a Windows CE device makes you a bit of a rebel, but you’ve got your reasons. You love the enhanced power of your handheld or palm-sized device, and with good reason. They have some neat advantages over those Palm units. You feel justified in your purchase and in your non-conformist stance. (Can you believe a Windows-user would ever be considered a non-conformist?) But then one day it happens. A Palm device-wielding hotshot–maybe a contact you’ve been trying to make for some time–wants to beam you his number and address!
"Well, uh, can you just tell it to me?" you reply, somewhat embarrassed.
Right, like he’s going to wait around for that.
.H1 What we have here is a failure to communicate
Palm organizers have been able to transfer data from one unit to another using their integrated infrared (IR) port since the days of the original Palm III in March 1998. The IR port on your Windows CE device is useful for synchronizing with your laptop, but until now, that’s about all it’s been good for. If only your PDA could use IR to talk to other PDAs.
Well now they can, thanks to the people at SoDeog Technologies. They’ve put out a handy little application called SyncTalk that will allow you to beam information between two Windows CE devices. The fun doesn’t stop there, however. It also bridges the communications gap between Windows CE and other operating systems like the Palm OS and Psion’s EPOC. The type of information is limited to contacts, appointments, and memos, but hey, that’s a start.
SyncTalk comes in two versions, SyncTalk Companion and SyncTalk Professional. Both can be downloaded from SoDeog’s Web site at http://www.sodeog.com.
SyncTalk Professional is the standard version of the program, and it costs $29.99. The SyncTalk Companion version is a free download and only allows the user three trial "sends." However, it will send and receive data to and from SyncTalk Professional users indefinitely.
The program is pretty simple and straightforward. When I installed SyncTalk on my Cassiopeia E-105, it went as smoothly as any standard ActiveSync installation. The program requires surprisingly little memory–about 100K, 20K less than the Palm OS requirement. I had no problems transferring or receiving contact and appointment information with my buddy Mike’s Palm V.
.H1 Sending data
Sending data is easy. When started, the screen automatically comes up to the Contacts view, as seen in Figure A. To send Contact information, you select the name you want to send and select the SyncTalk button on the Toolbar.
.FIGPAIR A SyncTalk defaults to the Contacts view.
At this time, I haven’t found a way to change SyncTalk’s default setting to something other than Contacts, but changing the view is easy enough. Just select Appointments or Memos from the View menu shown in Figure B.
.FIGPAIR B Change views by selecting Contacts, Appointments, or Memos in the View menu.
To send a memo, select Memos from the View menu, and a Note Taker-type screen will appear, as you can see in Figure C. Here, you can write a note or draw a picture.
.FIGPAIR C The Memos view is very similar to Note Taker.
You can also retrieve text from a previously saved file by selecting Get Memo Text from the File menu. You can see this in Figure D.
.FIGPAIR D From the File menu, you can retrieve text from a saved file.
The memo is then sent the same way as the Contacts and Appointments. You simply select the SyncTalk button. You will then get confirmation that your data was sent and accepted, or you will get a response letting you know that it wasn’t.
.H1 Receiving data
Receiving data is almost as easy as sending it, especially when you use AutoReceive. This lets you run SyncTalk in the background until it’s needed. When someone sends you data, SyncTalk becomes active. You’re told what the item is and prompted to accept or reject it. If you accept the data–and if it’s contact or appointment information–it’s automatically saved. When memos are sent, you can read them before deciding whether or not they should be saved. Alternatively, you could modify it and send it back without saving it.
With AutoReceive off, you have to select the SyncTalk button before someone sends you data or you will not get it. It’s an extra step, but there are times when it’s necessary to have AutoReceive off.
.H1 Observations, comments, and nudges for SoDeog
The program isn’t without quirks. One problem is that I can’t synchronize with my PC with the AutoReceive on, forcing me to switch to the program and turn it off or close the program. It would be much nicer if I could start SyncTalk–possibly as a Startup application–and leave it running without having to mess with it until I get prompted to accept an incoming item.
Another problem is that I can only send one contact, appointment, or memo at a time. This is not usually a problem, unless I am trying to send a contact list or a week’s worth of appointments to a friend.
The biggest problem I ran into was with StarTap, which is an extremely popular application for Windows CE users. If I receive an incoming transfer while running StarTap at the same time, I must accept the data and close out of SyncTalk before going to another program. Otherwise my Cassiopeia will lock up. I have not found out if this problem is rooted in SyncTalk or in StarTap, but I know that the problem doesn’t occur if I close StarTap before getting an incoming transfer. For some StarTap users, this problem may be unacceptable, in which case I’d recommend trying out the SyncTalk Companion version prior to committing the money.
So, back to the earlier scenario where you are trying to make that "connection" with the hotshot Palm device user: is SyncTalk the answer to your prayers? Chances are
