[X4U] Implications of Boot Camp

[Jim Robertson]

Now that Apple is doing what they said they wouldn't do back in January (I
don't remember the exact quote, but it was something akin to "we don't care
if you run Windows on your Intel Mac, but we won't support it or spend our
time enabling it"), the MacBook suddenly becomes more attractive to those of
us who MUST use the Windows OS sometimes.

Many people have struggled with synchronization solutions (subscribe to
Mark/Space's Missing Sync winmobile talk listserv if you want to see a
company struggling to contain the anger of customers who've "sort of" been
promised a solution). Now Apple is making it possible for me to boot into
Windows, use the Windows-only stuff I need occasionally, then go back to the
OS I prefer. Sometimes the "Windows-only" nonsense can be blamed on lazy web
developers who don't bother to use the web development environments that put
cross-platform tools at their fingertips. They make sure their site looks OK
in Internet Explorer 6 "or better" (if they really MEANT better, they
wouldn't bother with IE in the first place), then put in code that prevents
pages from loading into other browsers.

Sometimes, however, the obstacles are greater; e.g., handheld applications
that REQUIRE PocketPC and ActiveSync, or web products that require Crystal
Reports or other Active X stuff for which there just IS no equivalent on the
Mac OS. If Boot Camp solves that problem for me, there'll be a FedEX truck
at my door with a MacBook within 48 hours.

Why is this relevant to a general Mac user list? Because my sense is that
Boot Camp offers hope for those of us who'd like access to our contacts,
calendar, etc. from our handhelds, ESPECIALLY if those handhelds have to be
Windows Mobile devices.

I would be VERY appreciative if those of you with knowledge/experience in
such matters could speculate or review for us how well a particular solution
to the cross-platform synchronization works. Specifically, Entourage or
Address Book to 4SmartPhone.net (a low cost Exchange Server). Alternative
Exchange Server solution suggestions would be just as welcome.

If I synchronize to 4SmartPhone.net, what can I carry from Entourage on the
Mac? Categories? All-day events? Multiple addresses and phone numbers per
contact? Custom event repeat schedules?

I'd envision doing almost all my work in the Mac environment whenever I have
my desktop or laptop computer available. I'd use an Intel MacBook to update
the databases for PocketPC-only handheld applications such as ePocrates and
UpToDate (THE best handheld OR desktop medical information source currently
available). I'd use ActiveSync and Windows XP on the MacBook to keep my
contacts and calendar current on the Windows Mobile device, assuming I could
then get the data back into Entourage in the Mac OS.

So, does anyone know yet whether ActiveSync works on a MacBook booted into
Windows XP?

And does anyone know about what does and doesn't work moving data between
Entourage and Windows with 4Smartphone.net as the intermediary?

Thanks SO much,

Jim Robertson
                  __o
                _-\<,_
               (*)/ (*)
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````
   My other car is a Calfee

--