Disappointed In the Android PIM

[Jlopcpa]

I have had my ERIS for over a month and for the most part I really like the phone. However coming from a Palm, I am disappointed in how the phone handles contacts and the calendar.

For example on the contacts(people) I need to look up a mailing address from one of my contacts. When I open the contact all I see is

Find Home or Find Work, with a partial address listing, press on the address and it takes me to the google maps app which just shows the location. I would be really nice if you could view the entire address in the contact manager.

I use both Google Calendar and Exchange (one for personal and one for work) and compared the Palm Calendar the android is just simply sub par.

I would think that contacts/calendar would be something more developed.

Does anyone know of alternative apps for both contact management and calendar? I know that touchdown may help with exchange, and I may look into that option, and move all my personal contacts back to my exchange server.

Thanks

 

[kurpaige]

Don't know of something better, but coming from Palm and blackberry myself something to remember, we are comparing a version 1 year old software with very mature platforms. The Pre is palm starting over with WebOs and android is further alone when comparing 2 version 1 OSes. They will get better(right?) I guess we have to deal with moving to something young and new.

 

[jimdroid]

Try aContacts (available for free in the Market)... it displays full mailing addresses (after one-click to open the contact) and is quite configurable. One thing I really like is that you can configure it to start with the dialer screen showing, so searching for contacts (which is what I normally do) is immediate.

hope this helps,

jd

 

[alanbcohen]

Don't know of something better, but coming from Palm and blackberry myself something to remember, we are comparing a version 1 year old software with very mature platforms.

I don't agree with that assessment. The Palm addressbook/contacts and Datebook/Calendar are essentially identical to the versions in the original USR Palmpilot (I had one since 1996). What I'm seeing in the later products is "We can do 'wizbang'!" and so they ignore the basics. Most of us already know where our friends live and don't need to see it on a map, but might want to look up the street number or some other info we've stored under their name (like their wife's/kid's birthday).

 

[brykins]

Don't know of something better, but coming from Palm and blackberry myself something to remember, we are comparing a version 1 year old software with very mature platforms.

Sorry - I simply don't accept this argument. I am finding the Android PIM apps dire. No week view in calendar, no way to set a defaul "no alarm" for calendar entries, etc. It's pretty bad.

But - saying that it's due to it being a new platform is daft - I am quite sure the developers didn't start from scratch with designing the PIM. I am sure they at least looked at Palm, WinMo, iPhone, etc and saw what features these apps ought to have.

It's like suggesting that a new car manufacturer would not know about electric windows, air conditioning, power steering, etc, until they too had been developing cars for five years.

 

[kurpaige]

Not giving them a pass for it at all. Just saying when I got the pre on launch day, this was the same things said about WebOS. not as good as my old palm device of 5 years ago. All I'm saying is Alan is right, these new platforms are going after whizbang to empress the masses not to be functional for the power users. Blackberry being function is always getting slammed for not having the whizbang to compete with newer Oses.

 

[NeuroNY]

Sorry - I simply don't accept this argument. I am finding the Android PIM apps dire. No week view in calendar, no way to set a defaul "no alarm" for calendar entries, etc. It's pretty bad.

I'm not sure if it's a matter of being on different versions of Android (I am on 2.0), but I can definitely view by week in the calendar app, and I can change the default reminder time to "none" on my phone (as well as on the web, obviously). Also, to the OP's point, when I open one of my contacts in the app, I can see the full address.

Not posting this to rub it in if you don't have 2.0 but to let you know that (hopefully) all your requested functions are right around the corner and already implemented.

 

[Jlopcpa]

All great comments. NeuroNY, your not rubbing anything in, I knew the differences in the OS when I bought the ERIS, hopefully with the expected upgrade in a couple of months there will be improvement to the PIM function of the phone, or as Android becomes more a force in the mobile OS environment, there will be a better PIM brought to market as a 3rd party app.

The one thing Palm did right was PIM management, to me Android, is what Palm should have evolved to, with the open source and the availability to be used by multiple phone manufactures it is positioned to be a dominate OS, however they must realize the needs of business users and that frustrates me the most.

 

[kurpaige]

I'm not sure if it's a matter of being on different versions of Android (I am on 2.0), but I can definitely view by week in the calendar app, and I can change the default reminder time to "none" on my phone (as well as on the web, obviously). Also, to the OP's point, when I open one of my contacts in the app, I can see the full address.

Not posting this to rub it in if you don't have 2.0 but to let you know that (hopefully) all your requested functions are right around the corner and already implemented.

Which backs my point that as Android matures, it will get to the point where it needs to be in all areas of a mobile platform. 2.1 will bring a lot of things most of us are complaining about.

 

[(G)]

This is all very scary for someone like me who's totally relied on a Palm Treo for the last few years, and a Palm Pilot for 5 years before that. I'm getting my Droid next week.

But on the other hand, I love the fact that this phone is in its infancy, and that there are developers out there who are just looking for the "what's missing" comments so they can write new programs.

 

[Jlopcpa]

This is all very scary for someone like me who's totally relied on a Palm Treo for the last few years, and a Palm Pilot for 5 years before that. I'm getting my Droid next week.

But on the other hand, I love the fact that this phone is in its infancy, and that there are developers out there who are just looking for the "what's missing" comments so they can write new programs.

I was a Palm user for over 10 year, including the last 4 as a Treo user and while I am disappointed in PIM functions of the Android (1.5 - ERIS) all of the other features more than make up for it. Coming from Palm you will love the simplicity of the OS platform compared to BB or WinMob, knowing that I was going to move from the Palm OS this year I really took my time in finding my next phone and I am very happy with my decision. And the potential is so great with this OS.

You will love the phone...enjoy!

 

[brykins]

I'm not sure if it's a matter of being on different versions of Android (I am on 2.0), but I can definitely view by week in the calendar app, and I can change the default reminder time to "none" on my phone (as well as on the web, obviously). Also, to the OP's point, when I open one of my contacts in the app, I can see the full address.

Not posting this to rub it in if you don't have 2.0 but to let you know that (hopefully) all your requested functions are right around the corner and already implemented.

Am on version 1.5 (T-Mobile G2 / HTC Hero). I HATE being at the mercy of mobile networks for OS upgrades. One of the few good things about the iPhone.

 

[And_user]

Try 2GETHER Contact manager it is really new on the Android Market and I use it not so long too, but it has all the features do you need to manage your contacts effectively.
mobileappz together - Home

So I think it could be a really good substitute for Google contacts and calendar.

 

[beezy]

Those may be things HTC messed up cause the stock android on the moment and g1 had full adresses in the contacts and a week setting in the calender.

 

[(G)]

with my decision. And the potential is so great with this OS.

You will love the phone...enjoy!

I actually picked it up today and spent the rest of the day figuring it out. I think this is going to be OK!!

 

[ari-free]

Touchdown does show the true power of android
NitroDesk Inc. - Convergence Redefined

 

[chrs]

Here's another thread in which there are three other recommendations for calendars...
http://androidforums.com/motorola-droid/14737-droid-calendar.html

 

[vido.ardes]

I have had my ERIS for over a month and for the most part I really like the phone. However coming from a Palm, I am disappointed in how the phone handles contacts and the calendar.

For example on the contacts(people) I need to look up a mailing address from one of my contacts. When I open the contact all I see is

Find Home or Find Work, with a partial address listing, press on the address and it takes me to the google maps app which just shows the location. I would be really nice if you could view the entire address in the contact manager.

I use both Google Calendar and Exchange (one for personal and one for work) and compared the Palm Calendar the android is just simply sub par.

I would think that contacts/calendar would be something more developed.

Does anyone know of alternative apps for both contact management and calendar? I know that touchdown may help with exchange, and I may look into that option, and move all my personal contacts back to my exchange server.

Thanks

The contact management is actually down to HTC's Sense UI, the default android contacts app does show the whole address. I agree that the link between contacts and calendar is flaky, how hard would it be to attach a contact to an appointment or automatically put dates in a contacts profile into the calendar?

 

[dbpaddler]

The PIM was my biggest disappointment with the Pre as well, which was why it went back a week after I picked it up. I don't know how a company can bring out a phone that is supposed to be a smartphone but have the PIM cater to the dumbphone crowd and leave current smartphone users out in the cold. Palm of all people who's success was built off the easy to use PIM functions. They had 13yrs of experience to build off of and dumbed it all down to conform to google. If google wanted to be prime time they should've really looked into the success of PalmOS and Outlook, BB and Symbian. Build off of that, not hopefully get there some day as the OS matures. Others argue that this is linux and you need to rely on third parties to come to the rescue, but that's a lame excuse for a lack of basic functionality.

Contact/Calendar linking is essential to keep track of my clients and the whole invitee thing annoys me because that's my only option and to deal with them not getting emails, accepting meeting invites and such is a pain. It's my own personal tracking.

I sure hope the PIM matures as the OS matures. I don't have high hopes for that and am relying on Pocket Informant or some similar company to come to the rescue. Was hoping Iambic and Agendus would come to fruition, but that doesn't seem the case. And the guys at PI said the SDK for the iphone is much easier to work with than Android's. So a solution from them is at least 6 months or so away. Is it possible to actually miss my Pilot 5000, Pilot Pro, IIIxe, Vx, Kyo 6035, i500, 700p, and Centro? Obviously, yes. Sigh... If only ACCESS had their linux version ready for prime time a couple years ago.

 

[georgesdroid]

Thought I posted this already but I don't see it, so here it is again:

PIM - Personal Information Manager, what "smartphones" where soposed to be, what they used to be, what Android needs to become.

I CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH, the 3 most important features of any PIM device is:

1. UNIVERSAL SEARCH
Search of the entire phone (not the internet), search through all your personal data, thru the contacts, notes, calendar, spreadsheets, memos, to-do lists, word processing files, SMS/MMS, thru every native apps, thru every 3rd party app data, anything and everything on your phone (not the internet) quickly and completely the way Palm OS did. Fast information retrieval of your personal data and databases is the most important and single most useful thing on this planet as far as PIM

 

[Cobravision]

For example on the contacts(people) I need to look up a mailing address from one of my contacts. When I open the contact all I see is Find Home or Find Work, with a partial address listing, press on the address and it takes me to the google maps app which just shows the location. I would be really nice if you could view the entire address in the contact manager.

Hit the Edit button and it will show you all of the address fields so you can see the full address without having to map it.

 

[braj]

Whoever comes up with a stable calendar/pim app that mimics the old Palm calendar app gets my money, I need repeating alarms and a date picker when creating an event that shows the days of the week etc. I need to be able to create events that happen every Tuesday and Thursday, simple stuff Palm figured out a long time ago. I don't know what date Friday is, just I know I need this event to go through Friday. Really simple stuff Google. It makes me wonder if they had to work around patents or something. This is not a 'smartphone' calendar.

 

[meyerweb]

Nothing like waking the dead! Prior to today, the last post was 7 months ago.

Braj: the developer of Datebk (the best mobile calendar, period, on any platform) is working on a version for Android. I'll hold my breath until I turn blue, if that gets it here any faster.

 

[braj]

It's a little shocking to me there isn't anything even approaching decent yet, (Jorte, the 'best' available frankly sucks balls). I just wonder what the technical difficulties are, is it cooked into Google's DB design or the Android platform itself? I hope DateBk gets here soon.

 

[NicksGarage]

I agree with a lot that has been said here. After coming from Palm and WinMo, Android's handling of PIM is not that great. Must be holding a lot of business people back from switching over.

They should make everyone at Google rely on the Android PIM apps to do their work and then you'd see how fast they'd fix it and how innovative they could be. I guess maybe it's not the glamorous or fun part of the buisness but if you can't get the basics down, then you're going to take a hit after the glow wears off.