From Palm OS to Android (Droid)

[(G)]

purchase Documents To Go ($15 till 31-Jan)

Hey, thanks for this accidental tip. I didn't realize the price was going to be going up. So I purchased it today. Had it on my Treo and found it pretty useful.

 

[thenrik]

Hi:

I'm still a T/X user. I carry both my Samsung Moment and my T/X. I got the Moment to replace AvantGo and Vindigo. Sprint has free Mobile to Mobile, free after 7 p.m., enough minutes and unlimited text and browsing. I'm having a lot of fun playing with the apps but they don't touch the apps on my T/X so far.

Palm Fiction, Mobi Office, NVBackup and the PIM applications still rule.

Thanks for your many suggestions. I'll try the apps but I'll continue to use my T/X.

 

[(G)]

I got the Moment to replace AvantGo and Vindigo.

I was pretty sad when AvantGo went. Try NewsRoom on your Moment -- it really is a very good looking RSS reader... to the point where (I think) it puts AvantGo to shame.

 

[montecarlo]

Have you found a way to retrieve your exported data? Love the functionality of the program, but can't open/view the budgetroid.sav file.

Carl

 

[chrs]

Note that there is a "palm transplanters" social group on this forum: Android Forums - Palm transplanters

 

[lobug]

Hey, thanks for this accidental tip. I didn't realize the price was going to be going up. So I purchased it today. Had it on my Treo and found it pretty useful.

Do you have BeamReader installed...? Could you do a comparison on how does DtG's PDF reader compare with it...?

THX in advance.

 

[lobug]

Note that there is a "palm transplanters" social group on this forum: Android Forums - Palm transplanters

Great. BTW, I urge you that have issues "star" them at Issues - android - Project Hosting on Google Code.

No need to leave comment (it spams everyone subscribed the issue), just start them. The most starred issues are supposed to be handled faster...

 

[lobug]

Wow... BeamReader is doing a promotion at just $1.99 till 28-Feb.

 

[(G)]

Do you have BeamReader installed...? Could you do a comparison on how does DtG's PDF reader compare with it...?

THX in advance.

Well, I did have Beam Reader installed on my Droid, and I just went to do the comparison for you, when Beam Reader said, "This demo has expired." So there it goes.

I noticed on the download site in the Market, that it's $1.99 until the end of February, though.

From what I remembered, both Beam Reader and Docs to Go were very comparable. I never had a problem with either of them.

 

[thenrik]

Hi:

As for Avantgo replacements:

Daily paper is a free newspaper app like Newsroom with the same or better features. I'd also suggest Nubi News with feeds for the Economist, the New Yorker, Wired, Engadget and many more. Google News is interesting after the update.

For a Vindigo replacement:
Yelp, Aloqa, & Where.

Tom

 

[lobug]

Some updates

• Installed Google Calendar Sync so that don't have to manage the calendar online (now in Outlook).
• Replaced OI Notepad with AK NotePad. The latter provides a large "add note" button on the main screen.
• Replaced Handcent SMS with chompSMS. The latter is less customizable but seems to quicker and more efficient, especially on elder devices.
• Installed FoxyRing. Which among other things (sleep-hour, locale-based ringtones...), has a really nice feature - It analyzes the ambient noise level and adjust your ringtone volume automatically.
• Switched to E2ECloud's quick switch widgets. Nothing special, they just look more compatible with different wallpapers.
• Switched from OI Shopping List to ToMarket Lite. Still no HandyShopper through.

 

[Hemorrdrhoid]

I subscribed specifically to thank you for this thread, and to hopefully contribute myself. I've used Palm devices as my only PIM for 8 years, and it's hard to peel my fingers off of my Clie even now!

I've been trying out shopping/list apps like crazy, to replace SplashShopper, but while there are a ton of apps out there, none are quite right. I want to keep multiple lists (shopping, packing, gifts, etc, and then within each list have categories and columns. So far, each Android app I've tried has been close, but awkward. Since Splash did bring ID to Android, I'm hoping that Shopper will come along soon, too.

 

[rcyphermd]

Former decade long palm user that loves android now. I am trying note everything.....still working out a few bugs. Their tech people seem quite responsive.

 

[Hemorrdrhoid]

Just for fun, here's a list of the top Palm apps I depend upon, and some of the equivalent Android apps that I'm either using or trying out. Suggestions are welcome!

Palm ----------------Android

Docs to Go-----------Docs to Go Lite
I didn't use DTG a lot on my Palm, but I depended upon it to sync a few important items to have on hand at all times, like reference spreadsheets. The lack of a sync on the new one has prevented me from paying anything.

NetFront-------------Dolphin & XScope Lite
Browsing is 1000% better on the Android, and I'm still debating between the two above browsers. I use Xmarks and have it as my home page on both to coordinate from home.

Audioplayer----------Stock Player & TuneWiki
The difficulty in making playlists continues to be an annoyance. I loved the iTunes Genius when I had an iTouch, but hated iTunes. TuneWiki has Shoutcast Radio, which bumps its usefulness above the stock player.

Flash Player----------Nothing
How weird is it that we had a flash player for the Palm... years ago!? Granted it wasn't built into the browser, but dang.

Graffiti Anywhere-----MobileWrite
Not quite 'anywhere' but better than nothing. It's harder to use your finger for Graffiti, so I may get a stylus to test it out. Graffiti is a hard habit to break; I still write on paper with those symbols by accident.

DateBk---------------Combo of Google Calendar & Astrid
I'll kiss the feet of Pimlico if he brings Pimlical to Android. The Google calendar is annoying because the layouts are almost useless, plus snoozing goes a few minutes. You CAN keep creating new alarms, but that's silly. Astrid is inconsistent; sometimes I get a poke, sometimes not. I haven't settled on a system that just WORKS. And so I can't schedule very important things on the Android yet.

BackupBuddy---------Astro (& still looking)
Astro will back up just my apps when I ask it to, but not automatically. I wish I had something like BackupBuddy that did a full image of *every single thing*. That has saved my butt so many times when the battery died or I had to move to another device.

HotSync--------------some cloud
I liked having an all-around sync option. I tried Moto Tools, but it's very laggy and still doesn't do it all. Even if it were a 1-2 thing; like an app that backs up everything onto the SD card, and another app to sync that backup file over to my PC or LAN storage.

DayNotez-------------testing Note Everything, Unotes, List Master, Evernote, GDocs, & more
DayNotez is wonderful for categories, dating items automatically, and being as organized as my brain. The items I'm testing above all have some hiccup to them that makes me hesitate. Note Everything would probably win IF I could just open and write. This digging around the hierarchy of folders and settings to just plug in a note is annoying.

TealAuto---------------aCar
I haven't actually used aCar yet, but it looks like it'll cover what I need. Now how to transfer over my historic data from TA? It's a pain.

SplashShopper---------testing multiple billion apps
There are a metric boatload of shopping apps out there, but none exactly like what SplashShopper does. I have 18 lists each with 20-200 items each, and I like the checkmarks, categories, columns, etc that I have now.

SplashID---------------testing B-Folders
Passwords are critical, so I may be testing a while. May stay with SplashID, too. Still rely on the Clie here.

Ultrasoft Checkbook----testing FireWallet
Like passwords, your bank data is rather critical. UC was fantastic in allowing transactions to transfer, tracking bills, showing/hiding certain accounts, and always seeing exactly how solvent you are. We'll see about FW. Getting my historic data over... ugh. I have no idea how I'll do this.

Boggle-----------------Haven't seen anything on the market yet
We're Boggle nerds in this house, so we need this!

Scrabble---------------Save as above; missing in action. I actually paid money for the Palm version, so I'd like this.

AcidSolitaire------------Klondike Solitaire
KS is okay, but I liked the tap auto-movement of AS better.

Bejeweled--------------Jewels
I went back and played BJ on the Palm today and was stunned at how much prettier it was visually than anything I've played on the iTouch or the Droid so far. Sometimes old technology is just fine.

TopSuDoKu-------------Play SuDoKu Daily
Top has the better interface, but I can see the limitation of fat fingers on the board. Daily is not as good, but it's the best I found on the iTouch and now on Droid.

??---------------------Aldiko
I used to just d/l .txt docs and read them in DTG on the Palm, so Aldiko is a pleasure in comparison. Not as open of course, but I'm sure I could convert my existing texts if I wanted to.

Overall, it's just going to be a matter of time, I hope. I'd like to thing that Android developers will be sensitive to the needs of business/PIM users, and not just racing to compete with some of the worthless apps on the Apple Market. Sure, fart apps are funny for a while, but they don't get you to your interview on time!

 

[(G)]

Graffiti Anywhere-----MobileWrite
Not quite 'anywhere' but better than nothing. It's harder to use your finger for Graffiti, so I may get a stylus to test it out. Graffiti is a hard habit to break; I still write on paper with those symbols by accident.

Two things: a stylus won't work, at least it won't on a Droid. The Palm had a touch-sensitive screen, and I believe most Android phones have capacitive screens.

That said, Android MobileWrite was the very first app I downloaded and paid for. And frankly, I haven't used it in several weeks (and I've only had my Droid a month). I absolutely loved it on my Treo, but started liking the on-screen keyboards on the Droid.

Then I discovered Swype. It's almost the best of both worlds. You never lift your finger from the screen, but instead "type" by dragging your finger to the appropriate letters. There's also a similar app called ShapeWriter, but from what I've read here, Swype is much more accurate.

Frankly (and I am not affiliated with them!) Swype's accuracy is incredible... almost unbelievable. At times like it's reading your mind It almost seems you don't need to be anywhere near accurate swiping over the letters and it figures out what you want, or presents you with options, one of which is almost always what you want.

Watch the video: YouTube - Swype for Android demo

Ever since I discovered that, I haven't touched MobileWrite, and, like I said, it was almost the only way I ever entered something on my Treo.

Swype is only available as a beta right now (free), and it's not in the Market. I think I googled it to find a website that has it available for download.

 

[thenrik]

Hi:

Does anyone know if Swype will work on the Samsung Moment?

 

[Hemorrdrhoid]

Two things: a stylus won't work, at least it won't on a Droid. The Palm had a touch-sensitive screen, and I believe most Android phones have capacitive screens.

Actually, there are a handful of stylii made for capacitive screens. Google iPhone stylus to check them out. I don't know that they're going to be as good as using the Palm stylus, but it's worth a shot. I haven't tried Swype yet, since it's the keyboard that I'm not enjoying. But I may give it a shot.

 

[(G)]

Actually, there are a handful of stylii made for capacitive screens. Google iPhone stylus to check them out. I don't know that they're going to be as good as using the Palm stylus, but it's worth a shot. I haven't tried Swype yet, since it's the keyboard that I'm not enjoying. But I may give it a shot.

Wow -- news to me. Apologies!

 

[KlaymenDK]

Palm ----------------Android
BackupBuddy---------Astro (& still looking)
Astro will back up just my apps when I ask it to, but not automatically. I wish I had something like BackupBuddy that did a full image of *every single thing*. That has saved my butt so many times when the battery died or I had to move to another device.

A full system backup is tricky because it's more or less prohibited due to system access restrictions (every app is a sandbox (unless you've rooted your phone)), so a scheduled full backup is not likely. That said, you can make a full backup with something like the "rectools" (search for it here) which on the downside does require you to reboot.

BTW -- your username is hilarious!! Maybe you should see your doctor for a drointment?

 

[lobug]

Swype looks interesting, I generally prefer physical keyboards through.

If your handset is rooted, you can use an utility called "Backup for Root Users". It doesn't do scheduled backup through, and I've read reports that it failed to restore properly.

BTW, if you've used Butler on the Treo and love the alerts and security feature, you may like to check out Missed Call (more powerful but more complex), Missed Reminder (less powerful but simpler) and Remote Wipe for root users (again, requires root).

Cheers.

Edit: Ooops... Forgot to mention WaveSecure which is offering free registartion till, more rounded control but may not suite those since data is stored/controlled by a 3rd-party. Besides it doesn't seem to work very reliable either judging by the comments...

http://androidandme.com/2010/01/news/adc2-winner-wavesecure-offers-free-lifetime-memberships/

Till end-Jan only!

 

[DAE51D]

BTW -- your username is hilarious!! Maybe you should see your doctor for a drointment?

I just noticed his name today too and sent it around to some Android friends. Hilarious!

 

[blinky]

Just for fun, here's a list of the top Palm apps I depend upon, and some of the equivalent Android apps that I'm either using or trying out. Suggestions are welcome!

Palm ----------------Android

Docs to Go-----------Docs to Go Lite
I didn't use DTG a lot on my Palm, but I depended upon it to sync a few important items to have on hand at all times, like reference spreadsheets. The lack of a sync on the new one has prevented me from paying anything.

NetFront-------------Dolphin & XScope Lite
Browsing is 1000% better on the Android, and I'm still debating between the two above browsers. I use Xmarks and have it as my home page on both to coordinate from home.

Audioplayer----------Stock Player & TuneWiki
The difficulty in making playlists continues to be an annoyance. I loved the iTunes Genius when I had an iTouch, but hated iTunes. TuneWiki has Shoutcast Radio, which bumps its usefulness above the stock player.

Flash Player----------Nothing
How weird is it that we had a flash player for the Palm... years ago!? Granted it wasn't built into the browser, but dang.

Graffiti Anywhere-----MobileWrite
Not quite 'anywhere' but better than nothing. It's harder to use your finger for Graffiti, so I may get a stylus to test it out. Graffiti is a hard habit to break; I still write on paper with those symbols by accident.

DateBk---------------Combo of Google Calendar & Astrid
I'll kiss the feet of Pimlico if he brings Pimlical to Android. The Google calendar is annoying because the layouts are almost useless, plus snoozing goes a few minutes. You CAN keep creating new alarms, but that's silly. Astrid is inconsistent; sometimes I get a poke, sometimes not. I haven't settled on a system that just WORKS. And so I can't schedule very important things on the Android yet.

BackupBuddy---------Astro (& still looking)
Astro will back up just my apps when I ask it to, but not automatically. I wish I had something like BackupBuddy that did a full image of *every single thing*. That has saved my butt so many times when the battery died or I had to move to another device.

HotSync--------------some cloud
I liked having an all-around sync option. I tried Moto Tools, but it's very laggy and still doesn't do it all. Even if it were a 1-2 thing; like an app that backs up everything onto the SD card, and another app to sync that backup file over to my PC or LAN storage.

DayNotez-------------testing Note Everything, Unotes, List Master, Evernote, GDocs, & more
DayNotez is wonderful for categories, dating items automatically, and being as organized as my brain. The items I'm testing above all have some hiccup to them that makes me hesitate. Note Everything would probably win IF I could just open and write. This digging around the hierarchy of folders and settings to just plug in a note is annoying.

TealAuto---------------aCar
I haven't actually used aCar yet, but it looks like it'll cover what I need. Now how to transfer over my historic data from TA? It's a pain.

SplashShopper---------testing multiple billion apps
There are a metric boatload of shopping apps out there, but none exactly like what SplashShopper does. I have 18 lists each with 20-200 items each, and I like the checkmarks, categories, columns, etc that I have now.

SplashID---------------testing B-Folders
Passwords are critical, so I may be testing a while. May stay with SplashID, too. Still rely on the Clie here.

Ultrasoft Checkbook----testing FireWallet
Like passwords, your bank data is rather critical. UC was fantastic in allowing transactions to transfer, tracking bills, showing/hiding certain accounts, and always seeing exactly how solvent you are. We'll see about FW. Getting my historic data over... ugh. I have no idea how I'll do this.

Boggle-----------------Haven't seen anything on the market yet
We're Boggle nerds in this house, so we need this!

Scrabble---------------Save as above; missing in action. I actually paid money for the Palm version, so I'd like this.

AcidSolitaire------------Klondike Solitaire
KS is okay, but I liked the tap auto-movement of AS better.

Bejeweled--------------Jewels
I went back and played BJ on the Palm today and was stunned at how much prettier it was visually than anything I've played on the iTouch or the Droid so far. Sometimes old technology is just fine.

TopSuDoKu-------------Play SuDoKu Daily
Top has the better interface, but I can see the limitation of fat fingers on the board. Daily is not as good, but it's the best I found on the iTouch and now on Droid.

??---------------------Aldiko
I used to just d/l .txt docs and read them in DTG on the Palm, so Aldiko is a pleasure in comparison. Not as open of course, but I'm sure I could convert my existing texts if I wanted to.

Overall, it's just going to be a matter of time, I hope. I'd like to thing that Android developers will be sensitive to the needs of business/PIM users, and not just racing to compete with some of the worthless apps on the Apple Market. Sure, fart apps are funny for a while, but they don't get you to your interview on time!

AWESOME information. Stickies should be made just like this.

 

[Hemorrdrhoid]

Thanks all; glad I can amuse and assist.

 

[rcyphermd]

I have been using MyBackup Pro. It backs up apps and data to the sd card and on-line. Works great! (I am a former backup buddy user also)

 

[imabug]

what I really want is a simple RDBMS like ThinkDB/SmartList To Go. Started using ThinkDB back when I had a Handspring Platinum, and carried it through to the T3 that I still use. I have several DBs that I use to keep track of various things. Have been exploring the Market for a few days but haven't seen anything that looked promising yet.