Another frustrated Palm user with questions....

[watson31]

HELP!!!

I recently drank the Kool-Aid and acquired a Galaxy S3. Prior to that I was functioning quite nicely with a very old flip phone to make calls & text PLUS a Palm Zire 72 for organizing my life.

I've had the Galaxy for a couple months now. And while I like it, I'm still carrying around my Zire because to be blunt, the calendar that came on the Galaxy stinks on ice.

So I'm looking for an app (or apps) to do the following:
1) I need a day planner/calendar.
2) In my Zire I would create "reminders" with alarms. They were great for breaking bad habits or establishing healthy habits. The alarm would go off and I'd open the reminder and read a little paragraph telling me to stop drinking so much soda, or not get so frustrated at work, or whatever. Then I could reschedule it for a couple days from now at some random time to go off again. The randomness of the reminders was an awesome tool for making serious changes in my life.
3) I used the Tasks List function in the Zire to create lists such as "Books I want to Read" or "Bands to Check Out" or "Improvements for the House".
4) The Memo function in the Zire was great for more detailed lists in paragraph form (versus the bulleted list format of the Tasks list).
5) All my contacts were in 1 place, and within each contact I could write a note about them. Birthday or directions to their house or that this friend prefers Coke versus Pepsi....whatever. AND I could create separate contact lists. Personal, Business, Old, Co-Workers.

I think that covers it. I want all these features on my Galaxy S3 AND I want to sync the phone to my PC, not to "the cloud". I don't trust "the cloud" anymore than I trust the government.

Just today I downloaded the free trial version of Pimlical and I hate it. All the reviews made it sound like it was going to look and feel almost like the Palm, but it's really just a calendar....not much different than the stupid calendar that came loaded on the phone.

So......Please, please, please People, hit me with the recommendations. I've got this expensive phone that I only use for texting, making calls, and occassionally reading something online. So far I am soooo not getting my money's worth.

What apps are going to make my brand new "smart" phone behave like my 8 year old Palm Zire???

Thanks in advance,
watson31

 

[gtbarry]

First of all, when I saw the title of this thread I thought "Why did someone revive such an old thread???"

1) I need a day planner/calendar.
2) In my Zire I would create "reminders" with alarms. They were great for breaking bad habits or establishing healthy habits. The alarm would go off and I'd open the reminder and read a little paragraph telling me to stop drinking so much soda, or not get so frustrated at work, or whatever. Then I could reschedule it for a couple days from now at some random time to go off again. The randomness of the reminders was an awesome tool for making serious changes in my life.

You can use google calendar to set appointments with as much detail as you want. But you can't set anything to random to my knowledge. So your reminders would probably have to go off at set times.

3) I used the Tasks List function in the Zire to create lists such as "Books I want to Read" or "Bands to Check Out" or "Improvements for the House".
4) The Memo function in the Zire was great for more detailed lists in paragraph form (versus the bulleted list format of the Tasks list).

Google Keep (free in Play Store) uses your existing google account and can create lists for you that you can edit on your phone or online. It can do bullet point tasks lists, memos, photo notes or voice notes. You can color-coordinate, rearrange the order, etc. Far more modern than the Palm Desktop/OS.

5) All my contacts were in 1 place, and within each contact I could write a note about them. Birthday or directions to their house or that this friend prefers Coke versus Pepsi....whatever. AND I could create separate contact lists. Personal, Business, Old, Co-Workers.

If you use gmail for your contacts, it will sync wirelessly and you can edit via your desktop or phone. When you go to contacts you add a variety of detail including "note" to write as much detail as you want. Also, under google contacts you can create groups and organize people under groups (i.e. Pepsi Drinkers) and even under more than one group (i.e. Pepsi drinker and Co-worker)

Regarding the cloud, I hear you and I agree with you. For more than just privacy reasons, I refuse to embrace the cloud also. But you already do in many ways and you don't have much choice in the matter. You just need to approach with caution. Don't put anything truly confidential in the notes about a person and realize the benefits of having the ability to sync your contacts wirelessly and automatically through your google account. Even if you lose both your phone and computer (via theft or destruction), your contacts will be available to you and will download immediately to your replacement phone once you sign in. Also, the ability to edit notes, contacts, calendar in one place and magically have them sync up across all devices (your phone, any computer you sign into, any tablet you sign into, etc.) can be handy when travelling, etc.

 

[watson31]

gtbarry,

I'm going to address your last point first. I really don't have anything of importance out on the cloud and I intend to keep it that way. Work I do for my employer might be on the cloud, but that's their choice and it's their info, not mine. I have a Dropbox account for photos, but they're nothing private, all harmelss stuff (my dogs, motorcycles, me & my girlfriend). I would never sync my contacts or people's addresses & phone numbers "out there".

You mentioned using gmail for syncing my contacts. I freakin' hate gmail. I recently set up a new gmail account just to the email function and I think it looks horrible. The way a string of emails is "situated" I do not like it 1 bit. So I'm hesitant to use any of the other features of the gmail account, such as a calendar.

You also mentioned being able to sync wirelessly via gmail. Again, I don't want to do anything wirelessly. I am more comfortable connecting to my PC w/a USB cable.

So thanks for reading my post and offering some ideas, but they really don't speak to what I'm aiming to do.

 

[woodsb123]

Hi Watson31, I saw your post and thought back to my days as a Palm phone user. When I first got my shiny new android phone back many years ago, I was thinking the same way as you were with syncing my phone to my pc via usb cable, that's because back then, it was the norm. Now I know you probably won't like my answers, however, you did ask for advice.

First, let me say that I've had many android phones and I also own an Ipad. So I can tell you that even the iPhone is cloud-based now. Over the years, the android environment has evolved and gotten a whole lot better than when they first started out and I must say - Google has come a long way. Now on to your issues. Now you say that you don't trust and want anything uploaded to the cloud, well, let me say this then, you don't really want a smartphone then. Because most, if not all, smartphones today have all of their/your data stored in "the cloud" in some way(s) that you might not even be aware of. All "the cloud" means is that they are storing the data you access on your phone, on that company's network of computers. And I can tell you now, if this is your strategy of not connecting your new phone to the cloud, and you are sticking to it, you probably should return your shiny new phone to the store because I can tell you for a fact that you will just continue to frustrate yourself with these devices if you are expecting to use them without connecting to "the cloud". Smartphones of today are made to work with cloud services. In reference to that, google's apps are all web-based(cloud) and as far as I know, you can't even purchase an android phone without having/creating a google/android email account of some sort. In all honesty, I don't believe there is a newer phone in stores that would allow you to sync your data just using your computer and a usb cable, but, I could be wrong. Hope this helps.

 

[zuben el genub]

I think Outlook still syncs. At least it did on the Blackberry.

I know what you mean. I loved my Clie. If you have ACT, there just might be an Android Sync. An Office suite might have something between computer and device. ACT is still around. It isn't free, but sometimes free is not what you want since it caters to the so-called majority.

Sync Android with ACT! - Sync contacts, calendar activities, contact notes and histories -- CompanionLink Software

 

[chanchan05]

1. Its called S Planner on the S3. Its the calendar app.

2. There are several reminder apps out there that can do what you want. Most prominent are Astrid and Any.do

3. Any.do and Astrid could make task lists as well.

4. The S3 has a Memo app. Is there anything wrong with it? Just look for it in the app drawer. It may have been renamed to S Notes.

5. This can be done if the contacts were saved to either Google or phone only. If you don't want it syncing wirelessly, you have to save it to phone memory, and have Samsung Kies installed on your PC/Mac. This is the Samsung PC Suite program where you can have your notes, contacts, messages, etc syncing and making backups of.

 

[dvhttn]

.... First, let me say that I've had many android phones and I also own an Ipad. So I can tell you that even the iPhone is cloud-based now. Over the years, the android environment has evolved and gotten a whole lot better than when they first started out and I must say - Google has come a long way. Now on to your issues. Now you say that you don't trust and want anything uploaded to the cloud, well, let me say this then, you don't really want a smartphone then. Because most, if not all, smartphones today have all of their/your data stored in "the cloud" in some way(s) that you might not even be aware of. All "the cloud" means is that they are storing the data you access on your phone, on that company's network of computers. And I can tell you now, if this is your strategy of not connecting your new phone to the cloud, and you are sticking to it, you probably should return your shiny new phone to the store because I can tell you for a fact that you will just continue to frustrate yourself with these devices if you are expecting to use them without connecting to "the cloud". Smartphones of today are made to work with cloud services. In reference to that, google's apps are all web-based(cloud) and as far as I know, you can't even purchase an android phone without having/creating a google/android email account of some sort. In all honesty, I don't believe there is a newer phone in stores that would allow you to sync your data just using your computer and a usb cable, but, I could be wrong. Hope this helps.

What a load of .... I'm not actually sure what .... What you're saying is that YOU have bought the "store everything in the cloud" idea hook, line and sinker. Some of us haven't and we still manage to use a "smart" phone, even though all of our data is NOT in the cloud.

On the subject of ".. on that company's network of computers ...", well ever thought that the computers your data is on could well be outside of the country you live in and thus subject to very different laws than you are personally? Thought not ....

Personal choice. There are plenty of ways of keeping your data out of the cloud and still using a smart phone. That's maybe why some of us really do have "smart" phones ..

Dave

 

[funkylogik]

Can i just jump in a bit and say.. anyone moving from one OS to another should be prepared to accept a definite change. Dont expect Android or its apps to replicate what youre used to, that would be a lazy way to approach it. Explore android with a new head on and start from scratch.
Think Web OS died a death for a reason tbh. I know it has a strong place in (mostly North American tbh) hearts but moving to android expecting a replica isnt gona work

P.s, what is it that seems to "scare" people about cloud storage? I honestly dont get that.
Like i understand that unless you have reliable unlimited data you wont want to be streaming all your media but whats wrong with the google servers saving your contacts for you lol??
Imo it makes things nice n simple

 

[dontpanicbobby]

SNIP
Personal choice. There are plenty of ways of keeping your data out of the cloud and still using a smart phone. That's maybe why some of us really do have "smart" phones ..

Dave

@Dave- Could you expand on that? What are some of the apps that allow you to keep your data off the cloud but still nicely organized on your smartphone?

@watson31- I felt the same way you did when I switched from Windows Mobile to Android back in 2008. I really missed syncing with Outlook from my job or at home over a USB cable. 5 years into the Android experience and I don't even think about that anymore. I wish I had some helpful suggestions for you but like gtbarry I'm satisfied with what Google has to offer.

 

[Hadron]

If you don't want to send info via Google there are options for sharing via cable with your pc. As you have a Samsung their Kies software may be able to do something. I've heard "MyPhoneExplorer" can do sync with Outlook (not being a Windows person I've never used Outlook, so can't speak from experience). Something like that may be as close as you'll get, and I guess if you use that, and make sure they aren't being synced with Google accounts, you could get some of what you want.

I don't know of anything like Palm Desktop, and doubt it will exist. That was possible because that was the way Palm was designed, with the core calendar, contacts, tasks and notes being made to sync with that app on a PC. With Android the equivalents (where they exist) are based on Google services, which means cloud rather than local pc sync. Some apps have their own local databases, some sync with other cloud services, but I don't know of an all-in-one system (as opposed to disjoint apps) which also has local sync.

There are organiser apps which try to put it all in one app, the way DateBk would have done on the Palm. The Pocket Informant 3 beta gives access to Calendar, Tasks, Contacts and Notes, for example. But the sync options are the standard Google accounts or other online services.

 

[chanchan05]

Samsung Kies for PC/Mac works a lot like Palm Desktop. You can manage your contacts, calendar, tasks, notes, music, etc on a desktop via USB cable.

 

[funkylogik]

Kies is admittadly an embarassingly bad big pile of crap software though tbh so good luck with it coz it seems to be down to sheer luck if Kies does what you want from it

 

[chanchan05]

I've never had problems with Kies over 4 different computers. Although admittedly all 4 computers are way beyond minimum requirements.

 

[Polish Prince]

I use Pimlical on the PC which currently syncs to 13 different Gmail calendar accounts on my Android. I sync using the cloud, however if you want, you can sync via cable with Pimlical.

I use Gemini Calendar to view & edit on my phone.

Both Pimlical (PC) and Gemini are rich with features.

 

[watson31]

Can i just jump in a bit and say.. anyone moving from one OS to another should be prepared to accept a definite change. Dont expect Android or its apps to replicate what youre used to, that would be a lazy way to approach it. Explore android with a new head on and start from scratch.
Think Web OS died a death for a reason tbh. I know it has a strong place in (mostly North American tbh) hearts but moving to android expecting a replica isnt gona work

P.s, what is it that seems to "scare" people about cloud storage? I honestly dont get that.
Like i understand that unless you have reliable unlimited data you wont want to be streaming all your media but whats wrong with the google servers saving your contacts for you lol??
Imo it makes things nice n simple

My issue with the cloud is about trust. We're already moving closer to a Big Brother environment. I'm not going to help it along. I don't know where my info is or who might access it. I'm surprised people are so ok with it. But everyone is a sheep these days anyway.

 

[watson31]

What a load of .... I'm not actually sure what .... What you're saying is that YOU have bought the "store everything in the cloud" idea hook, line and sinker. Some of us haven't and we still manage to use a "smart" phone, even though all of our data is NOT in the cloud.

On the subject of ".. on that company's network of computers ...", well ever thought that the computers your data is on could well be outside of the country you live in and thus subject to very different laws than you are personally? Thought not ....

Personal choice. There are plenty of ways of keeping your data out of the cloud and still using a smart phone. That's maybe why some of us really do have "smart" phones ..

Dave

Dave, thanks for agreeing with me about the cloud. So how do you function with a smart phone and avoid the cloud? I've read a lot of negative reviews for Kies so I'm skeptical. What do you use?

 

[dontpanicbobby]

Baaa humbug, watson31. I haven't eaten grass since I was a little whipper snapper.

 

[zuben el genub]

I also agree about the cloud. I use an app for finances that can save either a Quicken file, or a CSV. I can transfer that manually by a cable. Text messages can get copied to an email, and downloaded on the computer with the original text deleted. (TMO notifies by text and nothing I can do about what they keep) I use ES File Explorer. The Nexus 4 is a pain in the butt with transfers. Linux only sees the photos. Windows will get the data.

I only do banking/ordering on the Linux Mint desktop, through a router. I bought a few backups.
I mostly do photos on an offline XP box in Photoshop. So I have to physically back up. Same for embroidery and quilting files.

Since I don't sync a calendar on the phone, that isn't an issue.

Other lists I can create as a PDF in Adobe Illustrator, and transfer to phone.

I use the phone more as a reference PDA. Mostly nature and astronomy apps. I don't have to carry a library with me on a walk. The apps work without a connection.

As for Office type stuff - I need one that works with WordPerfect. I'm still using 9 as I don't need all the bells and whistles. Docs to Go used to handle the WPD files, but no more. If you did use Docs to Go, you can get a side discount if you owned it on Palm (I asked)

 

[dvhttn]

@Dave- Could you expand on that? What are some of the apps that allow you to keep your data off the cloud but still nicely organized on your smartphone? ...

Dave, thanks for agreeing with me about the cloud. So how do you function with a smart phone and avoid the cloud? I've read a lot of negative reviews for Kies so I'm skeptical. What do you use?

I have a Desire HD, running 4.2.2 (AOKP) and connect wirelessly to my home network.

Calendar/contacts: I use Outlook on the desktop and use that for my "master" calendar and contacts database. I use MyPhoneExplorer (MPE) to sync between the DHD and PC. I actually sync to the "Google" account on the phone BUT sync is turned off and, usually, I've uninstalled the Google calendar/contacts sync apps. The calendar and contacts/phone app you use can be anything you want as long as it uses the same storage - and most do.
With new events/contacts I'll sync them to the PC asap BUT there is no way that I would lose much of anything if I didn't sync my phone for a week, say.

Music: I have c. 24GB on music on my SD-Card and for that I use MPE as well. (Actually, if I need to load the complete lot on a new card I'll put it in a card reader and connect to a USB port and let it download overnight. I suppose with newer phones having 802.11ac wifi onboard this should be a lot quicker now BUT you still have to access the sdcard, which aren't very quick).
Again, the emphasis is on having the "master" on my PC at home - WELL BACKED UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Photos: I take some and download them to my PC when I remember. I don't take that many so no big deal if they get lost. If I did take loads I'd download them more often.

Obviously I use the ol' interweb thingie via a browser and email via Maildroid. I don't have my archived email on my phone, it's really a device just to read email. Anything I 'send' is copied to myself so I'll have a copy at home even if I lose my phone.

I'm sure there's other stuff, but the above keeps most of my info out of the cloud. If I had a bit of spare cash I'd set up my home network so I could access it remotely. That way I could save things to the "cloud", but in this case it'd be my cloud!

HTH

Dave

 

[fdbryant3]

My issue with the cloud is about trust. We're already moving closer to a Big Brother environment. I'm not going to help it along. I don't know where my info is or who might access it. I'm surprised people are so ok with it. But everyone is a sheep these days anyway.

That is the way of progress though. I suspect somebody was making the same complaints with the invention of the postal system, the telegraph, in fact I'm almost certain I've read about similar arguments with the invention of the telephone. However ultimately the benefits of the utility are going to outweigh the possible negatives and society moves forward.

 

[Crashdamage]

It is 2013. If you don't want to chance Big Brother or other Bad People getting info about you, you gotta...

Not make phone calls.
Not text.
Not use email.
Not use snail mail.
Not use the internet.
Not use carrier pigeons.
Not converse in public.
Not... You get the idea.

I consider myself to be very careful and security-conscious. Use SE Linux, etc. But I'm realistic too, and realize that nobody communicating in 2013 can truly avoid Big Brother or being 'in the cloud'.

The cloud is very useful, so I use it - carefully.

 

[watson31]

Thanks for helpful info Dave. Most folks are so busy lecturing me that they forget to make any useful suggestions. I'm leaning towards Outlook. I don't love it, but it'll do most of what I want. I really appreciate the unbiased response.

 

[watson31]

OK, so I get everyone's point. I'm somehow the fool because I'm looking for a functionality that I don't currently see on my phone. Shame on me.

But everybody is focusing so much on lecturing me that you're forgetting to offer some suggestions that I can actually use.

I know I could browse the millions of apps available in the Google Play store. I was hoping that someone could steer me in the right direction, and save me some time. Why re-invent the wheel if other folks have already found the tool (or tools) that do what I want.

I understand that there's a learning curve with a new piece of tech. I'm actually OK with that. But if I can download a few apps "today" that meet my needs instead of fumbling thru half a dozen clunkers over the next few weeks/months before I find the right thing, that just gets me up & running that much faster.

And I am not going to embrace the cloud. That's just not negotiable. I really don't understand how so many people are so OK with it.

 

[vosg]

My issue with the cloud is about trust. We're already moving closer to a Big Brother environment. I'm not going to help it along. I don't know where my info is or who might access it. I'm surprised people are so ok with it. But everyone is a sheep these days anyway.

So people who are not paranoid are sheep? Nice!

 

[watson31]

Dave, sorry to continue to bother, but you're the only person who has offered any practical advice.

I've read a good bit about My Phone Explorer. And while it sounds like it will give me the access to my PC that I want, I've also read that it comes with a lot of bloatware.

Check out this article from Cnet & let me know what you think.

MyPhoneExplorer Client - CNET Download.com

Did you have any problems like what's described in the article??