steven n fettig's Jitterin' Thoughts

First, my initial thoughts on the UX50 (skip this paragraph if all you are interested in is my tip section).
Every 1 1/2 to 2 years, I come across a device that drastically improves my ability to deal with task lists, data manipulation, etc. When I saw the UX50 in a review, I knew it was it - it was the next thing for me. I don't think that the device is for too many people in the PDA market. Firstly, it is expensive - too much for someone using it as a electronic notepad and address book. Secondly, it has a lot of features on it that make deciphering all of the options complicated (i.e. can you figure out all of the different memory stick formats?). But, for me it hit the spot. It blows my Treo 300 out of the water and makes me think that the combination cell phone/pda is destined not to be for most people (the screen is typically too small, and when you finally increase it to a decent size, the device is too big to be a phone). I like the integrated bluetooth and wifi - that's what makes the device ueber usable for me. I found, though, that there are some quirks related to syncing with OS X/Macs and thought people would be interested in what I found (more so than my above commentary).

Tips for OS X:
You should have the following programs installed (you don't need everything on this list per se, but I would highly recommend it, because it seems to have been the best combination I could come up with in my testing):
· Palm Desktop 4.1 for OS X (download the latest version here: Palm Support - Palm Desktop software for Mac - I know from experience that Sony does not [like] supporting Syncing with Macs, so the best solutions are almost always 3rd party).
· iSync for OS X (check out: Apple iSync
· iSync Palm Conduit (iSync Palm Conduit Download --> look very closely at the bottom of the screen, above the nav and search bar for Download - I can't believe they make it so difficult to see...)
· The Missing Sync from MarkSpace.com
· If you already have the Missing Sync installed, install the update! Without the update, you can Sync via bluetooth, but via USB did not work for me under any circumstances w/ the original Missing Sync 3.0.

(If you already have iSync and the iSync Palm Conduit installed, no worries, you shouldn't need to reinstall anything. The same goes for Palm Desktop, BUT I wanted to be sure, so I installed the latest package. I was moving from the Handspring Treo 300, so I was using a version of Palm Desktop apparently modified for the Treo. I found that by reinstalling over the old version, I had better luck with limiting lurking quirks - say that ten times fast.)

Configure the Conduits so that iSync is enabled. Here is a screenshot of what I have checked:

Open up Palm Desktop, go to the HotSync menu and select Setup. Click on the Connection Settings tab and make sure that bluetooth-pda-sync-port is checked.

Click on settings for that option and set the connection to Serial and "As fast as possible." (This is all assuming you have a bluetooth module installed on your Mac and that it is active and set to Discoverable.) Close the windows you are working with and you should be back in Palm Desktop.

NOW, before you start, there is a caveat. If you have the Backup conduit turned on (under Palm Desktop -> HotSync menu -> Conduit Settings), beware of troubles I had. With the Backup conduit turned on, you may find that every time you Sync, it reinstalls the software on your Palm (that had been backed up from a previous sync session) and the related databases. This turns a 1 min. sync session into a 10 min. ordeal. I backup to the Memory Stick anyway, so I turned this off, as it caused me nothing but problems. It may be due to the fact that I have used 3 different Palm devices with this computer, but I cannot be sure.* I figure Bluetooth to be convenient if I can sync quickly without cables... The long sync produced by a buggy Backup conduit was a severe problem imho. After completely disabling the conduit after yet-another-fresh-install of the aforementioned software sans iSync, I had no more problems. I am successfully syncing with my PowerBook from a few rooms away - and happy doing it.

I know there are steps missing in this "howto," but I am doing it from memory, so please forgive the gaps. I hope other posters may fill in where I have left off.

HTH

*Unfortunately, when you delete software on the Mac - similar to Windows - some of the preferences are left floating around the system. Even if you do your best to get rid of them (much easier than hacking the registry in Windows), there are likely to be leftovers that remain even after a new install. I know this by the mere fact that some of my personal layout preferences (that differ greatly from the default) remain even after I thought I had a completely fresh installation of the software.