With RSG! installed on your Windows PC, your Palm device, is synchronized with your online RSG! profile when you HotSync. Therefore, when using RSG! and Outlook, it's important to remember that getting the information from Outlook to your Palm device and vice-versa involves a two-step synchronization process.

If you have just accepted an appointment from a coworker in Outlook, you must synchronize Outlook with your online RSG! profile and then HotSync your Palm device with your online RSG! profile if you want that appointment to show up in your handheld Date Book. Don't worry; it's not as cumbersome as it sounds--although it does take some getting used to.

Creating RSG! Trips and RSG! Appointments
Of course, the easy access offered by RSG!'s Web-based PIM and its smooth integration with Outlook are only a small part of what makes this service so attractive to mobile professionals. One of RSG!'s key strengths lies in the ability to create special calendar entries, called RSG! Trips and RSG! Appointments.

There are several ways to create an RSG! Trip or RSG! Appointment, and you can do so from within Microsoft Outlook or in the Web-based RSG! Calendar module.

I'll start by showing how to create an RSG! Trip using Microsoft Outlook. In Outlook, there are several ways to proceed. You can select New RSG! Appointment or New RSG! Trip from the Actions menu. You can also choose Create Trip or Create Appointment from the Synchronization menu on your task bar. Finally, at the end of the Outlook toolbar, you'll notice two small buttons. The button on the left is for RSG! Appointments and the one on the right for RSG! Trips. Figure J shows the various ways to create an RSG! Trip or RSG! Appointment.

FIGPAIR J With so many choices, you're sure to find one that works best for you.

No matter which route you choose to get here, the custom RSG! Trip tab in the Outlook Appointment window looks like the one shown in Figure K.

FIGURE K


If only planning the trip were this easy. Roll over picture for a larger image.

As you can see, you can enter just about every pertinent bit of information related to your upcoming trip. The suitcase and car buttons allow you to enter hotel and rental car information as well.

Once you have finished creating your trip entry, simply choose Save and Close and synchronize Outlook with your online RSG! profile. Then, once you HotSync your Palm device, not only will the new appointment be added to your handheld Date Book, but specific information about your upcoming RSG! Trip will be added to the RSG! application on your handheld, as shown in Figure L.

FIGURE L

At least your Palm device is now packed and ready for your trip.

In addition to weather and other related information about your destination, the handheld RSG! application also provides detailed information about your flight, as well as directions to the airport, your hotel, and so on, based on the information you entered when you created your RSG! Trip.

Creating an RSG! Appointment is easy as well. I'll show you how using the RSG! Calendar module. When you create a new event, you can specify that you want it be either an RSG! Trip or RSG! Appointment by selecting the appropriate button, as shown in Figure M.