As I discussed in my December 2000 article, "Palm Desktop and Microsoft Outlook go head-to-head" at http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue200012/outlook001.html, there are a number of advantages to synchronizing with Outlook. You just need to look at the relative strengths and weakness of each program to see which will best fit your needs.

Of course, PocketMirror isn't the only game in town. If your Palm device didn't come with PocketMirror, you still have a number of options if you'd like to synchronize your Palm device with Microsoft Outlook.

One of those options is Desktop To Go from DataViz at http://www.dataviz.com/products/desktoptogo/index.html. This easy-to-use program offers a simple and intuitive way to synchronize with Microsoft Outlook, with the added bonus of providing synchronization with Microsoft Schedule+ 7.x. Desktop To Go is also reasonably priced at only $49.95, with special pricing for multi-user licenses (at http://www.dataviz.com/purchase/buy/desktoptogo/dtg_order_pg1.html). You can also download a fully functional 15-day free trial version from this address.

This month I'll be reviewing what Desktop To Go has to offer; however, I won't be discussing Palm/Outlook synchronization in detail. If you're interested in learning more about how your Palm device and Microsoft Outlook interact, you should check out my previously mentioned December 2000 article, as well as my January 2001 piece, "A step-by-step guide to configuring PocketMirror and Microsoft Outlook" (at http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue200101/pocketmirror001.html).

Initial installation and set-up
Installing Desktop To Go is a breeze; in a matter of minutes you'll be up and running. As shown in Figure A, the installer also offers you the chance to install DataViz WhatzUp on your Palm device.

FIGURE A

Go ahead and say yes; you'll be glad you did. Click picture for a larger image.

What's WhatzUp, you ask? It's a slick little Palm OS utility that allows you to view your appointments and To Do List items on one screen, similar to the Date Book agenda view in Palm OS 3.5. But even if you have Palm OS 3.5, you still ought to take a look at WhatzUp, pictured in Figure B.