Migration Questions: Outlook & Palm items before switch

[eagle]

Hi,

My wife (realtor) and I are looking into replacing our palm devices with the blackberry.

The 7200 series would be the minimum model we'd go.

What we have and use:

PDA - As noted above, my wife and I currently use palm devices.
Email - My wife and I use Outlook Express for our multiple POP email accounts.
Calendar - My wife uses Palm Calendar while I use both Palm and Outlook Calendar.

Our goal:

Our goal is to eliminate Palm and completely migrate to Outlook Email and Calendar both on the desktop and the PDA.
I've looked at the Smartphones and others but the RIM products functionally appear to be a good solution for us.

Questions:

* Outlook/Outlook Express: Does the Blackberry work with Outlook Express or do we need to switch to full Outlook first before we can switch to Blackberry?

* Contacts List: How does one migrate Outlook Express contacts to RIM? How does one migrate Palm contacts to RIM? Is this a simple/seamless process or do we use a third party to do a multiple step conversion?

* Calendar: Same as above. How does one migrate Outlook Calendar and Palm calendar to RIM? Easy? Hard? Special software required?

* Email: The Blackberry Enterprise Server (BES) that allows true wireless synchronization of the desktop and the Blackberry device is not a financially sound solution to serve just two people. So that is not an option we will pursue. I've read Mark Rejhon's FAQ notes on email. Looks like we will be doing the Redirector method.

Since we won't be using a BES, the Blackberry and the desktop will not be in synch like it is now with our Palms. So, would it work the same with the Palm where you have to connect the PDA to the desktop to reconcile the desktop and the Blackberry? Is this easy to do? Is there a special software required to do this or do you just click a button?

Last question: She has a laptop and I have a desktop. She has her calendar and I have mine. I however would like to have our calendars synched so she can see what's on my calendar and I can see what's on hers. Is there a way to do that using two separate desktops?

Appreciate your help.

r,
eagle

[Gothalyptic]

* Outlook/Outlook Express: Does the Blackberry work with Outlook Express or do we need to switch to full Outlook first before we can switch to Blackberry?

Need to switch to outlook 2003, unfortunatly at this time no support for express

* Contacts List: How does one migrate Outlook Express contacts to RIM? How does one migrate Palm contacts to RIM? Is this a simple/seamless process or do we use a third party to do a multiple step conversion?

First you need to upgrade to outlook 2003, then either sync the palm with outlook 2k3, or migrate your contact list from express to 2k3, then sync the blackberry up to 2k3 and everything will get put onto the blackberry. this is exactly what I had to do when switching from palm os to blackberry

* Calendar: Same as above. How does one migrate Outlook Calendar and Palm calendar to RIM? Easy? Hard? Special software required?

again need to upgrade to 2k3, then it's a matter of syncing the palm to 2k3, then the blackberry to 2k3


* Email: The Blackberry Enterprise Server (BES) that allows true wireless synchronization of the desktop and the Blackberry device is not a financially sound solution to serve just two people. So that is not an option we will pursue. I've read Mark Rejhon's FAQ notes on email. Looks like we will be doing the Redirector method.

Either redirector, or continue to use the BWC which is provided when you register the device with your carrier. If you don't want to buy your own BES, there are services out there, that will provide you the BES and MDS without having to spend $1000+, I use myblackberry.us for my BES/MDS needs, it is wonderful and only $10 per month. However, for push email, you can get true push email a number of ways: 1) Forward your email to your new @<hidden> email. 2) Not really push, but push enough for most, set your BWC to retrieve your pop email addresses, it is on a 15 minute poll, but you will none-the-less be notified of new email and retrieve it once the poll comes around.


Since we won't be using a BES, the Blackberry and the desktop will not be in synch like it is now with our Palms. So, would it work the same with the Palm where you have to connect the PDA to the desktop to reconcile the desktop and the Blackberry? Is this easy to do? Is there a special software required to do this or do you just click a button?

It will work the same as the palm, sync up, reconcile, update, etc etc. Unlike palm, you don't have to hit a sync button on your cradle, nor open the HotSync icon on your palm, all you do is connect it and let it run it's course. No special software required.


Last question: She has a laptop and I have a desktop. She has her calendar and I have mine. I however would like to have our calendars synched so she can see what's on my calendar and I can see what's on hers. Is there a way to do that using two separate desktops?

[b]As far as I am aware, I don't think so, not without removing your current sync, however I may be wrong, wait for more input on this one.

[acnst]

You do not necessarily need Outlook 2003 - even Outlook 200 and 2002 work very fine with Blackberry and Desktop Manager.

[Mark Rejhon]

That's true. Outlook 2000 was what I was using with my BlackBerry for a long time, until I upgraded to 2003.

I actually prefer the Outlook 2000/2002 user interfaces to the Outlook 2003 user interface, although Outlook 2003 plays a lot more friendly with my Mailstreet service. (It allows a much better high performance offline mode for faster synchronization, and instant startups, without needing to connect to Mailstreet) But since you are not going to be using BES or Mailstreet, any old version of Outlook will be fine.

Gothalyptic hit all the points on the nail; you have to migrate to full Outlook then you can sync it to the BlackBerry. Actually, you can keep both your Palm and the BlackBerry synchronized at the same time, just make sure the dates on all devices are accurate and don't hotsync simultaneously at the same time as the BlackBerry (to be safe).

[emale]

Desktop redirector doesnt work with pop3 based email accounts.

You are best to just have your mail forwarded to the BWC email address they will provide. (You will not be able to reconcile email messages with Outlook using BWC)

You can sync your contacts with Outlook Express, but OE doesnt have a calendar or note pad or tasks so for those you will need Outlook or Lotus Notes.

[Mark Rejhon]

Don't forget you can concurrently use any of the 5 or so email methods that BlackBerry can use, so you can combine BWC (POP3) with Desktop Redirector with BES.

So you can get both personal and business email on the same BlackBerry that way, for example.

Just make sure you're not running multiple methods on the same email address :D

[eagle]

Thanks guys.

I suspected I needed the OE to full outlook upgrade but wanted to confirm with the collective wisdom.

My wife has two pop email accounts: one work and one personal.
I have about five pop email accounts: multiple business and one personal.

Just so I'm clear about what to do, which of the 5 email methods with the exception of the BES should I use so that we can "hotsynch" the blackberry with the desktop at the end of the day?

Thanks,
eagle

[emale]

If you want to sync your BB contacts, calendar memo pad or tasks, with Outlook then you can use any of email options available.

Either way though since you are using pop3 accounts you will have to use BWC, you can either forward them to the email address you get with the blackberry and set your reply to address in the BWC website (reccomended)

Or set up email accounts to "pull" every fifteen minutes to the BWC which then pushes them to your BB.

Neither option will allow you to reconcile email with Outlook though, thats only available with the BES or Desktop redirector. (redirector wont sync wireless, calender or email, BES will though)
.

[MrOcelot]

Is it possible to download email to the device when you sync at your computer so that you can read mail offline and respond. I am primarily interested in the Blackberry for the PDA/Phone integration and cannot afford to spend the $40 per month for email connectivity.

[arkitekt]

I found a contorted way to transfer the data I want from the Palm desktop to outlook. I am sure that there is another easier way, but

Highlight the Contact. Click export. save the contact information to a file. open the saved file. save this file to outlook.

Drawback is that you have to repeat this procedure to save a file for each contact. I just do those I need for my daily contacts.

sync all the new contact in outlook to the blackberry.