Solution ID : 304

Upgrading from a Palm OS device to a Palm Windows Mobile Treo

• General information
• Migrating Palm™ Desktop data to Outlook®
• Migrating your Palm OS applications
• Migration of media files: images, video and MP3 music
• Use the built-in Help to help you settle in
• Tips for getting used to Windows Mobile® 5.0 for Palm OS users
• Can I leave the Palm Desktop and HotSync® software installed?

General information.

Windows Mobile devices synchronise with Microsoft® Outlook. If you do not already have Outlook, a copy of Outlook 2002 is supplied on the CD-ROM included with your smartphone. Windows Mobile devices include Personal Information Manager (PIM) applications that are very similar to those you are used to on Palm OS: Calendar, Contacts, Tasks and Notes.

Expect your PIM data to migrate cleanly to your Windows Mobile smartphone.

• If you use Palm Desktop, you will need to install Outlook from the CD-ROM, and use that as your PIM on the desktop PC. Windows Mobile devices do not synchronise with Palm Desktop. We will show you how to migrate your data from Palm Desktop to Outlook.
• If you use Outlook, the transition will be easier, since your PIM data is already in Outlook. Simply install ActiveSync from your smartphone's CD-ROM, connect the ActiveSync® cable to your smartphone and desktop PC, and let the synchronisation begin automatically.

ActiveSync replaces HotSync Manager as your synchronisation mechanism. The ActiveSync application on your desktop PC also takes care of software installations.

Migrating Palm Desktop data to Outlook.

What you will need:

• Windows Mobile installation CD-ROM for your new device
• Installation CD-ROM for your previous Palm OS device. If using downloaded Palm Desktop software, you may still need the original CD-ROM to install the Outlook conduits.

Procedure:

1. If you do not already have Outlook 2002 or later installed on your desktop PC, install Outlook from your new smartphone's CD-ROM. You will be moving your Palm Desktop Contacts, Calendar, Tasks and Notes to Outlook.
2. Make sure you have completed an error-free HotSync operation with your current Palm OS device. In this way, your handheld and Palm Desktop data are fully up to date. You will use the data in your handheld as the master copy.
3. Follow the instructions on the following article Switching between Outlook and Palm� Desktop synchronisation to switch from Palm Desktop to Outlook synchronisation.
4. Synchronise your Palm OS handheld with Outlook once. Open Outlook on your desktop PC and verify that your data is present for Contacts, Calendar, Notes and Tasks. Note: e-mail synchronisation via HotSync conduit is not covered by this process.
5. Now install ActiveSync from your new Windows Mobile smartphone's CD-ROM, and follow the instructions in the installation wizard for connecting your new smartphone to your desktop PC. Your Palm OS synchronisation cable can remain connected if you wish, but it is no longer necessary.
6. All being well, synchronisation will complete (the first synchronisation is slow) and you can verify that your data has all transferred by comparing your new Windows Mobile smartphone contents to your previous Palm OS handheld contents. check that any data categorisations have mapped to your satisfaction.

I do not have the original CD-ROM from my previous Palm OS device.
Above, we showed you an easy way to move your Palm OS data to Outlook, by using the original CD-ROM to switch synchronisation methods. But this is not the only way. You also have this option:

• Export items from Palm Desktop, and then import them into Outlook. Warning: This method will not retain all the properties of the original items. We recommend this method only as a last resort. How to export items from Palm Desktop
  • Calendar/Date Book: Export individually as vCal
  • Contacts/Address Book: Export as Comma Separated (*.csv, *.txt)
  • Memos/Memo Pad: Export as Comma Separated (*.csv, *.txt)
  • Tasks/To Do: Copy individually and Paste in Outlook

Migrating your Palm OS applications.

Palm OS and Windows Mobile applications are not interchangeable. Many commonly used applications on Palm OS have alternate equivalents on the Windows Mobile platform (formerly known as Pocket PC and Windows CE).

Some software developers have almost identical copies of their Palm OS applications available for Windows Mobile. Seek software written for Windows Mobile 5.0 with compatibility for a 240x240 pixel screen resolution.

Some classes of Palm OS application have no equivalent on Windows Mobile 5.0.

Migration of media files: images, video and MP3 music.

Image and video files.
Move any image files (JPG), video files .3GP or .3G2 (MPEG4) to an expansion card to move them to your new Windows Mobile smartphone. If you have the files on your PC, make sure you have activated Files synchronisation under Tools, Options in ActiveSync, then simply copy them to your 'Treo My Documents\My Pictures folder'. Use the Pictures and Videos application on your Windows Mobile smartphone to view the JPG images. Use Media Player to view the videos.

MP3 music.
MP3 music is stored on expansion cards. The MP3 files on your expansion card will usually be stored in the directory /AUDIO on your expansion card. Just pop the card into your Windows Mobile smartphone, launch Windows Media and navigate to your Storage Card to play your music.

Use the built-in Help to help you settle in.

Every application on your new Windows Mobile smartphone has extensive built-in Help.

While in the application, press Start and select Help to see help related to the current task or application.

Tips for getting used to Windows Mobile 5.0 for Palm OS users.

• Today: The Windows Mobile Today screen is like your Desktop on a Windows PC. This is the screen where you will arrive at if you keep pressing the OK button to close or minimise other windows or press the button.
  • Contrast with Palm OS: the Applications Launcher or the Phone screen is your "home" screen.

• Looking up Contacts: Windows Mobile contact lookup uses a different convention for finding a name from the Today screen. To lookup Jane Smith, type J <space> SM.
  • Contrast with Palm OS: Contact lookup uses no spaces.

• Contacts in Messaging: When addressing messages in the Messaging application, name lookup works the same way as Today Contact lookup. Type one or more letters of the first name, a space and one or more letters of the last name.
  • Contrast with Palm OS: the convention is to press Centre to see the most recently used addressees or Centre twice to lookup a contact. A centre button press on a Windows Mobile smartphone in an addressing field also initiates 'Select a Contact'.

• Closing applications: When you press to "close" an application in Windows Mobile, the application is usually minimised but still running in the background. Press and hold the button to see a list of all running programs and stop them individually or all at once.
  • Contrast with Palm OS: in general, Palm OS handhelds run one program at a time.

• Redial: If you are used to pressing the green Phone/Send button on a Treo 650 smartphone to access your recently dialled numbers, dial pad and call history, this has not changed. Press Phone/Send twice from any screen or once from Today screen to launch menu.

• Messaging: The Messaging application includes SMS and MMS. Instant Messaging is located in Pocket MSN, all e-mail accounts are handled by the E-mail application including Hotmail.
  • Contrast with Palm OS: Messaging handles SMS and MMS; VersaMail handles e-mail (not Hotmail); need to use the web browser to launch Hotmail.

• Extra menu items: If you are used to Windows, you are familiar with right-clicking to reveal extra menu items throughout the operating system and its applications. In Windows Mobile, press-and-hold the centre button in text fields or on lists of records to reveal extra options such as Delete, Copy, Paste and Cut.
  • Contrast with Palm OS: there is no equivalent on Palm OS which usually includes these items in the application menus.

• Continuous synchronisation: The biggest difference you may notice is in synchronisation. ActiveSync by default continuously synchronises your data while your smartphone is connected to your desktop PC.
  • Contrast with Palm OS: the Palm OS HotSync application synchronises only when you press the HotSync button on the cable or cradle.

• Internet sharing: While your Windows Mobile smartphone is connected to your desktop PC, the Internet connection of your desktop PC is shared with your smartphone on Windows Mobile: surf the web, stream music and more.

• Text input: Used to Graffiti 2 handwriting recognition? Use the Block Recogniser input method rather than keyboard on your Windows Mobile smartphone. It is very like Palm OS Graffiti 2 handwriting in practice.

Can I leave the Palm Desktop and HotSync software installed?

ActiveSync and HotSync can coexist on the same PC. You do not need to remove HotSync Manager or Palm Desktop from your PC. They will not interfere with Microsoft ActiveSync.

Important: We recommend that you do not continue to synchronise your Windows Mobile and Palm OS devices to the same Outlook profile and use both devices actively for your data. You are likely to run into data duplication or loss issues if you continue to update data on both devices and synchronise both to Outlook.