Category Archives: Mac

Apple Mac computers

Blast from the Podcast Past: Podcast 11 – Conversation with Evernote CEO Phil Libin

Every now and then, I re-push an old-ish podcast that I think people might have missed and be interested in. I just listened to last week’s Net@Nite podcast #98 in which hosts Leo LaPorte and Amber MacArthur speak with Evernote CEO Phil Libin. I’m a huge fan of Evernote. I have Evernote clients installed on Windows, Mac OS X, Windows Mobile and the iPhone. And, its web interface gets used a lot by me too. So, if you missed it the first time around, I’ve embedded my conversation with Evernote CEO Phil Libin from earlier this year (January 30, 2009). You can find MobileViews.com Podcast (then called MobileAppsToday Podcast) #11 embedded above. You can also download it from the iTunes Store.

– You can listen to the podcast right now from your web browser by using the embedded player above.
– You can also subscribe to the podcast in iTunes or this RSS feed.
– You can also point your smartphone’s browser at mobiletoday.podbean.com to listen to or download the MP3 file over the air to your phone.

Apple MobileMe: What About the Rest of Us?


My first opinion of Apple’s MobileMe was: OK, so they renamed .Mac, it has more storage, it costs the same (US$99/year), and… wait… It is what I wishes Microsoft Live would give Windows Mobile users like me.

I used to sync my WiMo smartphone daily with my PC. But, that has become such a chore and a statistical probability rather than a sure thing that I don’t do that anymore. I still sync a couple of times a week to make sure I have a backup of my current calendar and contacts. But, it is a chore. I hope the Windows Mobile and Windows Live team can get together and provide similar functionality for WiMo smartphone users soon.

The one big iPhone issue for me is still the lack of a physical keyboard or a Bluetooth keyboard option. I still can’t type worth a darn on my iPod touch. So, I still can’t use it effectively use a email or data entry device.

Sync Windows Mobile with a Mac?

I installed Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac this weekend and have been giving some thought to syncing my Windows Mobile smartphone with a Mac instead of Windows XP (I have Vista running but don’t want to use WMDC). Unfortunately, all of the solutions have issues. Here are my options.

Sync my smartphone with Mac OS X’s iCal (calendar) and Address Book (contacts) using Missing Sync for Windows Mobile ($39.95 download). I believe I lose the ability to sync notes and tasks. And, I definitely can’t sync OneNote Mobile.

Sync my smartphone with Microsoft Entourage 2008 using,again, Missing Sync for Windows Mobile. Mark/Space said that Microsoft doesn’t provide a conduit/plug-in to work with Apple Sync Services. The effect of this is that all category information is lost (all categories are consolidated to the category “Entourage”). I use categories a lot. So, hmm. Everything except for OneNote Mobile should sync minus the category information.

Install Windows XP a virtualized Guest OS using either Parallels Desktop for Mac or VMware Fusion. This means I could install Microsoft Office for Windows along with OneNote Mobile. Unfortunately, VM virtual disk drives can take up a lot of disk space. Do, I really want to dedicate a VM and its associated disk space just for syncing a smartphone?

The last alternative is to dump Windows Mobile and buy a phone supported by Apple’s iSync. It is an interesting idea. But, I really like what Windows Mobile has to offer me (despite my disdain for ActiveSync and WMDC). So, that is not a reasonable alternative for me (although it seems to be a valid one for many other people).

If you are syncing a Windows Mobile 6 smartphone with a Mac, please let me know how your solution is working for you. Thanks in advance!

Rumored Apple Sub-notebook

iPod touch, Newton Messagepad 130, and Macbook

I generally don’t mention rumors in my blogs. But, like many people, I’m anxiously waiting to see what Apple announces at its Macworld conference in a couple of weeks (Jan. 14-18). One persistent rumor this past year is that Apple is going to introduce some kind of subnotebook sized device. A couple of people are even speculating that it is touch screen device closer in size and form factor to the old Apple Newton instead of a conventional notebook. That would put it around the size of the Nokia N700 and N800 series devices. If this is true, I sure hope Apple learns the lesson Nokia leanred with the release of the N810 and provide a physical keyboard. I still am not comfortable and fast on the iPod touch’s screen keyboard. And, while there are people who have become proficient with it, I suspect many more are in my situation (slow with lots of errors).

Windows Mobile 6 & Mac OS X

So, the not-quite-ready Apple iPhone is not the only phone that can sync with a Mac. I read an article over at MacNN describing an alpha release of Mark/Space’s…

Missing Sync for Windows Mobile 4.0 Alpha

According to the article the free alpha release (production release is $40) supports WM6 upgraded Blackjack and Dash smartphones. I’m not quite ready to sync my Dash with a Mac. But, if you are, please let me know how well it works for you.

IMI Tech Talk Radio Show Notes for Aug. 13, 2006

Here’s the link to the MobileViews MobileWiki page with links to websites discussed on Tom D’Auria’s IMI TechTalk radio program on KFNX 1100am in Phoenix, AZ.

MobileViews MobileWiki IMI Tech Talk 2006.08.13 Show Notes

The topic Tom and I focused on was running Microsoft Windows on Intel-based Apple Macs using virtualization technology.