Beta of Palm Desktop 4.0 for Mac OS X Available (Updated)

Posted By: Ed on Thursday, December 27, 2001 2:51:49 PM

Palm Inc. has released a beta version of Palm Desktop 4.0 for Macintosh OS X and OS 9.

Update: According to the person in charge of this project at Palm, this was initially intended only for Palm employees, which was why it was put on FTP servers with such limited capacity. A true public beta will be released in January on servers that can handle the load. Also, Palm uses the number of people who register for the beta as a way to gauge demand so its important to register with Palm, even if an unauthorized mirror site was used. Finally, any feedback is appreciated.

The major new feature is, of course, compatibility with OS X, though it also offers vCard and vCal support, an OS X Dock menu item, and improvements in data transfer of data between the handheld and desktop software.

It's available in English, Japanese, French, German, Italian, and Spanish.

Palm Desktop 4.0 allows OS X users to simply drag Address Book items or Date Book items to the desktop to create vCard and vCal files.

Mac users have been demanding a version of the Desktop app for OS X since the release of Apple's new operating system in the first part of this year. While Palm has demoed pre-release versions in the past, it has never committed to an exact release day, only saying it would be available before the end of the year.

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What a mess!

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/27/2001 3:18:21 PM #

One ftp server with 150 person limit for software that users have REALLY wanted for months!! What a joke, I haven't even come close to getting in. Been trying for hours and all I get is "The specified server could not be found"

Palm definitly could have, should have done a better job than this, just let Apple mirror it!!

Anyone know where someone else is mirroring it?

RE: What a mess!

Ed @ 12/27/2001 4:58:55 PM #

The flamewar that was here has been deleted as it was only interesting to the people who were having it.

---
News Editor

RE: What a mess!

vgz @ 12/27/2001 6:38:42 PM #

Check the comments on Version Tracker. Someone has it mirrored on their iDisk.

Matt

Bullcrap!

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/27/2001 3:19:02 PM #

Trying to download a copy is like trying to drive an Excursion through the alleys of a city: IMPOSSIBLE!

RE: Bullcrap!

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/27/2001 9:01:10 PM #

Patience is a virtue. Is it really going to kill you guys to wait another day or two?

Downloading

macbert @ 12/27/2001 3:23:18 PM #

I'm downloading at a whopping 0.02KB/sec!

Early bird gets the SLOOOOOOW worm.

macbert

RE: Downloading

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/27/2001 3:36:59 PM #

I just put it up on my high speed server at work. I'll email you the address if you want to download it from my site.

RE: Downloading

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/27/2001 3:43:05 PM #

if someone else mirrors it I can put it up on a high speed connection

RE: Downloading

Ed @ 12/27/2001 5:22:34 PM #

The comment that was here from someone claiming to be Michael Mace was fraudulent. The person responsible has since been permanently banned from the site. We apologize for any inconvenience.

---
News Editor

RE: Downloading

Coyote67 @ 12/27/2001 7:52:14 PM #

Nice to see Palm people actually taking the time to look at the 3rd party sites. I applaud you Michael for actually being interested in what we think.

Off topic, add a jog dial to all your handhelds and make it a required item for the licenses, i.e. handspring.

---------------------------------------
When you have a Clie shoved up your mouth, you can only talk in vowels.

RE: Downloading

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/27/2001 9:03:02 PM #

So "Michael" is the source that Ed always talk about as his "source at Palm"?

ATTN: Coyote67

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/28/2001 7:27:18 AM #

I may not agree with your style - but in content you definetely have a point hard to argue with.
Boris

Palm Beta iDisk link

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/27/2001 3:44:54 PM #

http://homepage.mac.com/jtc1/FileSharing1.html

I just hope Palm doesn't SUE us for mirroring it!

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/27/2001 3:57:47 PM #

;-)

RE: Palm Beta iDisk link

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/27/2001 4:02:31 PM #

http://toybox.smirx.com/up/palmdesk40.sit - mirror of above

RE: Palm Beta iDisk link

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/27/2001 4:07:13 PM #

http://privategold.com/up/palmdesk40.sit

Mirror of mirror of mirror

RE: Palm Beta iDisk link

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/27/2001 4:09:57 PM #

Looks like the last mirror was a funhouse mirror...

RE: Palm Beta iDisk link

Ed @ 12/27/2001 4:22:34 PM #

RE: Palm Beta iDisk link

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/27/2001 4:33:49 PM #

Still seems slow to me; specifically the productreg.palm.com link does not load in a reasonable amount of time.

Can you add more details to your post so that it seems to be more legitimate?

And if it is legitimate, perhaps you would consider putting the software on a faster server next time?

This is only a beta -- the demand for the software will be much higher when it's a final release and I don't think users should be penalized by Palm's poor planning.

RE: Palm Beta iDisk link

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/27/2001 4:37:29 PM #

Michael = Michael Mace, Chief Competitive Officer and VP of Product Planning, Palm, Inc?

Wow, you really get around, Mike! Do you do tech support in your spare time, too?

RE: Palm Beta iDisk link

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/27/2001 4:42:43 PM #

ah yes... I just did a search and found that unless someone has been consistently been impersonating him that this indeed is the genuine article... so I suppose I should take it down

Something should still be done to speed up the productreg.palm.com... it is excruciatingly slow

And while I can understand Palm wanting to make sure the product comes from them in order to ensure that it is the genuine article, I think mirroring it shows just how much the people who are getting it appreciate the work Palm has done to get a version of the desktop on OS X

RE: Palm Beta iDisk link

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/27/2001 4:47:55 PM #

Palm still only allows 300 users (as of Dec. 27, 4:45 pm Eastern Time)

So I say, keep mirroring!

RE: Palm Beta iDisk link

Davy @ 12/27/2001 8:07:52 PM #

As glad as I am that Michaels taken the time to log-on and post helpfully, as of 5:07 Pacific,

ftp://ftp.infoyouaskedfor.com/******/****

says:
300 users (the maximum) are already logged in, sorry

I'll wait though, better not to mess with mirrors.

RE: Palm Beta iDisk link

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/31/2001 11:13:13 AM #

I even tried at 4AM and it said 300 users max. I'd been trying on and off the last day or so and couldn't get through so I installed the version from the link at the top. Seems to be official and works great so far. Nice to be able to hotsync under OS X.

Just Installed...

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/27/2001 4:18:01 PM #

everything worked fine. Of course conduits will need to be written for X, but I am still happy.

RE: Just Installed...

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/27/2001 9:05:15 PM #

The Classic version of the previous Palm Desktop would hang during a HotSync on a Palm IIIxe using the USBConnect kit

But *yay!* the new version for OS X runs flawlessly (using Palm Vx)

The desktop themes/skins leave aren't terribly tasteful though. But all I can complain about is graphics so that means this is great.

OS X 10.1.2, by the way.

RE: Just Installed...

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/28/2001 3:20:20 PM #

Did you need to have Classic to install the program?
When I try to run the installer I get the message "
Launch failed with error code -2856"

I do not have Classic installed and since the error msg is so fantastically detailed I am guessing that it is necessary to install the os x app.

features

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/27/2001 4:47:02 PM #

Anybody know if there are new features on this making it a useful upgrade for someone running OS9? If there's nothing really all that different from the 3.6.3 version, then I think I won't bother until the final release, but if it's got something new I'd like to try it out.

(pardon the anonymous post -- this still won't let me post logged in.)
-kezza

Will not work with Sony Clie

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/27/2001 5:19:52 PM #

While it worked fine with my wife's Handspring Visor, it did not work with my Sony Clie 760, which is disappointing. If Palm licenses their OS to Sony, they should make Hotsync work, even in a beta version.

RE: Will not work with Sony Clie

Ed @ 12/27/2001 5:23:45 PM #

RE: Will not work with Sony Clie

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/27/2001 6:08:38 PM #

Thank you. I appreciate the support.

I'm sure it is in Palm's interest to have Palm OS run without problems on as many handhelds and OS platforms as possible.

PS: Give me 320 x 320 resolution and I promise I will switch back to using a Palm. Right now, Sony's screen is just so much more superior than anything else out there.

RE: Will not work with Sony Clie

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/27/2001 8:35:54 PM #

For what it's worth, my Clie 610 synchs without any problem and without the need for a third-party solution. I'm going to miss AvantGo, however.

RE: Will not work with Sony Clie

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/28/2001 2:08:38 AM #

Thanks Michael. Adding Sony support will help alot. Maybe there is something you could do you ask Sony to at least at support for hotsyncing? Just a thought.
You could add a signature to your posts that lists your job title at Palm so people recognize you as working for Palm and don't ask Ed if you're someone who works for Palm.
I'm really looking forward to what Palm has in the future and hope for continued Mac support. Thanks.

Come and get it!

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/27/2001 6:16:14 PM #

Here it is guys! Go get it!

http://homepage.mac.com/jonvales/FileSharing1.html

Does it sync with Pocket Quicken 2.0?

Billav @ 12/27/2001 7:27:28 PM #

I'm still waiting on the Palm/OS X download and I'm curious. I can wait for most of the conduits that I use; Entourage, Vindigo, Avantgo etc, but not Pocket Quicken. Has anyone tried syncing Pocket Quicken with Palm Desktop 4.0/X?

RE: Does it sync with Pocket Quicken 2.0?

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/28/2001 5:23:06 PM #

If everything goes to plan a carbonized version of the Pocket Quicken Conduit will be made available early Jan.

- LandWare tech support

Palm BETA and Sony CLIE 760c...

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/28/2001 12:09:35 AM #

I downloaded the BETA software and installed it on a PBG4 running 10.1.2, and WAS able to sync a Sony CLIE 760c via IrDA, but I was not able to sync through the USB/Cradle... hopefully next week... if so, thanks go to Palm for providing a MAC solution to us CLIE users and saving me from paying $30 for markspace drivers that only work on OS9, which is getting used less and less each day.

RE: Palm BETA and Sony CLIE 760c...

I.M. Anonymous @ 3/21/2002 10:15:39 PM #

what settings were used to get it to sync via irda?

Palm Desktop 4.0 and Sony Clie T415 = success!

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/28/2001 3:27:41 AM #

I downloaded my copy (from a mirrored source, thank you very much) and it worked flawlessly with my Sony Clie T415. Palm, keep up the excellent work. I was ready to give you guys a lot of flack for not having a version ready before the end of the year, but you made good on your promise.
I just hope Microsoft makes good on their promise and releases an Entourage conduit soon. I also hope Avantgo gets their stuff together.

RE: Palm Desktop 4.0 and Sony Clie T415 = success!

I.M. Anonymous @ 1/28/2002 6:13:17 AM #

good

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