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Meeting Maker: Handhelds and smart phones

Blackberry

Blackberries can synchronize with MeetingMaker wirelessly using software called Notify.  Please contact the Help Desk to request information about this synchronization method.

Palm OS Handheld

Please note: the information below is for Palms that can only be synchronized with a computer using a USB cradle.  If your Palm is also a phone, you should synchronize with Meeting Maker wirelessly using software called Notify.  Please contact the Help Desk to request information about this synchronization method.

If you have a Palm OS Handheld device, you can synchronize your handheld calendar with your Meeting Maker calendar. The Simmons Help Desk can set up your computer to synchronize Meeting Maker with the calendar, address book, or to do items on your Palm, but can only provide limited advice if anything goes wrong. While many people have successfully synchronized Meeting Maker and their Palms, a few have encountered a variety of problems, particularly when syncing for the first time. Please read this web page thoroughly before trying to synchronize with Meeting Maker.

In this document:
>> Before you ask the Help Desk to install Meeting Maker
>> A few of the risks
>> Guidelines for Safe Palm / Meeting Maker synchronization
>> A note for Tungsten owners
>> Meeting Maker datebook conduit settings

Before you ask the Help Desk to install Meeting Maker

Please note: these instructions are for people who need to synchronize a Palm OS device connected to a computer through a USB cradle.  If you have a Palm cell phone, like the Treo, you can synchronize wirelessly using an application called Notify.  Please contact the Help Desk to request information about this synchronization method.

  1. Decide whether you want to synchronize Meeting Maker with your Palm calendar, your Palm address book, your Palm to do list, or any combination of the three. Make sure you indicate your decision to the Help Desk so that it is part of the work order the staff member will fulfill. If you intend to share your Meeting Maker calendar with anyone else, be sure to read Calendar sharing; sharing your calendar automatically shares your address book and to do list.
  2. In order to install the Meeting Maker conduits, your computer must already have Palm Desktop installed. If you ordinarily synchronize your handheld with your home computer:
    1. request that Palm Desktop be installed on your office computer, as part of your Meeting Maker installation request (please tell the Help Desk what model of Palm you use so the staff member can locate the correct version of Palm Desktop)
      Note for Windows users: the Meeting Maker conduits do not replace the Palm conduits. The MM conduits appear at the bottom of the Hot Sync list of conduits: scroll down to find and configure them.
    2. if you will continue to synchronize at home, be sure to disable the Palm Desktop conduits for the databases you are now synchronizing with Meeting Maker (i.e. whatever combination of calendar, address book and to do list you've chosen in #1)
      *To disable synchronization with databases using Windows: right click on the Hot Sync item in your system tray (very bottom of your screen, right most side) and choose Custom; double click on the database (i.e. Calendar), click "Do Nothing," then "Make Default," then "OK."
      *To disable synchronization with databases using Mac OS: open HotSync Manager, from the HotSync menu, choose Conduit Settings, double click the database (i.e. Datebook), click "Do Nothing," then "Make Default," then "OK."

You may find useful information in Meeting Maker Palmsync FAQs, which includes explanations for error codes that may appear in your Hot Sync log.

A few of the risks

Some of the risks you face by not configuring the Meeting Maker conduit properly or following the other guidelines listed below include:

  • multiple instances of some or all of your appointments (syncing with multiple calendar applications or from multiple computers)
  • all appointments shifted by 1 or more hours (improper time zone setting)
  • repeating events will not transfer from Palm to Meeting Maker (repeating events require end dates)

Guidelines for Safe Palm / Meeting Maker synchronization

  1. Only synchronize your Palm OS calendar with Meeting Maker. Do not synchronize with Meetingmaker and the Palm Desktop application. Syncing with more than one calendar application will produce duplicate appointments in one or both, half or all of which cannot be synchronized properly moving forward. The same is true for the Address Book and To Do items: pick Palm Desktop or Meeting Maker, not both.
  2. Set your time zone correctly on both the Palm (Prefs->Date and Time), and in the Meeting Maker datebook conduit or all appointments will shift by one or more hours.
  3. Set an end date for Palm events that repeat. For example, if you have a meeting every Tuesday, make sure you set an "end on" date. You must also set end dates (e.g. the year 2030) for repeating "no time" events, such as for birthdays.
  4. Do a complete synchronization, including a full backup, before switching to Meeting Maker; and make a back up copy of your Palm User folder. With a full backup, you can always restore your Palm should anything go wrong. For assistance with restoring your Palm, please consult Palm One Support (if you cannot find an answer in the knowledge library, check under customer support->request help for email support).

A note for Tungsten owners

The datebook on Tungsten PalmOne devices includes a field under Details, called "Location." This location field does not synchronize with Meeting Maker. All locations you enter in Meeting Maker will transmit to the Tungsten title field, after an @ sign. All locations you enter on your handheld in the title field will transmit to Meeting Maker, and if you add a location after an @ sign, the location will go into Meeting Maker's location field.

Meeting Maker datebook conduit settings

Initially when you synchronize your Palm and Meeting Maker, you should set both ranges ("days before today," and "days after today") to All. After the initial sync, you may wish to sync only 10 days before, and 180 days after today, particularly if you use a Macintosh, which may take as long as 15 minutes to sync.

The settings are the same for Windows and Macintosh. As pictured below, fill in your username, password, and Simmons Calendar for the server; choose SSL for the protocol, synchronize for the action, and leave the upgrade action set to Do Nothing; set the range; and be sure to set the Timezone of Palm Data to USA Eastern (USA).