I use my old Palm Vx as travel alarm with the BigClock app. It runs about a month between recharges, keeps amazingly accurate time, has a quite loud speaker, the metal case is practically bulletproof, and the form factor is comparable to most travel clocks. While I really like my cell phone, it does not compare favorably for this use. Sometimes the old tech is better.

It took you this long to ditch Microsoft for Firefox?

Gmail integrates very well with the iphone - why not ditch the desktop client altogether? It syncs with your Iphone seamlessly, no backups, no transferring to new machines etc... I did that a long time ago and have been very happy.

I got the Iphone last friday after your post put me over the edge! I had an Ipod Touch for about two months and fell in love with it - it was my first ipod (but about 20th mp3 player) and other than Itunes I found it so well done that I had to have the phone.

jack I agree with above.

If you have a data plan (sounds like you do) look up "sync calendar with iphone" on google calendar.

There is no reason to involve Lightning or TBird at all. Google will do it over the cloud. Same with contacts.

Wait until you get your mac. You'll never go back.

I found it was too much hassle trying to open hotmail emails on my mobile phone. So I ditched it for google mail.

It took you this long to ditch Microsoft for Firefox?

No, I did that a long time ago. The latest change is email. I never used Microsoft for calendar; most recently, it was Palm.

Google will do it over the cloud.

Right now I'm still getting comfortable with having my calendar sit on a Google server. It creeps me out, actually. My contacts and e-mail, too? Not yet.

A compromise: use a gmail account to fetch your mail from your trusted server and sync it with your iphone. Your correspondents don't need to know of your capitulation. Yes, the Googles will be reading your mail, but I feel confident they can do that anyway.

The iPhone gets my e-mail just fine, without Google. Or at least, without gmail. I think.

The iPhone mail app has native POP3 / IMAP4 / MAPI support, so if you are using basically anything but Lotus Notes or Novell GroupWise, the iPhone will do it without any futzing around with mailer proxies like Google.

It will even talk to Microsoft Exchange on an equal footing to Windows Mobile, and better than a Blackberry (no need for a ridiculously expensive Blackberry Enterprise Server).

So Jack, I have to ask: does this give any credence to your loyal band of readers who have been chanting "buy a mac! buy a mac!" every time you mention a computer problem?

I think they're all afraid that Apple will go under, and then they'll have to go through all the agony that they're telling us to go through -- a conversion of their computing life between Windows and Mac. Nah.

Didn't Apple's profits just go up about 15% in the last quarter - don't think they're goin' anywhere!

There's been no agony in leaving Windoze for Mac --- I downloaded Open Office for $0.00 and whenever I find myself wanting some old file I did in Word/Excel/Powerpoint, I just double click it and Open Office handles it on the Mac.

I had thought I was going to use Parallels or Boot Camp, two ways to run Windoze under a Mac, but after enjoying the near-total absence of any viruses aimed at the Mac, I decided that I didn't want Windoze anywhere near my Mac. Turns out I haven't needed anything I couldn't get an equal or better program designed as a native Mac application anyway.

There's definitely a fear factor to leaving Windozeworld and hooking up with a Mac. A lot of the Maclove just seems so hyped, it sounds like someone who just fell into Amway sometimes. But you've already seen the difference that intelligent, integrated design makes (in your iPhone). Turns out, you can have some of that same feeling about your desktop/laptop as well. Or not, suit yourself.

But it's worth noting that there seem to be very few people who leave Macs for Windoze boxes except when coerced (the boss, etc.) I meet LOTS of people like myself who were proficient-to-expert Windoze users whose only regret, after switching to Macs, is that they can't get all that wasted time back.

don't think they're goin' anywhere!

I dunno. The idea man is not well.

Windoze

That's where I stopped.