Newsletter #40 - June 2005

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1. UPDATE: Missing Sync for Palm OS v4.0.5
2. UPDATE: Missing Sync for hiptop v1.0.1
3. BETA: Missing Sync for hiptop v2.0 BETA
4. NEWS: Apple Moves to Intel and Mark/Space Follows
5. NEWS: Mark/Space Honored With Powered Up Award
6. SUPPORT: Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger" Support Update
7. PALM TIP: iSync 2.0 in Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger"
8. NEW AT STORE: Blue Nomad's BackupBuddyVFS Professional for Palm OS
9. COOL STUFF: LandWare Products for Palm OS and Pocket PC
10. A LOOK AHEAD: Missing Sync for Windows Mobile Coming Soon

The Missing Sync for Palm OS has been updated to version 4.0.5. This free upgrade for registered owners of version 4.0 addresses several issues with Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger", including Internet Sharing, desktop mounting and exporting pictures from iPhoto.

We recommend that all owners of version 4.0 install this update. The installer and complete release notes are available on the Software Updates page: http://www.markspace.com/downloads.html.

If you're still running an older Missing Sync product, like the Garmin, Sony or Tapwave editions, The Missing Sync for Palm OS supports your handheld and introduces cool new features. To learn more and/or purchase an upgrade for $19.95, see http://www.markspace.com/missingsync_palmos.php.

A free version 1.0.1 update to Mark/Space's newest product, The Missing Sync for hiptop, is now available. Though this release does NOT provide compatibility with Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger" (see the BETA article below), it does add the ability to perform synchronization of individual categories, improves notes synchronization and fixes a few bugs.

We recommend that all owners of version 1.0 install this update. The installer and complete release notes are available on the Software Updates page: http://www.markspace.com/downloads.html.

We have just made a public beta of The Missing Sync for hiptop v2.0, now with support for Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger", available in the Testing section of the Mark/Space website.

The Missing Sync for hiptop 2.0 beta runs as a standalone application under Tiger. It uses the new Xsync / Sync Services technology in Tiger to sync directly with Address Book and iCal. iSync is now only used with Mac OS X 10.3 "Panther". This beta can be installed over v1.0.x, but if you do not already own version 1.0, this beta will function as a 14-day demo. Be sure to read the Read Me linked on the Testing page before installing the beta.

IMPORTANT: This is BETA software; it is not final and there may be bugs. Download betas at your own risk. Mark/Space strongly recommends that you back up your existing data before you modify it with a beta. Beta versions are not officially supported by Mark/Space tech support, though we do respond to beta feedback.

As you've no doubt heard by now, at its Worldwide Developer Conference earlier this month, Apple announced plans to transition their hardware to Intel processors in the 2006 to 2007 timeframe.

Mark/Space views this decision as a good one, since it will allow Apple to close the processor performance gap with computers running Microsoft Windows. This is especially true in the notebook arena, where Apple has been unable to produce a PowerBook with a G5 processor and is falling farther behind the speed of Pentium-powered notebooks.

Mark/Space fully intends to support Apple's new computers when they become available. We are already following Apple's recommended development protocols, and we expect to make a smooth transition to the new hardware.

If you're interested in reading more about Apple's switch to Intel, Adam Engst's TidBITS article, "Apple and Intel: The Biggest Non-News of the Year" http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=08135, offers an excellent perspective.

In our previous newsletter, we asked readers to consider casting a vote for The Missing Sync for Palm OS in PalmSource's annual Powered Up Awards. Well, we have you to thank. At the PalmSource Partner Summit and Developer's Conference held at the end of May in San Jose, The Missing Sync took home the Powered Up Award for Best Enterprise/Productivity Solution!

Here's a snippet from the PalmSource press release:

Selected from thousands of nominations (more than 150% over last year), the four Powered Up Award winners were chosen by their peers, fans, PalmSource employees, and licensee partners based upon the following criteria:

• Innovation - Solutions that are truly unique and run on the latest Palm Powered devices.
• Popularity - Solutions that lead the industry in sales and downloads;
• Benefits - Solutions that enhance quality of life;
• Ease of Use - Solutions that are simple, elegant and useful;
• Support - Solutions that are regularly updated with readily available product support.

This is currently where we stand with Tiger compatibility for our Mac applications.

PRODUCT NAME	CURRENT VERSION	TIGER COMPATIBLE
The Missing Sync for Palm OS	4.0.5	now
The Missing Sync for Pocket PC	1.0.4	upgrade coming soon
The Missing Sync for hiptop	1.0.1	2.0 now in beta

As noted in the BETA article above, a 2.0 beta of The Missing Sync for hiptop, with full Tiger support, has just been posted to the Testing section of the Mark/Space website. Version 2.0 will be released as a free upgrade for all current 1.0 customers.

Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger" ships with iSync 2.0. This new version has been modified to work with Tiger's new synchronization architecture called Xsync.

iSync 2.0 requires an updated iSync Palm Conduit in order to synchronize Address Book and iCal with a Palm OS handheld or smartphone. Though it isn't immediately obvious, you use iSync 2.0 to install the new iSync Palm Conduit. Simply launch iSync and choose "Enable Palm OS Syncing..." from the Devices menu. This will install the new iSync Palm Conduit and check for other conduits that might conflict. You must then re-enable the iSync Palm Conduit in The Missing Sync by double-clicking on it and checking "Enable iSync for this Palm device".

Unfortunately, Apple didn't make any improvements to the iSync Palm Conduit that affect what information actually syncs, so fields like business addresses and categories still aren't synchronized.

For more detailed instructions on how to install the new iSync Palm Conduit, please read our article in the Support Knowledgebase: http://www.markspace.com/support/index.php?x=&mod_id=2&id=2413.

We are pleased to announce that BackupBuddyVFS Professional from Blue Nomad is now available for $19.95 in the Mark/Space Online Store. BackupBuddyVFS Pro gives Palm Powered device users the ability to back up and restore their handheld to and from an expansion card. Backups can be scheduled to occur automatically, and checkpoints allow you to keep multiple restore points. Other features, such as encryption, compression and archiving really make this a fabulous product for portable backup and restoration.

Don't get caught without a current backup! Pick up a copy of BackupBuddyVFS Pro today. http://store.markspace.com/product_info.php?products_id=61

For the 40th issue of Mark/Space News, we are pleased to feature Mark/Space Online Store vendor Landware, creator of the award-winning Pocket Quicken software. Landware makes top-notch handheld applications for both the Palm OS and Pocket PC platforms.

On the Palm OS side, the Mark/Space store carries the following Landware apps.

• Pocket Quicken for Palm OS Pocket Quicken lets you keep your financial data at your fingertips and integrates completely with the Mac OS desktop edition of Quicken. Version 2.5 introduces many new features, including excellent one-hand navigation, support for high-resolution screens, quick reports, the ability to schedule automatic payments and more. http://store.markspace.com/product_info.php?products_id=56
• Leonard Maltin 2005 Movie Guide for Palm OS With complete details and capsule reviews for more than 20,000 entries in its database, the Leonard Maltin Movie Guide is the most comprehensive pocket movie guide available. http://store.markspace.com/product_info.php?products_id=54
• Wine Enthusiast Guide 2005 for Palm OS Including everything from a Wine 101 course to details and ratings for nearly 13,000 wines, the Wine Enthusiast Guide is like carrying around a team of wine experts in your hand. This great application makes it easy to zero in on that perfect bottle for a gift or special occasion, and allows you to keep a record of personal tasting notes. Perfect for the experienced wine lover or one who's just learning. http://store.markspace.com/product_info.php?products_id=55
• MONEY Magazine Financial Assistant for Palm OS With its collection of 45 problem-solving worksheets, the MONEY Magazine Financial Assistant can provide you with accurate information in a flash to help you make financial decisions. Use it to help with retirement planning, refinancing, leasing and other personal finance decisions. http://store.markspace.com/product_info.php?products_id=52
• Shanghai Pocket Essentials for Palm OS Shanghai Pocket Essentials brings the definitive Mah-Jongg game to handheld devices. With multiple play modes and a built-in layout editor, this challenging game will give you hours upon hours of full-color enjoyment. http://store.markspace.com/product_info.php?products_id=53

• Leonard Maltin 2005 Movie Guide for Pocket PC With complete details and capsule reviews for more than 20,000 entries in its database, the Leonard Maltin Movie Guide is the most comprehensive pocket movie guide available. http://store.markspace.com/product_info.php?products_id=51
• Wine Enthusiast Guide 2005 for Pocket PC Including everything from a Wine 101 course to details and ratings for nearly 13,000 wines, the Wine Enthusiast Guide is like carrying around a team of wine experts in your hand. Makes it easy to zero in on that perfect bottle for a gift or special occasion, and allows you to keep a record of personal tasting notes. Perfect for the experienced wine lover or one who's just learning. http://store.markspace.com/product_info.php?products_id=50
• Shanghai Pocket Essentials for Pocket PC Shanghai Pocket Essentials brings the definitive Mah-Jongg game to your handheld. With multiple play modes and a built-in layout editor, this challenging game will give you hours upon hours of full-color enjoyment. http://store.markspace.com/product_info.php?products_id=49

In just a few weeks, Mark/Space expects to ship The Missing Sync for Windows Mobile 2.0, a much advanced replacement for The Missing Sync for Pocket PC. The new Windows Mobile edition introduces features for both new and existing users.

Many customers have been asking us to support Windows Mobile Smartphone devices, like the Morotola MPX220 and i-Mate SP3i. The Missing Sync for Windows Mobile adds support for these and many other Windows Mobile Smartphone devices. These phones are becoming extremely popular, and The Missing sync will allow them to synchronize contacts and calendar events and tasks/to-dos with Mac OS X apps.

The Missing Sync for Windows Mobile will also feature a new synchronization architecture that supports Tiger's Xsync technology and Microsoft's Pocket Outlook Object Model (POOM). Support for these technologies means that users will get the most reliable sync possible, and they will be able to synchronize their Windows Mobile Pocket PC and Smartphone devices between Mac OS X and Windows computers.

This new edition of The Missing Sync will also add support for synchronizing directly with Microsoft Entourage, eliminating the need to use AppleScripts or other iSync plugins.

To help grow the Windows Mobile device market for Mac users, Mark/Space has designed The Missing Sync for Windows Mobile with an extensible plugin architecture that will allow third-party developers to create plugins to synchronize data between a Mac OS X application and a companion program on the handheld. We're working with developers to bring powerful new capabilities to Mac users who work with Windows Mobile devices.

The Missing Sync for Windows Mobile will be available to all Missing Sync for Pocket PC owners as a $19.95 upgrade, or free for those who purchased the Pocket PC edition on or after April 1, 2005.

To learn more about The Missing Sync for Windows Mobile, and to see screenshots of this cool new app, please visit the page we've set up on the Mark/Space website. http://www.markspace.com/missingsync_windowsmobile.html