Originally posted by elo
Uh, MCL, *lots* of PDA's work out of the box with Macs. I've owned two Sony Clies and have never needed the Missing Sync. It just depends on the particular model you are using.
elo
Errr...."lots" of PDA's don't work out of the box with Macs. Palm IIIs don't. Original Palms don't. Palm V's don't. Handspring Visors don't (none of those will without a version of Palm Desktop >=4)
WinCE 1.0 devices don't. WinCE 2.0 devices don't. Current WinCE (nee PocketPC) devices don't. Linux-based PDA's (e.g., iPaqs running familiar Linux, the Sharp Zaurus) don't.
I hear the Psion 3 series had good compatibility pre-OS X. You can pick one up at my local Microcenter for $20 if you're feeling nostalgic.
But, hey, those are just the ones I own and have tried with OS X and Palm Desktop (of course the WinCE devices didn't work with PD; there's no equivalent from Microsoft for OS X).
Yes, a few Clies and existing Palm Computing (and old Handspring) devices will work with the current version of Palm Desktop. This wasn't always the case, and for certain Clies, it's still not the case (hence the need for Missing Sync).
The only PalmOS devices OFFICIALLY supported by Apple and Palm Computing under OS X are the Tungstens and (I believe) the Zires.