Porting MS Exchange+Windows Mobile calendar

[tomweaver]

I'm a new Mac user, as of yesterday, and am looking to get all my business info transferred. My only issue so far is with my calendar.

I currently use a Vista laptop using Outlook 07 via an MS Exchange service provided by mailstreet to sync my calendar with my Windows Mobile 6 HTC phone. I am planning to switch to an iPhone but have 6 months to go on my contract.

My email is separate via IMAP.

My problem is: how do I import my calendar into iCal and then find some way of keeping it updated with my Windows Mobile phone for the next 6 months. I'm happy to ditch the exchange account and even lose live sync abilities but can't lose any data.

I've signed up for Mobile Me but understand it doesn't work with Exchange services, so I don't really know where to start at the moment.

Any thoughts would be very much appreciated!

 

[tomweaver]

Have found a workaround using Plaxo. Not ideal but it would appear to work.

Basically Plaxo offer downloads to sync Outlook, the OSX suite of calendars and contact directories, and Windows mobile phones with their site. Installing on all seems to keep them all talking to each other without too much duplication, although items entered in iCal have an irritating habit of having a "free" rather than "busy" status when appearing back in Outlook or in Windows Mobile.

Mailstreet just informed me they support Entourage as well as Outlook for Exchange services, but from what I've heard that's not a great package and if iCal works I'll continue to use that.

 

[tomweaver]

Am talking somewhat to myself here, but in case anyone finds this useful I'll continue.

Have found that Plaxo works fine between Outlook on my Vista laptop (and then onto my WM6 phone) and iCal on my macbook, but the WM6 plaxo version doesn't not work when trying to sync the calendar directly. I.e. as it stands I would need to boot up my Vista laptop each time I want to sync my calendar with my phone. Not ideal.

Am now seeing if I can use Entourage after all and find some way of syncing Entourage and iCal, since it is iCal I'm planning to use.