Sync Mac to Windows PC (Outlook)

[Pablo]

I currently have a Windows XP desktop at work and a XP laptop at home. Work will always be WinTel (for the forseeable future). Home's about to change in the next few weeks.

I currently use a Toshiba e310 PPC (which is already up on eBay), for among other things, to sync up the Outlook on the two PCs. I really don't use it a whole lot, so I won't be using any sort of handheld in the future.

Obviously, if/when I make my switch, I won't have the same platforms, but I do want to keep my two agendas synced. I'll have Outlook on the PC, and I imagine I'll either be using iCal or Entourage (Office X) on the Mac. Exporting and Importing (and combining data) would be sufficient, so I could either e-mail a file, or burn it to a CD.

So what sort of alternatives do I have for ensuring the data between Outlook and iCal/Entourage are the same?

 

[Chad4Mac]

This is a really good question

For the most part I am in a similar boat: I work in the Windows world, but when I go home (actually, I bring my Mac to work) I'm in luxury world using my Mac-Only.

I'm in the process of trying to transfer an Outlook Contact folder to a Mac; whether I transfer the contacts into Entourage or Palm software is the big question. If this works out, I think your best bet is to use a Palm.

You can sync your work PC to your Palm using Outlook (syncing calendar and contast if you like), go home, and then sync from the Palm to your Mac using Palm software and/or Entourage. This way you can be current on both fronts without have to burn CD's on a daily basis.

I'm puting a couple calls into Palm today in order to get a better idea on how I (we can) accomplish this seeming easy task; yet I will promise you that this won't be a walk in the park.

I'll keep you updated on any progress...

Chad4Mac

 

[Pablo]

Chad4Mac,

Thanks for the suggestion...but like I said above, I will not be using any sort of PDA. I don't use mine nearly as much as I used to (since I bought my notebook), and I will not invest money or time (transporting back & forth) in a PDA.

Software solution, perhaps, but I won't use a piece of hardware simply to sync between two PCs...which is what my Toshiba e310 has been tasked to do in the past few months.

 

[Chad4Mac]

We'll I guess my situation is different then. But I will tell you that without iCal third-party software (if there is even a program that will do this) you will not be able to sync Outlook information to iCal -- maybe Entourage.

Chad4mac

 

[Pablo]

Thanks again.

I guess I'll just have to wait until I get a PowerBook (should be ordering by the end of the month) and play around with it and see what I can do.