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TECH.MECHANIC Palm Organizers Have Software to Synchronize All That Data

Posted on: Tuesday, 21 December 2004, 15:00 CST

Palm organizers have software to synchronize all that data

Q. Is there a way to synchronize the data from a Lotus Notes system with a Palm handheld?

A. Palm organizers come with a program called Palm Desktop for managing and synchronizing data like calendars, contacts and notes between the handheld device and the main computer, but you can synchronize the organizers with information management programs including Microsoft Outlook and Lotus Notes.

There are third-party options available that can transfer data between the Palm and the Lotus Notes software. IBM has a program called EasySync Pro ($65; www.lotus .com/products/product4 .nsf/ wdocs/easysyncprohome.)

EasySync Pro, which also works with Microsoft's Pocket PC organizers, synchronizes Lotus Notes contacts, calendars, e-mail, tasks and journals. Even if you send e-mail from the organizer, the EasySync Pro program keeps track of your e-mail in-box and keeps it up to date with the in-box on your main computer.

Other options include IntelliSync Handheld Edition ($70 at www.intellisync.com) and CommonTime's mNotes ($75 at www.commontime.com/ mnotes.aspx).

The Business and Professional area at software. palmone.com has links and information on other synchronization programs for Lotus Notes, including XTNDConnect PC Desktop Synchronization ($60), Pylon Conduit for Palm OS ($75) and PDASync ($50).

Several of the programs have trial versions to download.

Software reviews at online Palm-focused magazine sites such as PalmLoyal (www. palmloyal.com), PalmInfoCenter (www.palminfocenter.com) and PDABuzz (www.pdabuzz. com) may be helpful in determining which program will work best for you.

Q. Almost every day my system shuts down and displays the message "System Shutdown initiated by NT authority/system. Remote Procedure Call service terminated unexpectedly." How can this be corrected and eliminated?

A. The Remote Procedure Call is a method of communication that allows a program on a computer to run a program on a server computer.

This can save time because it means that a programmer does not have to write versions of the program for both computer systems, but the RPC ports have been the target of many Internet attacks like last year's Blaster worm.

The message you are seeing has often been attributed to the presence of a worm that has invaded your system.

The page at www.mvps.org/ marksxp/WindowsXP/rpc.php describes the issue in detail and has links to patches and tools from anti-virus companies to remove Internet worms.

Microsoft issued a patch for Windows systems that were vulnerable to the Blaster worm last year, so make sure your system has the most recent software updates from the company. Installing anti-virus and firewall programs on your computer can also protect it.

There is information about computer security for home users at www.microsoft.com/athome/security/protect/default.aspx.

Q. How can I record my own guitar in Apple's GarageBand program?

A. GarageBand, Apple's music composition and editing software, is included in its iLife '04 suite of music and audio programs for Macintosh. The program is known mainly for its prerecorded musical loops and riffs that can be combined to create original compositions, but the program can record live instruments as well.

Some Macs have built-in microphones that can record sounds for GarageBand, but you'll probably want to buy a good external microphone instead, or plug the guitar directly into the Mac to record your own music. Monster Cable makes a $20 adapter called the iStudioLink to plug a guitar cable into a Mac that has analog audio- in ports.

The adapter and other accessories that work with GarageBand are at www.apple.com /ilife/garageband/accessories.html.

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J.D. Biersdorfer of The New York Times invites questions about computer-based technology by e-mail to qanda@nytimes.com.

Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

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