Contact Management Software

[Larry1956]

I am researching contact management software for my Sprint Treo 600 and looking for recommendations:

Background:

Critical Features: I want to enter profiles of people. The contact profiles should include important dates such as birthdays and aniversaries. Those dates should flow seamlessly into the calendar with optional alerts and alarms (Particularly interested in a "countdown alarm... 10 days to aniversary, 9, 8, ect...). Those profiles should also include phone numbers that should flow into a viable Treo600 phone book from which I can auto-dial.

What I've Learned So Far:

Sprint support recommends and supports Microsoft Outlook, but upon further research I have "learned" (lead to believe to believe that Microsoft Outlook's contact management will not be adequate because it will require dual entry of dates and phone numbers -- contact log doesn't integrate with calendar and phone book. I was told this from a product specialist at Comp USA.

My research leads me to believe that the popular software "Act" will adequately integrate contact profiles with calendar dates, but may not provide a phone book feature that will allow me to automatically dial with the Treo 600. Nobody can verify this aspect for me.

I have read reviews of other contact management sofrware such as Agendus, but I don't know much about these.

Will anybody care to share their experience in this arena? As I learn more I'll post my findings.

[gkpascahal]

I am currently using Outlook. I haven't had to do any dual entries of contacts from the pc to the treo. I have put everyone's birthday and anniv. in one at a time with a one week notice as part of my outlook calendar and made them recurring. Good luck and I will be checking on your progress

[Larry1956]

My research finally led me to an answer. The product Act! will allow me to gain the maximum use of my contact profile without rekeying dates and phone numbers.

I got good response from the Palm store telephone help desk. They were quickly accessable, and actually led me to the spot on the ACT website that listed that particular feature -- a section that I had overlooked.

I also was able to eventually get a response from the ACT! sales email question. Today they wrote


"Yes, you will be able to sync your contact data from ACT! to your Treo 600 and dial directly from ACT! for Palm. If you purchase the product, there is a hotfix on our site especially for the Treo 600 that will allow you to do this. You will need to install that hotfix."

Interesting to note that the Best Buy help desk was poorly informed. The operator insisted that ACT! was made by microsoft and didn't understand that it was made by Best Software -- strange, because the ACT! product package lists Best Buy as a major carrier of their product. The Sprint help desk was reasonably well informed about issues in general, but not very good about contact management.