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MacBook Pro | GTD | BlackBerry...Anyone, Anyone??
jdcpar5 | May 10 2006
OK, I made the "switch" yesterday after my WinXP box decided to fry my Outlook data file............again. Anyone out there use GTD on a Mac synched with a BlackBerry? I found the PocketMac for BlackBerry sync software, but I am totally new to Mac and don't know what is best for a PIM. Lots of choices, obviously, but I'm trying to keep it simple for Calendar, Tasks/To-do's, Contacts and Notes. I use webmail, so email client is not a concern. So far, I've found: KinklessGTD: I've read about it briefly, seems simple enough, but I'm more Contact | Notes | Calendar focused - my projects are simple lists. Not sure if I can sync it with my crackberry. Palm Desktop for Mac: I would LOVE to use this, but I can't figure out how to sync it with a crackberry. (Like most, the crackberry is an office requirement and I'm trying to avoid carrying a Palm and a crackberry device both) Address Book | iCal | Stickies: This appears to be the simplest "out of the box" possibility, but I don't yet see how to categorize Stickies (memos/reference lists). That's what I've seen so far. Sorry for the long-winded post, but I'm struggling to get my GTD / PIM setup in the Mac asap. If anyone has any suggestions, I'd REALLY appreciate it!!! -- 21 Comments
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 Hi Jeff - Welcome to...Submitted by ScottE22 on May 10, 2006 - 6:20am.
Hi Jeff - Welcome to the wonderful world of Apple computers - you won't regret the switch. I switched myself back in 2002 shortly after OS X came out. I had dabbled with macs in the OS 9 days but was never impressed... Since then, I've switched my dad and a good friend who was a die-hard Windows fan. At work, I'm still stuck in Windows-land, but I can say that I know my father uses Entourage with his Blackberry and an Exchange server and he swears by this combination. He is able to keep his information in sync (wirelessly!) between his new Mac Book Pro (I'm so jealous!) and his G5 tower. After seeing his success, I had a brief flirtation with a Blackberry. Not having access to an Exchange server or wanting to pay $20/month for access to one, I used the Address Book / iCal / Stickies combo along with PocketMac. It worked fine, but I was never 100% comfortable using it as a "trusted" system for a variety of reasons which I won't go into here. I hope this addressed at least some of your concerns. Again - congrats on your new Mac! I have hunch you'll wish you made the switch years ago! --Scott »
 Mentat GTD app has BlackBerry and Apple clientsSubmitted by Autarchist on January 8, 2008 - 4:04pm.
We recently released a BlackBerry client synched into our free Mentat web service. http://gomentat.com You can organize tasks into categories, assign them to particular people, update status, leave comments, and plenty more. It’s a solid step up from the built-in Tasks application primarily by virtue of sharing a daily agenda with others and being able to communicate about those projects. Mentat works great for GTD since you can organize your tasks into different contextual projects and then pull what you want to work on today into a daily agenda. This makes whatever’s on your plate clearly visible, without being jumbled with everything else that’s on the afterburner. Mentat also supports Jott, which lets you add tasks through voice calls (awesome). Everything is synched between the site view and your BlackBerry view, so it works great for both our Macs & mobiles here at work. We’ll eventually versions of Mentat for the Mac (this will allow Growl notifications for new tasks and the like), Windows, iPhone, and Windows Mobile handhelds. The Mac client will be out next month. The BlackBerry client is already ready and free for 10 trials before purchase. It definitely fits the bill for what you’re looking for so give it a try! »
 Kinkless GTD lives in OmniOutliner...Submitted by emory on May 10, 2006 - 6:25am.
Kinkless GTD lives in OmniOutliner Pro but does sync items to iCal, which PocketMac can sync to your BlackBerry. If you want the most Outlook-like experience minus the crashes and locks, stick to Entourage. I worked on parts of the book 'BlackBerry Hacks', which has a lot of information about using the BlackBerry with the Mac, I also wrote the GTD hack for it. :) »
 My former President and CEO...Submitted by Chrome47 on May 10, 2006 - 6:27am.
My former President and CEO is a huge Blackberry and Mac fan. His blog may give you some ideas on using them together, although he doesn't go into technical detail. I just know it can be done. I will say they use an Exchange Server there, so that may be the key. »
What Chrome said. IMO,...Submitted by ScottE22 on May 10, 2006 - 6:32am.
What Chrome said. IMO, if you're going to really use a BB in the way it was meant to be used, you really need an Exchange server. The major "breakdown" for me with the BB was consistently sync-ing it with my Powerbook and having that information in sync with Outlook 2003 on my work PC. Make one change somewhere and forget to sync and you're all out of whack... Using Exchange, everything is invisible! Put an appt on your Entourage calendar and within a minute it automatically shows up on your 'berry. Just my $0.02, but that's why I could never be 100% comfortable with a BB. Now I'm a "regular" phone, paper-planner kind of guy experimenting with a HipsterPDA. »
Thank you!Submitted by jdcpar5 on May 10, 2006 - 6:18pm.
Thanks very much for the advice. Just getting the lay of the land on the mac, but so far - me like :) I'm going to try the "out of the box" setup first - iCal / Address Book / Stickies - and go from there. Thanks again! -- »
I never could get into...Submitted by ScottE22 on May 10, 2006 - 7:02pm.
I never could get into "Stickies" but my wife swears by them for every little thing. Good luck and let us know if we can help! »
 I never could get into...Submitted by Berko on May 11, 2006 - 5:20am.
ScottE22 wrote: I never could get into "Stickies" but my wife swears by them for every little thing. Good luck and let us know if we can help! I couldn't get into stickies either! I think it had something to do with the fact that it had a dock icon. Apps like that that are just support-type apps should run in the background for the most part. On the work PC that I share with other desk staffers, we use a stickies widget for Konfabulator, er, Yahoo! Widget Engine for communication. It works great and doesn't have a friggin icon anywhere! »
There's Stickies on the Dashboard,...Submitted by ScottE22 on May 11, 2006 - 7:27am.
There's Stickies on the Dashboard, too, IIRC. I have a bad habit of always forgetting that Dashboard is even there, though... »
OK, I've got all 1557...Submitted by jdcpar5 on May 11, 2006 - 1:02pm.
OK, I've got all 1557 Outlook Contacts and my entire Outlook Calendar out of the WinXP box and into Address Book and iCal on my MacBook! Whooohoo! A big shout out to O2M for making that easy! Now.......I've just got the small matter of a few hundred Tasks and 86 Notes in my WinXP Outlook to move over to my Mac. Stickies doesn't look like it'll fly for my needs 'cause I use Notes a LOT for reference, project ideas, etc. by Category (GTD context) So.....if anyone has any ideas for a Mac replacement for my Outlook Notes and Tasks, I'd REALLY love the suggestions. Also, that Kinkless GTD for OmniOutliner Pro looks great for Next Actions / Projects / Contexts, so that could be my Tasks replacement - has anyone here used it in their GTD system? I know The Man uses it and writes highly about it, but it looks complcated to use? Any thoughts? Anyone, Bueller?? TIA, »
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Inbox ZeroThe original 43 Folders series looking at the skills, tools, and attitude needed to empty your email inbox — and then keep it that way. Don’t miss the free video of Merlin’s Inbox Zero presentation. Making Time3-part series on attention management for artists and makers. Read Bad Correspondence, The Job You Think You Have, and One Clear Line. |
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