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(much expanded from a few paras I did for
PDA Essentials
magazine issue 21)
Whichever handheld you own, it's always important to think
about where you (and your data) go next. Sometimes it's as easy as plugging in
your new unit and pressing a HotSync button, such as when upgrading from one
Palm OS unit to another. Sometimes it's totally alien, having to convert or
replace almost everything manually, such as going from a Psion to a Pocket PC.
And sometimes you really think it should be easy but it turns out it isn't.
Upgrading your Sony Ericsson P800 to a P900 (or even
upgrading the P800 to a much newer firmware) isn't, unfortunately, as easy as
restoring your most recent backup onto the new device. The backed up files are
intimately associated with your original device and may cause operating system
problems if overlaid onto the new one. In fact, Sony Ericsson's PC Suite
emphasises this, by not letting your restore the backup set from one device to
another.
Fear not, though, for most of your data and applications
can be fairly easily transported, by hook or crook:
- Synchronizing the P900 with Outlook will get the bulk
of your PIM information across, although you will need to recategorise all your
Tasks and Jotter entries if you've been using the UIQ 'folder' system.
- If syncing isn't working for some reason, your contacts
can be beamed directly from one smartphone to the other using infrared or
Bluetooth. With the category set to 'All', choose the menu item 'Send this
folder'. If the two units aren't physically close enough, for whatever reason,
you can also beam the folder to a convenient laptop and then back again (it
becomes a standard .VCF file), or even email yourself the folder.
You may
also find a tool like SmartVCard
useful.
- For Calendar/Tasks, if these haven't been synced across
yet, or you can't face recategorising your entries, use a tool such as SMan to
close both running applications and then copy the file
'C:\Documents\Agenda\Agenda' across, via your Memory Stick Duo. You can't just
beam the file, as the P900 Messages app will open it but not let you save it or
merge it. Similarly for Jotter ('Notes' in Outlook).
- To retain your documents and media files on Memory
Stick Duo, just pop the card into the P900 when it arrives, they'll be
recognised instantly. Files on your internal disk can be copied to and from
your PC, of course (or rescued from an old .ecs backup set - just rename it as
a .zip file and open it as usual).
- Many applications (installed on card) will also work
without fiddling, although many commercial and shareware titles may need
re-registering, partly because your smartphone's IMEI number will have changed
and partly because the .INI and .REG files son't now be present on the internal
disk.
- Applications which have desktop counterparts and which
handle synchronization themselves (e.g. SplashPhoto and
Handy Safe) also make life easy here by
putting a fresh copy of their data on the new unit if necessary.
- Finally, your P900's GPRS settings can be (re)set up
'over the air' from your network provider's web site, of course. Vodafone in
the UK make this particularly easy. Then it's just a case of plugging in your
email details.
In terms of casualties, your SMS message store will be
lost, but this is likely not to be a big deal.
Do you have anything to add to this procedure? Have you
found any gotchas? Please get in touch! |
