Registered: Dec 2001
Location:
Posts: 14

New prism owner - 2 datebooks popping alarms?

Hi all,

I'm a new Prism owner (man I love this thing) and I think I'm seeing something really strange on mine. I understand that Handspring has included their "Datebook+" - and I like the features of that. However, it seems like both "Datebook" and "Datebook+" are popping up alarms for appointments in my calendar! Whenever an appointment has an alarm associated with it, I've got to tap "OK" on two different popups.

Am I going nuts, or have other people seen this as well? I've looked around in the preferences for some way to define who is the default "alarm handler", but can't seem to find anything. Handspring's site was no help - and as a test I did a hard reset, blew everything away, and entered a new appointment in the regular datebook calendar. So, this is some sort of default behavior on my Prism.

Thanks in advance!

-Doug

Registered: Apr 2001
Location: Atlanta, GA
Posts: 708

Re: New prism owner - 2 datebooks popping alarms?

quote:

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Originally posted by dtoombs
Hi all,

I'm a new Prism owner (man I love this thing) and I think I'm seeing something really strange on mine. I understand that Handspring has included their "Datebook+" - and I like the features of that. However, it seems like both "Datebook" and "Datebook+" are popping up alarms for appointments in my calendar! Whenever an appointment has an alarm associated with it, I've got to tap "OK" on two different popups.

Am I going nuts, or have other people seen this as well? I've looked around in the preferences for some way to define who is the default "alarm handler", but can't seem to find anything. Handspring's site was no help - and as a test I did a hard reset, blew everything away, and entered a new appointment in the regular datebook calendar. So, this is some sort of default behavior on my Prism.

Thanks in advance!

-Doug

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__________________
In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. JOHN 14:2

Registered: Dec 2001
Location:
Posts: 14

Tried that

Yeah, that was one of the first things that I tried. My impression is that that setting simply controls which application the hard Datebook button launches....

-Doug

Registered: Nov 2001
Location: CT, USA
Posts: 4

2 datebooks popping alarms

Hi,

You're "2 datebooks popping alarms" is a result of having both the original DateBook and improved DateBook+ provided by Handspring on your Visor and the Palm 3.5 Operating System.

Date Book+ is actually produced by Pimlico Software. Here's part of what they have to say at the bottom of their web page:

quote:

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Wondering about the advanced Datebook+ application in the new Handspring Visor? Yes, Handspring's application uses DateBk3 technology licensed from Pimlico Software. And since the new Visor is Palm OS compatible, Pimlico's DateBk3 and DateBk4 programs will also run on the Visor. Both PCWeek and InfoWorld pointed to the improved Datebook application as a significant plus for the Visor! If you want to use a non-Roman localizer (Hebrew, Chinese, Japanese, etc.) or run the full version of Datebk3 or DateBk4 on your Visor, Click here for some useful mini-apps to make it work better! Pen Computing's October '99 review of the Visor said: "Hats off to Handspring for recognizing a good thing and getting it [Datebk3] for their product".

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I've loaded their DateBk4 product on my Prism and in the process have read about your problem. It goes like this...

o- Tech support at Pimlico Software tells me that the newer Palm 3.5 OS on your VP has a characteristic that is causing the problem and there is no patch for it. There is a (sort of) work-a-round to avoid the duplicate alarms, however.

o- I looked in the FAQ for DateBk3 and found this entry.

quote:

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After a hotsync or reset, the built-in datebook application is run by the palm OS to reset its alarms. Normally this is not a problem as Datebk3 will override the Datebook alarms. However, if the next alarm was entered on the desktop, the datebook application will sound its alarm and Datebk3 will not be aware that this has happened. To avoid duplicate alarms, just make sure that you run Datebk3 immediately after you do a hotsync.

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Reading somewhere else, I came away with this concept in mind of what I think is happening behind the scenes...
Starting DateBook+ after you hotsync registers it in control of the alarms. If you forget and the current time works it's way up to an alarm time, both datebook applications respond to the alarm because neither of them "know" who is in control.

Remember, DateBook+ and DateBk3 are very close cousins and, as far as this duplicate alarm problem is concerned, they are the same thing. So... Wherever you read "DateBk3" here or in the Pimlico Software web site, interpret it as "DateBook+".

Hopefully this information helps (and works).

__________________
Sincerely,
gr8cut

Registered: Apr 2001
Location: Atlanta, GA
Posts: 708

quote:

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After a hotsync or reset, the built-in datebook application is run by the palm OS to reset its alarms. Normally this is not a problem as Datebk3 will override the Datebook alarms. However, if the next alarm was entered on the desktop, the datebook application will sound its alarm and Datebk3 will not be aware that this has happened. To avoid duplicate alarms, just make sure that you run Datebk3 immediately after you do a hotsync.

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__________________
In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. JOHN 14:2

Registered: Dec 2001
Location:
Posts: 14

Thx Gr8cut

Gr8cut,

Thanks -- that's probably exactly what was happening to me, as I typically work on my calendar over the weekend and I do it on the Palm desktop. Then I do a quick sync on my way out the door Monday. This scenario totally fits with the behavior I'm seeing. The work-around seems simple enough.

Thanks!

-Doug

Registered: Dec 2001
Location:
Posts: 22

Just a belated addendum.

I use ActionNames on my Visor Prism. I had that double-alarm situation (ActionNames uses the basic datebook and sort of adds onto it), but when I upgraded to the latest ActionNames version (5.0) it went away and now I only have to tap the snooze or OK button once.