Palm Releases Beta Of Desktop Software For Mac

Palm

The beta, available for download at www.palm.com/macintosh/publicbeta, brings Palm Desktop support for Mac OS X, Apple's new Unix-based operating system. Palm's current software for the Mac, Desktop 2.6, doesn't include native OS X support and can run only in the operating system's Classic mode.

Palm, based here, is offering Desktop 4.0 downloads for both Mac OS X and Mac OS 9. The company said Desktop 4.0 for Mac features improved data compatibility and synchronization for smoother transfer of information from Palm PDAs to Mac computers plus import/export support for vCard and vCal, allowing users to drag Address Book and Date Book items to their desktops to create vCard and vCal files.

Other features include multiple language support (English, Japanese, French, German, Italian and Spanish), a new help system that leverages Apple Help facility and integration with the Mac OS X Dock menu. Also, records marked as private--which can be hidden in Palm Desktop software to prevent them from being displayed and printed--now keep their private designation when synchronized.