So it turns out Palm is still hopeless when it comes to customer support. Windows 7 was released ages ago, and there is still no option to download a Windows 7 version of Palm Desktop.

I thought I'd call Palm support and ask them about it. Oh, that'd cost $12. How about I email them? Nope - they have discontinued email support in favour of live chat. Well, that's alright ... except that it's a Windows-only solution that only works properly in IE. According to Palm:

Palm uses a secure chat application from LogMeIn Inc.. This chat application downloads and runs automatically in most browsers. Firefox and some other browsers prevent running of applications from the browser for security reasons. We will be changing to a seamless solution for Firefox users shortly. Thank you for your patience.

So I have to pay to call them, can't email them, and their online chat solution requires me to download and run a Windows executable. I tried that, and nothing happened ... I ran the executable, got a wait cursor, and nothing else for over half an hour.

Right, time to try a different route ... maybe I could call their Australian press contact, and ask whether there's any news about an upcoming Windows 7 release? I took a look at the Australian contact details:

So I called Recognition PR and asked for Sarah. I was told that she no longer works there, and besides, Palm no longer maintains an Australian PR presence and it's all handled from the US.

So far: no Windows 7 download, paid phone support only, online chat broken, obsolete Australian contact details.

I thought I'd try calling the US office. I did so, & went through to sales. I was greeted by an automated message which informed me that "sample administrator is not available" and asked me to leave a message. Second time around I went through to hand-held technical support, which politely informed me that I'd have to pay for the privilege of asking a human being when Windows 7 support was planned.

So, my next step was to try the Palm forum. However, my login was denied - I assumed I'd forgotten my password. I requested an email password reset, only to discover that I'd remembered my password correctly. Palm has changed their forum software, and is manually migrating accounts upon request:

Hello XXXXXXXXXXXXXX,

Your account information is listed below.

If your password has a value of 0, please reply to this message stating that you'd like your account updated for our current forums. This process should take less than 1 business day.

Login: XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Password: 0
E-Mail: duncan.bayne@fluidscape.co.nz

So, now I'm waiting for Palm to turn on my forum account, so I can ask about Windows 7 support. I thought Palm displayed bad customer support in the past, but now I can see that they were just warming up for the current crap-fest.

According to Google Analytics, many visitors to this site arrive after searching for Palm Pilot related keywords. If you're one of those people, please accept my condolences on having purchased a Palm in the first place.

Update 19th January 2010: I originally bought the Zire from Dick Smith Electronics, so I just sent them an email in the hopes they might know. Fingers crossed ...

Update 19th January 2010: I re-downloaded the Windows chat client, and this time it worked (perhaps I missed the security dialog the first time around?). According to the CSR, the Palm Desktop software works on all 32-bit Windows 7 versions, but not 64-bit. Palm is working on 64-bit drivers but won't be drawn on whether they'll be released, let alone an actual date.

I've been taking a look at the Google Analytics reports for my blog (if you don't have Analytics on your site, get it now - you can find out so much stuff about who your visitors are, why they're visiting, what they're doing ...). It turns out that a lot of people come here for the Palm + Vista advice.

So, I thought it'd be an opportune time to mention that most Linux distros have had excellent Palm support for years, and continue to support the older Palm devices as well.

If you've been looking for an excuse to try out Linux, and you'd like to continue using your Palm device for years to come, you might want to give it a whirl. In fact some distros (like Ubuntu) will run entirely off a Live CD, so you can play around with Linux without actually installing anything to your hard drive until you're ready.

In my experience, the easiest Palm client on Linux is JPilot - Gnome has Palm support with gpilotd but configuring it is a right pain (although I haven't tried it in over a year; it might well have improved since then).

If anyone is interested in a complete Palm, Linux and JPilot walkthrough - how to make an Ubuntu LiveCD, and how to test it out with your Palm Pilot, without installing anything on your PC - please let me know & I'll put something together.

Credit to LifeHacker for bringing PalmVista Simple Installer to my attention (follow the link; the app is at the bottom of the page).  It looks to be a quick & easy way of installing apps and data to a Palm device from Vista. 

I'll post more details once I've tried it for myself.  If you've tried it, please post a comment & let me (& those readers who happen to use Palm Pilots) know how you got on.

So I promised an explanation of why I bought a Palm Pilot again, after having such a bad experience with Palm when trying to get support for Windows Vista.

The short answer is: convenience. I needed a PDA in a hurry, which I wouldn't have to learn anew, and which I knew was Linux-compatible. Hence on my first day in Melbourne I picked up a new Zire 22. For a while things were good ... until, as I've mentioned earlier, the thing started crashing during the hotsync process, or if plugged into the USB port while GPilot was running. It'd beep once, the screen would fill with multi-colored snow, & I'd have to reset it.

So - I am now one of the two directors of OffByZero Pty Ltd! The site is live, we have business cards on the way (from the guys & gals at the quirky but fantastic moo.com), we have an office, we have hardware (and more to come), we have customers, and we have (embryonic) products.

Over the next few weeks, in addition to working on our products and my day job (who me, busy?) I'll be adding a few short whitepapers to our site, outlining a couple of technologies I've been interested in of late (Test Driven Development of WinForms GUIs, and minimal up-front deployments of .NET software through MSI).

On an entirely unrelated note, I know I promised an explanation of why I bought a Palm Pilot again, after ranting for so long about the poor customer support I experienced trying to run my Visor under Vista (I've learned; my laptop is currently running Ubuntu).

I'll leave that for after I've worked out why it's taken to crashing (complete with multicolored snow on the display) every time I plug it into a USB port on my laptop ...

Finally there is a Windows Vista Support Page up on the Palm website. It looks like support is still fairly patchy - there is a non-trivial list of known incompatibilities - but at least they're on the right track. There's no explicit mention of older devices like the Visor series, but they do claim support for "all Palm OS devices."

If you get stuck, check out HOWTO: Palm Pilot / Handspring Visor HotSync under Vista for a less official, but perfectly functional, way of getting your Palm Pilot going with Vista

Joe has verified that my guide to HotSyncing a Palm Pilot on Windows Vista works on Vista RTM, too.  Thanks Joe  

A friend of mine (hi, Regan!) just sent me an email enquiring about Palm Pilot software - he's about to head overseas on a long trip with his fiancée, and is taking a Palm Pilot along to keep track of details and for entertainment purposes.

So, here's my list of must-have PalmOS applications ...

Keyring for Palm OS
"Keyring for PalmOS lets you securely store secret information on your PalmOS (PalmPilot, Visor, WorkPad) handheld computer."  I have around 40 passwords for various systems and sites, stored securely on my PDA using this software - it's great.

Well, Palm have proved themselves utterly uninterested in providing me with decent customer support. So, I've put together this post containing some background on the problem, and instructions for those who wish to get their Palm device going with Windows Vista.

The CSR at Palm with whom I've been communicating could neither confirm nor deny forthcoming support for older devices like my Visor under Windows Vista. In desparation, I even called their corporate offices in Australia, & received the same pathetic response: they simply didn't know whether my PDA will, or will not, be supported come the release of Vista.

To quote an email I received from their CSR:

As we have indicated in our last email, our development team has not provided any updates or feedback regarding the development and release of drivers for Palm handhelds to support Windows® Vista OS synchronization.

Rest assured that any updates and developments would be posted on our website or indicated on our newsletter.

We do understand your frustration and need to verify the availability of these drivers and we would like to provide a more accurate answer to your enquiry, however, no news has been forwarded. Should there be any developments and official releases, they are all posted on our website.

Now, those who know me, know I'm a wee bit prone to tilting at windmills. So, after much reading, struggling & cursing, I can suggest the following steps for those of us wanting to HotSync older Palm devices under Vista:

1. Install the Palm software and drivers under Windows XP SP2, and perform at least one hotsync.
2. Export the registry key [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\U.S. Robotics] from Windows XP SP2.
3. Boot into Windows Vista Beta 2.
4. Press the HotSync button on the Visor cradle, & use the Device Manager to update the drivers. When prompted, don't have Vista search online for drivers, but instruct it to search in the USB_Driver directory on your Windows XP SP2 partition (in my case, this was D:\Program Files\Palm\USB_Driver).
5. Then, ensure the HotSync Manager is not running (right-click on the systray icon, and choose exit).
6. Import the registry key you exported in step 2.
7. Set the HotSync Manager (HOTSYNC.EXE) to run as Administrator, and run in Windows XP SP2 compatibility mode.
8. Restart the machine and boot into Vista.

Handspring Visor HotSync actually working under Vista

Sadly, you'll have to dismiss a UAC dialog each time you boot, as HotSync Manager will now need Administrator privileges to run. However, you should find that when you next press the HotSync button on the Palm (or the cradle, if you're using a Visor), the HotSync will run properly.

Thanks to the good folks on Palm Help Forums and PDA Street Forums for providing me with enough information to piece the above strategy together - and raspberries to Palm for their total lack of support.

Update 19th January 2010: Having learned nothing from the Vista support fiasco, Palm are now dragging their heels over Windows 7 support, and have reached an even lower standard of customer support than before.

Well, that's a pity. It seems there aren't yet any drivers available for my Handspring Visor Deluxe.

Installing the Palm Desktop software under Vista

The Palm Desktop software installs just fine, as you can see from the above screenshot, but Vista can't find any drivers, so the HotSynch operation fails. In a fit of optimism, I've sent Palm an email asking them whether they expect to continue support for Vista with the Visor Deluxe, but honestly I'd be surprised if they do.