TrueSync is such a great idea, and under certain circumstances it could be exactly what you need. Most people, though, will find it all too easy to end up "TrueSunk."

The main attraction in TrueSync (or TrueSync Plus) is the ability to simultaneously synchronize multiple sources and destinations. For example, you could choose to synchronize your Lotus Organizer file with your PalmPilot with your Web-based info with your Outlook file. That's the campaign promise; the reality doesn't quite live up to it.

I have actually tested TrueSync Plus with as many as six synchronization clients. Provided that EVERYTHING is in complete apple-pie order and correctly set up (a very confusing and convoluted task), this can actually work, although the results far more often were a collection of completely garbled data in every client.

Part of the reason for this, in all fairness, is that the clients will each have slightly different requirements for the underlying database, with slightly different field mapping, and slightly different sets of supported formats and features. TrueSync is playing "diplomat" and trying to get them to all agree on a common standard. Since this is virtually impossible, TrueSync finally imposes a sort of compromise on all of them, so that the data ends up being "not quite right" across the board, in every client. The workaround for this is to use as few synchronization clients as possible within TrueSync, but that obviates the need for TrueSync's biggest selling point; it now makes more sense to use a synchronization tool that's specialied to work with the clients you're using, instead of being "all things to all synchronization clients."

TrueSync also has some odd "holes" in the formats it supports, particularly with regard to repeating appointments or events. The quirks are too numerous to describe in detail here, but the one that really gums up the works is any interrupted series. Say you've set up a repeating appointment for every Wednesday at 3:00 p.m., but this week you're on vacation, so you delete just this week's occurrence from the series. Most synchronization tools will still recognize this as a series, with an exception instance in the middle. TrueSync insists that you create this as two separate series: one that runs up through last week, and one that begins next week. Anything else will not synchronize properly, and you will probably end up with the entire series being dropped --- or, at best, scrambled.

TrueSync does have a very nice interface. During the synchronization, there is a dynamically updated "log" window that shows you exactly what's going on in the synchronization process. It's fine so long as everything proceeds according to plan, but the error or warning messages it lists are rather cryptic when something goes awry, and it can be a bit difficult to track down the "translation" in the online Help.

Likewise, there is fairly solid configurability that allows for custom mapping of synchronized fields, but this is not for the faint of heart. Make sure you THOROUGHLY understand what you're doing before tackling this. (The good news is that default field mapping is usually correct.)

You have the option, during any synchronization, of turning off synchronization of any area (contacts, calendar, tasks, notepad) or choosing which clients should be the source, the overwritten destination, or a full "swap data" synchronization. In the event of a conflict, you can choose whether to have TrueSync automatically resolve the conflict in favour of a particular sync client, or whether to ask you to resolve it manually.

TrueSync also offers a nice "component installation" method of updating the "accessors", the particular software pieces that enable synchronization to, say, Outlook or a PalmPilot or Act! or Sidekick. The component installation enables users to download and install newer version of the accessors from one Web site, and reports which accessors are in need of updating.

TrueSync is clearly designed and intended for use with Starfish's own Sidekick PIM and the REX PDA. (It may, in fact, be the only synchronization option for this combination.) The fact that it nominally supports many other clients as well is very enticing, but relying on it to do so is asking for headaches.

BOTTOM LINE: Nice interface, streamlined installation, may be the only option for some combinations of PIM, PDA, and Web service. Multiple clients create multiple synchronization headaches, and since most people will only be going between PIM and PDA, you'd be better off with a sync application specifically designed for that combination.



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