Macs now enjoy full connectivity with a breadth of Pocket PC devices following the release of the Regular version of PocketMac by Information Appliance Associates (IAA).
PocketMac – which ships today – supports the Classic Mac environment, with an OS X version following “shortly”.
The software supports Casio and Compaq Pocket PC devices. It doesn’t yet support HP devices, but HP is working with IAA to provide support. PocketMac-supported devices can communicate with the Mac using USB.
The company has also been working on a document called The Mac Users’ Guide to Pocket PCs. This has been developed to bring Macintosh users up to speed with Pocket PCs. This document is free and available for download from the company.
Three versions of PocketMac will be available.
The Regular version does file copying/conversion, file synching, and software-installation services. This runs on OS 9 with OS X to come, and supports TCP/IP and USB connections.
The forthcoming Professional version offers all the Regular features, and also synchs with Entourage, Outlook (Exchange 2000), and others on OS 9 and OS X. This version is slated for November 30 release and costs $69.95.
The Developer version offers all the features of the other two versions, and includes an API for creating custom Mac-based plugins/desktop applications that communicate with the Pocket PC using PocketMac. No price is available at this time.