Best Free PIM

Any PIM's that have a Desktop Component, AND an Android Component AND can be installed as a Cloud Component on one's OWN website domain? Sort of like a private Cloud?

I'd like to get away from the other sites like Google, MSLive, Apple etc., from hosting my calendar & notes, my PIM info, as I have my own website. I don't need to share it with anyone else. I can do this by exporting & uploading files but doing so via an Android app would be great vs. and Android FTP app. I do appreciate the convenience of Google Calendar on my Android phone. I just don't like Google anymore.

I really like EPIM, but they don't seem to want to make an Android app to allow it to sync with the desktop version or have it installable on my website.

FYI for those thinking about using Palm Desktop, the 6.2 version is newest and prettiest, but it lacks some of the stated functionalities that can only be found in 4.1.4e/4.2 and earlier.

Namely:
>6.2 DOES NOT have repeating To Dos/Tasks.
>6.2 also is MONOCHROMATIC; you cannot make events different colors; they all appear gray, similar to the color-scheme for the window.

In test driving this PIM, what I really miss compared to current PIMs (like EPIM) is the larger memo section that basically is like a tiny word processing program with a tree-structure for notes. I had no idea how much I would use this feature until I started using Sunbird a few years ago.

Everything else is at least as functional, as the newer software, though not as pretty. You can even put pictures in the Contacts section, which I was impressed with.

Also, I can verify that 4.1.4e does work on Windows 7 (install as administrator), though, I'm testing it on Win7 "Starter" (rather than HP/Ultimate) via my netbook.

I think another aspect of PIMs that should be critically evaluated for this category is how well each allows users to modify recurring events.

Most people that are going to use a PIM to organize their lives, are going to be using recurring events in their calendars. Inevitably those events will need to be modified at some point. Some people, like me, make changes to every instance of a recurring event (marking a meeting complete, including some key points from that meeting, etc). When a user does this, it becomes impossible to make changes to the event series without altering past individual events. Want to change the end date for the series? Change the meeting time for the *rest* of the series? You can't. Not without losing all the changes you made to your past events.

This is an Achilles-heel of even many paid-for PIMs, including some of the paid-for versions in this category. Search the web a bit and you'll find out that Outlook is notorious for it. I've been using Essential PIM Free for a year and a half now, made some forums posts, and I still can't modify a recurring event without losing data. I've even found errors after exporting my database and opening it in he same program. Appointments in the wrong spot, things missing.

The EPIM folks there seem to be aware of the problem, but are unable to fix it, similar to Microsoft's issue with Outlook. Apparently Palm, Lotus Notes, iCal and others know how to do it right. I switched from Sunbird to EPIM, and now I'm thinking about switching again. This is after loving EPIM so much that I was thinking of shelling out dollars for a lifetime license of the Pro version.

Palm's defunct desktop seems to be the only piece of freeware that can manage this feat. As a legacy product, that is *very* disconcerting. I might have to revert to my old-school datebook, if these software designers can't seem to get things right. Troubleshooting the program becomes more trouble than it's worth!

Does anyone else know of a fully featured (non-defunct) program like EPIM, that can "split" the series of recurring events properly, therefore avoiding most of these problems?

I have Palm 4.2.1 on my mac.
Suddenly all my data has disappeared and the user shows: NONE

It also says Hot Sync Manager cannot be found.

I had connected the computer to my IPad -- I wonder if this has anything to do with this ---- How can I solve and restore data??

[edit] Email address removed. we do not provide individual support here in the comments. Please post details of your issue in our forum.

I installed Pimero server on my Win7 x64 system so that I could use their ipad util on my ipad2. Well after installing Framework.net 4 I had to reboot the computer in order to get the server admin to start up properly. Pimerio on the desktop started up ok but then I could not shut it down. I had to force shut it and the server app disappeared and the service refuse to restart from Services. Uninstalled the software.

PIM Xtreme, which you mention in "Other full-featured PIMs", stores your data in MySQL server, rather than in a file on your computer. This means you can not use it offline, you must have an internet connection. From my point of view that lessens its usefulness severely.

Pimero Free Edition is not unrestricted freeware.

On their website, it is clear that you are not permitted to use the free edition for business use.

http://www.pimero.com/en/editionen.php

Please update the article to reflect that.

You may also want to re-evaluate if this software still holds the freeware award if you are not able to use it in a business context.

Thank you.

Please note that EssentialPIM does have a portable version from the developers:

EssentialPIM Free Portable 4.24
29 Jul 2011
7.18 MB
EssentialPIMPort4.zip

The link can be found on the homepage.

Please update the article to reflect this.

Thank you.

Pimero looks like a fine program. But thank you for informing readers that it requires NET Framework. I prefer standalone applications. I dont want to install any additional Frameworks that potentially slow down my Windows Startup :)

Check out etm (http://freshmeat.net/projects/etm/). It's free, cross-platform and supports recurring events and tasks using simple, plain text data files.

I found this PIM: Esy Planner
http://web.tiscali.it/esysoft/

It is fairly nice, freeware, handles recurring events perhaps better than any other, it contains a budget component, etc. BUT it's not complete nor polished per se. Does it have audible alarms? Can you categorize events with different colors?
----
So, desirable components from my perspective are:
email, contacts, calendar, tasks/to-do, notes/memos, quotes(daily activity, like on many paper 1-day-at-a-time calendars), budgets(manage your budgets per week/month etc.,

also, encryption-capabilities or password protected at least, organize events into categories via custom colors, organize tasks into folders/sub-folders, import/export of icalendar formats(etc), audible alarms, recurring events, tabs, and should sync with other calendars perhaps.

To boot, it has to be freeware, should be non-abandon-ware/legacy, and not resource-hogging cause of bloat from included file-managers, password generators, etc... but then again you may think it's better suited in a PIM than in a browser?

Hope this helps... oh yeah, Kontact (or the primary calendering compent of KOrganize) can be ran on windows with KDE for Windows.

I have been searching for a replacement for my Palm desktop 4.1 for a few years. Although there are a lot of decent programs out there, I cannot find any that allow you to share calendars and color code the activities by categories (a very important feature). This feature allows me to schedule an on-site visit (in yellow for example) an internet based session (purple), schedule a DR appt (personal - blue) so I can see at a glance what my day looks like. Once I finish a billable task I will then change the color to Green to indicate it was invoiced. Aside from outlook, all the other software either do not allow color coding (including the newest Palm desktop ver 6 - which stripped away ALL colors) or they require you to have a different calendar for each category - a real pain when changing categories. 15 categories (each a different color = 15 different calendars).

Sorry to ramble on but this is a seemingly simple and useful function that is not available in any of the packages (free or paid) I have found. Actually that is not quite true, it is available in some packages but a 3 user system would cost upwards of $700. A lot to spend to replicate the Palm desktop which I agree, deserves top billing and was shamefully destroyed in the last few years by the developers.

Any insight would be welcomed

It should probably be noted that the Mozilla Sunbird, standalone calendar project has been discontinued. (it ended around mid or second half of 2010)
That was the calendar I used to use. :(

They have focused all calendar development effort into the Thunderbird Lightning product.

I would like to mention EZ Organizer from Applied Micros Pty Limited. It is freeware although they do ask that you donate if you find it useful. I've been using it, and previously the older version which was known as XDesk95, for about 14 years now.

It is quite simple and basic, but it has a calendar, sticky notes, alarms, a tree type notepad complete with a mini spreadsheet, an RPN calculator, and can be used as a rudimentary address book as well in a single interface which normally uses under 2 meg of RAM. The setup program is only 559 kb and installed it is only 1.5 meg not counting the user's data file which is kept in the program folder.

It's still being developed, with the most recent version updated in April 2010. EZ Organizer is available at http://appliedmicros.com.au/ and the download page can be found under the "PCTools" heading.

I need a PIM that is on my computer, but will also sync with a program on the web. I have tried Famjama and Famundo, but my internet connection is to slow to make these usable (satelite internet). I have palm on my computer, but when I want to access my information from a different computer, I can't . Got any ideas?

Thank you, this is great. But, you see, what I want I cannot find, namely, the ability under contacts to create a group (which they all probably do) and then to create sub-groups, like sub-folders if you will, which I have not found one to do.

Of course, I may have missed it completely but it's what I want..

All helpful suggestions gratefully receieved.

Regards.