After fooling with Entourage for a few minutes -- the project management tools looked intriguing -- I started to think that the app has a kitchen sink feel: too much in here, too many mode changes and view changes. So I boosted, and imported the email folders into Mail, and I lived happily ever after.

Ditto with regard to iCal and Addressbook.

I had seen a similar phone in use by Michael Jones of Userplane earlier in the year, and when his phone rang the iBook Addressbook popped the card of the person calling. Cool. And I got it working in just a few seconds, although there are a few annoyances:

1. The Addressbook app has to be running, and
2. You have to manually turn on the bluetooth communication each time you start up the Addressbook app.

The truly arduous task turned out to be getting the phone set up to connect the iBook to the Internet via GPRS. However, this is really a knock against Cingular, who don't make this information accessible anywhere. For the reference of those who want it, this tidbit from MobileWhack saved me:

Pair the devices, and when your setting up the connections settings, your user name is "WAP@CINGULARGPRS.COM" and the password is "CINGULAR1" (yes, all in caps). Use the CID string *99*# I work for Cingular, and have an ibook that I use to connect all the time. Oh yeah and in the PPP settings under System Preferences, make sure your using the modem script "Nokia Infared". [although I used "Sony Ericsson Infrared"]

So now I can use the phone as a modem, directly connecting to the Cingular data network: no other ISP involved, and no wires!

So I fired up iChat, which is a pretty cool little app, especially if you are using iSight (which I am). But this means that I am not in touch with MSN, Yahoo, or Jabber folks at the moment, so I may need to take a look at Proteus.

And that also means I needed to get ahold of a different RSS reader, so I am giving Newsfire a try. I had grown accustomed to the style of Gush, so I am finding the shift difficult.