I have used EssentialPIM for Windows since 2005, but EPIM Android (AEPIM) for only the past four months. There are reasons for this.

Foremost, I shunned Android apps because I prefer traditional technology.
   When word processing appeared, I relinquished my typewriter reluctantly.
      You will probably never see me in a self-driving car.
         A phone that just makes calls is fine with me.

New circumstances demand a smart phone

But then my personal circumstances changed as summer began and I was away from home for an extended period. Reminders and to do lists and GPS became crucial. I needed a phone that did more than take or make calls. I needed my phone to be smart.

EPIM was on my Galaxy S9 but I hadn't used it. In these new circumstances, this changed. I came to rely on its Notes, Tasks and the Calendar. The check box feature in Notes provided lists that were especially handy in the grocery store where I could check off what I bought and track what I still needed. Tasks and the Calendar reminded me of things to do and appointments.

Thanks to AEPIM, my phone was in my hand more than in my pocket.

A guest blog by Axel is the final reason I am using AEPIM more. His description of an "EPIM data-center" on his mobile device inspired me to consider connecting the information between my home desktop and smartphone.

So, I delved recently into the capabilities of EssentialPIM and tackled synchronizing my phone and desktop, notwithstanding posts in the support forum about problems with Android synchronization.

Getting through the glitches

I began the PC sync on the phone, but AEPIM reported that it found no PCs running Windows EPIM. There were a couple of complications. We have two networks and the first step was to get the desktop and phone on the same one. We also have a powerline that turns our electrical wiring into a network, therefore WiFi wasn't turned on.

After matching the networks and turning on WiFi on my desktop, I rescanned and AEPIM still detected no PCs running Windows EPIM. I reviewed the instructions more carefully and realized I had not set up synchronization on my desktop.

After creating an Android synchronization, I had AEPIM rescan but still did not connect, so I selected the manual option to sync. I entered my desktop's IP address and port as it appeared in the synchronization dialog box on my PC and now the two connected. I answered the prompts and syncing finished.

I have since added a second synchronization to my Windows EPIM to handle when my desktop is hardwired and not on WiFi. Now, whether my PC is on WiFi or plugged into the powerline, AEPIM syncs up.

Help really does help

I learned two lessons during this.

  • EPIM's instructions are explicit and accurate. Follow them carefully.
  • EPIM's help is helpful. We joke at work about help desks being helpless, but not so here. I stumbled on some instructions, but the help manual got me through.

Despite some glitches, I succeeded in a few minutes without technical support. Not bad, I think, for someone new to syncing a phone and PC. This is a testimony to EPIM's ease-of-use that so many rave about.

Maybe you have had a journey like mine where you have had to use EPIM in new ways and along the way you learned a few tricks. Leave a comment, we could use your help.

Reviews & Comments

# Axel
You're quite right ... help does help!
I had to set up a new (old) notebook several times, due to technical reasons. After I did it the third time, I sat there and sync (between notebook and smartphone) just didn't work. At last I read, what screen said ... and there it was!!! ... I had forgotten to set up sync in WinEPIM!!!
MY fault! And as most times, problem sat in front of notebook! And even then, help did help.
I have to admit, that I almost never read help lines or manuals, because I expect things to be intuitive. As to EPIM I find it very often this way. And so I set up mail module in WinEPIM for the first time, and it just worked as expected.
Well, it helps to know, what you do and to know what things are about. And if I happen to need help, it's there!
2020-11-16 10:10
# Dennis
Thanks for the feedback. Sounds like you had a same problem as me — forgetting to set up sync in WinEPIM.
2020-11-16 13:02

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