Connecting Windows Mobile device problems

[kansas_plainsman]

I'm just trying to access my windows mobile phone via USB under Kubuntu 8.04 - so far I can't even see a device in the /dev directory. All the information I've been able to find about 'sync' variants presume that, at the very least, the device is available in some way.

Any suggestions on where I look/what I do next?

[kansas_plainsman]

Well, I'm back from a two-day safari across the internet..

Problems syncing a WM5 device with linux are legion. Many people have the initial problem of even getting linux to SEE the usb connection with them.

Secondly, I see a pattern in the discussions about the problem that remind me of Microsoft's subversive efforts against OS/2 - back then the news groups and BBS discussions regularly turned up 'helpful' suggestions which didn't work - years later MS admitted that they had their people out on the 'net muddying the OS/2 waters. I conclude that something similar is going on now.

Clearly Microsoft doesn't want their Windows Mobile platform to work with non-Windows systems.

So. If nothing else I'll warn others trying to sync their WM devices that there is a huge body of misleading and outdated information out there (and on ubuntu forums) - many of the messages are from honest users trying to get it done (usually against outdated releases of ubuntu) - but a few of those messages may be poisoned pills. In one case I suspect an individual of dishonesty who claims to have succeeded in accomplishing a complete 'sync' but whose 'tips' don't seem to work for anyone else.

Now the positive side: I have managed to 'sync' with Google Calendar using a freeware package and the internet, as well as exporting my Contacts list (using another freeware package) to a comma delimited file which Open Office Spreadsheet and Thunderbird can read. Finally, I use my micro-SD card to transfer backups and other files to my desktop from my phone.