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PDAs may seem to be short on number crunching power, or have applications that are short on features, when compared to the power and complexity of desktop machines and applications. But then I remember why Microsoft put the paperclip in Word: they had conducted surveys that showed that users typically used less than 20% of the features in their applications, and wanted to create a way to force users to demand more features and bigger applications. Without that kind of prompting, users don't need 200Mb applications. In fact, the relatively small feature sets of PDA applications are perfectly adequate for most needs, as Psion Series 3 users have been saying for the greater part of a decade now.

To get the most of out our PDAs, we need to apply more intelligence to how we use them. I'd like my readers to write in with their tips on how to get the most out of PDAs. I don't mind what PDA you use, or what particular application you have. Send an email to my mail address at the end of this column, and I'll put the best suggestions forward in future columns.

Stalking the Halls

This first hint comes from PC Pro Editor Dick Pountain, who has found himself prowling the corridors of one too many exhibition:

The Palm Pilots To Do application doesnt let you import lists from PC applications, other than the Pilot Desktop itself, which can be a nuisance. However you can use the Memo Pad application as an alternative to the To Do list for many purposes. For example I recently had to go to a trade show and visit over 40 stands, taking notes on various products. The list of stand numbers I needed to visit was available on my PC as an MS Word document, and I imported this into the Memo Pad (as a tab delimited file) so that each stand was in a separate memo. After a hotsync, on the Pilot I set the Sort By box in Memo Pad Preferences to Alphabetically, which kept these memos displayed in stand order. As I visited each stand I added my notes and then wrote an asterisk * in front of the stand number -- already visited stands then automatically sorted to the top of the list, and I could see at a glance what was the next stand to visit.

3com have started a mailing list for PalmOS users, giving out news and tips and tricks for users. If you'd like to sign up to this list, called InSync Online, go to: http://www.insync-palm.com . I've collected a couple of their hints:

Easy Access to E-Mail Addresses

When sending an e-mail message, use the Lookup feature to enter the recipient's e-mail address. If the recipient is in your Address Book, you can enter their e-mail address by specifying the first few characters of their name in the To or CC field and choosing Lookup from the Mail application's Option menu. The e-mail address will be entered in the appropriate fields. If your PalmPilot can't identify a unique record, it will display your Address Book so you can select the name you want.

Simplify Your Address Book Categories View

From the Address Book, tap the Menu icon. Tap the Options menu, and select Preferences. Check the Remember Last Category box. The next time you use the address book, you'll be where you left off.

Another tip that I'd like to put forward can be used by all PDAs. Steve Litchfield, sponsored by Psion, has put together the PocketInfo web site (http://www.pocketinfo.org ). It contains documents and templates of all sorts, broken down into business, sports, leisure, travel, reference and sounds categories. Document formats include native Psion Series 3 and Series 5 formats, but also cover standard PC formats that can be converted on to any PDA. Databases are usually held as dBase II (.DBF) files, spreadsheets as eiher Excel (.XLS), Lotus 1-2-3 (.WK1) or delimited ascii (.CSV), and other files as Word for Windows 6.0. While you have free RAM, you can never have too much reference information on your PDA.

PocketInfo - reference material for all PDAs

Another useful site, although very specific to Windows CE, is http://www.palmpc.org.uk . This is the latest site run by Craig Peacock, specialising in palm-sized CE machines, but with links across to his main CE site.

Words and design by:
Paul Lynch
Last updated: July 6, 1998