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June 2001
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Fulfill your PDA’s potential

Twelve PDA tips that will have you beaming

by Ward Lowe   A personal digital assistant. You acquired this wonderful, high-tech device to organize your life and improve your job efficiency. But who has time to explore all the features of a PDA and the available add-ons and plug-ins? If you’re like most people, you latched onto functions that met your most immediate needs, promising in the future to investigate further.

The list below barely scratches the surface of the add-ons, Web sites, and accessories available for PDAs. However, it provides a starting point for you to enhance your PDA’s functionality and, perhaps, make your PDA a more valuable tool.

  1. FireViewer (www.firepad.com)–This Palm-compatible software can convert and display large images and video on your PDA. View properly formatted maps, blueprints, pictures, and virtual tours on your handheld’s small screen.
  2. Vindigo (www.vindigo.com)–Find the nearest place to eat, shop, have a cocktail, see a movie, or any number of other activities in 20 cities, including Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, and Houston. Vindigo is a navigation tool and travel guide made for the Palm OS. Help a client locate the good restaurants in his prospective neighborhood, or use it for your own travel needs.
  3. Rand McNally StreetFinder GPS (www.randmcnally.com), Geode GPS Module (www.geodiscovery.com/geodepp.html), Quo Vadis with Magellan GPS (www.marcosoft.com)–All three of these GPS packages use adapters and mapping software to make sure you’re never lost. StreetFinder is Palm-compatible; the Geode GPS adapter only fits Visors; Quo Vadis offers adapters and software for both Palm and Visor.
  4. Palm Graffiti ShortCuts–ShortCuts are a preprogrammed Palm feature that enables you to input long Graffiti entries with only a few, short stylus strokes. You can add your own ShortCuts to the existing menu (see your Palm user guide) to save time. Designate two or three letters to trigger your office name and address, type of listing, or other commonly used entry.
  5. WordComplete (www.cic.com/products/wordcomplete)–When used with Palm’s Graffiti, WordComplete anticipates your entries as you write with a pop-up list of word choices. Select a word from the menu or keep writing. The pop-up lists can be customized to include frequently entered words.
  6. HanDBase (www.ddhsoftware.com)–This simple database is available for both Palm and Pocket PC OS, and when combined with HanDBase Conduit can be transferred directly from PDA to PC.
  7. DiddleBug (http://blevins.simplenet.com/diddlebug), QuickNotes (www.cic.com/products/quicknotes)–These Palm-compatible programs replace yellow sticky-notes with electronic pop-up screens. You record your full-screen notes in your handwriting and these programs will organize the notes and provide optional reminder alarms.
  8. Trip Deluxe (www.handshigh.com/html/trip.html)–Easily track your automobile mileage on your Palm and create Microsoft Excel reports that detail all the information necessary for IRS mileage deductions.
  9. Communiport Mobile Productivity Center (www.communiport.net/mpcpro.html)–This Palm and cell-phone docking station for your car features a voice-recognition system that enables hands-free operation of your PDA while you drive.
  10. LandWare Small Talk (www.landware.com/smalltalk)–Remove language barriers with this Palm software’s translator for real-time conversation. Small Talk arranges phrases and full sentences from English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish into categories, such as business, lodging, and social, for ease of use.
  11. SiPix Pocket Printer A6 (www.sipix.com/pocket_printer.html)–Beam files from Palm to printer with this infrared-enabled, compact, portable printer.
  12. Bachmann InfraReady Adapter (www.bachmannsoftware.com/infraready.htm)–This adapter connects to any printer’s parallel port and enables you to beam files from your Palm to any printer.

PDA tips: Brooke Hunt, Vicki Miller, Brian Sierer, and Richard Womeldorf

Photo illustration: Joel Mathews; photos © Corbis Images and ThinkStock.

 

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This Palm and cell-phone docking station for your car features a voice-recognition system that enables hands-free operation of your PDA while you drive.