.KEYWORD ppreplace
.FLYINGHEAD PALM POSSIBILITIES
.TITLE Can a handheld replace a laptop?
.FEATURE
.SUMMARY Are your chiropractor bills getting out of hand because you’ve been lugging around a bulky laptop and its assorted paraphernalia? Maybe you’ve been wondering if it’d be possible to replace your laptop with the compact convenience of your Palm device. Jeff Carlson takes a look at the hardware and software available for your PDA that just might make the switch possible.
.AUTHOR Jeff Carlson
.BEGIN_SIDEBAR
A variant of this article originally appeared in TidBITS, a wonderful, Mac-oriented newsletter that’s one of the oldest on the Internet. Special thanks to Jeff and our friends at TidBITS for allowing us to reprint this valuable article. Please be sure to visit TidBITS at http://www.tidbits.com.
.END_SIDEBAR
If you think notebook computers have yet to catch on, spend some time at the airport. Once, it was fun to see if anyone else carried a laptop, but now it’s hard to avoid being jostled by someone’s overstuffed Targus bag. Laptops have enabled people to free themselves from the desktop, work on the road, and stay connected via email and the Web from nearly any location.
However, even a compact laptop weighs heavily on the shoulders when you’re carrying it all day at a trade show or switching planes in a large airport where your gate is always as far away as possible. An increasing number of people in search of a lighter alternative have asked me if it’s possible to leave the laptop at home and just carry a Palm organizer.
While I was writing my latest book, Palm Organizers Visual QuickStart Guide, I had the opportunity to try several programs and technologies that make a handheld much more than just an electronic calendar, opening up the possibility of using my Palm device to fulfill all my computing needs.
The verdict? Yes, it’s possible to replace your laptop with a Palm device, but depending on your needs, you may have to make too many sacrifices to do it well.
.H1 Getting your input
If you’re serious about leaving the laptop at home, definitely consider a keyboard for your handheld. After using various Palm organizers over the years, I’m proficient at Graffiti, the Palm OS shorthand for writing characters. However, there’s a limit to how much I can write before my hand cramps up, not to mention the drastic decline in accuracy when I try to write quickly. As an alternative, I can recommend two keyboards available for Palm devices.
.H2 GoType keyboard
The GoType keyboard from LandWare (at http://www.landware.com/gotype/classic.html) was the first model designed specifically for the Palm unit. The clamshell GoType is light and relatively inexpensive at $69.95, and it slips easily into a carry-on bag. It features Palm OS-specific keys, such as programmable function keys that launch the Palm device’s built-in applications. It also has Command-key shortcuts for activating onscreen buttons and responding to dialog boxes. You can take a look at it in Figure A.
.FIGPAIR A The GoType keyboard connects directly via the docking port.
The only downside is the small size of its keys, if you’re accustomed to a full-size keyboard. The GoType works with Palm III and Palm VII devices. There’s also a GoType Pro available for the Palm V and Handspring Visor, also featuring the capability of synchronizing the handheld with a computer directly from the keyboard. You can read my article on GoType Pro in the November 1999 issue of PalmPower at http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue199911/gotype001.html. For more information, see Fredlet’s review of the GoType keyboard in the December 1998 issue of PalmPower at http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue199812/gotype001.html.
.H2 Palm Portable Keyboard
The newcomer to the field is the Palm Portable Keyboard at http://www.thinkoutside.com/palm.html. It’s the only Palm device accessory I carry that consistently elicits "oohs" and "ahhs" from people. It also includes Palm unit-specific features like programmable function keys and shortcut keys, but the kicker is that it’s a full-size keyboard that folds up to roughly the size of the Palm organizer itself. It’s pictured in Figure B.
.FIGPAIR B This full-size keyboard folds up for easy carrying.
Palm, Inc. licensed the design from a company called Think Outside and sells the $99 keyboard for its line of organizers. For Visor users, there’s a version of the keyboard available from Targus at http://www.targus.com/default_product.asp?sku=PA800U.
.H1 Keeping in touch
Unless I’m on a bona fide vacation, I need access to my email and the Web. It’s easier to stay connected now than with earlier Palm device models, but your mileage will definitely vary.
.H2 Modem connection
On the hardware front, you’ll need a modem. Palm makes a series of clip-on modems for Palm devices, and Handspring offers a modem that plugs into the Visor’s Springboard slot. Depending on your location, you can also look into wireless offerings such as the Palm VII or the OmniSky modem. With Palm and Handspring’s modems, you use a normal phone line to connect to your ISP; the wireless devices require that you sign up with their respective wireless access plans, which can range between $30 and $45 per month. You can read Jason Perlow’s article on OmniSky in the February 2000 issue of PalmPower at http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue200002/omnisky001.html.
.H2 Email software
Both simple and sophisticated email software is available for Palm devices. Using a program like Top Gun Postman (at http://www.isaac.cs.berkeley.edu/pilot/TGpostman/), you can dial into your ISP and grab your email messages that appear in the built-in Mail application.
However, Mail is a bare-bones mail client with minimal filtering that truncates messages larger than 32K. Also, there’s no built-in support for synchronizing mail with a Macintosh. As a solution, you can purchase MultiMail’s HotSync conduit, which synchronizes In and Out box messages with Eudora, Outlook Express, or Emailer. It’s available at http://www.actualsoft.com/prod_macconduit_details.htm.
Programs such as MultiMail Pro or One Touch Mail offer more robust filtering and even limited support for some email attachments. You can read Claire Pieterek’s article on MultiMail Pro in the July 1999 issue of PalmPower at http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue199907/multimail001.html.
One unexpected advantage the Palm device has over a PowerBook is the capability to receive email from an America Online account using PocketFlash, currently something a Mac can do only with AOL’s software, Emailer, or the mail component of Netscape Communicator 6, which is at the moment available only as a preview version.
.H1 A (small) window to your data
A major consideration when thinking about replacing your laptop with a handheld device is screen size. The Palm organizer’s small screen works surprisingly well for checking a calendar and other bits of miscellaneous information, but for some applications it can be limiting. Word processing is no problem, and you can even do spreadsheet work using software like Cutting Edge Software’s Quicksheet 5.0 (though you’ll find yourself scrolling frequently). You can read Fredlet’s article on Quicksheet in the February 1999 issue of PalmPower at http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue199902/quicksheet001.html.
So, you may not need a 14-inch active matrix color display for everything you do, but larger displays are easier on the eyes over long periods. You may also find looking at the small screen uncomfortable when typing. Laptops work well because you can sit up straight and have plenty of screen to view, but with a handheld it’s easy to catch yourself leaning ever closer to the screen or craning your neck, positions that are ergonomic nightmares and can be harmful over longer periods of time.
.H1 (In)compatibility
Perhaps the biggest limitation in terms of using a Palm device as a laptop replacement is that you can’t use common applications or file formats. There are some notable exceptions, however.
DataViz’s Documents to Go (at http://www.dataviz.com/products/documentstogo/) lets you read–but not edit–Microsoft Word and Excel files and a number of other formats, including AppleWorks, on a handheld. This is helpful for storing reference materials or for reading reports on a long plane ride. You can read more about Documents To Go in this very issue of PalmPower. Quicksheet, meanwhile, includes a plug-in for Excel (currently in beta for the Mac) that lets you work with spreadsheets on both platforms.
If you’re looking to do word processing on your Palm device, you can use the built-in Memo Pad application, but Memo Pad records are limited to 4,096 characters. You’re better off using a program like SmartDoc or QED, which are limited only by the amount of free memory on the organizer.
You can also use data from FileMaker databases on the Palm device by enlisting some additional software to synchronize with Palm databases. Rick Holzgrafe’s HanDBase Desktop for Macintosh synchronizes with DDH Software’s HanDBase Palm application; the FMSync conduit from FMSync Software works similarly with Richard Carlton’s flat-file Palm database JFile.
If you’re a graphic designer, well, forget it. Although there are drawing and painting programs for the Palm OS (such as TealPoint Software’s TealPaint), they’re much more akin to MacPaint than to any graphics program on the market today. You can read all about TealPoint’s products in the February 1999 issue of PalmPower at http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue199902/teal001.html.
A minor exception to the lack of graphic design ability is the recent appearance of digital cameras available for Palm devices that let you take photos using your Palm device and transfer them to your computer. I don’t have hands-on experience with them, but if you need low to medium-resolution color or grayscale images in a small package, check out the eyemodule for Visor or Kodak’s PalmPix cameras. You can read Craig Bobchin’s article on the eyemodule in the June issue of PalmPower at http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue200006/eyemodule001.html.
.H1 Portable power
A last consideration is energy. For most Palm devices, you’ll do fine by tossing a package of AAA batteries in your bag. They’re significantly lighter than an extra laptop battery. However, rechargeable models such as the Palm IIIc and Palm V require the HotSync cradle and a power brick to top off their battery levels. Carrying these adds weight and awkwardness (a HotSync cradle’s rounded triangular shape refuses to pack well), so instead consider purchasing Palm’s travel chargers if you’re going to be away from the cradle for longer than a week or two. Other power alternatives include LandWare’s BattPac, a snap-on Palm V attachment that uses AAA batteries to feed juice to the handheld. It’s pictured in Figure C.
.FIGPAIR C LandWare’s BattPac let’s you recharge on the go.
You could also try one of Tech Center Labs’ emergency chargers. The TCL Emergency 9V Charger is pictured in Figure D.
.FIGPAIR D The TCL Emergency 9V Charger can work in a pinch.
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.H1 Handy mobility
My solution for staying portable so far has been to carry both my PowerBook and my Palm organizer. Each has its strengths, and in some cases, like word processing, I swap between them (especially when I’m flying, since most seats have barely enough room for me to sit comfortably, much less operate my PowerBook). However, it’s possible to leave the laptop behind and do all your computing in your Palm device, provided you’re willing to work within some limitations.
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.H1 Product availability and resources
Jeff Carlson’s book, Palm Organizers Visual QuickStart Guide is available from Peachpit Press at http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0201700638/tidbitselectro00A/.
Visit TidBITS at http://www.tidbits.com.
For more information on the GoType keyboard from LandWare, visit http://www.landware.com/gotype/classic.html.
You can read Jeff Carlson’s article on GoType Pro in the November 1999 issue of PalmPower at http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue199911/gotype001.html.
You can read Fredlet’s review of the GoType keyboard in the December 1998 issue of PalmPower at http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue199812/gotype001.html.
For more information on Think Outside’s Palm Portable Keyboard, visit http://www.thinkoutside.com/palm.html.
For more information on the Palm III modem, visit http://www.palm.com/products/palmiii/modem.html.
For more information on the Palm V modem, visit http://www.palm.com/products/palmv/modem.html.
For more information on the Handspring modem, visit http://www.handspring.com/products/mmodem.asp.
For more information on the OminiSky modem, visit http://www.omnisky.com.
You can read Jason Perlows article on OmniSky in the February 2000 issue of PalmPower at http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue200002/omnisky001.html.
For more information on Top Gun Postman, visit http://www.isaac.cs.berkeley.edu/pilot/TGpostman/.
For more information on MultiMail’s HotSync conduit, visit http://www.actualsoft.com/prod_macconduit_details.htm.
For more information on One Touch Mail, visit http://www.jpsystems.com/consumer/onetouch.asp.
You can read Claire Pieterek’s article on MultiMail Pro in the July 1999 issue of PalmPower at http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue199907/multimail001.html.
For more information on PocketFlash, visit http://www.powermedia.com/pilot/pocket2/pocket2.html.
For more information on Cutting Edge Software’s Quicksheet 5.0, visit http://www.cesinc.com/quicksheet/quicksheet.html.
You can read Fredlet’s article on Quicksheet in the February 1999 issue of PalmPower at http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue199902/quicksheet001.html.
For more information on DataViz’s Documents to Go, visit http://www.dataviz.com/products/documentstogo/.
For more information on SmartDoc, visit http://www.cesinc.com/smartdoc/smartdoc.html.
For more information on QED, visit http://www.visionary2000.com/qed.
For more information on HanDBase Desktop for Macintosh from Semicolon Software, visit http://www2.semicolon.com/Rick/HDM.html.
For more information on the HanDBase Palm application from DDH Software, visit http://www.handbase.com.
For more information on FMSync for JFile Pro, visit http://www.fmsync.com/fmc/index.html.
For more information on JFile, visit http://www.jfile.com.
For more information on TealPoint’s TealPaint, visit http://www.tealpoint.com/softpnt.htm.
For more information on the eyemodule, visit http://www.eyemodule.com.
For information on the Kokak PalmPix camera, visit http://www.kodak.com/US/en/digital/cameras/palmPix.
For more information on LandWare’s BattPac, visit http://www.landware.com/battpac.
For more information on Tech Center Labs’ TCL Emergency 9V Charger, visit http://members.aol.com/gmayhak/tcl/e-charge.htm.
.H1 Bulk reprints
Bulk reprints of this article (in quantities of 100 or more) are available for a fee from Reprint Services, a ZATZ business partner. Contact them at reprints@zatz.com or by calling 1-800-217-7874.
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.BIO Jeff Carlson is the author of Palm Organizers Visual QuickStart Guide and is the Managing Editor of TidBITS at http://www.tidbits.com. He can be reached at jeff@necoffee.com. For more information on Jeff’s book, "Palm Organizers Visual QuickStart Guide," visit http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0201700638/escenetheworldsbA/.
.DISCUSS http://powerboards.zatz.com/cgi-bin/webx?13@@.ee6e4aa
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