.KEYWORD datebk4
.FLYINGHEAD FIRST LOOK
.TITLE DateBk4 improves on a powerhouse
.OTHER
.AUTHOR Jeff Carlson
.SUMMARY The Palm device’s built-in applications are all most users need, but we don’t all qualify as "most users." If you’ve ever wished you could view your schedule and to-do items on the same screen, display individual events in different type styles, or link records between applications, it’s time to jump out of the "most users" category and dive into Pimlico Software’s DateBk4 with PalmPower contributing editor Jeff Carlson.
The Palm device’s built-in applications haven’t changed much over the past few years, in accordance with Palm Computing’s mandate to keep its handheld computers simple and useful. As long as appointments are scheduled, tasks are recorded, and phone numbers are easily looked up, most users don’t require more than the basics.
But we don’t all qualify as "most users." If you’ve ever wished you could view your schedule and to-do items on the same screen, display individual events in different type styles, or link records between applications, it’s time to jump out of the "most users" category and dive into Pimlico Software’s DateBk4, shown in Figure A.
.FIG A DateBk4 takes the Date Book into an entirely new category.
At this point, DateBk4 is in its final, private, beta testing stage, with availability expected at the end of March 2000. If it’s not available from http://www.gorilla-haven.org/pimlico/ when you read this, trust me — it’s worth the wait.
.H1 A worthy successor
DateBk4’s predecessor, DateBk3, added features that should have been included in the Palm OS Date Book application. These features included more calendar views (including an expanded Week view), the ability to categorize events, support for multiple time zones, and more. For more information about DateBk3, see my review entitled "DateBk3 Pushes Date Book into the Future," in the January 1999 edition of PalmPower at http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue199901/datebook001.html. The only downside is that DateBk3 takes up 247K of memory, a huge amount by Palm OS standards.
Well, if you’re thinking about buying a handheld with more memory capacity, now may be the time to do it. DateBk4 weighs in at 365K; though honestly I think that’s probably as svelte as it could get. There doesn’t seem to be any fat in the program, just features. Still, because of its size, Pimlico will still be making DateBk3 available for people with tighter memory restrictions on their handheld devices.
Like the original, DateBk4 doesn’t actually replace your built-in Date Book application. Rather, it uses Date Book as its main database, which means that you can still HotSync your calendar as you normally do. Although Date Book still resides on your Palm organizer, you can use the Date Book application button on your device to launch DateBk4, if you wish to take advantage of that option.
.H1 It’s time to split
One of the first noticeable differences between DateBk3 and DateBk4 is its split-screen view. DateBk3 offered the option of viewing To Do items on the same screen in the Day view. Now, in addition, you can divide the screen into two distinct windowpanes: the Day view area, and a flexible Split Window view, shown in Figure B.
.FIG B The new Split Window view gives you a configurable pane for displaying more than just calendar information.
By default, items from the To Do List appear in the Split-Window pane, but you can also view your Address Book or Memo Pad records there as well. A Recent Items folder pops up a dialog containing recently-accessed addresses or memos, depending on which list is being viewed.
.H1 So many options
More significant are the options for controlling which specific records are displayed, as shown in Figure C.
.FIG C There are plenty of new options to control what appears in the Split Window pane.
.H2 The Find/Filter Text option
The Find/Filter Text option lets you specify text, like "PalmPower" for example, and displays only the records in the chosen list that include that text. This feature is especially handy for people with lots of records who don’t want to exit their calendar to use the Palm unit’s Find feature. My only wish for future improvement would be the ability to view found records from multiple lists, such as any "PalmPower" addresses along with memos that also contain that text.
.H2 The Select Category command
Another great selection tool is the Select Category command. Although the Palm OS currently lets you view only the records from a single category, this command allows you to choose multiple categories for display in the Split Window view. On my Palm V, for example, I’m able to list the To Do items for categories I’ve set up for my main clients. I can then view only the tasks needed for a day devoted to two or three clients’ work.
.H2 The Preferences option
The Preferences option includes controls for how tightly the text appears in the Split Window view; whether it appears at the top or bottom of the screen; and also a checkbox for giving DateBk4 control over the application buttons on the case. This way, pressing the Address Book button brings up your contacts within the windowpane instead of switching to the full application.
.H1 The missing link
Although the built-in applications have shared the same memory space since the first Palm device, they may as well be on separate devices. Unlike most desktop PIMs (Personal Information Managers), you can’t link records from different applications. An example of this would be being able to create an appointment like "Coffee with Kim" and then access both Kim’s contact information plus a memo about what needs to be discussed at the meeting.
Now you can. With the new Link Item feature, a record can have multiple referenced records accessible at a single tap. As long as you’re using DateBk4 to view data from all of the built-in applications, feel free to link at will. If you prefer to use the other applications on their own, linked records will have attached notes that contain a brief amount of code that DateBk4 uses to specify the links.
Unfortunately, at least in the beta version I installed, there doesn’t seem to be an easy way to remove links, but deleting the note attachments from within the other applications works around this.
.H1 Intelligent color and font support
Although Palm OS 3.5 and the Palm IIIc feature brilliant color, there’s something wrong: the OS doesn’t support color-coding of categories, which is a potentially valuable use of color. DateBk4 comes to the rescue in this respect, allowing you to not only assign colors to categories, but also to change the color of individual records. Figure D shows what color looks like in the Datebk4 beta.
.FIG D DateBk4’s color support lets you color-code records and categories.
Keep in mind that color support is still being worked on as this article goes to press. On monochrome devices, you can specify one of the Palm OS’s four font styles to individual records, as shown in Figure E, making it easier to differentiate between items.
.FIG E Each record can have its own font setting.
.H1 And much, much more
So far, the improvements I’ve mentioned are just the ones that are easy to classify. Many other miscellaneous changes have appeared. For instance, with all of the various combinations of views and windowpanes, you could find yourself spending all your time customizing which information is displayed. A better approach is to utilize Custom Views. When you’ve set up a view you want to keep, tap the diamond-shaped button at the bottom of the screen to add it to the list of saved views.
The main Date Book view styles have changed slightly as well. The year screen offers a much more readable four month view, shown in figure F.
.FIG F Check your quarter with the four month view.
It also includes the 12 month view from DateBk3. Also, the list view is a bit cleaner. And, finally, DateBk4 includes beaming capability. You can beam records and categories, plus control how incoming DateBk4 categories beamed from other devices are handled.
With its abundance of features, DateBk4 demonstrates that you don’t have to be content with the adequate Date Book application. As of this writing, pricing for DateBk4 has not been set, but considering that DateBk3 costs only $20, even double that amount would be worth what you get. If you have the RAM to spare, the extra functionality is worth the space.
.BEGIN_SIDEBAR
.H1 Product availability and resources
For news about the release of DateBk4, watch http://www.gorilla-haven.org/pimlico/.
For more information about DateBk3, read "DateBk3 Pushes Date Book into the Future," in the January 1999 edition of PalmPower at http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue199901/datebook001.html.
.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.
.END_SIDEBAR
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