.KEYWORD graphicuse
.FLYINGHEAD PALMPILOT GRAPHICS
.TITLE Getting the most out of PalmPilot graphics functionality
.OTHER
.SUMMARY There may only be 160 dots across and down a Palm device’s screen, but you can display a lot of information in that small space. In fact, you can display maps, diagrams, charts, and other helpful reference information right on your PalmPilot, and Chris tells you how. He also helps you understand which pictures will display well and which won’t — a great time-saving tip.
.AUTHOR Chris Guella
I believe PalmPilot use goes in stages:
.BEGIN_LIST
.BULLET Stage 1: New, use for everything, seek out add-on applications, HotSync daily, talk about PalmPilot every chance you get.
.BULLET Stage 2: A few months old, use for just a few features, HotSync once a month, and only discuss when necessary.
.BULLET Stage 3: The Re-Birth – Use often, look for new value applications and ways to use the PalmPilot more regularly.
.END_LIST
I am in Stage 3. One application that I have had for a long time, but only recently found useful is Image Viewer. This program was originally discussed in the February 1998 issue of PalmPower in the article called "Displaying Pictures on Your PalmPilot" (see http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue199802/picturepilot001.html). In that article Bob Freud explains in detail how to find and set up Image Viewer and Image Converter. These programs allow you to take images you have in your computer and put them onto your PalmPilot. These programs will both be very useful, but not essential to the content in this article.
I took the February article, downloaded the software and went to work. In the end I found that photographs generally do not translate very well to the PalmPilot, but maps do. In fact many simple high contrast images do, complex grainy images do not. I also found that the map feature on Yahoo in conjunction with these programs may be very useful to you. Between the February article by Bob Freud and this one you may begin to benefit from the use of these applications. If you travel to unfamiliar places, there are some very powerful tools that may be of use to you.
.H1 Street Maps
In conjunction with Yahoo (see http://www.yahoo.com), the PalmPilot can be a personal travel companion. When making sales calls or going to business appointments where I do not know where I am going, I get onto Yahoo and use the Map feature to locate the address. [Be wary of over-reliance on Yahoo directions and take a spare map. Your editor-in-chief once found himself in the middle of a quarry instead of the office complex the Yahoo directions indicated.] An example of a Yahoo map is shown in Figure A.
.FIGPAIR A This is a typical Yahoo map.
I took the map and load it onto the PalmPilot. Here are the step-by-step instruction on how to get a Yahoo map into the PalmPilot via Windows 95/NT:
.BEGIN_STEPS
.STEP On your Windows 95/NT browser go to http://www.yahoo.com.
.STEP Select Maps.
.STEP Enter the address you are interested in finding or the two points for driving directions.
.STEP Look at the map and select appropriate view (zoom in or out to get appropriate detail).
.STEP Right click on your mouse and select copy. This may also be done from the Edit menu.
.STEP Start the Image Converter program.
.STEP Select "Load From Clipboard".
.STEP Click "Preview".
.STEP Click on "Convert".
.STEP HotSync your PalmPilot.
.END_STEPS
The image is now loaded into the PalmPilot and may be viewed using the Image Viewer application. I find this very useful when going on sales calls in areas that I am unfamiliar with. It may also be used to load schematics of piping or conduits for maintenance, if you happen to need that sort of information. You get the idea. Any simple high contrast image that can be placed in the clipboard may be transferred over to the PalmPilot. If you have the image in hard copy only, then you will have to scan the image first and then convert using the Image Conversion utility. This all of course assumes that you know where you are, Point A, and where you are going, Point B. For those of you who do not know exactly where you are, consider a Global Positioning System (GPS) for the PalmPilot.
.H1 GPS and the PalmPilot
For a more advanced mapping application consider the ability of the PalmPilot to be connected to a GPS receiver. There are three products offered by a company called GPS Pilot:
.BEGIN_LIST
.BULLET Flying Pilot gives you dynamic pre-flight and in flight navigational tools
.BULLET GPS Tracker creates maps for backpacking, boating, hiking, etc.
.BULLET GPS Compass gives you real life compass direction coordinates, time and speed
.END_LIST
By using the GPS Tracker application you may track your movement from one place to another, record your routes, and follow your tracks with a GPS receiver. The world map may be accessed anywhere and navigated by use of your finger. Satellite radio signals pinpoint your exact coordinates on earth.
The GPS Pilot Software uses this information with the PalmPilot to display your location, how fast you are moving, your altitude, and pinpoint precisely your position on digital maps, as shown in Figure B. It’s a must for private pilots, boating navigation and wilderness trekkers. Many other traveling applications are also possible.
.FIG B This is a great digital map from GPS.
Any of these applications require the purchase of some extra hardware, but may be of use to some select users who need this detailed information. The DeLorme TripMate GPS receiver is required and may be purchased for US$199.95 plus the cost of a special cable to connect the PalmPilot and the antenna. Any one of the three tracking applications require an investment as well.
.H1 Other Images from the Internet
If knowing exactly where you are is too serious or scary, you may be just looking to experiment. There are a number of images in the public domain available to load at no cost. Search the web for graphics files and load them using the Image Conversion utility. I have found two web sites that contain a long list of images that you may also load onto your PalmPilot. Memoware and PilotGear may be accessed on web and have a good selection of subway maps, street maps, and other graphics files that may also be of use to you. Look under their graphics section or search using a key word.
Other ideas for loading images from a scanner or your personal collection include:
.BEGIN_LIST
.BULLET Pictures of family, babies, dog or cat. (This works well. Check to see if your photo developer will put your pictures on disk where they may be easily converted using Image Converter. Remember high contrast simple pictures translate best.
.BULLET Technical documentation or schematics. These types of documents will generally translate very well and allow you to take complex images or guides on the go.
.BULLET Piping or conduit layout maps. Imagine being stuck in a crawl space with your backlit PalmPilot and details of which pipe, wire, or vent you are trying to identify.
.END_LIST
Once you are over the hurdle of setting up the Image Viewer and the Image Converter applications you will find that these applications in conjunction with the PalmPilot provide a very easy way to take useful graphic images on the go. Yet another in the long list of useful PalmPilot features that help make the PalmPilot the greatest gadget in the world.
.BEGIN_SIDEBAR
.H1 Product availability and resources
For Yahoo maps, http://www.yahoo.com and select Maps.
Visit com for information on GPS Pilot http://www.gpspilot.com.
For information on TripMate, visit http://mapstore.delorme.com.
Visit MemoWare at http://memoware.com/.
Visit PilotGear at http://www.pilotgear.com.
.END_SIDEBAR
.BIO Chris Guella is a management and strategy consultant for financial institutions with American Management Systems, Inc. He may be reached at cguella@usa.net.
.DISCUSS http://www.component-net.com/webx?13@@.ee6c00c
