By John Kuo
Palm devices are handy gadgets -- they can store and retrieve lots of personal information, keep golf scores, view email, be used for drawing small pictures, and can perform lots of other useful functions. Even so, I believe the real potential of Palm devices as genuine working computers has yet to be realized. PocketLog, from Tescina, is a general-purpose data collection application for Palm organizers. This is one of the first programs that take Palm devices out of the PIM category and into more general data analysis computing.
The beta version of PocketLog I reviewed came with a nice install and a separate setup wizard, which made installing the program a lot easier than some other programs for the Palm organizer that I've used. During the setup, I also installed the optional demo file, which contains examples of the many data entry controls provided by PocketLog. Apparently, you can also run the wizard as a means to update your PocketLog database on your PC.
The demo file itself contains examples of many of the basic types of controls, including analog gauges, text notes, numeric data entry, and pop-up menus. According to Tescina, you can also set up bar code readers with the Symbol SPT 1500 version of the Palm computer.
Types of controls
While walking around collecting data is hardly most people's idea of a good time, using PocketLog can actually be kind of fun, especially when using the many types of analog controls provided by Tescina. There are circular dials (like that shown in Figure A), dials that look like voltmeters, dials that look like speedometers, linear gauges, gauges with two controls, and even gauges with verniers (i.e., an interface that looks something like a small scale). The combination of types is pretty impressive.
FIGURE A
This is a circular gauge control.
Using the gauge controls graphically was about as intuitive as you can get -- just tap or drag the needle on the dial to set a value. Tescina documents the resolution of each control in their beta manual, and you can scale the granularity of the controls to a very fine level.
As you define the value, it appears in an editable text field. You can also enter values into these text fields manually, by simply tapping the field.
