PalmPilot: The Ultimate Guide, Second Edition

Foreword

written by Jeff Hawkins, Handspring

When I designed the original Pilot in 1995, the goal was to create a great tool that was small, simple to use, synchronizable with your PC, and inexpensive. That’s what David Pogue has done with his Palm Pilot: The Ultimate Guide (except maybe for the small part); read this impressive and substantial book in your office or at home. Then go forth into the world armed with your little PalmPilot.

I really like this book. It’s a well-written, no-nonsense, nicely designed exploration of the Palm. Even I learned some things I didn’t know before. But why does a small, simple device like the Palm need a 500-page tome, however well done? The answer is that although the Palm is easy to use, you can do a lot of things that are not mentioned in the manual that comes in the box.

What David has done here is to document all of the ways that the developer community has stretched and expanded the Palm and the tips and tricks users have come up with on their own.

I’m delighted to see this second edition expertly cover the latest Palm models, wireless Internet access with the Palm VII handheld, and pocket databases and spreadsheets. There’s also coverage of things like infrared beaming, faxing, printing, telephone dialing, TV remote control (really!), and more. And there are more insider tips and tricks than ever.

I mentioned our goals in designing the Palm: small, simple, synchronizable, and inexpensive. There was one more important element, and that was our ...