Palm OS is one of the most popular handheld operating systems on the planet. From the newest Tungstens and Treos all the way down the family tree, Palms are everywhere. Although the Palm OS is simple to learn and use, there is more to it than meets the eye--from new features in the Palm to capabilities you can get with add-on software, the Palm can be made to do quite a lot.
Palm and Treo Hacks gives you tips and tools that show you how to make the most of your Palm. A few minutes spent reading some of the hacks in this book will save you hours of research. Inside this book, you'll learn how to:
Find great applications for your Palm and make the most of the ones you're using now
Get super-organized, getting more from the built-in Personal Information Manager and learning how to manage complex projects with your Palm
Extend the Palm with must-have software and hardware add-ons
Take your Palm online, reading email, surfing the web, and sending instant messages
Get some rest and relaxation with your Palm, whether it's listening to music, playing classic games, or watching video
Written for beginning to experienced Palm users, Palm and Treo Hacks is full of practical, ingenious tips and tricks you can apply immediately. Whether you're looking to master the built-in applications or you want to trick out your Palm to its fullest extent, this book will show you how.
Scott MacHaffie has a B.S. and an M.S. in Computer Science from the University of Washington and Portland State University, respectively. He's programmed for 24 years, 17 professionally. Scott studied usability and user interfaces for 14 years. He has spent most of his programming career designing and implementing GUIs for scientific, math, and engineering software. Scott currently works for Schrodinger LLC designing GUIs for chemistry software. Before that, his last job was at Saltire Software, where he worked on geometry systems for a variety of desktop, handheld, and calculator platforms. He has also written several games for the Palm platform.
This book is a part of the "hack" series so topics are covered in small chapters, with one hack per chapter. The hacks are grouped by general topic such as information, games, multimedia, treo specific, communications, hardware, and the operating system (Palm OS). All of the hacks covered come with detailed step-by-step instructions, diagrams, and references. The book is an easy read as is the entire hack series. Most of the "hacks" are not really hacks in the hacker sense but more like cleaver ways to take full advantage of either the palm hardware/phone or the palm operating system. Some of the more useful hacks demonstrated how to watch video, replace the battery, adjusting all the settings available, and using the treo platform as a modem. Many of the hacks are focused on having fun. There is one section dedicated to the treo line of smartphones themselves. I tried the hacks on a Palm TX running Palm OS with built in wifi. Each that I tried worked. I did not attempt the ones meant strictly for entertainment such as the games but focused on the more practical areas. The most useful (imo) dealt with multimedia as the TX and Treo both hold large expansion cards so using them as both organizers and MP3 palyers makes sense. The book explained these areas in some detail which was quite helpful. If you want to get more out of your Palm device or have some fun with them, give this book a try. It is an easy read and well-organized.
