In the PC world, it seems as though you're always behind the curve. As soon as you buy a new computer, you hear about a faster, more powerful model becoming available. And as applications and operating systems grow larger and more complex, you may need that additional power just to keep up.

Although this trend applies to the hand-held computer market as well (particularly for those dealing with the bloated Windows CE operating system and its programs), the truth is that many people using Palm OS devices aren't getting full benefit from the power they already have at their fingertips.

More Than a PDA

Many people still think of Palm computers as personal digital assistants (PDAs), because that's the level of functionality the original models offered. Users think of Palms as devices for keeping appointments, to-do lists, phone directories, and quick, small memos—and nothing more.

But virtually all of the Palm OS devices currently on the market have far more storage space than most people could ever use for just these tasks. The fact is, unless you expand your view of that Palm device and see it not as a mere PDA but as a real computer, chances are you're wasting a whole lot of power.

So how do you go about unlocking the full benefits you already paid for? Start by realizing that the device in your hand can do many of the tasks you'd expect of a full-size computer.

Word processing is one of the most important and prevalent uses for PCs. Creating and reviewing documents takes a huge percentage of the time spent on a typical computer. There are some great tools available now that allow you to browse your desktop documents, edit them, and even create new ones anytime, anywhere with your Palm OS computer.

The Desktop Component

In order to view your desktop documents on a Palm device, the first step is to convert them into the Palm standard DOC format (not to be confused with Microsoft Word's .doc files). DOC files are compressed, so they use up less of your hand-held computer's precious storage space than standard text or memo formats. (See the sidebar "Keeping Your Document's Formatting Intact" for alternatives to the DOC format.)

Virtually all word processors and Web browsers allow you to save your files in plain text (.txt) format. Click on File | Save As... and you should be able to select Plain Text (.txt) format. There are several tools available that can create DOC files from those text files.

One of the easiest to use on the Windows platform is DocInOut (available at This program attaches itself to Windows Explorer and makes conversion of documents to and from DOC format as easy as a right mouse click. If the pop-up menu is opened from a text file, the option to make a Palm DOC file appears in the menu. If the menu appears with a Palm PDB database file, the menu includes an option to make a text file from the DOC file.

DocInOut has some nice extras, too. If the Palm PDB file is a JFile or HanDBase database, the pop-up menu contains an option to make a comma-separated (CSV) file out of it, so you can import it into your favorite desktop database application easily. Conversely, right-clicking on a CSV file brings up options to convert the file into a JFile or HanDBase PDB file. Unfortunately, DocInOut hasn't been updated to support the new JFile 4 format. (Version 4 users will have to use the JConvPro program included with JFile.)

Another nice extra with DocInOut is the ability to edit Palm documents directly on the desktop. The pop-up menu for DOC files includes the option to Update Pilot PDB. You will want to reconfigure the program to point to your favorite desktop editor or word processor. After editing, the file is automatically converted back into DOC format and put in the install queue for the next HotSync.

The Palm Component

Programs on the Palm side come in two basic flavors: small, inexpensive programs designed just to let you read documents easily, and larger programs that include writing and editing features.

In the read-only category, one of the best choices is the freeware program CSpotRun (available at This program packs a lot of function into a tiny, 23K package. CSpotRun lets you view your DOC files in any of four different font sizes (PalmOS versions 2.x and earlier support only three font sizes) for easy viewing regardless of your level of visual acuity. You can also alter the line spacing to pack as many lines into a single screen as your eyes can bear. Once you have the text configured the way you want, tap on Menu | Options | Make Settings Default to load all your documents the same way. Then you can tap on Menu | Options | Toggle Controls to remove all of the control icons from the screen and free up additional space for text.

If you are reviewing longer documents, you may find it more comfortable to change the orientation of the screen. Rotating the text to the left, landscape style, allows you to hold the computer sideways in your left hand so the fourth and fifth fingers support the back naturally, rather than having to curl around the upright unit. This also places the thumb on the scroll buttons at a more natural angle.

For even more convenience and comfort, activate the Auto Scroll feature. This will move the text up the screen automatically. Once scrolling has begun, you can adjust the speed of movement using the up and down buttons. Unfortunately, once you reach a somewhat rapid speed, the smooth scrolling begins to blur. To fix this, tap on Menu | Options | Preferences and then tap in the Line box under Auto Scroll Type. That will switch the scrolling from smooth-but-blurry to rolling up a single line at a time, which is much easier to read at higher speeds.

The main thing you sacrifice with CSpotRun is support for bookmarks; if you need that feature in your Palm device's document browser, you'll have to install more memory.

Handy Document Editing

Memo-entry functions are already built into the Palm OS, so why would you need another program for document editing? After all, you can export memos or cut and paste text from a desktop word processor into a new memo using the Palm Desktop software, right?

That may be fine for relatively short memos, but the memo database isn't compressed, as DOC files are, so your memos take up far more of your hand-held's precious storage. Worse, memos are limited to a maximum size of 4K, which comes to about 700 words—or a page and a half—of printed text. Besides, the MemoPad doesn't have all the features you expect from a text editor.

Of the programs that give you full document-creation functionality for your Palm device, LandWare's TakeNote ($39.95 direct, www offers one of the best combinations of features, memory requirements, and price.

TakeNote comes with its own desktop component. This is more than a DOC/text converter; it includes a new folder for easy transfer of documents between the Palm and the desktop using an intelligent conduit. As you drag and drop files to or from the TakeNote folder, DOC/text conversion is performed automatically. This system is far easier than trying to track down your DOC files in the backup directory used by HotSync.

The Palm component can function as a DOC reader, although it is missing key browsing features such as screen rotation and auto scroll. Its strength is as a text editor, thanks to its power and its straightforward interface. You can work with MemoPad entries as well as with DOC files and convert between those formats right in the Palm. Unlike most other editors, TakeNote's DOC file compression feature is optional. If you have enough memory to keep your documents uncompressed, tap on Menu | Preferences and deselect Compress new DOC files under the Control tab. Note that you can still compress individual files if you choose to do so.

TakeNote has all the features you would expect of a text editor, including find and replace, and adds some neat, Palm-specific extras that aren't immediately obvious. For example, if you double-tap on a word, it's automatically selected for cut, copy, or paste (just like a double-click in Word). If you tap three times, the entire paragraph is selected. You can use any of the Palm OS fonts, and you can look up records in your Palm phone directory without exiting TakeNote.

TakeNote comes bundled with the WordSleuth Thesaurus. If you have the extra 205K free and choose to install WordSleuth, you'll find that it integrates tightly with TakeNote, offers more than 200,000 synonyms, and provides an excellent interface for finding just the right word. If you're using an external keyboard, this helps to turn your Palm computer into a great word processor.

You Can Take It With You

That device you're holding is more than a PDA, it's a hand-held computer. With a few inexpensive tools, you can get more value out of the hardware you have already purchased by turning it into a complete text processing system. This way, the time you spend sitting on the train (or lying in a hammock) can be used to write letters, comment on a departmental memo, or just read a good book—using nothing more than that tiny computer.

Brian Proffit is a freelance writer.