Palm for Dummies, Second Edition

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 384 pages
• Published by: For Dummies
• Edition: 2nd Edition October 16, 2002
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0764516744
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0764516740
• Book Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.2 x 0.9 inches
• Weighs: 1.3 pounds

Product Review
The Palm OS, the functional core of the Palm series of handheld computers from 3Com and the Visor series from Handspring, is easy to learn and fun to use. With its simple elegance and range of available software, it's great for people who need to keep track of details and don't want to use a big laptop computer all the time. In Palm for Dummies, Bill Dyszel shows you how to use the operating system and the suite of applications that ship with it on 3Com and Handspring platforms. For the most part, this book is straight documentation of the Palm OS environment, with explanations of what it can do and procedures that detail processes for you.

This an approach is better suited to a ponderous productivity application, or a business-oriented operating system. The author should do more in this book to introduce the reader to the fun of Palm OS computing. He should share more opinions on favorite aftermarket software, too. Also, the forced casual tone of the Dummies series--this book includes a chapter called "Ten (Or So) Troubleshooting Tips"--is beginning to show its age. The tone that seemed friendly when it was a novelty, now, more frequently than not, seems sloppy. Readers don't want to be bored, and dry presentations of unadorned facts certainly are no fun. But a book about a computing environment as vibrant as the Palm OS, with its colorful communities of users and developers, shouldn't have to rely on dumb jokes and cutesy lines to engage the reader. This isn't Dyszel's fault, as he wrote in the Dummies series's standard style. But David Pogue's PalmPilot: The Ultimate Guide is a better book, despite being somewhat dated. --David Wall

Topics covered: The Palm OS operating system for handheld computers, including Palms and Visors. Specifically, coverage touches on the Graffiti handwriting-recognition system, applications (those that come with the operating system) for managing appointments and contacts, and connectivity via the HotSync cradle and modem hardware. Wireless operations with the Palm VII get attention, and there's a directory of aftermarket software that's organized by profession. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description
* Covers the capabilities of the latest Palm operating system, OS 5.0, including the ability to make phone calls and access "always-on" corporate e-mail.
* Author is a nationally-known expert on personal information and sales automation technology.

Reader Reviews
This review is from: Palm for Dummies (Paperback) This is yet another winner in the For-Dummies series. I am often amazed at the series in the amount of in-depth knowledge that is presented in a friendly manner. My Handspring Visor Prism came with a very simple and small introduction booklet. The online PDF file was a little more help. It wasn't until I got the Dummies book that I learned a lot of neat tricks and things I never knew. There are chapters on wireless, which is helpful information for those that might consider that avenue in the future. If you have a Handspring, you might consider the "Handspring Visor for Dummies". I would probably get "Palm for Dummies" instead.