Desktop Software Updates, Palm O/S Desktop 4.1.0 is an upgrade from what shipped with the Palm 500, which I have - it also suits many other models. (From the file name it appears to be an SP03 sub-version.) Among the changes from 4.0.1 are: - It now displays my manually imported address book (see http://www.keithsketchley.com/palmaddr.txt). - It has a "QuickInstall" feature to put .txt files into either Palm memory or SD card memory. So far in my attempts it won't accept a small text file into the Palm memory section of Desktop's dialogue box and won't synch one into SD card memory because there is no application on the Palm to open it (the card had WordSmith and BackupBuddy). However it did accept and synch a keyboard driver file in .prc file form. - Allows edit of Memos in the RH viewing pane though not as functional as opening the memo (completely different editing operation, with bugs). - Tweaked method of setting of time for events (with inconsistencies in scrolling and perhaps error: isn't noon 12:00AM and midnight 12:00PM, as in Windows 98?). I find the new method less convenient, and flakey in operation. - As well, there is a voice memo function, apparently for Palm models I don't have. (Do note the special instructions for Windows XP and for one of the Palm models beginning with "i", linked from the download page.) - Is providing time in the upper left corner of the main menu new, or have I been blind for a year? (In calendar view that block is the date or range of dates in view.) So far I see five defects: - The installation defaulted to both USB and network synch, thus I received a synch log message that it could not finish setup because it could not find my computer's name and IP address - (you set those synch conduit selections from right-clicking the HotSynch icon in Windows Tray, not from Desktop which shows only traditional serial port connectivity). - 4.1 installs itself in C:Program Files\Palm, as most application software does, whereas 4.0.1 installed itself in C:\Palm, yet 4.1 did not remove those old files. (That caused loss of HotSync capability when I used an Address Book template, as Windows detected HotSynch doing something illegal during synch of Address Book.) - 4.1 seems sensitive to copying from a word processor file into a Memo and to perturbations in Windows such as another application crashing - HotSynch crashes on occasion, a phenomenon I did not see with 4.0x. - The revised event time setting method is unstable and has a fundamental error. - Today's date is highlighted in red at top of Event view when viewing today, when the default color theme is chosen but not in other color themes though it is bolded there and in month calendar to right. COMMENT: While I appreciate the update to Desktop software, I am surprised at the number of errors in implentation of some changes. And Desktop 4.1.4 is now available from http://www.palmone.com. Among the changes, most of which are not supported by the Palm 500: - Additional Address Book fields, including birthday with reminder. - Events can cross midnight, have a location, and be color-coded by category. - Tasks can repeat, though Desktop does not stop at the specified end date. (I don't find Tasks to be useful because they must be in split screen - they don't integrate into normal Calendar view. It would be helpful to have a terse list of "do sometime today" items - perhaps I'll develop a flip-open PDA with two screens or a folding single display as that technology is evolving. Perhaps I want the screen size of an Apple Newton - but it won't fit in a pocket, which may be a key reason why they aren't used. Oh - I need a "wearable PC" with eyeglass-mounted display. :-) - Memos can be larger (now limited for me by Palm 500's limit of 4000 characters - I find them useful for reference lists). - Month calendars in event view cover 6 weeks so include the first full week of the next month. - There's a silly bug in Event editing in the main window (which is possible when first creating the event): the Delete key does not work, even though BackSpace can delete the characters that Delete won't. - There is a bug in the Repeat part of Event revision. If you change the starting date of an event but do not want to change the ending date (event duration different) it appears to keep the end date the same but in fact does not. You have to save the starting date change then edit the event again to change the end date back to the original. - Install under Windows 98SE crashed on first attempt leaving installation in limbo, but completed on second attempt and appears to work. - In most cases HotSynch will alert the user when data could not be put in the Palm due its limitations. - I have not spent enough time using it to determine if bugs in 4.10 have been fixed. So far I know that the incorrect use of AM & PM for 12:00 has not, though I have not seen the generally flakey behaviour of event time setting that 4.10 exhibitted. - I can't judge if the combination of it and o/s4.1 is more reliable. I had a major crash of the Palm device but don't see as many lesser problems. Applicability of Desktop It appears to be a common program for many Palm models, with features not usable on some. Palm caution that some models have extra conduits not provided by the upgrade installation files and that work-arounds are required with Windows XP. My experience using 4.1.4 with a Palm 500 and o/s 4.1.0 is that error messages are given in the synch log for some unsupported features and in other cases a data item simply doesn't show up in the Palm. As for Windows Vista, from stumbling around Palm's web site it appears as though 4.1.4 will run under Vista but will not install onto the Palm device. For newer Palm models a third-party version is offered, for older models some workarounds are offered. User Tips PDAs are limited in ability to display large enough to plan your calendar over a week or month. Desktop is somewhat better: - roll the cursor over a day in the month list at top right to see the day's events - select Month view as reasonably readable compared to on the Palm itself > and Print, check range in dialogue box, and print that view and a day-by-day summary for that month - similarly Week view is more usable in Desktop than on the Palm - you can maximize width of the calendar by dragging the RH border over until only one month is in view at top right (apparently you cannot eliminate the month + task panes from the Calendar view, unlike other views in which you can show only one thing) - you can slim the left column of buttons by dragging the border, but cannot slim the time column within the calendar pane despite its width being excessive - what is really needed is ability to show only two or three days, as you often want to move appointments among only a few adjacent days - then you can lay printouts of weeks/months side by side on the desk or put them in a paper binder (um, that suggestion really shows the shortcomings of PDAs? ;-). - I'd be optimistic that if you are using Outlook that its global views can be used & printed - As with most application software, experimenting may reveal shortcuts. For example, I just discovered that I can change the time duration of an event in Desktop's day view by clicking on it to highlight it then dragging the arrow on the bottom of it. Much quicker than commanding Edit Event and changing the start/end times. (You can also drag the event to earlier or late time by click-and-hold anywhere except the arrow, though in both cases granularity is a half hour - that gets close in the big picture.) Prior to that I had discovered that when changing start/end times you can highlight part of the time such as hour or AM and arrow up or down to increase or decrease the value, or delete the value and type a new one in. Synchronization If you've had to reset your handheld, or lost the data in Desktop, you should set the synchronization options under HotSync|Custom before synchronizing. For most items you have a choice of Desktop over-riding Handheld, vice-versa, or do nothing. After successful synchronization, remember to set those options back to Synchronize (some will revert automatically but not all). The over-ride option also helps recover accidentally deleted information if you haven't changed several things since last synch. My page PDA: A WORTHWHILE TOOL FOR YOU? has some specific mentions of Palm PDAs. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright Keith Sketchley 2008.06.02 (1047PDT) Legalities detailed on http://www.keithsketchley.com/ apply. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- To return to my main PDA page copy http://www.keithsketchley.com/pda.txt into your browser's URL window. To go to my Palm contacts import page copy http://www.keithsketchley.com/palmaddr.txt into your browser's URL window.