Introduction
Graffiti
Viewing
Visibility
Connector
Stylus
Security
Synch Defect
Address Book Import/Synch
Other Transfers
Desktop Software Updates
User interface
Reliability of function
References
These TIPS for the Palm 500 devices are usable for Palm 500, 505, 515. Some of this information will be educational for users of other models and other brands. Refer to my general PDA page for general advice on PDAs.
With Palm Graffiti, write large and watch for missing characters. (Instead of alerting you that it did not recognize what you scribbled it does nothing until it recognizes an input such as a subsequent character - whose strokes it may combine with the last input to create unusual characters. I often get the squeeezed ae character, and sometimes oriental characters.) Make sure you keep pressure on throughout the entire character.
Reports from experienced users suggest that the newer version of Palm Graffiti, version 2, is not great either. (PalmOne pages for Developers indicate that o/s 4.1.2 includes Graffiti 2, but it is not listed in Support as an upgrade for the Tungsten W which shipped with 4.1.1 nor for the M5xx series which shipped with 4.1.0 or earlier. (One forum participant claimed that 4.1.2 shipped on later M515s.) Otherwise you'll need to have a Palm device that supports o/s 5 or later, such as Tungsten models (the W shipped with 4.1.1 but I don't know if it can be upgraded to 5). (Shipping information from the table in Support.))
ThePalm 500/OS410 has rollover viewing of details, and drag-n-drop moving of events - between days in week view.
For rollover you must lift stylus between events to avoid dragging them.
You can attach notes to events, thereby reducing space taken in schedule view and avoiding the limit on number of characters per event.
With the Palm monochrome display, visibility in normal and low light is better with the backlighting off - only when dark does the backlight help. (Some o/s upgrades improve control of backlighting but it's still not great visibility.)
Palm finally settled on a standard connector, they call the "universal connector". Models prior to the Palm 500 (e.g. III, V, VII etc.) as well as the M105 and some Zire models do not use it thus may have several variations, making accessories costly and now difficult to find. (I'd hope that the IIIe and VII series are the same, given their similar vintage and housing, but the V and 5xx series are different despite having the same housing. The M125, M130, M5xx, Zire 71 and i705 use the universal connector, as well as some Tungsten models (especially early ones; T series except T5, W, and C - the E model does not use it). Palm may be moving to a smaller connector with separate power connector (miniature coaxial, which may be a more durable power path). I do not know what the Handspring models used. (Handspring and Palm merged, now trading as PalmOne. Handspring made the Treo phone-PDA combination, as well as basic PDAs resembling the Palm III but with accessory-module capability.)
Original stylus for the Palm 500 have a small tip on the hidden end of the cap (it unscrews from the barrel), to actuate the reset button on the back. Those sold by Belkin may not (one package F8E720t did not, another package did but the stylus were thicker - theoretically less likely to fall out but those were a bit too thick). However a paper clip end works.
Individual memos marked Private are not listed in Desktop 4.0.1. On the Palm o/s 4.1.0 they are listed but shading obscures their title - yet they can be viewed as any other document if the Palm does not have an overall pasword assigned (if it does, the password is also required to view Private memos). Oops! In Desktop 4.1 there is a selection to view or not view, on installation of the software the default is View. (Settings are in several places in Desktop: Tools|Options, Tools|Preferences, HotSync|Setup, and right-click on the HotSync icon on Windows' desktop tray under Setup and Custom as well as several communication-specific topics there. Some setting locations are duplicated, some split - especially communication settings.)
The combination of Palm Desktop 4.0.1 and Palm o/s 4.1 has a defect - it won't synch to Palm Desktop when Desktop is still open - claims to have synched but has not changed any data on the Palm device. Desktop 4.1.4 works correctly.
I now keep the Desktop 4.1.4 installation file on my computer while away from home, as I have had two cases of inability to synch, which required reinstallation to fix. However, before reinstalling try shutting Desktop and rebooting the computer. And make sure the HotSync TSR is active in Windows' startup (Run MSCONFIG|Startup).
I suggest if creating a memo in Desktop by pasting from a document to first paste into Notepad then into Desktop - I suspect Palm's software cannot handle some information that gets pasted from word processor files, resulting in failure to synch that category. (Notepad strips most hidden information, though even doing that I've seen problems with long lists.)
See my Palm page on Address Book matters.
Desktop 4.1 has a SendTo command in its Edit menu, which on my computer allows copying the contents of a Memo to Microsoft Word. (Only Word is listed despite WordPerfect also being on my computer, though Word was updated after Desktop 4.1 was installed - some program installations look for other programs to link to. SendTo Word opens word and places the contents in a new document.)
Memos can be partially viewed in WordPad, which is available in most Windows installations.
Some Palm PDAs come with additional software that may help edit in place on the Palm and transfer files. (And a strength of the Palm o/s is the number of third-party applications available.)
Palm o/s 4.1 lets you just start writing a note when in day view (an untimed event is created, not a regular Note which you'd have to look into its Note Pad to see).
You'll need to delete old calendar entries to suit a Palm limit on number of records, even when there is ample memory left. That command is "Purge", in Desktop, which will present choices of vintage to delete and an Archive option. Archives can also be created from File|Export. Archives can be imported.
Palm solution ID 887 details the three methods of resetting your hand-held. I suggest creating a card or label with the essentials, as there are some options and tricks. (There is also a "Debug" mode, useful if upgrade of o/s fails, and for 3rd-party software that lets user access flash memory directly there may be a procedure to reformat that memory.)
And if you have problems upgrading the operating system, read those and the debug instructions carefully - some steps are tricky and some Palm documents can mislead you. But the good news is that some of the debug procedures work even if the display is not responding as expected - if you are confident you are doing it correctly proceed to the end anyway. Also note that indications are slightly different between M500 and M505, a distinction not in all documentation.
I have had cases where HotSynch logged incomplete synch, but completed on next try, and where HotSynch could not transfer added Contact and Memo categories after o/s upgrade (resutling in incomplete synch or classification of items as Unfiled).
Use of the memory in an SD card seems to be evolving from "awkward".
For example, the applications on cards I've tried - including Palm's own Dictionary & Thesaurus card - do not show on the Palm screen's array of icons, instead the inserted card is tacked on the end of the Categories pull-down filter list and tapping that gives a screen for the card with icons of what is on it.
(There is a Card Info icon, but it does not name the applications on the card so does not link to opening them - and its display does not have the pull-down list, so you have to go back to the screen array.) I do not have experience with files the user has loaded on the card - that capability is emerging from a poor start (advances were made in o/s 4.1 and Desktop 4.1).
Third-party loading apps, such as DocsToGo, should have an icon in the normal screen array to help find those files. And if the application on the card can be installed in Palm memory perhaps it would be in the array. Nevertheless, I keep the Dictionary card in the slot.)
In learning to use the Palm, get familiar with the pull-down menus - most of which are disguised as status blocks. One of those, the "launcher", has a command that can be used to copy files, and with greater risk programs, from the Palm to an SD card. Open the block at top left of screen - and select Copy to see To and From plus a list of what is on the source.
Another is the "pick list" at top right, often used to list data sources or filters (such as All versus individual memo categories). Both the launcher and pick list are usually context-sensitive.
For keyboards I've tried the Belkin SnapNType thumbpad, Logitech TypeAway folding keyboard, and Flexis rollup keyboard. Ease of use descends in that order. A key requirement for keyboards is that the most common commands are on keys.
For example, the SnapNType has a dedicated Memo key but it opens a new memo and appears to lack a Save function - commands are layered four deep on those keys. Its keyboard is not standard. (Width and height are reduced by putting symbols like comma and period as as well as numbers on letter keys requiring use of the Function-shift key - not a familiar keyboard layout despite use of standard QWERTY layout for letter keys.)
Some keyboards do support copy-cut-paste conventions. There is no ESC key (when using the stylus you simply tap the screen to eliminate an unwanted menu overlay).
As with the Palm itself, you have a learning curve to use the keyboard effectively - because you need to use commands that are not on your computer keyboard, but some of them may be in different places especially needing to press a Fn key.
A fundamental problem is the need to tap the screen because the keyboard lacks commands - if you have to hold a stylus in your hand while typing why not just stick with the on-screen keyboard or graffiti? (How did designers manage that omission?)
Keyboards will be most useful for entering large amounts of text. (However, there are limits on the size of Memos and such in a Palm.)
Do make sure you align the "digitizer" (tapping targets with stylus) as misalignment may affect scroll arrows, which in some lists are undependable in any case. (If a scroll arrow is not working you may be able to drag the stylus beyond the top of the list to scroll it.)
In my opinion based on my experience, the combination of Palm 4.1.0 operating system and Palm Desktop 4.0.1 software running under Windows is not reliable enough to trust with very important data not readily reproduced. It loses data.
My early experience with Desktop 4.1.4 suggests it is better but still loses data, though it does refuse to perform hot-synch if a data-editing window is open (such as a Memo).
One cause of data loss may be improper computer shutdown, sometimes needed if Windows locks up.
Desktop does not write new data to disk as it is entered. Sometimes you'll see it write as it is closing, and sometimes AutoSave writes to disk (must be enabled, can be set to be as little as 10 minutes - I see it happen but don't trust it as I have lost data when Windows crashed despite being more than 10 minutes since entry). You may be used to software that records each item as you close or OK it, such as Client Manager/Address Book from Studio Software, whereas Desktop does not have that type of interface in all functions. A small piece of good news is that you can command SaveAll from the file menu, and you can use the usual Windows shortcut keys to File|Save.
(My practice is to manually save frequently, to protect against crashes - in one case the computer crashed and edits in Desktop were lost but restored on next sync (I must have synched after the edits but do not remember if I saved after the edits, it may be that caching was a factor as the crash occurred quickly resulting in reboot).
And caching by DOS/Windows and/or hard drives is a long-known problem, especially with hard drives having large internal cache which will not be retained if power is lost.
However I believe the Palm device itself loses data before synching - I've seen data disappear after only a few minutes (through an auto-shutoff cycle). As well, I expect that if either Desktop or Palm lose a file or event that Sync may erase it from the other, depending on how revision flags are used in those software and set in the case of loss. (Synching of databases, whether Palm or unrelated, inherently has a trap of producing the "lowest common denominator" if "new" or "deleted" flags are not correctly set.)
And make sure your HotSunc|Custome settings in Desktop are set so it overwrites the handheld. If you lose data on the handheld, such as occurs if batteries are removed for long or you perform a hard reset to clear a problem, synch will erase data in Desktop if set for the handheld to over-write the desktop. (If that happens, look for backup files in Desktop's directory.)
Also, note that the non-cradle charging cables may not provide a reliable power connection because they lose connection when handled - they don't have strong alignment of the connectors in the front-back direction. A few have a tab that projects over the back of the Palm. I glued a flat piece of plastic to the back of the cable connector to project over the back of the Palm to provide stability. That still leaves flexibility to bend the other way, you might check that the spring clips are engaging to help.
But here's one bit of good news: Desktop makes a backup of files during synch, put in the ProgramFiles\Palm\{user}|xxxx sub-directories with *.bak names. (I don't know how to use them, but Palm's web site or the various forums should have information.)
If you are using multiple monitors with Windows and have difficulty maximizing Desktop when operating with only your laptop's display, right click on the icon at the bottom of the screen and Maximize. That should open it onscreen instead of on the then imaginary second display. (Sure, "go figure" but with the understanding that the multiple monitor feature in Windows XP is flakely. Perhaps Palm have not written their software correctly, as most applications don't have the problem.)
http://www.pdaparts.com has information on opening the case, replacing battery, replacing display.
> For the M5xx series:
> The screws may be Torx 6 or Torx 4 (poor fit).
> The back has 3 tabs each side, facing outward, at approximately 1, 2.2, and 3.7 inches from the top of the edge, approximately .4 inches wide. Push in with a thin knife or like tool to release. (Or you can pop the edge up with a broad thin tool - carefully.)
The thread size of the point and cap of two stylus for a Palm 5xx, one a Belkin brand, is #8-36 (fine thread).
Refer to Palm's web site, or other sources such as Brighthand forum, for reset instructions for each model.
> Typically there are stages, from soft reset to extra hard reset (guaranteed to erase data), and the ultimate: open the case and disconnect the battery for several minutes. (Try Palm solution ID 887, but it may not list all methods such as extra hard.) I made a label to place on the back of my Palm.
Back up your Desktop data of course, and set HotSync|Custom to have the Desktop over-ride the handheld so that your data is pushed back into the handheld. (Except keep System set to Handheld Overwrites Desktop, the HotSync manager will handle that correctly.)
I've had failure of HotSync functionality, fixed by disconnecting the battery for a while, as even extra hard reset wouldn't work.
Note that infrared synch requires two settings in O/S 4.10 - on the HotSync page select IR both below the square icon and in the pull-down menu under Connection Setup. ("Port in use by another application" is a common failure of IR synch - try a soft reset to clear that.) Cable synch seems more automatic, working even when set to IR synch, but can be forced in those two locations. Note as well that there are options in Desktop|Tools|Setup/HotSynch icon|Setup controlling when HotSynch is available. I believe that you need to keep the user ID under Network unchecked for local synch methods of cable and IR to work.
Occasionally you may get a message that HotSynch could not handle all data (such as archive all deleted). Do HotSynch again. (I don't know if the archive of deleted files does then occur or is lost.)
Do keep data files like Memos to a reasonable length as they'll be truncated during HotSynch if too long.
(Note that Desktop 4.1.4 covers several models, so allows entries and file sizes that earlier models cannot handle - the M505 for example.)
Copyright Keith Sketchley page version 2008.03.25 (0951PDT)
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