Break out of the box…

Surveys of people using handhelds, and my own experiences with colleagues and clients, show that most handheld users aren’t aware that their PDA can do anything more than what software shipped in the box. Many users don’t even realize that there is additional software on the included CD-ROM; they simply use what’s built-in, like the PIM (Personal Information Management) applications. They simply use it as an electronic organizer, and most people don’t use it as such to it’s full potential. It’s not the end user’s fault; I find that Palm’s marketing is lacking when it comes to explaining what these devices are capable of doing. It’s up to folks like myself to educate people as to how these devices can set you free from your desk(top).

Most people think of handhelds as Personal Digital Assistants (PDA’s), and in most cases that is what they are marketed as. I tell my clients that they are handheld computers. I draw the distinction as being that a PDA is limited to what is built-in to the system. A handheld computer, like any other type of computer, can be customized through software to accomplish more tasks than initially configured. With handhelds, customization can also equal personalization. You can make the device look and work the way you want it to, just like any full size computer. There are over twenty thousand software titles for Palm Powered handhelds and smartphones, so you’re sure to find just what you need to accomplish work, personal, and hobby-related activities.

The first thing that you should be aware of is that you are NEVER limited to what comes in the box. The only possible limitations are the hardware itself, and the version of Operating System (OS) that your hardware is running. Certain software requires features in the OS that may only be present in a certain version of OS (or later). For example, the Universal Wireless Keyboard driver (a software program that allows a handheld to use the wireless keyboard) requires features that are only present in Palm OS version 5.2 or later. Installing the driver on my older Tungsten T with OS 5.0 isn’t supported by Palm (the company) because it requires some features that aren’t in the older OS. When you click on the Keyboard program icon in the launcher, it causes a soft reset on the handheld; so, even though I installed the program, I can’t change the settings on it because it causes the handheld to reboot when I try to access it. Hardware is the other real limiting factor, because it means that the handheld simply can’t do something because it physically isn’t possible. For example, I was able to install a voice recorder software program on my Treo 600 (which doesn’t come with one) because the hardware supports recording sound. I won’t be able to install a voice recorder on the Tungsten T5 or E2 because they don’t have a microphone or other related sound hardware. Other than those two limitations (OS and hardware), you’re pretty free to install programs and make your handheld work for you the way YOU want it to.

Let’s look at some possible examples. Let’s say you are a heavy user of Intuit’s Quicken or Microsoft’s Money; there are handheld versions of those programs that will sync with the one on your desktop. The handheld version would let you enter your transactions at the point in time that they occur, saving you time and data entry later. If you need a fancy engineering, financial, or graphing calculator, you can install one on your handheld instead of carrying a real calculator. If you’re a heavy user of Microsoft Outlook, Act, or some other contact management application, you can install conduits which will synchronize your handheld’s PIM apps with the desktop’s. In some cases, you can get replacement PIM apps for the handheld that more closely mimic the functionality of the desktop application. In fact, if you’re not happy with what came with the handheld, there are many applications out there that will either enhance or replace the built-in applications. For example, I have used a more advanced Calendar application on all my handhelds, since I found the built-in one to be too limited for my time-management needs. The particular one I use (DateBk5) works with the existing Calendar’s database, which means I can switch between the normal Calendar and DateBk5 without worries about corrupting my data. I can also take advantage of other handheld tools that work with the standard calendar, and the standard Outlook conduits that ship with the handheld. Talk about freedom of Choice!

There are also software packages that are specifically for Real Estate, Healthcare, Sales, and many other fields that can make you handheld work better for your particular profession. There are lots of choices of software out there; as I mentioned earlier, there are over 20,000 software packages for the Palm Platform. With that many software packages out there, the choices can be overwhelming; that’s another service we provide, to help refine our client’s choice down to something that will work for them. I know from my own experiences prior to starting Solutions At Hand, trying out software to see if it really meets your needs can get expensive, in both time and money! The beauty of the Palm Platform is that you do have a lot of freedom to personalize your handheld or smartphone to make it the most effective tool for YOUR life.

Welcome to Ottawa South/Manotick!

09 September 2005

In March of this year we moved to the area of Riverside South in Ottawa, which is just a few minutes north of Manotick. Solutions At Hand was recently welcomed to the Ottawa South/Manotick region by a New Business Spotlight in the Runge Newspapers “Ottawa South Weekender” and “Manotick Review”. We’re pleased to be living and working in this area, which is a beautiful and vibrant part of Ottawa.
Runge Newspapers..

Back to school with a handheld or smartphone.

Back to school is a big time of year for both students and retailers. Advertising abounds with what you NEED in order to go back to school. These days, most of the advertising is saying that you need a laptop computer in order to be productive at school. I won’t dispute the fact that a laptop can be very useful for students; if you want to get a computer, a laptop does have everything in one nice portable package. But what if you already have a computer, like a desktop; do you really need to run out and buy a laptop? That’s where a handheld can come into the picture.

What are the needs of a student these days? Basically, it comes down to a few things:

• You need to be able to take notes and write assignments (word processing)
• You need to carry reference information
• You may need to make presentations (PowerPoint)
• You need to be able to do e-mail
• You may need to do spreadsheets
• You need to manage your class schedule and other commitments (calendar)
• You need to manage your assignments and other tasks (task lists)

Now, there may be more than that, depending on your curriculum, but that covers the needs of most students. There isn’t a single thing in that list that can’t be done on a handheld computer or smartphone. I regularly work with Microsoft Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, and even PowerPoint presentations on my Treo smartphone. I compose and read e-mail on it, and manage all my schedule, tasks, and even my journal with it. I also carry all these blogs, plus hundreds of other pieces of information on my handheld. The Treo allows me to take and view pictures, and I’ve added-on third party software to do voice recording and watch videos. For students, there’s even Palm software available to specifically address school schedules, grades , and assignments.

Plus, there are some unique advantages to using a handheld as opposed to a laptop. The biggest ones are speed of use, and silence. Silence, you ask? Why is that important? Handhelds are low power devices, and do not require active cooling. Laptops get pretty hot, and therefore have fans. Try concentrating on a lecture where all you can here around you is the whirring of little laptop fans; it can be really irritating! Especially older laptops where the fans are slowly dying; it’s like fingernails on a chalkboard! Instant on is really convenient for students, since you can pull out your handheld and get working right away. You have to wait for a laptop to boot up, and that can be a while. Yes, I know that laptops have suspend and resume, but that does take longer than turning on a handheld. Plus, suspend isn’t always really stable on some models of laptops, or sometimes Windows will just plain blow up trying to resume. Not very handy when you’re in a hurry. Another plus with a handheld or smartphone is that you can instantly check your schedule when someone asks you if you’re free at such and such a time to study the chemical properties of beer, or whatever you need to study.

Convergence is also another benefit of using a handheld or smartphone. Instead of buying a laptop, an iPod or MP3 player, a calendar, a cell phone, voice recorder, and other gadgets, you could just buy a Treo. Or you could buy a handheld with Bluetooth and a cell phone with Bluetooth, and have them work together, as well as doing double duty for all those other devices.

Portability is also a strong reason to consider a handheld instead of a laptop. A handheld or smartphone is much more pocket-able than a laptop. In fact, you can get a portable keyboard for handhelds and smartphones that folds up into a package not much larger than the handheld. It unfolds to a laptop-sized keyboard, and is quite comfortable to type on. I’m actually typing this blog on my Palm Universal Wireless Keyboard and my Treo while I’m sitting in a restaurant during lunch. I could put the keyboard in my pocket after I’m done; it’s that small.

My biggest advice to you is to not let advertising drive your purchases when it comes to back-to-school, or at any other time of year. Advertising is geared to make you feel that “YOU NEED THIS”, and often the products that are hyped the most, COST the most. Take a step back and look objectively at what you want to DO. Make a list of the tasks you wish to be able to perform, then look at what’s available to accomplish those tasks. Look at other more “ergonomic” things like size, feel, durability and general suitability for the tasks. Don’t close your mind off to alternate means to get things done; just because everyone else is spending $2k on a laptop doesn’t mean YOU have to! What’s most important is WHAT you want to do, not necessarily the HOW or WHERE. Handhelds and smartphones can restore a sense of freedom that even a laptop can’t manage, and gives you a little more freedom to spend your back-to-school dollars on other things too!