This is may sound silly to some people, but we get calls about it everyday. Look on the left side of your PalmPilot organizer. You'll find a little dial there. You may have missed it before and you wouldn't be the first person to overlook it. Get to know itÐ it's the convenient screen contrast control. Let's say that you turn on your PalmPilot organizer and nothing comes up. Or perhaps, you are able to look at your Date Book calendar, but it is barely visible. The screen might also look completely black. Time to replace the screen? NoÐ just play with the contrast dial until you get the desired screen clarity.

You will find that depending on the lighting conditions of where you are using your PalmPilot organizer and whether you use the backlight or not, it's a good idea to use the contrast dial often to get the best display quality. The light source in the commuter train is probably much different than at your desk.

While the contrast dial is a quick solution for those nasty screen clarity issues, it can also be the source of some of the problems if it's accidentally adjusted when putting the PalmPilot organizer back in its pouch or in your pocket (like when you were done playing SubHunt on the train). You may find that your display looks different from the time you placed the unit in your pocket to when you pulled it out to use it again. Simply readjust your contrast dial to get the correct display quality back again.

Never fear
Now, don't be afraid to call us when you have a technical problem, no matter what it may be. We're at 847-676-1441 from 8-6 CST Monday through Friday, and yes, we're happy to talk to you. But if you check your manual first, and if you check out the support section of our website at http://www.palmpilot.com before you call, we hope that you'll be empowered enough to solve your own dilemma. Besides, you'll save yourself from listening to Greatest Hits from the Elevator, Volume 2.

Mark Moeller is a 14 year veteran of Microsoft. After shipping the first version of the Auto PC he left Microsoft to found AutoPCWare, a company focused on helping manufacturers and software vendors build Auto PCs or products for the Auto PC. Mark was the design architect of the first version of the Auto PC and has a number of patents pending or awarded on the Auto PC. You can visit his Web site at http://www.autopcware.com, or email him at markmo@autopcware.com. To read more of Mark Moeller's work for Windows CE Power, visit http://www.zatz.com/authors/authorpages/markmoeller.html.