ProxiWeb requires a PalmPilot modem and an Internet account. At home, load up (and save) a few Web pages onto your PalmPilot, so that you'll have something impressive to call up later when you're not connected to a phone line. Be sure to include, among the Web pages you've stored for offline use, at least one nice grayscale photo.

If you don't have a PalmPilot modem, you can still wow people with photos. Convert the pix of your loved ones into ImageViewer format, and view them on your PalmPilot using ImageViewer or TinyViewer. (All of the shareware mentioned in this article is available on the "PalmPilot: The Ultimate Guide" CD -- or from http://www.palmcentral.com.)

PocketSynth
Music on the PalmPilot? Sure. Install this little shareware gem, and you've got the tiniest synthesizer, complete with onscreen piano keyboard on which you can tap out -- and even record -- monophonic melodies.

I carry mine around with a pre-entered, difficult-sounding piece -- "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" -- which I play for my astounded demo-ees. The PalmPilot speaker isn't what you'd call a boom box; don't try to demo this baby on the subway. But if you're in a relatively quiet room, or have an onlooker who's not above holding a palmtop computer up to his ear to hear the music, PocketSynth makes a fun and surprising demo.

(P.S.--If you're showing a musician, show PocketSynth's Metronome command to call up a live, audio/visual metronome. It's the equivalent of an expensive electronic metronome.)

QuickTip
For painting an instantaneous picture of the PalmPilot's utility in everyday life, it's hard to beat QuickTip. This little program lets you specify how much your restaurant bill was, what the prevailing tax rate is, what percent tip you'd like to leave, and -- when appropriate -- how many people are splitting the tip.

The program instantly calculates what each person's share is. No more arguing or lingering feelings of bitterness by diners who don't think they got a fair shake.

Show PalmPilot virgins a sample calculation, and every time they ever go out to eat thereafter, they'll long for a PalmPilot.

TealEcho
TealEcho adds a unique feature: whenever you draw a Graffiti character in the writing area, the line you're drawing actually appears on the main display portion of the screen, as shown in Figure B.

FIGURE B

You can see what your Graffiti stroke really looks like with TealEcho.

TealEcho's original purpose, of course, is to help you master your Graffiti trouble spots by showing you exactly what the PalmPilot is "seeing" when you draw. But TealEcho is also ideal for showing onlookers what Graffiti is all about. Now they can see exactly what you're doing with your stylus down there in the writing area.

PocketChess
Frankly, I have no clue how to play chess. But I carry PocketChess around on my PalmPilot simply because it's among the most beautiful and impressive-looking games I've ever seen. People connect instantly to it -- they know what chess is supposed to look like, and this looks like it. You don't have to explain this software to them.