• I know of several companies where employees are assigned desktop computers or laptops, but are discouraged from storing any personal data on them. Some firms have begun "checking out" computer equipment depending on the employee's usage needs; so instead of hauling around a laptop that's used maybe ten percent of the time, you pick one up in the morning and return it before you go home. Obviously, you don't want to store your schedule on a machine that someone else will be using tomorrow, so having it somewhere else (like the Web) makes it easier to store and then wipe out your HotSynced data at the end of the day.

• A Web calendar offers the ability to have reminder emails sent to you automatically. If your PalmPilot organizer's alarm doesn't go off (or you just don't hear its tiny speaker), there's a backup reminder coming your way.

How does it work"
I'm focusing on Yahoo!'s calendar service, but it's not the only game in town. For PalmPilot users, however, it seems to be the easiest option. PlanetAll offers a similar service, including many more features such as an online address book and cross-linking of PlanetAll members. However, in order to import or export my data, I would have had to download and install a 5 MB Windows application, which not only alienates the Macintosh users out there, but makes it difficult to use in a portable solution like the situations I described earlier. I'm all for added functionality in this world, but power through simplicity more often wins me over (hence, I'm a PalmPilot user).

To set up your Yahoo! Calendar, go to http://calendar.yahoo.com/ and click the Sign Up Now button. After reading the agreement form and clicking the I Accept button, enter your user ID, password, and personal account information. Provided that your ID is unique and you filled in all of the information, you will be taken to a blank calendar screen similar to Figure A. (Note that signing up for Yahoo! Calendar also registers you for Yahoo!'s other personalized services.)

FIGURE A

The initial calendar hearkens back to those long-ago days when every minute wasn't spent in a meeting. Click picture for a larger image.

As you can see, the viewing options are similar to what's offered on the PalmPilot on in Palm Desktop. You can view your schedule in daily, weekly, and monthly views; clicking a date on the small calendar at left resembles the Date Book's Go To screen. In addition, on the Web you can see a yearly view, plus add To Do items (however, they don't tie-in to the PalmPilot's built-in To Do List application).

Make it yours
Before you begin creating events, take a minute to set up your display preferences by clicking the Options link at the upper-right area of the screen. Use the pop-up menus to set the beginning and end times of your typical workday, specify your time zone, and enter an email address to be used for sending reminders. When finished, click the OK button under the Completed To Dos option, or the Back link in the Account Information bar if you don't want to make any changes.