FIGURE A

This one toggle in Preferences can sever your reliance on HotSync Cables.

Faster HotSync
A small file called PADHTALLib.prc is available for installing on your PalmPilot, which will enable serial communications of up to 115 Kbps. If your Palm device is chock full of files, the faster transfer should improve battery life (and leave more time for playing yahtChallenge!).

AppleScripts
Because it's based on Claris Organizer, the new Palm Desktop is also scriptable, allowing enterprising scripters to automate or add functionality to the PIM. The software from Palm contains a handful of scripts, such as one that will let you email a person's contact information to the email of someone else in your Address Book. Look for a number of additional scripts from the folks in Apple's AppleScript division, who are reportedly crazy about the idea. My AppleScript experience is pretty limited, but I can already think of a script that would make my life easier: take current uncompleted To Do items in the Today list and update their due dates to today's date (similar to the great little utility Plonk for the Palm OS). Any takers?

Be positive, you conduit (and I conduit too)
One important aspect of the new software that isn't getting as much attention is the new open HotSync conduit architecture. Third-party developers are already releasing products that take advantage of being able to interface data on your Palm device directly with their applications. For example, the following demonstration versions are available as part of the full Palm Desktop package (you can also get them from their companies' respective Web sites).

MultiMail Conduit
Now the Mail program can do more than just take up space on your PalmPilot. Currently supporting Eudora Pro and Eudora Lite (Outlook Express and others soon to come), Actual Software's MultiMail Conduit, shown in Figure B, enables you to transfer mail using either the built-in Mail program or Actual Software's MultiMail email client.

FIGURE B

If you use Eudora, you can finally synchronize email between your Mac and your Palm device. Click picture for a larger image.

Palm Expense Creator
Another program that Mac users haven't been able to fully enjoy is the Expense application. Using Shana's Palm Expense Creator, shown in Figure C, you can apply your expense data to a number of pre-existing forms with a single click. While the Windows Palm Desktop hands everything off to a set of Microsoft Excel macros, Palm Expense Creator offers a more user-friendly approach to generating expense forms. The Basic version is included with the Mac Palm Desktop; an Advanced version can also be installed from the same setup program and requires an activation code.

FIGURE C

If you've never touched Palm's built-in Expense application, now is the time to take advantage of Palm Expense Creator. Click picture for a larger image.

Documents to Go
You already know that you can view text files in the Memo Pad on your PalmPilot, or you can view Doc-formatted files using a browser such as Aportis Doc or TealDoc. Both solutions require that you convert your original data to that format, often a multi-step process. What if you just want to read a Microsoft Word document during the train ride home? DataViz's Documents to Go lets you view word processing or spreadsheet files on your handheld directly, as shown in Figure D. Although you can't edit them within the Palm OS, you're now only one HotSync away from reading them on the small screen.