My wild geek genes are taking over, and I'm going to use Graffiti. Do I need to protect my screen from scratches?
Yes. Although your plastic stylus can't scratch your screen, invisible bits of grit trapped between stylus and screen will gradually abrade the Graffiti area. So put some removable Scotch tape (the kind in the blue box -- No. 811) over the input area. One roll will last you until the next Ice Age.

I have hundreds of address listings scribbled in my soon-to-be-trashed little black book. Is there an easy way to get them into my Palm unit?
No. Sorry, but you'll have to use your desktop PC to type in all your address book entries. The only exception is for those who already use certain desktop "personal information manager" programs. If you do, you may be in luck. Check out http://palm.3com.com/products/compatible.html to see if there's already a "conduit" that you can buy to transport your data into the Palm device. The software is supposed to walk you through the process.

You'll also want to stash a paperclip in the battery door of your device. Although it will be a blessed relief from the typical crash-magnet desktop PC, your Palm device may freeze up (preventing you from even turning it off) once in a very long while, usually when some add-on software misbehaves. But with a gentle poke in the reset hole in the back, you and your Palm organizer are back in business.

But you need a poker, and you can't use the stylus on the IIIe or Visor for this, because the tip is too blunt. So cut a plastic-coated paperclip (they don't rattle) in half and nestle it down between the batteries for when you need it. Add this insurance policy to your device before you enter a lot of data. I can assure you there's nothing quite like sitting on a long train ride watching your frozen Palm unit drain away its batteries until its memory evaporates.

Also, because we regular folks tend to be butterfingers around technology items like a Palm unit, get a nice, safe case. For information about cases for your Palm device, see case addict Fredlet's articles on the subject at http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue199908/cases001.html, http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue199806/casestudy001.html.

But 3Com says I can carry it in my shirt pocket!
And Hollywood screenwriters say cops can stash their guns in the waistband of their pants. If you're one of them, feel free to carry your Palm device in your shirt pocket.

I use Palm's plain black leather belt clip case. Sure, it's geeky, but if fashion was really an issue you'd be reading Vogue, not PalmPower. (Sorry, David!) That said, Palm's new dayglo neoprene cases do look pretty slick.

What about batteries?
Although it's not a Windows CE palm-sized computer, which sucks down electricity like a frat house sucks down beer, your Palm organizer will eat lots of batteries, to the point where buying stock in Duracell will seem like a smart move. A cheaper solution is to use rechargeable batteries. I've been using Rayovac Renewals, but a lot of people also use NiMH batteries, which are more expensive but last much longer.