CompactFlash slot
Aside from all the basics (which are pretty spiffy) the thing that really catches my attention is the CompactFlash slot, shown in Figure B. Extra storage is easily added, modems are tiny and convenient. You can find out what CompactFlash cards are compatible at http://www.trgpro.com/support/cf_compatible.html.

FIGURE B

The CompactFlash slot in the TRGpro holds CompactFlash cards and modems.

Bar code reader compatibility
If I wanted to put a bar code reader in my TRGpro, I could. Look at Figure C to see how the TRGpro looks with the barcode scanner. I have no idea what I would scan. I wonder if my cat would notice if I took a purple crayon and drew lines on her. I could do a cat scan! I just know I'm going to get lots of mail over that particular joke.

FIGURE C

You can hook up a bar code scanner to the TRGpro.

Making life easier with CFpro
Using CFpro to manage the applications and data on your TRGpro is fairly straightforward and it's a pretty good way of managing storage on the fly without running a lengthy backup, locally or over modem. Simply store your less frequently used applications and databases on the card. You can either let them reside on the card when you remove the card from the slot or, since the TRGpro uses the standard file system, you can use a CompactFlash reader in your Windows machine to read the card. There are PCMCIA adapters for reading CompactFlash cards in your computer, so I will assume cross-platform compatibility. Macs can read Windows file formats easily but, never having tested it, this is strictly an assumption on my part.

CFpro will reformat a card, move items back and forth from your TRGpro to the card, and even play WAV files off of the card. This is where the enhanced audio capabilities come in handy. I did ask TRG about their plans for Ethernet cards but, since they're still under development, they really didn't have much to tell me.

Because the TRGpro runs on the Palm OS, the Palm Desktop (which is cross platform) is used for synchronization. Therefore, as far as synchronization goes, Mac users won't be missing any standard usability.