FIGURE B

Select the card you wish to use from the drop-down menu.

The default for the "Calling From" field is US. However, the default for the "Call is to" field is UK. As I wanted to make a call within this country, I changed that to US as well. You can see this in Figure C.

FIGURE C

The easy-to-use drop-down menu allows you to select the country you are calling from and the country you are calling to.

The feature I really like is the integration of the Palm OS Address Book with PocketCall. The "Number" field has a magnifying glass icon. Simply select the magnifying glass, and you are directed to the Address Book entry as you can see in Figure D.

FIGURE D

The phone number look-up feature directs you to your Palm device's Address Book.

Find the person you wish to call and select the phone number. From there, you will be redirected back to the PocketCall screen.

The script
Once you have finished entering the data on your Palm device, you are ready to dial. The PocketCall screen is divided into two parts. On the upper half, you're selecting the options for the call. The bottom half (labeled "To make the call") contains a script that shows you what to punch into the phone. Check it out in Figure E.

FIGURE E

The final screen provides the caller with a dialing script.

The only thing that is not included is the PIN number, though for good reason, I suppose.

Pre-paid option
Pre-paid long distance service is becoming more popular, especially with those who make frequent international calls. Electric Pocket also offers a pre-paid long distance version of PocketCall. It is called PocketCall Pre-Paid, an International pre-paid calling card on your Palm organizer. PocketCall Pre-Paid makes it far easier and quicker to use a calling card phone service and the company claims you can save you up to 70% on calls.

The user interface looks and acts just like the original version of PocketCall. The per-minute rates seem to be competitive, so if you use pre-paid long distance, then I suggest you check it out. [If nothing else, it's an interesting gimic. --DG]

Pulling it all together
The POCKETCALL.PRC file is 39K. The databases for the different types of calling cards are 3K each. An evaluation copy of PocketCall can be downloaded from http://www.electricpocket.com. The price for the registered version of PocketCall is $14.95.

The pre-paid software is a free download, which does not include the long distance service. However, the software even makes purchasing long distance time easy by putting everything you need to activate your account in script form.

Dialing the telephone should not be a high-stress situation. Next time you find yourself juggling a telephone receiver, your Palm device, and a stack of calling cards, remember there is an easier way.

Greg McKinney is a Palm OS enthusiast. You can visit his site at http://www.gregspalmnotes.com.