Part one gets you out of the box, gives you a physical tour of your organizer, and gets you comfortable with the layout, setting your preferences, and entering data using graffiti or the on screen keyboard.

Applications
There are four chapters in Part Two, The Built-In Palm Applications, covering all the built-in applications with the exception of Mail. The section goes over entering, viewing, and manipulating information in Date Book, Address Book, ToDo List, Memo Pad, Expense, and Calculator.

Connecting to the desktop
The three chapters that comprise Part Three, Connecting with Your Computer, get into the hard stuff. Relatively speaking, of course, because, hey, it's a Palm device. None of it's too difficult. One chapter is dedicated to PC users and one to Mac users, so most people will skip a chapter.

The last chapter in Part Three is about adding on software. This chapter takes users through how to download programs from the Web and then install them on their Palm device. The add-on software discussed is not a vast compendium, but just enough to whet the appetite of new Palm device users and to make them aware of the variety of available software.

At this point some people might say, "Why isn't a CD-ROM with shareware and demo software included along with the book?" While a CD-ROM provides ready access to software, the flipside of that is versions of software can change so rapidly, you're probably better off going out to the Web and downloading the most current versions. If a CD-ROM had been included, most likely the price of the book would've been at least an additional five dollars for soon-to-be-outdated applications.

Going online
At this point, a novice Palm device user could stop reading, feel comfortable that they mastered Palm 101, and save the rest of the book until they're ready for more Palm device mastery. The final four chapters comprising Part 4, Connecting with the Net, cover the Palm modem and modem HotSync, email and surfing the Web with a Palm unit, and using ProxiWeb or Avantgo. The last chapter is devoted exclusively to the Palm VII.

The Appendix covers Palm device resources and offers a plethora of information on Palm accessories, peripherals, software, etc.

Compact resource for a compact machine
The Little Palm Book is the perfect book for novice Palm device users or would-be Palm device users. It offers just enough documentation that the reader doesn't feel overwhelmed, as happens with some of the bulkier Palm organizer books on the market.

If the book has one fault, it would be that it might appear dated, due to its 1999 publication date. The book doesn't include the Palm IIIxe, Palm IIIc, or Palm Vx, so the features that are new in version 3.5 of the Palm OS aren't covered. As more models of Palm devices appear, no hardcopy source will ever be in sync with the current product line for any appreciable period of time. That said, this would be a perfect book for one of the electronic vendors of Palm device books to option and maintain.