Programs such as MultiMail Pro or One Touch Mail offer more robust filtering and even limited support for some email attachments. You can read Claire Pieterek's article on MultiMail Pro in the July 1999 issue of PalmPower at http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue199907/multimail001.html.

One unexpected advantage the Palm device has over a PowerBook is the capability to receive email from an America Online account using PocketFlash, currently something a Mac can do only with AOL's software, Emailer, or the mail component of Netscape Communicator 6, which is at the moment available only as a preview version.

A (small) window to your data
A major consideration when thinking about replacing your laptop with a handheld device is screen size. The Palm organizer's small screen works surprisingly well for checking a calendar and other bits of miscellaneous information, but for some applications it can be limiting. Word processing is no problem, and you can even do spreadsheet work using software like Cutting Edge Software's Quicksheet 5.0 (though you'll find yourself scrolling frequently). You can read Fredlet's article on Quicksheet in the February 1999 issue of PalmPower at http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue199902/quicksheet001.html.

So, you may not need a 14-inch active matrix color display for everything you do, but larger displays are easier on the eyes over long periods. You may also find looking at the small screen uncomfortable when typing. Laptops work well because you can sit up straight and have plenty of screen to view, but with a handheld it's easy to catch yourself leaning ever closer to the screen or craning your neck, positions that are ergonomic nightmares and can be harmful over longer periods of time.

(In)compatibility
Perhaps the biggest limitation in terms of using a Palm device as a laptop replacement is that you can't use common applications or file formats. There are some notable exceptions, however.

DataViz's Documents to Go (at http://www.dataviz.com/products/documentstogo/) lets you read--but not edit--Microsoft Word and Excel files and a number of other formats, including AppleWorks, on a handheld. This is helpful for storing reference materials or for reading reports on a long plane ride. You can read more about Documents To Go in this very issue of PalmPower. Quicksheet, meanwhile, includes a plug-in for Excel (currently in beta for the Mac) that lets you work with spreadsheets on both platforms.

If you're looking to do word processing on your Palm device, you can use the built-in Memo Pad application, but Memo Pad records are limited to 4,096 characters. You're better off using a program like SmartDoc or QED, which are limited only by the amount of free memory on the organizer.

You can also use data from FileMaker databases on the Palm device by enlisting some additional software to synchronize with Palm databases. Rick Holzgrafe's HanDBase Desktop for Macintosh synchronizes with DDH Software's HanDBase Palm application; the FMSync conduit from FMSync Software works similarly with Richard Carlton's flat-file Palm database JFile.