Ah, life's small pleasures.

These days, I've thankfully got much better things to do with my time than concern myself with color themes. However, if the standard blue and gray color scheme Palm has chosen for its Palm Desktop application doesn't fulfill your aesthetic sensibilities, then there's good news for you if you're using version 4.0.1 of the software. The default color scheme is pictured in Figure A.

FIGURE A

The default color theme makes use of the official Palm colors, blue and gray. Click picture for a larger image.

If you're not already using version 4.0.1, there's no reason not to. The upgrade is a free download from the Palm Web site at http://www.palm.com/software/desktop/. For more information on what advantages version 4.0 has over its predecessors, check out the article, "How to use Palm Desktop v4.0 with your Handspring Visor," by David Gewirtz in the February 2001 issue of PalmPower at http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue200102/visordesktop001.html. The article was written to address a bug that cropped up when using Desktop 4.0 with a Visor, but there's some great information in there on the software that will be of interest for users of all Palm OS handhelds.

One of the coolest aspects of this updated version is the ability to easily change the color themes. All you have to do is choose Options from the Tools menu. From the dialogue box that opens, choose the Themes tab. Palm Desktop comes with five built-in themes, the default theme, Crimson Rose, Emerald Forest, Spring Lilac, and The Original.

Crimson Rose, pictured in Figure B, is great for softer sensibilities.

FIGURE B

The Crimson Rose theme makes use of pink and crimson. Click picture for a larger image.

Emerald Forest, pictured in Figure C, makes fine use of various shades of green.

FIGURE C

The Emerald Forest theme uses shades of green and a splash of yellow. Click picture for a larger image.

Spring Lilac uses shades of purple to good effect, while The Original opts for shades of gray. If you'd like some more options than that, they're easy to find. Developers at M5studio in Poland have designed some new color themes for Palm Desktop 4.0.1, and they're available to you absolutely free at http://palm.terramail.pl/pdt.html.

Palm Desktop Themes v1.3 includes a whole bunch of new themes, including Fog, Vintage, Grass, Happy Day, Dawn, Mount, Dusk, Ice Rink, Field, Deep Forest, Red Paprica, Sandbox, Moss, Cloud, Wave, Harvest Time, Clemens #1, Dust, Blue Shift, Feather, WT, Sandstorm, Testing Ground, Red Knee Tarantula, Green Valley, Coral Reef, Clio, and Mars.