A lighter alternative, both in terms of tone and physical mass, has recently appeared. The Little Palm Book, by Corbin Collins, is an introduction to the world of Palm computing that's as easy to read as it is easy to carry. It's available from Peachpit Press at http://www.peachpit.com/books/catalog/69954.html, and it's pictured in Figure A.

FIGURE A

Corbin Collins' The Little Palm Book is a friendly introduction to Palm computing. Click picture for a larger image.

Don't think for a moment, however, that because this book is small, it's not comprehensive. The only thing little about this book is the physical size; certainly not the amount of information the author shares.

About the author
I hate to read the forewords to books. I generally find them boring and think, "Hey, let's get to the good stuff." However, in reading the foreword to The Little Palm Book, I was made an immediate fan of author Corbin Collins when he freely admits his Palm device bias and reveals that his wife calls him, "The First Evangelist of the Church of Palm." My response: a heartfelt, "Amen, brother."

Collins, pictured in Figure B, explains in the introduction that the book is little because, "I'm sticking to the facts here… I only cover the most useful and helpful things for you to know."

FIGURE B

Author Corbin Collins keeps things simple by sticking to the facts.

Collins admirably accomplishes his goal of keeping things simple. The introduction describes the four-part layout of the book and includes a legend of icons that represent the Palm device models covered in the book. It also includes three other icons: a pencil icon, indicating that the corresponding text may be useful but not essential; a light bulb, indicating a handy timesaving tip; and an exclamation point inside an octagon, indicating a warning that something bad could happen. Imagine how much easier your academic reading would have been if textbooks had those types of signals.

Getting started
Three chapters comprise Part One, Palm Basics. It starts with descriptions of the five models of Palm devices covered in the book, the Palm III, Palm IIIe, Palm IIIx, Palm V, and Palm VII. The similarities and differences of the models are discussed.