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Ever
thought of controlling your palm handheld with your watch,
or for that matter, combining the benefits of a laptop with
the palm? Ashish Gupta tells you how to do just that
If
you’re not happy with the size and shape of the current
Palm OS handhelds in the market, here are a couple of alternatives
catering to those who like their Palm a bit... different
 Fossil’s
Wrist PDA
As the OS of choice for most handheld devices and smart phones,
the Palm OS has repeatedly pushed the edge of
technology. The new Wrist PDA from Fossil takes it one step
further. Gadget freaks who wished they could control devices
from their watch will now just have to give the command.
The Wrist PDA represents the ultimate in personal data portability,
delivering the power and functionality of the familiar Palm
OS in an ultra-small, ultra-stylish package.
The
Wrist PDA is powered by Palm OS 4.1, and runs on the Motorola
DragonballVZ 33MHz CPU. It has 2 MB of RAM and 2 MB of flash
memory. It supports 16 levels of grayscale, 160x160 pixels
and has a backlight. It comes with all the usual Palm OS applications
inbuilt—Address Book, Date Book, ToDo List, Memo Pad,
Note Pad, and Calculator. It synchronises to the desktop over
USB, has an infrared port to communicate with other devices,
and has a rechargeable lithium-ion battery.
It has a stylus integrated into the watch band for easy Graffiti
input. It has 2 MB of memory which, though small, is sufficient
because most Palm OS applications are small in size. That’s
enough space to store thousands of addresses, years of appointments,
hundreds of to-do items, notes, and memos, and still have
space left for additional applications. It has two modes—Watch
mode and PDA mode. When not in PDA mode you can customise
the way the time is displayed. It has a three direction rocker
switch which enables you to select Up, Down or Enter.
 It’s
a really neat device for those who like to carry their data
around with them without really having to ‘carry’
it.
The AlphaSmart Dana
If you’re looking for something more powerful, there’s
the new Dana from AlphaSmart, pegged to be the affordable
Palm powered alternative to the laptop. The Dana combines
the affordability of a handheld with the ergonomic benefits
of a notebook computer. It features a full-size keyboard and
a screen that is 3.5 times wider than the typical handheld
screen. Data entry can be made either with the keyboard or
the in-built stylus. All current Palm OS applications are
compatible with the Dana, so you have a choice of over 10,000
applications. Newer applications designed to take advantage
of the Dana’s screen size are already available.
With the Dana you can print directly to your USB or IrDA-enabled
printer; add MultiMediaCard or SD (Secure Digital) cards;
and easily exchange files with many popular PC applications
like Microsoft Word and Excel.
Made of sturdy polycarbonate ABS, Dana is lightweight and
durable. It’s easy to transport in a briefcase, ba-ckpack,
or even carry under the arm. Two SD and MultiM-ediaCard compatible
slots let you add memory, devices, backup your data and more.
 The
Dana runs Palm OS 4.1, has 8 MB of memory, and weighs 0.91
kgs. It can be powered either by a rechargeable battery pack,
an AC adapter, or a set of three AA batteries. It has an advanced
LCD screen with backlight, which supports 560x160 pixels.
It comes with AlphaWord, a full-featured word processor with
spell-checker and thesaurus, compatible with the Microsoft
Word file format. The USB port at the back can be used to
connect directly to USB printers.
At one-third the cost of a laptop it is primarily geared towards
students, but could just as easily serve the purpose of mobile
executives who don’t want to invest in expensive laptops.
Ashish Gupta is the founder and president
of The Indian Palm User Group. He can be reached at ash@notcomguys.com
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