I don't normally review books (actually this is my first time). But when I was approached to review a book called How to Do Everything with Your Palm Handheld, I accepted. This is a 607 page Palm handheld resource guide by Dave Johnson and Rick Broida (of Tap magazine fame).

I'm not sure exactly how to actually review a book so I'll just go over the infomation contained in the various chapters with any comments that I may have.

Chapter 1 of the book begins with a great Palm history lesson. It gives information on every Palm OS device beginning with the Pilot 1000 to the Handspring Visor and TrgPro. However, the book was finished before the Palm IIIc was released, so it does not mention it. The book then goes on to give you some tips on choosing the best Palm OS device and where to buy it.

Chapter 2 and 3 help you get to know your new Palm device hardware and software-wise. They cover everything from installing batteries and connecting the cradle to your PC to working with the Palm desktop on your PC or Macintosh and hotsyncing for the first time.

Chapter 4 tells you how to get information into and out of your Palm device. It contains some great info on learning the Graffiti input method. Included are reference pictures of the different letters and info on hard to enter characters. The chapter goes on to explain beaming and installing of new programs on your device.

Chapters 5 thru 9 lead you through all aspects of the built-in applications (Datebook, Address book, To Do List, Memo Pad, and Expense. Plenty of "How do I..." information is given along with screenshots, tips and observations by the authors. Both PC and Macintosh details are explained also. If add-on programs are mentioned, the text tells you where you can find them on the web. Even seasoned Palm users will find interesting tidbits in these chapters.

Chapter 10 discusses the Palm's security features including third party application enhancements. The built-in calculator is also mentioned as well as details on the Handspring Visor's advanced calculator functions.

Chapter 11 gives you all kinds of beneficial info that you need to know when taking your Palm device on a trip. Topics such as powering your device when you're away from home, using your device as an alarm clock, using your device for mapping and navigation, and reading books on your device are covered. 

Chapter 12 and 13 focus specifically on the Palm VII wireless model and the Handspring Visor. Wireless applications for the Palm VII and Springboard modules for the Visor are detailed.

Chapter 14 through 18 go into heavy detail on the communication aspects of your Palm device. Every kind of modem whether land line or wireless is discussed along with information on connecting your Palm PDA to your cell phone. E-mail programs, instant messaging, web browsing, paging and faxing are also covered in quite a bit of detail. One of the chapters is also devoted to infrared, remote and network hotsyncing.

Chapter 19 helps you turn your Palm device into a total office tool. It explains how to use your device to edit Word, Excel and database files. It also goes over printing from your PDA.

Chapter 20 goes over HackMaster and other misc. utilities that can be found on the Internet.

Chapter 21 shows you how to manage your time and money with your Palm OS device. Topics such as using Quicken, tracking stocks, managing projects and clients are discussed. One weird thing I had to chuckle at in this chapter was a sidebar on the authors favorite rock bands. I have no idea why they wanted to share this info, but it's in this chapter.

Chapter 22 delves into gaming on your PDA. It goes over a pretty good selection of popular game titles and where to find them.

Chapter 23 through 25 go over misc topics such as Graffiti enhancement software and overlays, e-book reading on your Palm, photo albums, paint programs, outlining programs, and music programs.

Chapter 26 gives you details on the different accessories available for your device. Cases, styli, keyboards and other peripherals are discussed with pictures.

The last two chapters 27 and 28 are the troubleshooting chapters, they help you resolve problems with the PDA and problems with your PC (relating to the PDA).

All in all this is a good reference book that reads well and conveys valuable information for the newbie as well as the long time Palm user. I only have two things to complain about regarding this book. One is that a CD isn't included containing the add-on programs that are discussed throughout the book. And the other is the order of the chapters. I think I could have arranged them in a better order. Other than that, it's a good book to check out.

Price: $24.99 (or $17.49 thru Amazon.com)

Pros:
Good solid information.
Lots of screen shots.

Cons:
No included CD.