Documents to Go A Handy Program Adds to the User's Mobility D. E. Levine
Motivation
When I found myself on assignment without access to a computer, I realized that I was at tremendous disadvantage. While I generally attempt to carry a laptop, it's not always possible. Additionally, connectivity isn't always present.
I've tried going wireless, but despite all of the hype about the merits of wireless modelms and attempted assistance from Metricom, my Richochet Merlin wireless modem has never worked. That's how I wound up stranded without a computer and with a deadline to meet.
Necessity really is the mother of invention, and while I didn't invent the product, I did find something that provides a solution to my problem, one that is fairly simple and inexpensive, and should provides an easy-to-use computer substitute.
DataViz makes a program called Documents to Go Professional Edition 3.0 that installs on your computer and synchronizes with your Palm Pilot. During the synchronization process, Office files and documents are transferred to your Palm.
Equipment and Software
To use Documents to Go, you'll need a computer running some form of Windows. So far, the manufact6urer, DataViz, has made Documents to Go compatible with Windows 95, 98, Me, NT4.0, and 2000. The computer can be a desktop or a laptop, but you need 16MB of hard disk space.
In addition to the Windows operation system, you also need to have Palm Desktop 3.0 or higher loaded onto the desktop.
You'll also need a Palm OS handheld. I used a Palm Pilot Vx and achieved great results with that particular unit. You need to run Palm OS 3.0 or higher on the handheld, and you need at least 2 MB of memory on the handheld.
DataViz doesn't list it as a requirement, but I added a keyboard specially made for the Palm. There are several available by Palm and other manufacturers. For my purposes, I used the Targus folding keyboard for the Palm Pilot. The advantage of this particular keyboard is that it folds up very compactly when not in use.
