Your favorite Palm apps and tricks?

December 14, 2005 7:59 AM

I recently purchased a new Palm T|X with WiFi & Bluetooth. It's been a long time since I had a Palm, and it was the old Palm Vx running Palm OS 3.x. Obviously, they've come a good ways. I'd appreciate any recommendations as to cool Palm apps. I really don't need to be uber-heavy on the games (although I do like nostalgia games, i.e., stuff from the '80s and Doom), and would appreciate more how-did-I-ever-live-without-this kind of convenience/useful apps. I'm aware of Pocket Quicken, SiEd, and MealTip. And, for what it's worth, I'm on a Mac.

Geekery neatness is greatly appreciated -- advanced geek tricks you've figured out how to perform, even if it's a little bit of a brain-bender to follow. (For example, I use Remind for my calendar, so obviously I can't use Datebook -- so I figured out a way to throw its output into a text file, convert it on the command line into a PDB format, and then use OS X's "open" command to both add it to the to-install list and then open Conduit Manager to begin the HotSync automatically.) I'd also appreciate general tips people have picked from usage ("don't look at it upside down for more than 10 minutes, or it becomes a thermonuclear weapon").

posted by WCityMike to computers & internet (12 comments total)

[moved the more inside]
posted by jessamyn at 8:12 AM on December 14, 2005

The Palm app I use the most is DateBk5, which I cannot recommend enough. Except to you, you seem to have your datebook/to-do list sorted.

After that the apps I use in decreasing order of frequency are:

• PopupNames: use the address book without leaving your current app
• HandyShopper: for lists (shopping list, packing list that I reuse on every trip, list of stuff to bring from home to the lab, things I want to do in London)
• Strip: Secure Tool for Remembering Important Passwords: open source encrypted password safe
• PocketLingo: English and foreign dictionaries
• NeoCal: (basic, precedence, or RPN calculator) with scientific functions and unit conversions
• BigClock: multiple alarm multiple time zone clock
• Fahrplan: European (including UK) train schedules. MetrO might be more useful for a Chicagoan.
• AvantGo: automatically download the news to read off-line
• iSilo: download specific web pages or documents for off-line reading

Some simple, but fun games useful for keeping me awake or interested:

• BlockParty: Tetris
• Sol Free: solitaire

Some useful utilities/hacks:

• X-Master: allows use of hacks in general
• MagicText: use of gestures for common actions like Cut/Copy/Paste/Uppercase/Multiclipboard
• CoLauncher: launch apps with a single Graffiti stroke
• FindHack: whips the built-in find DA
• Launch Em App Hack: launching apps not set up with CoLauncher
• EasyLaunch: set up actions to correspond to key chords (like turning the sound off immediately so you don't embarass yourself in a meeting)

I've been a Palm addict for about six years probably, so feel free to ask if you have any other questions.
posted by grouse at 8:39 AM on December 14, 2005

Acid Freecell (and regular Solitaire) from www.red-mercury.com. I have a few other quick games on my T5, but this is the one I turn to most often. Also look at Teal Software -- Tealscript gives you back the original style Graffiti, and Teallock is good security software.
posted by lhauser at 10:25 AM on December 14, 2005

I still use the ancient, ancient Dragonball-powered Palm Pilots (in fact, I've never used one of the ARM models, but as far as I know they can still run one of my my old school favorites: Space Trader.
posted by majick at 10:43 AM on December 14, 2005

If you are of a musical bent, I recommend Bhaji's Loops. No shit, it is a full midi sequencer for Palm. It is totally rocking my world right now.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 11:01 AM on December 14, 2005

bejeweled
posted by suni at 11:48 AM on December 14, 2005

I have a Treo 650 (Palm phone thingy), but most of my favorites should also apply:

TCPMP -- excellent free media player, turns your Palm into a video iPod killer (I use this for video-only); MUST HAVE, if only for the gee whiz factor
PocketTunes -- $14.95, great mp3 player
Palmary Clock -- $12.95, Much nicer clock (multiple alarms, calendar, etc.) than the free clocks out there
Crosswords -- free Scrabble game
Kingdom -- $15 Civilizations for PalmOS

My tip: Use the Palm in a cradle (must have audio out)hooked to powered speakers as a slick little bedside alarm clock (Palmary Clock) and mp3 player (PocketTunes).
posted by LordSludge at 12:56 PM on December 14, 2005

Dir Assist can be helpful, if you've set up your Palm to connect to a network (I use Bt to talk to my phone).
pssh is excellent for emergency telnet/ssh.
Rand McNally's Road Atlas is useful to me on longer trips. It'll tell you roughly how to get to some place, though it doesn't do street maps; just major highways between cities. It's saved me a few times.

I follow the RSS feed for palminfocenter as well.

Enjoy, and welcome back to the family!
posted by Eideteker at 4:52 PM on December 14, 2005

The plucker offline web browser and e-book reader.
posted by AmbroseChapel at 9:32 PM on December 14, 2005

I have been using Palm's since 1998. My first one was a PalmPilot Personal. Having upgaded whenever I could get a new one (often refurbished) for about $150 I have been through quite a few different models. I am now onto a Palm Zire 72s. And continue to love and use my palm on a daily basis.

In no particular order these are programs I use on a regular basis.

BigClock: A free clock, timer, stopwatch, etc.
SiEd: a free text editor that can edit raw text files from a memory
card.
Mapopolis: A map program that can do directions. The program is free, the maps cost money.
KeyRing: A free password management program.
Converter: a free unit conversion program.
EasyCalc: a free scientific and graphing calculator.
Datebook5: THE datebook replacement program. The features I use most are advances (alarms for days before an event), floats (timed todos that appear everyday until done), and categories (so I can easily seperate out my wife's schedule).
Filez: Free file management utility.
RFBackup: a free program to backup the contents of your palm to the memory card.
posted by fief at 10:19 AM on December 15, 2005

I'll second FileZ and EasyCalc.
posted by Eideteker at 2:38 PM on December 15, 2005

My thanks to everyone for these great suggestions.
posted by WCityMike at 9:34 AM on December 20, 2005