Publisher's Message ...• ... ........... 1 E Letters to the Editor ..... .•.. ..... .. 4 ACE Technologies Closes Its Doors ...... 5 New Third Party Products and Services ... .. ..... .... 7 P Palmtop New HP 300LX and HP 320LX Windows CE Palmtop PCs ............. 12 Thaddeus Computing Announces Handheld PC Magazine to support aper the new Windows CE Handhelds . ... 13 HP OmniGo 700LX Imported to USA .... 14 HP 200LX vs. HP 300LX HP Palmtop User Groups . ... .. .. •. ... 50 Comparing the Windows CE Handheld PC to the HP Palmtop ........ 16 User to User: Recent Freeware and Shareware ....... 22 Palmtop Wisdom . •.... ..•.•.. ..... 2·3 Grouping phone calls, showing up on time, techniques for avoiding loss, and child's play on the Palmtop. Interview: Paddy Ashdown, Member of Parliament, Relies on His 200LX Palmtop . .. •...... 24 User Profile: Managing Construction Projects Wirelessly with the HP Palmtop ........ 32 President and employees of construction company use modems and RadioMail,along with built-in apps, on the Palmtop The HP Palmtop: A Corporate Solution .. 36 How The C mpare ... The HP Palmtop is the ideal Network Computer for corpo­ rate use in mobile computing applications. Creative Rebirth . .. ..• . .... ...... 41 The HP Palmtop's applications prove that smaller and palmtop Wears simpler are better. The palmtop a Hard Hat: Through the Looking Glass ........ ... 44 Wireless in Parliament: Ed shows how to use HP Solve's SIGMA( ), L( ), and G( ) Profile of a functions to perlorm Numeric Integration to analyze the normal Communication HP 700LX Communicator probability distribution function .. at the in the U.S. British M. P. Construction Basic Tips ....... .. .......... 51·52 Site Quick Tips .. ... .. .... .. 53·55 Advertiser's Index .. ... .. .. .. .... 56 03) Files on Mar/Apr 97 ON DiSK .... .• .... 56 a 7447083112 9 Communicate with almost anvone in the world rightlrom vour HP Palmtop. WIRELESS EMAIL WIRELESS FAX WORLD WIDE WEB ACCESS STOCK MARKET ACCESS TWO-WAY PAGING FREE NATIONWIDE ROAMING ... ALL FOR LES S THAN THE C OST OF PAGING. RadioMaii. The beller faster cooler way to stav in touch. BCC-597-MAIL WWW.RADIOMAIL.NET RadioMail Publisher's Message The HP Palmtop Paper In this issue we continue our discussion of HP's new Windows CE palmtop Pc. By the time it ships in June, you Volume six / Issue two should have a clear idea of MarchlApril1997 Executive Editor/Publisher whether you want to stay with Hal Goldstein the HP 200LX or move to the Managing Editor new HP 300LX or HP 320LX Ridiard Hall Associate Editors palmtop Pc. First read about Carol de Giere the latest on the new HP palm­ Ralph C. Turner top. Then check out Mark Technical Editor Scardina's objective point-by­ Tom Gibson Department Editors point comparison of the two Ed Keefe Wayne Kneeskern HP palmtop platforms. Carl Merkle To augment the comparison Contributing Writers of the two HP palmtops we Larry Dickson Tobv Lawrence published two thoughtful Randy Polumbo essays on the HP 200LX. Our Mark Scardina Hal Goldstein 1-2-3 columnist Carl Merkle, David Shier Advertisin2fMarketing along with David Shier, put on Brian 1eitzman their analysts' hats and look at the palmtop as an intranet-read­ Margaret Martin Tiffany Lisk er, a true Network Computer (NC). Then Larry Dickson makes Circulation a strong case that the DOS-based HP 200LX represents the high­ Colleen Rodibaugh David Brooks point in palmtop development and that future "progress" is Sharon Lloyd probably a step backward. Jolene PhillIps Executive Advisor In other news, the HP OmniGo 700LX Communicator is now Rita Goldstein available in the U.S. We've written about the HP 700LX (an inte­ The HP Palmtop Paper (ISSN 10656189) grated unit of a Nokia digital cellular phone with an HP palm­ is published by Thaddeus Computing top) which has been available in Europe and Asia for the past Inc., at 57 East Broadway Avenue, Fairfield, IA 52556. Periodical postage year. Data Critical has renamed the unit, calling it an HV01000, paid at Fairfield, Iowa. Subscription and is making it available through several U.s. phone carriers rates payable in U.S. dollars, checks drawn on a U.S. bank, or by credit card using the GSM protocol. - one year: $39; two years: $69. Postage: Also in this issue, I lament about the closing of ACE U.S. and U.S. possessions free; Canada, Mexico add $6 per year; other countries Technologies. We offer information on former ACE products add $18 per year. Published bi-monthly and services. Plus, throughout the issue, you will read about plus two bonus issues, one in April and one in November. Please allow four to new freeware and shareware that will make your palmtop more six weeks for receipt of first issue. useful. Executive, Editorial, Circulation, Marketing and Advertising Offices: P.O. Elsewhere you will find fascinating profiles. Toby Lawrence Box 869, Fairfield, IA 52556. Telephone: interviews British M.P. Paddy Ashdown who tells how he uses (515) 472-6330, FAX: (515) 472-1879. Copyright 1997, Thaddeus the palmtop in Parliament. Contractor Randy Polumbo discuss­ Computing, Inc., all rights reserved. No es his high-tech edge as he takes his palmtop and wireless part of this publication may be repro­ duced without written permission. modem everywhere. Further, he outfits his employees and col­ Reasonable efforts are made to provide leagues with palmtops. accurate and useful information, but the reader must make his or her own inves­ Ed Keefe has a loyal following among our readership as his tigations and decisions; the Publisher articles describe interesting and innovative technical uses of the and Editorial Staff cannot assume any responsibility or liability for the use of palmtop. This time Ed revisits powerful HPCalc. He takes us . information contained herein. through statistics, equations, and graphics on the palmtop. POSTMASTER: Please send any address changes to The HP Palmtop Paper, Attn: Thaddeus Computing, Inc., P.O. Box 869, Fairfield, IA 52556. THE HP PALMTOP PAPER MARCHI APRIL 1997 1 by Carol de Giere beside the record. Then press ~ You are unlikely to make a positive clip and arrow down until the line impression on the group. The TIME MANAGEMENT "Name and Business Phone" is Palmtop can assist your timely selected. Press ~. Open arrival-if you use it properly. Grouping Phone Calls Appointment Book and make an appointment for phone calls. Press ON THE PALMTOP To be more successful in reaching ~ Note, and ~ [Pastel. The Alarms can help you be on-time for your top goals, you may attempt to clipped items will appear, so that I appointments with others, but there accomplish your day's tasks in you now have one list of all the peo­ is a trick to setting them. Calculate order of their priority. However, it is ple to call at that time, along with how much time it will take to arrive often more efficient to group similar their phone numbers. somewhere and then add at least 10- types of activities regardless of pri­ Use abbreviations to record 20 minutes for challenging circum­ ority level. Your errands may be results of calls, such as B for busy stances. In Appointment Book, if more urgent or important than half signal, NA for not available, CB 2:00 you tab to the Leadtime box and of your phone calls. But once you for call back at 2:00, and LM for left press ~,the 5-minute default lead­ start on your high-priority calls, you message on answering machine. time on the alarm becomes 20 min­ may wish to complete the other low­ The Palmtop's time stamp is utes. Or in description, instead of priority calls before heading out the very convenient for these situations, writing "meet with John" and shed­ door for a flurry of errands. so you can note exactly what time uling it for 2:00, you can type in you reached a busy signal or no "Depart for 2:00 meeting with John" ON THE PALMTOP answer, and can better judge when and enter 1:45 in time. For those moments when you need to call back.1!!1 (Time). If you need to prepare for a to make multiple calls at one sitting, You will want to make a report meeting, make a date with yourself tapping through your Phone Book in the Phone Book's Note fields for in Appointment Book to get your may not be the best way. each person you were able to reach, materials organized in advance. Instead transfer names and to record promises, commitments, phone numbers from Phone Book and follow-ups notes. into the note field of an Thanks to Joe Matz PERSONAL ORGANIZATION Appointment or To Do item where [email protected] you can make notes on the results of Techniques for Avoiding Loss calls and lose less time between calls. Showing Up On Time Palmtops, glasses, cameras, and the­ In Phone Book, use the arrow atre tickets are among life's little keys to move to the desired records If you show up late for a meeting, things that are subject to loss or and select them by tapping on the you may be wasting someone else's inadvertent damage. But there are space bar. A diamond appears most precious resource-their time. several techniques to avert the dan­ ger. 1. Develop a place for these spe­ ciallittle things and discipline your­ 1I1/11I2/97 calls self to always return them there. 2. Mark Sut.t.er - 482-1550 ext. 5423***NA 3:13 p~ When you are rushing, make dou­ Sally McGrew - 51111-799-9999***LM 3:14 p~ bly sure you have everything, Ben Sage - 599- 469-2708***CB t.wo weeks because loss frequently occurs dur­ IEleanor Sunt.er - 41111-469-3441***fax det.ails 796-3333 ing a mad dash to catch a plane, get IThe Raj - 51111-472-9580***B 3:16 p~ to a meeting, or something similiar.