An Independent Publication for Users of HP Palmtop Computers

U.S. $7.95 Publisher's Message ...... 1 'TIRE Letters to the Editor ...... 2

'­ New Third Party Q) .0 Products and Services ...... 3 E :::J :z HP Palmtop User Groups ...... 4 m - P Palmtop Q) Palmtop Users Meet in Upstate E :::J New York Mountain Inn ...... 5 o Twenty-nine members from the New York/New Jersey > Users Group gather for a weekend to share their enthusi­ aper asm for HP palmtops.

User Profile: Busy Plastics Manufacturer Uses Palmtops to Help Control CostS ...... 7 By connecting a serial cable between an HP 100LX and a high-quality Setra scale, this company has streamlined its data collection process.

Using Your Palmtop to Read Newspapers on the World Wide Web . ... 11 While this user sleeps, his modem-equipped palmtop goes online and downloads articles from The Wall Street JotJrnaland The New York Times.

Connecting a Zip Drive and an IDE Hard Drive to Your Palmtop ...... 15 Exchange information between a Zip drive and the palmtop and its PCMCIA flash card directly, using DoubleSlot.

Through the Looking Glass ...... 20 The HP 200LX can entertain you with games, let you draw pictures, and play or compose music. To round out the

I machine's capabilities, Ed Keefe shows how you can make your HP Palmtop write poetry ... using Lotus 1-2-3!

Hong Kong's Largest Brewer Uses Palmtops for Order Capture ...... 24 San Miguel's salespeople use modem-equipped HP 200LXs to take orders and transfer data to the home office.

User to User: ...... 26 The Great Palmtop Debate: HP 32DLX vs. HP 2DDLX Hal Goldstein discusses HP 200LX PC cards that work in the HP 300LX Series Palmtop PCs, new freeware and Palmtops at aHong Kong Brewery shareware, and HP's new five-year R&D program. The Great Palmtop Debate: HP 200LX vs HP 320LX Palmtop PC ..... 30 Users share their feelings and experiences, pro and Access ZIP Disks from your Palmtop con, with HP's new Windows CE units. Lotus 1-2-3 Writes Poetry Basic Tips ...... 33 Quick Tips ...... 34

Advertiser's Index ...... 36 08 Files on July/August 97 ON DiSK ...... 36 TeaDI for ill. yo _, a_ _db 'sld (]ommuni'cati'oD'S " ImaJina eeds Recognized for providing "extraordinary service for beyond expectations" - by the HP Palmtop Paper Best Tips 1997

Hardware • HP Palmtops • Windows CE HPCs • Digital Cameras • Portable Printers • Modems • Memory Cards • Custom Cables • Cases • High Capacity Rechargeable Batteries • Wireless Modell\s • Accessories ... Software ,M.".' !&P"pM···.. wm t1a.il / For UPI / Folder Sect.ione Me g Hed Snd Bin St.a t.ulIII WWW/LX: The graphical web browser from D&A . ~ ~ ~unew .• - specifically designed for the 100/200LX O~;;CE • Vendors i4 is i7 • : . : ~ Ventura. Publis h e r 1 2 3 7 e 10 • q • s d 1 2 7 B 10 12 q • s d Magnify: Magnifies any area of the palmtop screen, · ~:~:I"~i~!:~Y :t.ion a s d making viewing much easier. Quick/LX: The typing aid for the HP Palmtop acCIS4.0 Screen ABC/LX: adds intelligence to battery charging and monitors battery usage . • J acCIS4.0: Compuserve automation program - all new look and ease of use! Supports CompuServe's "new mail", forums, weather, stock quotes and more.

Corporate Solutions & Development • Let our team of experts find the perfect solution for your ultra-portable computing, communications & S SHIERSVSTE",S • SOFTWARE. IN C.

imaging needs. SHIER Systems & Software, Inc. HlacJallzes in HP Palmtop Co mputers and aCC8ssoril!lS. This We b site provides a look at many of our product s plus other uu fullnform atlon. • Our Corporate Solutions Group can prepare a detailed ::: ~::. ~ ::,e 'b~. lp cln VOU'Pock,,: :; :~:.H::::'I~~~,P; "O~ d"It'O d'" ---=-~ ..... ------..... ~~ plan for you-including full cost analysis, training and WWW/Ll.. Screen implementation. • We can help you select the hardware and software that is right for you. • If needed, in cooperation with our software development partners at D&A Software, we'll provide custom software as well. Contact our Corporate Solutions Office in Irvine California at 714-559-1142 for details on how we can help your company or organization. SHIER SYSTEMS & SORWARE, INC. ~ 920 Hampshire Rd, Suite A· Westlake Village, CA 91361 ~ Phone: 805-371-9391 • Fax: 805-371-9454 E-mail: [email protected] • Web Site: http://www.shier.com

In Europe or Asia, please contact our authorized agent: Rundel Detentechnik, Phone: +49716114707 Fax: +49716124473 E-mail: [email protected] Web site: http://www.rundel-d.com Publisher's Message The HP Palmtop Paper

When The HP Palmtop Paper first came out six years ago the focus was on the pahntop itself, its potential for organizing and com­ puting. Over the years, the HI' pahntop Volume six / Issue four has evolved into an even more powerful July/August 1997 stand-alone device. However, glancing Executive Editor/Publisher through the contents of this issue, it's obvi­ Hal Goldstein ous that the HP palmtop has become Publications Director much more social - now the palmtop's Richard Hall ability to communicate with other devices Managing Editor is of major importance. RalpK C. Turner For example, check out the New Associate Editor Products section. You'll see upgrade Carol de Giere descriptions of two fax programs and two Technical Editor online access applications. In this issue's Tom Gibson featured story, Ray Kump discusses how Department Editors Ed Keefe he uses one of those access programs, Wayne Kneeskern www/LX, to read The Wall Street Journal Carl Merkle and The New York Times each morning on Contributing Writers his pahntop. Tom Boyles A number of large comapnies regularly Joe Goeke RayKump Hal Goldstein make use of the pahntop's mobility and Ross Milburn ability to collect and transfer data. For Linda Worthington example, read about a Hong Kong brew­ Advertisinw'Marketing ery and aplastic's manufacturer to see how data is collected and how data is transferred Brian Teitzman using the pahntop. In another article, Tom Boyle describes how he combines a number Marg!lret Martin of gizmo's to transfer data between the popular Iomega Zip drive and his pahntop's Tiffany Lisk flashcard. Circulation David Brooks As an outward expression of the pahntop facilitating communications, Linda Sharon Lloyd Worthington describes a pahntop get-together. Twenty-nine HI' Pahntop Paper sub­ Executive Advisor scribers and CompuServe users gathered in New York's Bear Mountain to share tips, Rita Goldstein tricks and good fun. In this issue Ed Keefe represents the old school of stand-alone pahntop usage. The HP Palmtop Paper aSSN 10656189) is published by Thaddeus Computing In his entertaining column Ed demonstrates a number of creative and useful Lotus tech­ Inc., at 110 North Court Street, Fairfield, niques as he describes how to generate poetry writing on the pahntop. IA 52556. Periodical postage paid at Finally, the introduction of the Windows CE-based HI' 320LX pahntop PC Fairfield, Iowa. Subscription rates has payable in u .S. dollars, checks drawn on caused quite a stir in the HI' pahntop user community. Reminiscent of the Mac verses a U.S. bank, or by credit card - one PC debates, you'll read about the merits and demerits of HP's new pahntop offering year: $39; two years: $69. Postage: U.S. from a number of users. Hopefully, these letters, pro and con, will provide you with and U.S. possessions free; Canada, Mexico add $6 per year; other countries more information on whether or not you want to switch to a Windows CE device. add $18 per year. Published bi-monthly Some of our staff is now using Windows CE devices and liking them. For the. plus two bonus issues, one in April and one in November. Please allow four to foreseeable future I will stay with my 200LX. Its built-in database, its ability to run IXJS six weeks for receipt of first issue. applications, its CompuServe access capability, its built-in 1-2-3 and HPCalc keep me Executive, Editorial, Circulation, from switching. However, there is a lot to like about the HI' 320LX, including wide Marketing and Advertising Offices: 110 North Court Street, Fairfie1d, IA 52556. screen, battery-preserving backlighting, larger keyboard, and Windows 95 data com­ Telephone: (515) 472-6330, FAX: (515) patibility and synchronicity. 472-1879. Unless you are sure that you will never switch from an HI' 200LX, I encourage Copyright 1997, Thaddeus Computing, Inc., all rights reserved. No you to send for our premier issue of Handheld PC Magazine (see inside back cover or part of this publication may be repro­ order card). Since we anticipate a larger advertising and subscription base than The HP duced without written permiSSIOn. Palmtop Paper, we have been able to move to four-color throughout, and expanded Reasonable efforts are made to provide accurate and useful information, but the pages. If you like the style and philosophy of The HP Palmtop Paper, you will appreciate reader must make his or her own inves­ Handheld PC Magazine. The premier issue is filled with product descriptions, profiles, tigations and decisions; the Publisher reviews, tips and tricks, and Website reviews. You can also check out our Website at and Editorial Staff cannot assume any responsibility or liability for the use of www.thaddeus.com for details about the issue and an electronic version of some of the information contained herein. articles. POSTMASTER: Please send any address changes to The HP Palmtop Paper, Attn: Thaddeus Computing, Inc., 110 North Court Street, Fairfield, IA 52556.

THE HP PALMTOP PAPER JULY/ AUGUST 1977 1 Letters

think I've extended its life COMDEX in Atlanta at the If you have any questions even more. beginning of June to an or comments, you can con­ The reason that I get overwhelmingly positive tact me at: to play with all this neat response. Rick Kozak technology is that I've It occurred to me that if EZShow Systems, Inc. developed a PCMCIA there was sufficient interest rick®ezshow.com A PCMCIA VGA Card form factor VGA card that in the HP 200LX communi­ Voice: 604-299-2033 draws sufficiently low ty, it may be possible to Fax: 604-299-5118 As a long time user of the power that it can run from develop similar applications HP200LX, I am very inter­ most palmtops. We current­ for this platform. The reason ested in keeping it alive as a ly have software for screen I just don't go ahead ,and do HP service quality platform for as long as pos­ copy and full color GIF it (other than the limit of 24 sible. I've had a chance in playback for both WinCE hours in a day), is that the The battery door on my HP my job to use all of the new and Newton platforms. DOS platform really does has been getting loose, so I Windows CE units, the The implication of these not lend itself to slipping in put some tape over it to hold Apple Newton MP2000, and applications is that you can a new video card. In other it down. Then the other day it pretty well everything else now either duplicate your words, it will actually take slipped as I was setting it that fits in your palm and internal screen to a VGA some work! down and kind of clattered to has a PCMCIA slot. monitor or projection However, if there is a rea­ the table. This caused the bat­ They're all pretty cool at device, or you can use your sonable volume of interest, tery door to pop loose. first, but I still end up back 200LX to make presenta­ then I think I could convince Apparently the little prongs with my 200LX. And now tions, eliminating the final the best minds to apply on the ends had been getting that I've just had my unit reason to carry a notebook themselves to this problem weak (making it loose) and speed and memory (6MB) computer on the road. and we'll keep the 200LX just finally gave up the ghost. upgraded by Times2Tech, I EZShow Systems intro­ platform right up there with duced these products at the newcomers. (Continued on page 32.) The EduCALC Catalog-FHEEfor One Year Cutting Edge Products to Enhance your HP Palmtop! Memory in Flash Wireless Access Palmtop Printing ==.==- Experience the freedom and power of portable ------wireless palmtop communication. You can now ------_.------reach anyone, anywhere, who has an email ad­ dress, fax machine or RF messaging device­ Expand your HP tA-3f5]= wireless and from your HP Palmtop! Palmtop's memory #3422 [Motorola Wireless Modem] ... $699 with high-quality #10020A [EnBloc PalmStation+] ..... $1495 Print anywhere with your palmtop. These plain PC Card technology paper printers have great resolution (360 dpi) at an affordable price. Your Name in Silver and allow you to print last minute, life saving Whether you require Personalize your palmtop' with this self-adhesive charts and graphs-in color. Designed for only a few extra mega­ nameplate-it installs quickly in the recess on today's professionals on the go, these small bytes or 40 megs, mM the back of your machine. Just give us up to 24 (1O"x2"x 1.85"), featherweight (l.llb.) por­ flash cards are your solution. Built-in data characters and allow two weeks for delivery. tables fit in your briefcase and deliver laser compression provides up to 80MB RAM for #2786 [Nameplate] ...... $4.95 quality printing. 2 pp per min on transparen­ your palmtop. cies, cut sheet or letterhead. The economical '3423A [3MB/6MB Flash] ...... $199 EduCALC is your place to PN50 gives you approximately 30 text pages on '3424A [5MBI10MB Flash] ...... $259 find all the newest, hottest black cartridge (requires serial/parallel convert­ #3425A [10MBJ20MB Flash] ...... $419 er with HP serial cable). The versatile PN60 '3426A [20MB/40MB Flash] ...... $739 technology for your model gives you a color option as well-print '3427A [30MBJ60MB Flash] ...... $999 Hewlett-Packard Palmtop! 3-5 pages using color cartridge. '3428A [4OMBI80MB Flash] ...... $1239 Call us tOday 'PNSO [PN50 Printer] ...... $249.95 #PN60 [PN60 Printer] ...... $349.95 BduCALC 800.713.6526 #3289 [NiCad Battery] ...... $78.95 87983 cabo... Boad #3290 [Car Adapter] ...... $44.95 #3061 [Palmtop Cable] ...... $34.95 QA Laguna Niguel, 98677 Check us out on the World Wide Web: #GA935 [SIP Converter] ...... $54.95 http://www.educalc.com Oall for more info ...;... #3292 [2 black Ink Cartridges] ...... $8.95 714.582.2637 HP lOOI2OOLX memoty upgrade now availablel Call for details '3293 [2 color Ink Cartridges] ...... $13.95

2 THE HP PALMTOP PAPER JULY I AUGUST 1977 New Products! This section lists new products the sending and retrieval of -Supports editing mes­ FREEWARE & of interest to users of the HP newsgroups articles. sages waiting to be sent Palmtop pes. New Products -A GUI interface that uses -Internal support for main­ SHAREWARE includes descriptions of hard­ the PAL emulation of the taining the UID list ware, software, books, videos, HP System Manager "look -Improved setup dialogs training and service offerings. and feel", is used in READ­ -Internal support of weath- [NOTE: In this issue's User­ Prices listed in this section are ER. The ability to work on e­ er and stock quotes To-User article by Hal suggested retail. You may be mail off-line saves you con­ -user scripts were removed Goldstein there's a discus­ able to get the products for less nect charges and gives you sion of a number of addi­ if you shop around. mobility and flexibility. Price: $89 (upgrade from acCIS 3.1, tional freeware and share­ $35). ware programs.] HP Palmtop Paper Staff -Folders for messages, and filters for e-mail messages, CONTACT: Shier Systems & Software, 920 Hampshire Road, Suite A, (to redirect them to appro­ Westlake Village, CA 91361 USA; priate folders). Phone: 805-371-9391 ; Fax: 805-371- -Filters applied to news­ FAXING , PC CARDS 9454 ; E-mail : 74777 .2477@com­ groups articles can block puserve.com; Website : unwanted articles from ever http://www.shier.com reaching your palmtop. Low Cost ATA T ....bo BGFAXI.10 Flash Memory Card -Multiple e-mail addresses may be checked to down­ Palmtop Version now load e-mail in one session. available MagicRAM Turbo Flash This palmtop edition Similarly, multiple news­ MAILING LISTS Memory Cards are specifi­ includes bug fixes and new groups may be "visited" and cally designed for hand­ features. It gives palmtop scanned for new articles. helds, PDAs, and digital users the ability to send and -E-mail has integrated cameras, and provide stor­ receive individual faxes as MIME encoding and decod­ UP Palmtop Mailing age solutions for data and BGFAX and can also send ing so you can send and List Res.... rected digital pictures. They fea­ faxes from the command receive binary files transpar­ ture rapid read/write plus line and return specific sta­ ently to and from Internet The HP Palmtop mailing low power consumption. tus codes back to the user correspondents. list, which has not been via error levels. Everything Price: Ranges from $99 for 2Mb to functioning for awhile, has $699 for 64Mb. Price: $119.00 (price includes the Web recently been resurrected by is driven by simple batch browser with new version of Al Kind. The list, which is files making it very easy to CONTACT: WWW .EXE.) Current customers of dedicated to discussing automate faxing of purchase MagicRAM, Inc., 1850 Beverly WWW.LX can upgrade for $30.00. everything pertaining to the orders, memos, messages Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90057 CONTACT: D&A Software, Inc., 22817 HP palmtops, is a good from answering services, USA; Phone: 800-272-6242 or 213- Ventura Blvd., Woodland Hills, CA etc. 413-9999; Fax: 213-413-0828; 91364 USA; Phone: 818-341-1188; E­ place for both the novice E-mail: [email protected] mail: [email protected]; Website : and advanced user to find Type: Freeware Website: http://www. magicram.com www.dasoft.com and share palmtop informa­ Available on May/June HP Palmtop tion. In order to participate Paper ON DISK and HPHAND , in the mailing list, all you "100/200LX Datacomm" section. A full­ acCIS 4.0 need is an e-mail address. blown version is available on Internet, http://www.blkbox.com/-bgfaxl Enhancements To subscribe, send a COMMUNICATION , or message to: E-mail address: [email protected] The biggest new feature of Phone: 281-893-9320 Post/LX acCIS 4.0 is the user inter­ [email protected] FAX: 713-507-9620 face. acCIS is now a PAL CONN.EDU http://www.blkbox.com/-bgfaxl Post/LX, which is the e-mail application, which means and Newsgroups compo­ that it looks like the built-in In the body of the message QFAX Upgrade nent that works with the applications in the the following single line and Website communication engine from 100LX/200LX. Other major should appear: WWW /LX, is now avail­ changes: Version 1.08 of this fax pro­ able. Features include: -Supports the middle size SET HPLX-L gram for the palmtop adds -READER, which manages font in the message reader several enhancements. It messages and lets you read -Supports the CompuServe After sending this mes­ will do correct word wrap­ and reply off-line. new mail and HMI-only sage, you'll receive an e-mail ping now, according to the -POST, which performs the forums reply explaining how to use program's author Anthony sending and retrieval of e­ -Message "folders" for sav­ the list (as well as how to Mai. PCX graphics files can mail messages. ing and catagorizing mes­ unsubscribe from the list). be inserted in a fax, which -NEWS, which performs sages means you can put your signa-

THEHPPALMTOPPAPER JULY/ AUGUST 1997 3 Do you have a Palmtop PALMTOP You No Longer Use? HP USERGROUPS We'll buy it ••• even if it's broken! Those interested in participating in an HP 2597216; Internet: sulplano @individual. Palmtop users group should contact the follow­ eunet.pt ing individuals. Send us contact information for­ Thaddeus Computing (that's us) can always use extra palmtops for vari­ SINGAPORE .. Chaikin Koon; 334-B King matted as below if you wish to be added as a George's Avenue, SINGAPORE 208571; E­ ous projects. If you want to mail in your Palmtop equipment and manuals contact for a users group in your area. Some of mail: chaikin @pacific.net.sg to us, here is what we will pay. the individuals listed offer Palmtop advice but may not be organizing an official users group. SWEDEN .. Kent lliemann; E-mail : Kent.lilemann @eca .ericsson .se; or HP Palmtop Worldwide User Group News .. 100775 . 2027 @compuserve .com ; Palmtop in good working order Send material about User Group activities to Telephone/Fax: 08- 611 48 85; Also Thomas and good shape:· Broken Palmtop· Conrad Cox at the San Francisco, CA USA H., Tel: 46 (70) 5308970 or PhoneiFax: 46 (8) User Group; E-mail: 76164.467 @com­ HP 95LX (with manuals): $ 55 Broken 95LX (with manuals): $25 7733740; E-mail: Thomas.Hulc n @mc.ey.se puserve.com; Web: http:l\ccnet.coml- cdcox HP 100LX (with manuals): $75 Broken 100LX (with manuals): $35 (This is a 200LX group) HP 200LX (with manuals): $100 Broken 200LX (with manuals): $35 ARGENTINA .. Buenos Aires: Miguel Angel Misseri ; E-mail : 73070 .3665@compuserve SWITZERLAND .. Alexander Gutfeldt; Landoitstrasse 28, CH-3007, Berne, SWITZER­ .com. Cordoba: Paul Nani; Tel: 54-51-715649; LAND; E-mail: 100527.2461@compuserve E-mail: [email protected] • Without manuals: HP 95LX subtract $5; HP 100LX or 200LX subtract $10. .com; or gutleldt@msmail .advd.unibe.ch AUSTRAUA.. Dr. Barry Collins; clo Forensic We'll adjust the price if equipment works but has some significant damage. TURKEY .. G. Ozisik; Tel: (212) 227 52 00; Science Center; Tel: 08-8226-7700; E-mail: col­ Ahmet [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] or HPTurkey; (212) 224 59 25; Fax: (212) 2245939 Accessories AUSTRIA .. Ulrich Hoesch ; Hllesch @hp­ UKRAINE .. Linetskvy V. Oleg; Tel: (051) 36 club.or.at HP Connectivity Pack with cable and manual: 735136 7313; Fax: (051) 244125. BRAZIL .. Marcos L. Pedroza; Tel: 55 84 211 HP100 or 200LX: $15; HP95LX: $5 UNITED KINGDOM .. Isleworth, Middlesex: 6162; E-mail::[email protected] Uncompressed Flash and SRAM cards: Michael A. Brown, MBA Group, Tel: 0181 847 DENMARK- Jesper E. Siig; Tel: 45 49 15 60 3777; Fax: 0181 568 2402. Farnborough, $6.00 per megabyte (e.g., 40 Meg:::$240) 42; Fax: 45 49 16 10 01; E-mail: Hampshire: David Hodges; E-mail : Modem cards, cables, software, chargers, other items: we'll look things [email protected]; Web: [email protected] http1/ourwortd.compuserve.com/homepagesiSii over, but we may not be able to offer much. We'll adjust price as appro­ gihpug.htm priate if accessories come without manuals, or if other items are missing. EGYPT- Mohamed Farag Ahmed; Tel: 20-2- Send equipment to: HP Palmtop Used Equipment, Thaddeus 344-9680; Fax : 20 -2-344-9680; E-mail : UNITED STATES: [email protected] Computing, 110 N. Court, Fairfield, IA 52556, USA. Include a note men­ AZ- Phoenix and Tuscon.. Cory L. Curtis; FRANCE .. Olivier Della Valle; Tel: (1) 43 53 95 Tel: 602-930-9661 ; Fax 602-930-8554; E-mail: tioning this offer with your phone and fax number. If you need to talk with 67; E-mail: 101533.160@compuserve. com 102010.632@compuserve .com or palm­ [email protected] us, you may call, 515-472-6330. You will receive reimbursement within GERMANY .. Eckart Prinz; Phone/Fax: +49 three weeks after we receive the equipment. 6151 376065. CA-Los Angeles .. David Shier; Tel: 805· 371 -9391; Fax: 805-371-9391; E-mail: GERMANY / LUXEMBOURG .. Gilles Kohl; E­ Offer good June 1 - September " 1991 david @shier.com;Webstte: http11www .shier.com mail: 100114.3146 @compuserve.com; Tel: +49 721 69 36 55 (after 6 p.m. Central CA-5an Diego .. Don Williams; Tel: 619-452- European time). 6267 or 619·546-8166; E-mail: [email protected] GREECE .. Athens: Stavros D. Zacharakos; CA-San Francisco .. Conrad Cox; E-mail Tel: (+301) 8050041; Mobile Tel: (+3) 093 254 76164.467 @compuserve.com 717 24hrs.; Fax: (+301 ) 8050041...Galatsi: John Tatsiramos, c/o TAFARM, 'Tel: (01) CO-Oenver .. Bill Hoeltgen; Tel: 303-933- ture on the fax if you have a Forum this August 20-22, 0023; Fax: 303-971 -0347. 29.17.401 ; Fax: (01) 29.28.174. PCX me of your signature. A 1997, in St. Louis, MO. GA-AItanta, .. A.I<. Avasthi, Tel: 770471-1389. HOLLAND/BELGIUM .. Mister G. Dongs; Tel: sample FAX Broadcasting The forum - a "meet­ +31 75 6 704205; E-mail: 74064.173 @com­ K5-Manhattan .. Marietha Wilson; Tel: 913- Program and the C SOURCE ing of the minds" between puserve.com 532-9775. CODE is included so that users top utility company execu­ HONG KONG .. Rm 8, 20/F, Blk B, Wah Kai OH-Cleveland .. Craig de Fasselie, c/o Ind Center, 221 Texaco Rd., Tsuen Wan, Hong MEM, Inc., 4702 East 355th St., Willoughby, can send personalized faxes to a tives and technology ven­ Kong; Tel: 2409 0969; Fax: 2407 0782; E-mail: OH44094. [email protected]. list of fax numbers automatical­ dors - will examine how MA-Boston .. Bryan Krauthamer; Tel: 617- ly, without user intervention. HUNGARY .. Zoltan Matok, ORbitRADE 374-9600 x 197 (work); Fax: 617-374-9620; handheld/mobile hardware Hungary Ltd.; E-mail: zmatok @orbitrade. CompuServe 10: [70444,411. albahu; Tel: 36 22 327 687; Fax: 36 22 327 784. QFAX now has 4 separate par­ and software solutions can Ml-Detroit .. Jeff Zom; Tel: 313-469-1855 or allel versions: DOS, Palmtop, be applied to projects that INDONESIA .. Chris Wibisono : E-mail: Louis Peeples, St. Clair Shores, MI 46080; Tel: Chinese, and Hebrew. face the utility industry. cWjt0630 @dnet.net.ld 313-777-9390. Dirk H. Eversbert, clo P.T. Austindo Mitratama, ME-Orono .. University Palmtop User's Executives and project Mr. Elman Sunarlio, JI. Gunung Sahari 2I6E, Group; E-mail: [email protected]; Web Site: OFAX (HPFAX108.ZIP) managers from a broad Jakarta 10610,INDONESIA. http://www.tree.netlpalmtop Type: Shareware spectrum of water, gas, elec­ ITALY Mr. Andrea Valdre'; MN-Mlnneapoiis .. Beth Silverwater; Tel: Location: - HPHAND, Library 9, E-Mail Tel: 39-6-87295.205; Fax: 39-6-87295-215; 612 -541-5631 ; Fax: 612-541 -5636; Email: tric, cable, and telephone E-mail: [email protected] address: [email protected] . Web­ [email protected] companies will be featured JAPAN .. Georg O. P. Eschert; Tel: 040 12 NJINY-New York .. Stanley Dobrowski; Tel: site: http://wWW.OFAX.COM 06980; Fax: 0249 21 4050. (Languages: 201-807-5857 (work) ; E-mail: speakers at the forum. German, English and Japanese) [email protected] The forum will examine KOREA .. Song, Taejin, M.D.; Tel: 82-11 -317- OK-Oklahoma City .. Richard B. Meek; Tel: various portable and mobile 4288; E-mail: placebo @chollian.dacom.co.kr 405-842-1267. computing solutions that MEXICO .. Francisco Bricio; Tel: (3) 684 1317; SC-Charleston .. Ron Rivers, P.O. Box CONFERENCES E-mail: 74174.1442 @compuserve.com can cut costs and improve 31284, Charteston, SC 29417-1284; Tel: 800- NEW ZEALAND .. David Lawrence; 2/8 864-8444; CompuServe 10: [75023,44]. service. Adrienne Place, Royal Oak, Auckland 1006; TX-tfouston .. Houston Area Palmtop Users New Zealand ; Tel: 64-9-634-2089; E-mail: Group; Tel : 713-777-0868; E-mail : Utility Industry katana @palmtop.com or: [email protected] [email protected] CONTACT: For more information, call Handheld Forwn PANAMA / LATIN AMERICA .. Aviran Yanir; Washington, DC .. Rick Shaddock, c/o World Market Strategies, Ltd.lPDA Inc., Tel: 507 4410442; Fax: 507-441-0473; E-mail: Computer Instructors Corporation, Tel: 703- 4309 17th Street, San Francisco, CA [email protected] Handheld and mobile com­ 466-2222; E-mail: [email protected] 94114 U.S.A.; Phone: 415-252-8008; PHILIPPINES .. Cartos: Caliwara; Tel: (632) WA-Bellevue .. Suzanne Ow; E-mail: puting will be the focus of E-mail: [email protected] 8906229 to 36, extensions 120 & 121; Fax: [email protected] (632) 9285635;E-mail: [email protected] the third annual Utility Website: www.pda-expo.com WEST INDIES-Ian Melville; Tel: 809-658- Industry Handheld & PDA PORTUGAL .. PPTUG; Phone/Fax: 351-1 - 3452; E-mail: [email protected]

4 THE HP PALMTOP PAPER JULY / AUGUST 1997 NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS

The First Annual Bear Mountain Palmtop Meeting

What happens when 29 enthusiasts gather for the weekend in a state park to share their love for the HP Palmtops?

If you would find it strange to see a man standing on a boulder on the peak of a mountain holding a eel phone, a modem, an HP 200LX, and trailing assorted wires (while attempting to send a message to a woman who is standing right in front of him), then perhaps you have never been to a palmtop gath­ ering. If eating lunch amid a welter of wires and widgets, with 28 other folks, all enthusiastically talking at once about their newest, favorite electronic gadgets and goodies sounds like your kind of eccentrici­ ty, seek out a Palmtop Users Group. On the weekend of May 10th & 11 th, 29 aficionados of the HP 95LX, 100LX and 200LX handheld computers, along with assorted spouses, children and friends" gathered at the Bear Mountain Inn, in Bear Mountain State Park, on the banks of the Hudson River in New Left to right: Larry Finch holding a cell phone up in the air; York State. Stan Dobrowski holding a palmtop; Ray Kump. The meeting was arranged by Vic Roberts and Stan Dobrowski, representing the NY /NJ Users ABOUT THE AUTHOR Group. This was an unusually large number, as most arranged Linda Worthington is a native New Englander, living in Maryland. She is a fly fisherman and loves hiking, pho­ get-togethers consist of perhaps tographyand computing. Linda's company, LOW-TECH, six to ten people, more or less. The is designed to help people choose and use portable com­ prospect of a Spring day in the puters. She also uses computers to do extensive volunteer woods of New York, meeting each conservation-related work for several organizations. She other, in many cases for the first can be reached at [email protected]

THEHPPALMTOPPAPER JULY / AUGUST 1997 5 NEWS: Bear Mountain Palmtop Meeting palmtops wonderfully. A gathering Where there's a DoubleSloe~ there's a way ... is an ideal way to demonstrate to one another some of the innova­ To use 2 PC Cards at the same time - even copy files between Cards tions we have discovered or devel­ To run multiple PC Card products - SRAM, oped for ourselves. fax/modem, memory cards, etc. '. " ,.' " Late in the afternoon some To connect Type I, II and III Cards - even a members drifted away to make the Type II and III at the same time long drive home; others lingered, To externally power PCMCIA Cards - for not wanting the day to end. those power hungry PCMCIA peripherals Incidentally, Stan was the man on To run ATA flash cards and hard drives­ the mountain; he and Fred climbed like the notebooks can! it that morning. We Palmtoppers DoubleSlot, PCMCIA Slot Expander - have many other interests, too, and reaching new heights of performance for your HP Palmtop. we love to talk about those as well! There are impromptu gather­ Add the Travel F1oppy™to your Palmtop ... ings here and there, all over the world, usually arranged with little World's smallest 3.5" floppy drive notice via the Fireside Section of PCMCIA, type II compatible the Handheld Forum on For Palmtops or other DOSlWindows CompuServe, often when a mem­ computers ber is coming to an area on busi­ Use it to transfer files, archive, or run ness or for pleasure. Users Groups programs directly from disk hold meetings that are more for­ Portable like your Palmtop - goes anywhere mally arranged, and members are Uses inexpensive 1.44 Mb or 720K diskettes notified via e-mail and the Forums. Palmtoppers can, and do, get .=:-A ""'r~ 'J'~~® 48460 Lakeview Blvd, Fremont, CA 94538-6532 together with little reason and on ~ ...... , .... .=:- ~\";"\";"".&U'£.::J (510) 668-4900 FAX: (510) 668-4905 very short notice, always happy to T E C H N 0 LOG I E SIN C. [email protected] http://www.accurite.com talk to another believer about the beautiful little computers that share and order our lives. I have time, after months and years of to the considerable dismay of oth­ even "joined" a tiny group via "conversations" in the Handheld ers! One of my best finds is the speaker phone on one occasion! Forums of CompuServe, proved Grip-It Strip, a rough self-sticking In the case of The First Annual too much to resist. material which, when applied to Bear Mountain Meeting, judging the edges of a palmtop or a by the enthusiastic reactions portable computer, efficiently before, during and after, I think we Everyone had items to con­ keeps it from slipping from your can look forward to the Second tribute to Show and Tell hands. Annual Bear Mountain Meeting. I, When the dining room closed, for one, certainly hope so! Fred Kaufman, visiting his home we adjourned to the grounds and Stan and Vic: have you set the state from Seattle, WA, brought reconvened the meeting on three date yet? with him the newest member of the picnic tables. Stan sent another Hewlett-Packard handheld family, message, this time to the Forum, a WinCE 320LX, whose green while Larry Finch held the cell Pricing and Contact glowing backlit screen elicited phone high to catch a stronger sig­ Information for products Oooo's and awe. We might have nal. Spouses hovered, children mentioned in this article been holding our palmtopping played beneath the trees and on future ... time will tell. every horizontal surface palmtop­ All prices are manufacturer's suggested I brought my HP OmniBook pers shared software via I.R. ports, retail price. It may be possible to purchase 800CT, whose beautiful bright demonstrated more gadgets and the product for less at third-party vendors. screen and superb keyboard, traded tall tales and tech tips. speed, sound and light weight We all have favorite applica­ Grip-it Strips Better Hold Products, Inc.; Orders: (800) charmed Vic into making that final tions on our LXs, and individual 854-4828,' FaX" (415) 851-2288,' e-mail." ira­ decision to buy one. I displayed a ideas about how to use them. [email protected]; home page: http://ww neat little portable light, too ... but I Many of the tools and toys that we could not remember where I got it, add to our collections augment our w.griP-I!.com/

6 THEHPPALMTOPPAPER JULY / AUGUST 1997 OW TO USE YOUR PALMTOP USER PROFILE A Busy Plastics Manufacturer Uses Palmtops to Help Control Costs By connecting a serial cable between an HP lOOLX and a high-quality Setra scale, this company has streamlined its data collection process. By Joe Goeke

As the Administrative Projects I "r.... ~' ...... ~ ... _~,_~_,tc.".". Manager of a busy plastic parts manu­ - facturer in northern Arkansas, I am Baud ~arit.y: [ Adyanced ... ) constantly thinking of different ways 0 300 0 4800 0 38400 : !il~~"i . D [Da a Bit.s to automate our processes and meth­ 0 1200 @ "IFI~nl 0 57600 d 7 @ 8 [ Phone ... ) 0 2400 0 192000 115200 I ods of data collection. I deal with [St.OP Bit.s [ Default.s ) @ 1 0 2 I many different employees who are i:nt.erface OK @ COl'll Qpen ... I less than computer literate and who 0 Alt.ernat.e [ I I o COl'l2 0 Infrared need an easy way of collecting data [ Save As ... ) [ Cancel I that is also easy to learn. The HP 9SLX ~ 1I!Em!IDI~ and 100LX are the perfect tools for the -~ type of data we gather on a daily basis. Screen 1: Datacomm's Settings screen is accessed by opening Datacomm and pressing (MENU) Connect Settings. In the beginning Using the HP Connectivity from the scale to the palmtop via Pack and Datacomm to satisfy the COM port. The HP 9SLX was initially used at our customers We first set up the scale to our company to help organize the transmit at 9,600 baud. Next, we set daily routines of some of the We also use the HP Connectivity the HP 100LX to transfer data upper-level management people Pack and desktop computers to between the scale and the palmtop. while they were away from the transfer and manipulate data from We open the Datacomm applica­ plant on business. From there, the the HP 100LX. When one of our tion and press (MENU) .connect, use of the palmtop spread to differ­ major customers needed SPC Settings to go to Datacomm's ent people and departments within (Statistical Process Control) data to Settings screen. (See Screen 1 on the company (myself included). We accompany each shipment made to previous page.) found that the HP 9SLX was per­ them, the HP 100LX was the ideal We set the baud rate to 9,600, fect for use in the quote depart­ tool to gather the data. The cus­ leave the rest of the default settings ment. (The quote department fig­ tomer requires that we send the alone and press (ENTER) to return ures the cost of tooling and produc-, individual weight of each piece we to Datacomm's main screen. Then tion for each customer's order.) send, measured in grains. Using a we press (FS) (Capture), which Using the Lotus 1-2-3 application, Setra SOOC electronic scale fitted brings up the "Capture File" we wrote a simple macro that with an RS-232 port, we can weigh screen. greatly increased our response time each item and transfer the data Then we enter a file name for when quoting new jobs. The palm­ top is the perfect tool to use in this area because of its low cost as com­ pared to a full-sized, full-function ABOUT THE AUTHOR desktop computer. The unit is reli­ Joe Goeke is the Administrative Projects Manager at Micro able and easy to use, and transfer­ Plastics, Inc,. in Flippin, Arkansas. He has been with the compa­ ring a macro from a desktop com­ ny for 15 years and has served in several different pOSitions, including Production Scheduling/Shipping Manager and puter was a snap using the connec­ Molding Supervisor. He can be reached by e-mail at jgoeke@cen­ tivity kit. turyin ter .net

THEHPPALMTOPPAPER JULY / AUGUST 1997 7 Knowledge Products From Thaddeus

The HP Palmtop Paper "The HP Palmtop Paper has saved me countless hours offrustration" - Steve Mitchell Subscribe Today! Included with your subscription are the following one time bonuses: e Best Tips e PC Card Review e Subscriber PowerDisk Order back issues of The HP Palmtop Paper while they last Like the HP Palmtop? There's plenty of useful information already published. HP 95LX users will especially benefit from thirteen 1991-93 issues, and HP lOOLX and HP 200LX The HP Palmtop Paper users will appreciate the eighteen 1994-96 issues. Included is a Subscriber PowerDisk.

rfliL-f__ R_ a_n_d_h_el_d__p c_M_a-"-g_azt__en_e__ --' Interested in Microsoft's new Windows CE operating system? What better way to stay on top of it than with a magazine from the publishers of The HP Palmtop Paper?

Subscription includes: • 6 bi-monthly issues, the annual Handheld PC Magazine Windows CE Buyer's Guide, Special Report: 12 Important Things Every Handheld PC Handheld PC Magazine User Should Know • Handheld PC Magazine's Goodies Disk containing the 20 best Windows CE -based freeware/shareware games, utilities, and applications.

Handheld PC Bonuses The HP Palmtop Paper ON DISK Get all the great freeware and shareware you read about in each issue of The HP Palmtop Paper. This invaluable supplement to The HP Palmtop Paper also contains detailed informa­ tion from advertisers plus the full text of The HP Palmtop Paper for text search. PLUS: Each year we compile the best palmtop tips and the best freeware and share­ "Best Tips ON DISK" comes free with The HP Palmtop Paper ON DISK subscription ware and put it on two 1.44 Meg floppy disks. Included FREE with your The HP Palmtop Paper ON DISK subscription, or can be purchased separately.

Thaddeus COfllputing INC. Publisher: Tbe HP Palmtop Paper and Halldbeld PC Magazine 110 North Court, Fairfield, IA 52556 800-373-6114 • 1-515-472-6330 Fax: 1-515-472-1879' E-Mail: [email protected] continued on page 29 HOW TO: Plactics manufacturer uses palmtops the captured data anti press (ENTER). At this point the palmtop should be back to the main Datacomm screen and ready to be hooked up to the scale. We connect the 100LX to the scale using the HP Connectivity Pack's serial cable. The scale has a 25-pin RS-232 port on the back of it, and the cable uses a 9-pin connector, so we use the 9- pin-to-25-pin modem adapter that comes in the connectivity kit (HP part #5181-6642). When we press the (FlO) (Connect) key, the palmtop and the scale are connected to each other. Using the Capture feature in the Datacomm application, data trans­ fer is easy and straightforward. No additional software is required to connect the scale and the palmtop; all the features we require are built into the palmtop. Next, we send an upper case This scale from Setra Systems, Inc., can easily be set up to send its data to an "P" from the palmtop to the scale. HP palmtop through the HP Connectivity Pack's serial cable. (It is the scale that is anticipating the "P" character; the character has After the first 100 entries are weight entries from grams to nothing to do with Datacomm or transferred to the spreadsheet, we grains. With this setup, data can be the palmtop.) The "P" character go back to the Datacomm applica­ gathered from virtually anywhere instructs the scale to send its cur­ tion and collect another 100 sample in the plant without regard to how rent weight reading to the comput­ weights. (We ship the product in to get the samples to an available er screen. (For example, if the scale barrels that contain several thou­ computer. display reads 1.168 grams, pressing sand pieces per barrel. The cus­ the (P) key on the palmtop causes tomer requires 100 samples from Moving inventory to a new "1.168" to be sent to the palmtop's each barrel and each column repre­ warehouse screen.) sents one barrel.) The data is trans­ Each piece is weighed individ­ ferred into the same spreadsheet, We have also used the 100LX in ually and the data is sent to the in the column next to the first one. other areas of the factory where palmtop immediately, one piece at The process is repeated until all of data collection was a problem. We a time. On the palmtop, each the 100 piece samples have been recently moved our shipping facili­ piece's measurement appears on its recorded for the day. ty to a new warehouse, and we own line, placing the data in col- ' The spreadsheet is then given were faced with the problem of set­ umn fashion. a name that corresponds with the ting up a new computerized stock After gathering 100 samples date the data was gathered. At this location system. This system allows from the production run, the data time, the HP 100LX is taken to a us to locate any item in inventory is then placed into a simple Lotus desktop computer and the spread­ by entering the part's name or 1-2-3 spreadsheet in the 100LX. sheet is loaded into it via the HP identification number. This is done by pressing (MENU) Connectivity Pack at 115,200 baud, Our stock location system uses Quit, to close Datacomm. (All the making data transfer very quick. three numbers to identify the row, data collected so far has been saved The Connectivity Pack software bay, and shelf that the boxes are in SAMPLE.CAP.) Then we start 1- makes downloading data into the located on. For example, location 2-3 and press (MENU) File, Import, desktop computer easy and fast. number 010503 refers to row 1, bay Numbers, type in the name of the After the data is downloaded, the 5, shelf 3. We enter the item num­ file to import (SAMPLE.CAP in spreadsheet is then opened on the ber in the spreadsheet, then enter this example) and press (ENTER). desktop computer, and a simple the location number of the item. formula is used to convert the

THE HP PALMTOP PAPER JULY / AUGUST 1997 9 HOW TO: Plactics manufacturer uses palmtops stations. The palmtops have Finally, true data Syctronization enough power to handle most of the data collection jobs that we can between your HP Palmtop and your pc. think of. Their portability and use of standard" AA" batteries are another definite plus when consid­ IntelliSYmr for the H P 200LX ering them against most other data collection methods. The palmtop's tI' Full synchronization or data transfer with a portability also allows us to use a wide range of popular PC applications: computer in an warehouse envi­ Microsc!/i Scbedllle+ 7.0, 7. 0a ronment where a regular computer Lotlls Olgal1 izer 2. 1 dBl 1 NetMal10ge ECCO 3.03 would not be feasible. Sidekick 95 'n, Sidekick/or Windows 1.0, 2.0 'n, 'n, Our use of palmtops also saves Day-Timer Organizer 2.0, 2.1 us money. We can use one palmtop Noll' Up-to-Date/vr Willcioll'S 1. 51 a nd 95 , computer to gather SPC data for an tI' Import and Export to more applications! hour in the morning, then use the same palmtop to do stock locations tI' Import to the HP 200LX from popular PDAs and palmtops the rest of the day. It is more cost tI' Automatically resolve conflicts between the ~ 200LX and your PC effective to have one $600 unit tI' Keep important information safe with built-in Backup and Restore functions being used for two different jobs in one day, than to have two $2,000- tI' Maintain up-to-date information on your HP Call to order today! 200LX and your PC dollar desktop units being used for tI' Runs under Windows 95, Windows NT, an hour or so each day and sitting Windows for Workgroups, and Windows 3.1 e.WIl1£l unused for the rest of the day. 2940 N. First St. Sa n Jose, CA 9';117 FREE connecting PC serial cable Tel: (800) 248·2795 included ($20.00 value)! Fax: (802) 6S8·l991 Palmtops are an ideal choice Tech Support, (60~) 888-0666 http://www.pumatech.com The extraordinary portability, All company :lnd product Il.IlI1('S 011<' trademark!> or llll'ir Il'spcctivl' C()III I );lIlk~ I,(,,,tures listed here arc COITre! al time Orprcs\, but su~jcct to change without notice. power, and low cost of the HP 95LX .and 100LX make the palmtop an With over 14,000 boxes in the umn spreadsheet was set up in ideal choice in the manufacturing warehouse that needed to be indi­ each palmtop to enter each box sector. With the built-in features vidually entered into the location location along with the correspond­ and the ease of connecting them to system, we were faced with a huge ing item number. For example: desktop units, the HP palmtops are task. Each box had to be verified a sure bet for gathering data, and and its location entered into our Item # Location for on-the-go record keeping. I am AS-400 minicomputer system. Each 010632P025 010207 constantly amazed that there is a terminal on this network is in a 17W02300 231002 product on the market that boasts fixed location and cannot be 22CC50D0250 190804 the power that the HP palmtop pos­ moved easily. We were faced with sesses, and which runs on batteries the task of walking through the After only a few minutes of that are cheap and readily available. warehouse and manually writing instruction for the inventory team, down the box number and location the data collecting began. Each per­ on paper, and then at a later time son collecting data had to learn entering those numbers into the only six keystrokes to enter the Pricing and Contact AS-400. We have tried several data, and eight keystrokes to save Information for products times to use wireless terminals to the data. At the end of the day, I mentioned in this article gather and enter data directly into backed up each spreadsheet one our minicomputer system, but the final time and then dumped each All prices are manufacturer's suggested metal buildings at our facility spreadsheet into a desktop com­ retail price. It may be possible to purchase the product for less at third-party vendors. caused so much interference in the puter. The files were then translat­ signals that the data was unreliable ed into ASCII format and loaded Setra sooe scale· $2,12S.00 and difficult to transmit. into the AS-400 minicomputer sys­ Setra Systems, Inc.; 159 Swanson Road, The HP 95LX and 100LX, with tem. Boxborough, MA 01719, USA; Phone: 508- 263-1400, or 800-257-3872; E-mail: the built-in Lotus 1-2-3 application, The HP 95LX and 100LX are a [email protected]; Internet: www.setr proved to be the perfect portable low-cost alternative to buying sta­ a.com tools for the job. A simple two-col- tionary, single-use computer work

10 THEHPPALMTOPPAPER JULY/AUGUST 1997 W TO USE YOUR PALMTOP Using Your Palmtop to Read Newspapers on the Web

Early each morning while this user sleeps, an alarm in Appointments runs a batch file which causes his modem-equipped palmtop to go online. All automatically, front page articles from The Wall Street TournaI and The New York Times are downloaded via the Internet to his palmtop.

By Ray Kump

Many years ago when I got my first available with acCIS. The scripting (NEWS.BAT) before I wake up. I palmtop, the HP 95LX, I subscribed was cumbersome, as the format on plug my palmtop into the modem to The HP Palmtop Paper. The CompuServe kept changing, and I and turn on the modem before I go majority of the articles would make missed the depth that the newspa­ to bed the night before. The batch reference to the HPHAND forum pers provided. file, using GET.COM and on CompuServe. I would log onto The only thing missing was WWW /LX, goes online and down­ HPHAND every Saturday and reading The Wall Street Journal and loads the Web pages to my flash print the forum messages for the The New York Times on my palm­ disk. The front pages of each sec­ past week. top. I felt eliminating the daily pile tion have the same Web address I did not want to be tied to a of newspapers and the newsprint each day, making this process easy. computer screen and a desk to read ink from my fingers would make The NEWS. BAT file down­ the messages, so I printed it on sense, but until recently there were loads the front pages of the differ­ paper. I thought there had to be a no options. ent sections of The Wall Street better way than wasting the paper Journal. Each article is summarized and toner, but there were no other WWW/LX by a few sentences and references options yet. the full article as a separate Web After a few months I noticed a With WWW /LX, HV, and page. While I have my morning program called acCIS, which per­ GET.COM I was finally able to coffee I use HV to read the down­ mitted offline reading of the forum read The Wall Street Journal on my loaded Web pages. By reading or messages with the 95LX. It was palmtop. I am actually able to read scanning the summaries on each shareware, so I gave it a try. The many different publications, such front page I am able to get a sum­ only problem was lack of mass as Business Week, The New York mary of the day's news. I select storage on my HP 95LX; I only had' Times, and others. When I wake up those articles where I want the full a small 256K SRAM card, so I used in the morning I have The Wall story and details. The articles will my portable Drive95 battery-oper­ Street Journal and The New York be downloaded when I have fin­ ated floppy drive. It was not an ele­ Times waiting for me. I created an ished the summaries. The New York gant solution, so I stayed with alarm which runs a batch file Times is similar. Some of the sec- paper. A little while later acCIS became a commercial product with ABOUT THE AUTHOR more robustness, and I purchased a I-meg SRAM memory card. It was Raymond J. Kump, c.P.A., graduated from Hofstra University 1'Iith a B.B.A. in public accounting and joined the firm of Coopers perfect timing and I began my & Lybrand at their New Your City office. In 1983 he started his offline reading of the CompuServe own practice, Kump Associates C.P.A., P.c., 111 Smithtown HPHAND forum. I added the AP Bypass, Suite 207, Hauppauge, NY 11788. He and his wife Newswire Online and TIME maga­ Marianna and their two sons are all HP Palmtop users. You can zine to my list via the scripting reach Ray at 516-360-3215 or on CompuServe at [71773,1274].

THEHPPALMTOPPAPER JULY/ AUGUST 1997 11 HOW TO: Reading newspapers on the Web point your browser to www.wsj.com. For The New York Times , point your browser to www.nytimes.com.

How it all works

Maybe I should explain how the different pieces work together. There are three different programs. WWW /LX is a communication platform which dials your Internet provider and provides the commu­ nication backbone. It is basically , transparent to the user. HV is a program which permits you to view Web Pages online (using WWW /LX) and offline as well. GET.COM is a program which uses Futura 50 $44.95 TIWr pnu:tiul1llOl_ CdS. Is _I",. WWW/LX to retrieve Web pages ",.,. ~.It 1wI4r ""'_ cnditClllYls, PCMClA citrtU 1IIOl« Mo. BImu: riu you have selected with HV and 1"" stores them on your palmtop. You ~DbDtadaDI: Fbbu'a SO: 6.8!r' X 4.15" X L50" (17.!X 10.8 X 3.1 aDI ) then view those pages offline with HV. GET.COM also does one very important thing. It fixes the Web Links on the page. The Links are relative to the current page, and when you are online it links you Futura 60 $54.95 ProUct JOur palmtop with this smalllllOl appropriately. When the file is beautiful dual sectWn ClUe. 11 comu with IJ notepad and 0. plllce to stoN! SptJTe .saved to the A drive (as when you .-'::::;;,m::tlf:c!:!::i.llUJn." trIIlIIJ are reading a downloaded article) • DimeaaloDs: 6.5" X 3.15" X 1.75" (16.5 X 9.5 X 4.4cms) the link would reference the A drive and not the actual full Web address. GET.COM fixes the rela­ E & B Company tive Web links to a fixed Web link 735 Sunrise Avenue 8alte 200 when it saves the files to the drive E~ Roseville, CA USA 95661 USA: 1·800·896·CASE (2273) International: 916·344·5047 <&>~ 30 DAY MONEY BACK GUARANTEE during the download process. In Fax: 916·782·9306 In Europe: 49·7457·7773 (voice & fax) order to read a Web page and mark .:;,=_iIIl In Germany: 07457·7773 (voice & fax) Price. do not include 5bippiog &: h i nd ling. We b Site: http://w w w.e bea ses. com California orders please add 7 .25" u lel tI l[ links for further downloading, the page must be retrieved with tions contain summaries and the the articles while yoti are online. GET.COM. If you save the page reference to the full article, and The Wall Street Journal is a paid while actually online using FlO to some sections contain only the subscription Web site. The cost is save the page, the links will not be headline or title with the reference $49.00 per year. If you already sub­ properly updated and the link will to the full page. scribe to the paper version you get point to the A drive, instead of an When I am done reading the a discount on the Web version. The actual Web address. front pages I go back online using New York Times is free, but requires The directory structure I use GETART.BAT to download the you to register. Business Week does keeps things in order and helps new articles (Web pages) I wish to not require any registration. I have identify where to find different read. I then use HV to read these noticed that many Web sites do not pages on my flash disk. I keep new articles. By automating the require any registration or fee. WWW /LX and GET.COM in download process with the batch The best way to register is to A: \ WWW. I keep HV and its relat­ files and GET.COM, you save a log on with a full-featured desktop ed programs and the GETDAT file tremendous amount of time, as Web Browser of your choice, as HV in A:\HV. I keep the Wall Street compared to reading the sum­ does not handle the registration Journal articles in A:\HV\WSJ. I maries and selecting and reading pages. For The Wall Street Journal , keep The New York Times articles in

12 THEHPPALMTOPPAPER JULY/AUGUST 1997 EDIT.COM from Dos 5 or 6. Memo Batch File and Data File Load Newspaper Pages will work if you set the right mar­ gin big enough so that it does not I use the following batch file and '.dal file to load the main pages of The Wall Street force any line wraps. Journaland The New York Times each morning. Each line should begin with HTIP and should be on one line, with no line wrapping. The sidebar on this page con­ tains the actual content of the batch NEWS.BAT and data files. a: I read, using HV, the front ccflwww pages of the different sections and www "!get a:\www\news.daf' select the articles I would like to read by pointing to the reference NEWS.OAT and pressing (Fn) (Copy) and giv­ http://www.wsj.com/edition/currenVsummaries/front.htma:\hv\wsj\Front.htm ing it a file name. The pages have http://www.wsj.com/edition/currenVsummaries/editorl . htma:\hv\ws~EdFront.htm http://www.wsj.com/edition/currenVsummaries/money.htma:\hv\wsj\MoneyFr.htm summaries of the articles. By just http://www.wsj.com/edition/currenVsummaries/politics.htma:\hv\wsj\PolitiFR.htm reading the front pages of The Wall http://www.wsj.com/edition/currenVsummaries/media.htma:\hv\wsj\Mediafr.htm Street Journal you get a good feel http://www.wsj.com/edition/currentisummaries/law.htma:\hv\wsj\LawFront.htm for the news of the day. I set my http://www.wsj.com/edition/currentisummaries/marketpl.htma:\hv\ws~rktplfr.htm cache directory to a:\hv\ wsj so http://www.wsj.com/edition/currenVsummaries/tech.htma:\hv\wsj\techfr.htm that path pops up automatically http://www.news.coma:\hv\wsj\cnet.htm when file name is requested. It is http://www.aetv.com/cgi-bin/schedule.pla:\hv\wsMEtoday.HTM important to make the file name http://www.nytimes.com/info/contents/contents.hlmla:\hv\nytconI.HTM descriptive so that you read the http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/fronVquick.htmla:\hv\nyt\nytfront.HTM http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/cyberlindexcyber.htmla:\hv\nyt\cyber.HTM important articles first. http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/news/worldla:\hv\nyt\inti.HTM http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/news/nalional/a:\hv\nyt\nalional.HTM A&E, CNN, and Business Week http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/news/washpol/a:\hv\nyt\politic.HTM http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/news/financial/a:\hv\nyt\financ.HTM You will note that I also have a reference for the A&E schedule for the day, and the computer news the A: \HV\NYT. At the end of the HTTP://WWW.WSJ.COM Web site. You could also add the day I delete all the articles I have xxxx:yyyy CNN (www.cnn.com) news site read, to make room for the next and others to suit your news pref­ day. I also move the unread arti­ There is one very important point erence. Once a week I download cles to another directory, using the to make regarding the *.DAT files. the Business Week table of contents date as part of the file name. The Memo inserts spaces when you from www.businessweek.com/c unread articles from June 15 would edit the *.DAT file, due to the long ontents.htm and select the articles I be in A:\HV\WSJ0615. If after a lines without spaces. I set memo to want to read. few days I have not read the arti­ 120 characters per line before load­ To retrieve the articles I have cles, I delete them. Just like with ing the *.DAT file. Memo causes a selected I use the following batch the print version, you have to problem because the file names file. It uses the GETDAT file which admit defeat and toss the old and paths could not have spaces, was created by the (Fn) (Copy) papers for recycling. , and memo added them when edit­ selection. After I have the articles The Wall Street Journal and The ing with 64 or 80 column widths, downloaded I delete the GET.DAT New York Times both require you to and the line wrapped on the right file, since I no longer need it and enter a username and a password. margin. Why? I don't know. This is do not need to download the arti­ GET.COM works with authentica­ very important to remember as cles a second time. GETART tion, using a file called GET.AUT to GET.COM will hang with the extra stands for GET ARTicle. store the required information. I space which Memo adds to long use the following format in the lines when it wraps the text to the GETART.BAT GET.AUT with xxxx as the user­ next line. I use EDIT.COM from www "!get a:\hv\get.dat" name and yyyy as the password. my desktop to edit the *.DAT files. You can create this file with Memo. I use the EDIT. COM from Win95 Be selective when choosing the because it permits multiple files to articles you download, consider GET.AUT be open at the same time, so I can how much time you have, and HTTP://WWW.NYTIMES.COM cut and paste among them easily choose accordingly. If you do not xxxx:yyyy when editing. You can use get to the article, I suggest you

THEHPPALMTOPPAPER JULY / AUGUST 1997 13 HOW TO: Reading newspapers on the Web scan the articles when reading the print version, and initially I did not scan the articles at all when read­ ing on the palmtop. I would read every word of each article I down­ loaded. Now that I learned to do more scanning on the palmtop .. Motorola Wireless Modem screen, I get through the news much faster and still read the full .. Wireless E-Mail text when I need to. If the article is not interesting or informative I no .. Wireless Faxing longer feel compelled to read every word. There are also references in .. Nationwide Paging The Wall Street Journal pages to other sites, such as governmental .. Wireless Internet Access reports and their full text, if you need them. I find The Wall Street Journal to be the best site. I proba­ bly get most of my news that way. Although the articles come from ConectUS Wireless the print version, the Web site adds Your wireless connection to the world many "Web specific" features. Phone 1-800-350-0373 • Fax 805-494-3799 www.conectus.com Pricing and Contact Information for products All prices are manufacturer's suggested retail price. It may be possible to purchase COMMUNIC ATl ON~r~ Y the product for less at third-party vendors.

WWW/LX • $119.00 (includes the Web browser, as well as Post/LX, a program described in this issue's New Products section). Wireless Messaging Kit includes: • Motorola Personal MessengerTM 100D wireless modem and HP" software Shier Systems & Software, Inc., 920 • 1 OOkb of wireless two-way messaging · Free activation Hampshire Road, Suite A, Westlake Village, ' cost $69.95 per month, 24-month contract applies Subscriber owns modem after 24 months of service CA 91361, USA; Phone: 805-371-9391; Fax: 805-371-9454; E-mail: [email protected]

Rundel Datentechnik, Rappenstr. 20, 73033 Goeppingen, Germany; Phone: +49-7161- delete it, or scan it briefly if the from the radio station Web site, tax 14707; Fax: +49-7161-24473; E-mail: topic is important for later reading. forms and instructions and other [email protected] business information I need from It's no different than with the print Shareware/freeware version, when you finally admit my palmtop. HV does permit you you will not get to that stack and to view graphics inside the docu­ HV.ZIP - View Web pages on the palmtop. you bundle it for recycling. ment, but I generally use it with the Freeware. D&A Software; Phone: 818-341- graphics turned off. The process is 1188; Web: www.dasoft.com Available on I average about 200K to 400K this issue's HP Palmtop Paper ON DISK. of disk space for the articles, etc., much faster without the graphics, for one day. I usually delete the but even with graphics turned on it GET.ZIP - Lets you download Web pages front pages before I retrieve the is much faster than logging on with on the palmtop. Shareware. D&A Software; Phone: 818-341-1188; Web: www.das articles, to save disk space. my desktop browser. oft.com Available on this issue's HP The most recent versions of I now get to read my paper the Palmtop Paper ON DISK. HV and GET.COM are at the D&A first thing in the morning, and I do home page (www.dasoft.com) with not have to wait for the mail deliv­ NEWS.ZIP - The batch file (NEWS.BAT) and data file (NEWSDA T) that the author uses to instructions for their setup and use. ery. Although reading the newspa­ load newspaper pages (see sidebar, p. I have used this combination to per on the palmtop was difficult at 13).Available on this issue's HP Palmtop download the concert schedule first, I quickly learned to adapt. I Paper ON DISK

14 THE HP PALMTOP PAPER JULY / AUGUST 1997 OW TO USE YOUR PALMTOP Connecting a Zip Drive and an IDE Hard Drive to Your Palmtop Exchange information between a Zip drive and the palmtop and its PCMCIA flash card directly, using DoubleSlot.

By Tom Boyles

How important is backing up your palmtop? When you lose some important data, you'll know the frustration of not having a backup. On the other hand, maybe you are great at taking the time to mak­ ing the back up of your palmtop. But what happens when you are away from that backup archive you've made and you lose impor­ tant data? You may as well not have made the back up at all! What good is a backup when it's not available to you when you need it? Wouldn't it be great if there was a way to make a backup of The H45 Technology IDE Hard Drive Kit (at far right) is connected to the Zip drive, which is your palmtop no matter where you being powered by the BTi Zip Drive Battery Pack on its right side. The cable from the Zip drive are? Sitting in a car, waiting in an leads to the TransDigital Parallel Card, which is plugged into DoubleSlot. DoubleSlot, in turn, is plugged into the HP 200LX palmtop. airport, or even in your hotel room. With important data being created on your palmtop, the risk of losing solution for the existing problem of level! that data is a risk you will no making a backup and having it This article describes the hard­ longer need to take. Completely available when you need it. Defy ware, software and set-up of a few that version of Murphy's Law that back up everything on your palm, incredible computer components would probably be something like, top (including the C: drive and any that together make a very impres­ "When you need to restore your sive portable backup solution. (See and all memory cards) in a single, data, your backup files will be very portable solution that will pay sidebar on page 17 for step-by-step 1,500 miles away." Plus, this is a hardware instructions.) itself off in purchase dollars and solution that will lower your stress set-up time. When you have a backup with you to recover that important data, the hardware described in this arti­ cle will be as important as your ABOUT THE AUTHOR palmtop itself. Even the extra few Tom Boyles is a Technical Support Engineer for the Apex Data pieces of hardware you will carry Products Division of SMART Modular TechnolOgies. He special­ with you will be worth it when the izes in electronic communications and handles the support for all PDAs and handheld PCs. Of all the handheld PCs used in work loss of data does not send you into and play, he considers the 200LX the best on the market. He can a panic attack. It's the 1990s, and be reached at [email protected] or at his Web page at: we need better solutions. Here is a http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley / Way / 6215

THEHPPALMTOPPAPER JULY / AUGUST 1997 15 HOW TO: Connecting a ZIP drive will need is Accurite's DoubleSlot DoubleSlot can accommodate for the HP Palmtop. This peripher­ many combinations of cards, like a al is a palmtop owner's dream modem and a memory card, or come true, since it gives your palm­ even Type III hard drives (with a top two PCMCIA slots. With the separately available AC adapter DoubleSlot in the palmtop, the par­ from Accurite). The Zip drive, of allel card in the top slot of the course, can be used for desktops DoubleSlot, and your regular mem­ and laptops for backup and stor­ ory card that you use in your palm­ age, etc. All are well worth the top in the bottom slot, you are investment! ready to back it ALL up.

Connecting an H45 Technology The software IDE hard drive kit

The drivers needed for the above Also as a additional hardware idea, hardware come with the associated take a look at H45 Technology's peripherals. As mentioned, the TSR IDE hard drive kit, called "Quick driver to load the parallel card is Drive." This kit, which comes in an on the card itself. The drivers to attractive box (along with the nec­ load the DoubleSlot (explained in essary hardware), allows you to the user guide) is on the connect a standard 3.5" IDE hard DoubleSlot itself, in ROM. With drive to your computer through a access to the A: drive in the same parallel cable! way as the parallel card, the driver With the included cable, you Pretec Electronics Corp. can be copied to your C: \ drive can connect a hard drive to the Zip (510)-440-8514 and loaded as a device driver at drive, and then load the included http;//www.pretec.com boot-up. The driver to load for the DOS driver to have access to an Zip drive comes on an install IDE hard drive on your palmtop! diskette with the Zip drive. No The IDE drive operates at a much need to search the Web or online faster read/write access time than The Hardware services for drivers - the manu­ a Zip drive, but weighs a bit more. facturers knew how to make it Plus, the H45 Quick Drive kit must The hard ware you will need is quick and easy! (Make sure and be powered by AC. But the ability simple. In fact, you may already consult each manufacturer's user's to access a 420 Mb hard drive is own a parallel port Zip drive. If guide for proper installation of the incredible! (The 420 Mb is the you don't, in addition to the flexi­ drivers associated with the prod­ largest I tried; I'm currently run­ bility the solution has to offer for uct.) ning a 120 Mb drive.) For portabili­ use on desktops and laptops, it also ty, the Zip drive is the best solu­ works on the palmtop! tion, but for mass storage and To connect the Zip drive to the Battery pack for the Zip drive around the home or office use, the palmtop you will need a parallel H45 Quick Drive kit might be PCMCIA card. The card from As an added bonus to this backup something to look at. TransDigital Corp. is excellent. solution, there is a battery pack Manufactured for fast parallel available for the Zip drive so that access, it also contains a small 128K the bulky power adapter isn't Using the Zip drive and the ROM that has the necessary drivers needed. The battery pack is more hard drive at the same time to load on the palmtop. The manu­ compact and easy to carry and to facturer really took into considera­ charge. A fully charged battery For those needing access to both tion the concerns of the palmtop pack provides three to four hours the Zip drive and the IDE hard user. With the card in the palmtop of Zip drive use. drive, try this: After the H45 driver slot, you can access drive A: and Remember: all three products software has been installed, follow load the TSR (terminate and stay described in this article are not lim­ the steps in the sidebar on p. 17 to resident) executable program, and ited to this use. The parallel card get connected to the Zip drive. within moments, it is ready to run can be connected direct (or through Then unplug the cable from the Zip your Zip drive. the Zip drive) for printing. The drive and plug it into the H45 The last piece of hardware you

16 THEHPPALMTOPPAPER JULY / AUGUST 1997 Quick Drive kit cable. Then load the TSR for the Quick Drive. (There Connecting the Hardware, Step-by-Step is a small conflict of drivers in this setup, but the conflict can be Here is a step-by-step guide for getting all the hardware ready to backup. It can be confusing when ignored. When the error message you think about all of the hardware, and how they might work as separate pieces, but in conjunction appears, which will include with each other they create a great "carry-everywhere" backup solution. "Abort, Retry or Fail?," press F for 1. Remove any card in the palmtop's slot and insert the 'Double Slot.' Fail and the installation of the TSR 2. Insert the TransDigital Trans PC parallel card in the bottom slot. will continue). 3. Power on the palmtop and get to a DOS prompt. Change to drive A: After the drive is located and a 4. Execute CIC.EXE to load the palmtop client driver from TransDigital. You will hear audible drive letter is assigned, unplug the tones letting you know the card is recognized. (Later, when the Zip drive TSR is loaded, it will likely TransDigital cable from the H45 assign the Zip drive as the F: drive. The CIC executable program has a switch that you can use to cable and plug it back into the Zip automatically assign it to drive B:. If this is something you would like to do, use "CIC IB" instead of drive. Now plug the H45 Quick just "CIC" by itself. If you use the IB switch, go to step 5, if not, skip to step 7.) Drive cable into the Zip drive on 5. Power off the palmtop. 6. Power on the palmtop. (You should hear audible tones. Anytime the power is tumed off and the printer side. You should now back on, you should hear that double tone, letting you know the parallel card is recognized each have access to the Zip drive and time. Powering off and back on reassigns the F: drive to drive B:) the IDE hard drive at the same 7. Attach the TransDigital Zip drive cable to the parallel card and the Zip drive. (The cable is time. I also noticed when looking at not provided when you purchase the parallel card, but is available separately from TransDigital.) H45 Technology's Website that 8. Execute GUEST.EXE (from the Zip drive install diskette). they have a parallel port CDROM NOTE: The files you will need from the Zip drive diskette are: GUEST.EXE, GUEST.lNI, NIBBLE drive! Quad speed even! Next for .ILM, and ASPIPPM1.SYS. The ASPIPPM1.SYS is a text file you can edit. To make it load the Zip testing? .. probably! drive as fast as possible on the palmtop, you can edit it or create a text file named ASPIPPM1 .SYS with the following information:

[-begin file-) Access an endless number of devices SCAN=ON ASPI=ASPIPPM1 .SYS IINFO FILE=NIBBLE.lLM SPEED= 1 The combination of TransDigital's Trans PC parallel card and [-endfile-] Accurite's DoubleSlot for your 9. After executing GUEST, the Zip drive will be located and then connected to a drive letter palmtop provides access to the par­ (most likely drive F:. NOTE: if you used "CIC IB" you'll have access to the Zip drive as drive B:.). allel devices described above, as 10. Power off the palmtop. Move the parallel card to the top slot and insert your memory card well as to others that are out there in the bottom slot. waiting to be tried out, and even to 11. Power the palmtop back on. some devices that are being devel­ 12. You will now have access to three drives: the palmtop C: drive, the memory card (drive A:) oped as this article was being writ- and the Zip drive.) 13. Copy all contents from drive C: and drive A: to a Zip diskette. (I personally used PKWARE's PKZIP and PKUNZIP to compress and uncompress all files, or select­ Contact information f~r ed files, on the C: and A: drives. Other methods of your choice will work well, too, with some experi­ products mentioned in menting.) this article To recover data, simply follow the steps above and recover problem files to the C: or A: drive as needed. TransDigital Corporation, 39210 State The hardware described in this article is very compact and easily carried while away from the Street, Suite 105, Fremont, CA 94538, office. When catastrophe hits, you will be ready to recover no matter where you are. USA; Phone: 510-745-9777 Accurite Technologies, Inc., 48460 Lakeview Blvd., .Fremont, CA 94538, USA; Phone: 510-668-4900 ; ten. The ideas are endless, and the name speaks for itself. Two slots on WEB: http://www.Accurit e:com/ testing "to-see-if-it-works" is lots of the palmtop! Now that's what E-mail: [email protected] fun! The TransDigital Trans PC we've been needing! ioMega Corporation, 1821 West ioMega parallel card is incredible, simply Connecting aPCMCIA card Way, Roy, UT 84067, USA; Phone: 800- 697-8833; Web: http://www.iomega.com/ because it provides full access to and a battery-equipped Zip drive E-mail: [email protected] the hardware described above, and to your palmtop creates a very H45 Technology; Phone: 800-220-6346; because it runs at about lOrnA in portable backup solution. Web: http://www.h45.com/ use! The Accurite "DoubleSlot" E-mail: [email protected]

THE HP PALMTOP PAPER JULY / AUGUST 1997 17 "All palmtop users would "The contents of the CD "The CD Info8ase is the ideal benefit from having are great!" reference source .... " this CO .... "

r, HP Palmt op PapCf' s co InfoBase ,,[iii}

-351991-96 Issues of "I mol!JJ"U,,:id-1J.i 1"ruPJl.l:<€.lhc AUT"lZlI1£T-'dTI-o:l. -All the freeware and n,lH·'L t':I!f'.n..n.; h,'. E: E'r'llW'l:' FUlll-ld.I >:\<:'l.~ __ r The HP Palmtop Paper Thaddeus Compullng Presents 1'';'_r_~1 1 ,110 ... , rlJ.; "''l::-,L41.!I CoM J shareware from 33 1991-96 and Bonus Issues in an issues of The HP Palmtop THE easy-reading hypertext II11lE1 zll Paper ON DISK and Bonus format. Issues plus all 5 HP Palmtop Power Disks. -HP 200LX User's Guide (for 100j200LX -MicroRef DOS & Lotus users). Paper's '97 CD In/oBase 1-2-3 Manuals.

-Over 700 Project -HP 100j200/700LX Gutenberg E-text Developer's Guide plus PAL Classics for your palm­ & HP EXM Software. top reading pleasure. NEWl1 '7 CD Just think, 5+ years of The HP Palmtop Paper and The HP Palmtop Paper On Disk, plus Special Issues, PowerDisks, Manuals and Developer's Software, indexed for quick search ....

No more piles of paper, no more time-consuming searches for vaguely remembered tips or tricks ... get exactly what you want in a matter of seconds! • Complete Palmtop Tech-Support library at your fingertips! • Tons of Freeware and Shareware (Over 900 Programs!) • Complete information on Palmtop Products for fast, informed decision making.

Read Classics in Vertical Reader All Searchable in Seconds! (software on CD) Over 100 Mb Free & Sharewarel Over 700 Gutenberg e-text Classics Here's just a small sample . . . Enjoy the world's great literature . . . AppHcations: Editors/ Word Processors, Outliner, Advanced Calculator, Palmtop Web (HTML) Browsers, Database software, Freeform PIMs, draw / CAD, Fax, Thesaurus, Over 700 text files of Classic Literature and Historical Documents, ready for you to Spell Checker, Product Demos, TV Remote Control, Vertical Text Reader (Great for read­ download and carry and read on your palmtop. ing the Gutenberg e-text classics anywhere!) More ... Includes Classics by: Charles Dickens, Frank Baum, Robert Louis Stevenson, Emily Games: Chess, Solitaire (15 types), Sokoban, Tetris, Worm, Dominoes, Bridge, Yahtzee, Bronte, Joseph Conrad, Jack London, Henry James, Lewis Carroll, Jonathon Swift, Backgammon, Checkers, Othello, More ... Dostoyevsky, Guy de Maupassant, Beatrix Potter, Kipling, Rex Stout, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Arthur Conan Doyle, Nathaniel Hawthorne and much, much more! Utilities: Buddy, Graphics Viewers, Tone Phone Dialers, Large Clock, Casio QVIO Reader, Desktop File Transfer, Fast Phone Search, View MS Word Files, Mime Plus: Lincoln's Inaugural Addresses, NAFTA, Monroe Doctrine, Paris Peace Treaty, encode/ decoders, Alternate Fonts, Complete Medical Software listing, More ... Washington's Farewell Address, Declaration of Independence, Magna Carta and more. ... and there are hundreds more! . .. any time, any place!

You can't lose with a If you ar~ dissatis~ied with the CD InfoBase for any " . " reason, Just send It back for a complete refund, but You Win Guarantee: keep your Bonus Book, Manuals or Disks as our gift. "It's a great product and well worth "The CD is a "I thought the CD was the money!" downright bargain. " terrific-very useful. "

Searching: Easy as 1·2·3 Up and Running in- 10

1. Select the "Find" icon and enter Minutes! -Seconds to Install your word or phrase. Easy-to-use - Minutes to Master Boolean Search Engine allows sim­ Simple icons make Searching r Navigating ple or complex searches. and Special Functions fast and easy.

2. Press Enter or click I L l! l~r~ ~~~~"I~J~~ ~~~~U "Find" to see a detailed list Let the Games Uq;ru' ~ Let the Games Begin! If you'lS teady for some serious fun, out ortha hundrsds of games you can play on the HP Palmtop, here's the run down on on some of best

~ GTn)J lu c . The IkwIdt-Packard UP lOO/200L.'X Pabutop

Connect this little box and _ to yourLaserJet Printsts There are probably over 100 parollel poll and you can send your printing jobs directly (10m 100desi,8ned/ 2OOL.,,{ as pueQ1lcbiuescODlpldc:rs. img b ~:lbey=do:au=5====:1 your 95LX to your printer via the 95LX'$ hidden irrfrsf&d port. pule&'. sports l>ilmllationsm( mviroowmt only, tikrTebvII Select the "Hits" that IIt RichardHtlll classic board PIlle&' sllcblDd 3. games such as gill nlWlll)"!f". 'l1U Is on. of tboselimple pn>Wil0lle9SlX.iDlilRdport. (IbelBfnredportisloceled .. ply surf backward and • side of tile 9SLX iDside 0IIe , ... eoq>_ u tile badaJp

forward through the letEy. woru _ BP LoB.det prim .... salallI, DD. DP. m, DID. IIIP. and tile IDS. 0Dce cOODe

lotus 1-2-3

••• • ~~..! ... ". iJI "'''!Ii I!'I ~ ~ II""""" - ~ ~ .~ ~ *~~~~~ ~ I •••• ••••• •• All New on CD! Complete DOS and Lotus 1-2-3 MicroRef Manuals. You'll refe" to them often!

Have Last Year's CD? Here's 5 Great Reasons to Upgrade: 1. Save $20 off already low upgrade price: $79.95 after 8-31-97. 2. Over 200 Megabytes of new stuff: Over 2,300 new files. 3. New! MicroRef DOS & Lotus Manuals: Fully indexed. 4. Over 350 New Gutenberg e-text files: Years of great reading. 5. Special Bonus Offer! Up to $33 value ... FREE! (see list, right) OW TO USE YOUR PALMTOP Through the Looking Glass The HP 200LX can entertain you with games, let you draw pictures, and play or compose music. To round out the machine's capabilities, Ed shows how you can make your HP palmtop write poetry - using Lotus 1-2-3/

By Ed Keefe

The seed of an idea something that might appeal to puter had spewed forth and pub­ Lewis Carroll, the author of "Alice, lished the best of the best. In the Marchi April column we Through the Looking Glass." Upon hearing this, the awards pushed the palmtop's Solve func­ I imagine that Charles committee immediately withdrew tion to the limit. It took us into the Dodgson, (i.e., Lewis Carroll), the prize and accused the student realm of probability and revealed being a logician, math teacher and of plagiarism. They allowed that he the power of the SIGMA function creator of jabberwocky, might be might have been the editor of the to perform numeric integration. drawn to a math engine that cre­ book of verse, but the computer Pretty stiff going, if I do say so ates poetry. was the author. myself! The student rejoined that he This issue's column does an The quest for an electronic bard was the author of the poetry. He'd about face and turns from such merely used the computer as a tool; profundity to a bit of whimsy: The quest for an automated poetry a more sophisticated typewriter, if generator is probably as old as you will. computers themselves. My first The opinion of the awards acquaintance with this quest dates committee prevailed, and in the back almost thirty years to when I process, opened a Pandora's box. was a grad student at the The committee's claim that a com­ University of Iowa. puter had written poetry drew vit­ -LINK• A student from the School of riolic replies from poets and artists Fine Arts had been awarded a full the world over. The campus news­ scholarship for a slim book of poet­ paper, The Daily Iowan, carried let­ ry. During his acceptance speech. ters that stated, "How dare the he thanked the people at the U of I members of the Fine Arts School Computing Center for their help. say that a machine could perform a He claimed that with their help he uniquely human activity, one that had written a program that gener­ called for creativity and imagina­ ated all the poetry in the book. tion," and "Shame on the commit­ The easy way to transfer files between your palmtop and desktop After spending several months get­ tee, the School of Fine Arts, and the ting the program to work, he spent U of I!" ~ FAST - 80,000 Bytes/Sec an additional six weeks poring The student left the School of ~ Easy to use - Works just like a floppy disk dtive. over ream after ream of printout. Fine Arts when he got a full schol­ ~ Convenient - plug in installation to He discarded 99% of what the com- arship from the Computer Science your parallel ptinter port. ~ For both ATA flash and battery backed up SRAM cards. Model CL683 also ABOUT THE AUTHOR allows use of type 1II hard dtives. A long time contributor to Hewlett-Packard Handheld Model CL680 for Type I and Type 11 cards. support publications, Ed Keefe is an author, editor, pro­ $179.95 Model CL683 for Type I, 11 and 1Il cards. grammer, ~omputer science instructor, and part-time con­ $189.95 sultant in the computer industry. Ed's articles appear in Steele Creek Technologies. Inc. The HP Palmtop Paper. He is also the editor of the book PC 14035 Appling Lane In Your Pocket: Information When You Need It. Charlotte, NC 28278 Phone or Fax: 704-588- 1780 . 20 THE HP PALMTOP PAPER JULY I AUGUST 1997 Department. The head of that Diversions Disk for the HP 9SLX department was apparently and on the Fall 1991 Palmtop Paper impressed with a person who ON DISK. TechRAM™ could teach himself programming The FASTPOET program uses 4MB Upgrade and could then teach a computer to a random number generator to write poetry. What was even more pick lines of text from a file and Attention 200LX users you can impressive was that the program mindlessly present them on the increase your internal RAM to a total was written in Fortran, the pre­ screen. Then the human mind takes of 5MBs. Some newer machines can miere number-crunching language. over and tries to make sense out of actually achieve 6MBs. nonsense. The outcome is that the Free up the PCMCIA slot for modem or other use! text begins to look and sound like The quest continues the kind of poetry you might hear Pricing: 4MB TecilRAM & TechSpeed Kits ... $249 installed in a coffeehouse back in the 1970s. 4MB TechRAM Kit...... $199 installed I've occasionally told this story to I recently rewrote the program TechSpeed Kit...... $50 students as a lead-in to a discus­ for the HP 200LX, this time in C++. Shipping not included sion of the role of computers in the The source code and executable file Credit Cards Accepted arts. Only once did a student chal­ Warranties: (POETCLX.EXE) are contained on 1 year parts, 30 day money back guarantee, lenge the premise that a computer this issue of Palmtop Paper ON 90 day palmtop warranty could create poetry. Rather than DISK (and at www.thaddeus.com) (physical damage excluded, U.S. Only) get into an argument, I proved that How-ever, to modify the program Check out our web page for more it could be done by writing a sim­ details and latest prices. you would need a C++ compiler. Quantity discounts available. ple, free-form poetry generator Realizing that very few readers Sorry 95LX users no memoty upgrade options are using the Pascal programming lan­ would have such a tool, I decided available at this time. The use of the upgrade kits will void your HP warranty. guage. The program, called to write the program in a language Times2 Tech FastPoet, appeared on the old 105 Maple Street· Maylene, Al 35 11 4 ~ Email: [email protected] Web: www.times2tech.com Phone: 205.()20-1408 I J Fax: 205."{ESC}"){branch generate} 18 {indicate ){calc}/wgdocsq Computing Magazine, 1982), are also 19 Ireta rgel - /ch eI p- c5- on this issue's Palmtop Paper On 20 21 subrtn {append below larget,source){calc} Disk. 22 The Lotus program uses a cou­ 23 help ZOOM TO 21 LINES. 24 ALT P STARTS THE POET ple of the more esoteric functions 25 PRESS ANY KEY TO and macro commands in the 26 GET MORE VERSES 27 PRESS ESC TO QUIT spreadsheet language, namely 28 "{appendbelow,source,targetl and 29 Range names Setup 30 @indexO." 31 COUNTER J3 Column A: Width 1 32 GENERATE J14 Column B: Width 17 33 HELP J23 .. J27 Other cols: Wid 9 The data 34 LINES Q1..Q49 Ranges A1..B21 35 MORE J2 and G1 .. H21 36 NUMROWS J4 are filled with The data (see Figure 2.) consists of 37 OFFSET J5 \. 49 lines of poetic sounding gibber­ 38 POETRY A2 If you add more lines 39 SOURCE J8 10 the verses, make ish. Put it in Column Q of the 40 SUBRTN J21 sure that "blank" lines spreadsheet. The output will look 41 TARGET C1..C21 have a couple of 42 \P J11 spaces in the line like "poetry" if you maintain a for­ mat similar to the one shown. Be Figure 1: The program.

THEHPPALMTOPPAPER JULY/ AUGUST 1997 21 HOW TO: Lotus 1-2-3 writes poetry

Q dures (macros) are in column J. range. 1 ... and it was This makes it easy to name most of The "offset" function finds a 2 without breath or fear or love the ranges in the sheet by putting 3 they know random number between 0 and 1 4 I suppose, the cursor in cell 12 and using the and multiplies it by the number of 5 as if gliding down command, (MENU) Range Name It 6 while air shifted , sullen, heavy rows of data. then converts this 7 under velvet skies Labels Right. Pressing the (.) (peri­ fractional number to a whole num­ 8 od) key and moving the cursor ber. 9 10 too far down to cell 124 and pressing The "source" function uses the 11 too long (ENTER) will create most of the @INDEXO function to find a partic­ 12 too late 13 ... still it's early range names all at once. In cells 131 ular, random line in the data. 14 grasses glistening through 142 the actual list of the 15 warm earth and fields The first procedure is named 16 shallow trails , shadows named ranges appears. You need "\P". This will let you initialize the 17 always the clock and pen not type this in. Just key in the program by pressing (ALT)+(P). 18 just alloy and circuitry 19 no time to turn code and data, name the ranges The procedure turns off the spread­ 20 time, time to start again and then put the cursor in cell 131 'sheet display, jumps to the poetry 21 to feel again 22 (the air, moist--skin, cool) and use the command (MENU) range and displays the file name in 23 and later her dry palms Range Name Table and press 24 forever dusk, always the lower right corner of the screen. 25 (ENTER) twice. The resulting table The "generate" procedure is a 26 but there 's always spring will let you compare your version loop. It begins by changing the 27 if the water's dark 28 it won 't be easy with mine to make sure that you've indicator in the upper left of the 29 and she turned away named the same ranges as I did. screen to " ONE MOMENT. " It 30 as the fields rolled in the sunlight 31 The "program" uses three vari­ clears out the "target" range that 32 please, now! ables, "more" will contain the will hold the next 20 lines of poet­ 33 softly, softly 34 ... with little care or gesture result of the {GET} macro, ry. The {for counter",} loop calls the 35 "counter" is used by the {POR",,} subrtn (subroutine) macro twenty 36 like a new green leaf 37 macro, and "numrows" keeps track times. This subrtn appends the 38 the sky's violent blue of the number of rows in the data 39 contents of the "source" cell below 40 with the graceful line of flight 41 42 it's so simple ... 43 "softly 44 when we're there 45 smooth, like sand The MagicRAM Flash Storage Solution 46 it's over 47 I know it's over 48 I suppose, she said 49 the words were brittle 11 100% Plug & Play II Low cost, high capacity storage II No batteries required Figure 2: The data. II Super low power u~age for longer palmtop battery life sure to press the (SPACEBAR) a II High performance solid state technology couple of times in what appear to II Fully compatible with HP Palmtops, digital cameras, Windows CE be blank lines. (If you don't do this, Handheld PC's and other PCMCIA based computers your output may contain lines with II Withstands 1000G of shock the number 0 in them.) Once you II 4MB to 64MB uncompressed have the data keyed in, use the II Lifetime warranty (MENU) Range Name Create com­ mand to name the range ql..q49 as 4MB Turbo Flash Card $99.00 LINES. 8MB Turbo Flash Card $139.00 12MB Turbo Flash Card $179.00 Comments on 16MB Turbo Flash Card $229.00 the Lotus 1-2-3 code 20MB Turbo Flash Card $279.00 40MB Turbo Flash Card $479.00 I've arranged the "code" so that it 64MB Turbo Flash Card $679.00 looks like a C or Pascal program. Also Available: CompactFlash" ', Linear Flash, Flash Miniature Card, SRAM, PC Card ReaderlWriter, PC Card Hard Drive, Fax/Modem and Ethernet PC Card. The NAMES of the variables, func­ tions and procedures are in column I of the spreadsheet. The actual 1;: 2!~:~,,~~!!: A~g~~~2: :.?,;~~: 4 2 _ variables, functions and proce- Tel: 213-413-9999 Fax: 213-413-0828 ~ e-mail: [email protected]· Internet: http://www.magicram.com...... GIC "II'-

22 THEHPPALMTOPPAPER JULY / AUGUST 1997 if the water's dark when we're there it the water's dark DiskDock™ please now! Low-cost Backup or Auxiliary Storage when we're there System using PCMCIA Technology the words were brittle • Backup your Notebook or Laptop ... and it was with a high-speed, low cost they know 2-1/2" Hard Drive no time to turn, ~ • Great for systems requiring it's so simple ~:r;:. forever dusk, always ~ security time, time to start again " • Removable-portable-compact and she turned away • PCMCIA to IDE interface

too far if the water's dark if the water's dark PalmTop Adaptor Figure 3: Verses created in Lotus 1-2-3. External Power the previous line in the "target" • Enables Notebooks and range. When the {for ""I loop is Laptops to use devices finished, the screen is refreshed requiring more power, i.e. with the Iwindowsonl macro. The PCMCIA Hard Disks indicator is then changed to "PRESS ESC TO QUIT. " At this point the program waits for you to press any key. If you press (ESC), the program will end; the target range will be erased and the contents of the "help" range will be copied into this space on the spreadsheet and the Time and Date will appear in the lower (ALT)+(P) keys to start the pro­ verse, most of which is nonsense, right of the screen. If you press any gram. but some of which has been good key other than (ESC), the "gener­ Hopefully everything will enough to be published in national ate" loop will repeat itself and work as advertised and you'll see magazines. And for totally random shqw another 20 lines of poetry. some verses (see Figure 3, this text, you can try the shareware pro­ page). The first few screens may gram BABBLE200, from Korenthal Preparing the display not make any sense. However, if Associates, in the PCVENB forum you relax and let your mind go on CompuServe. To prepare the screen, move to cell blank and just continue reading A2 and key in \. and press screen after screen, you may expe­ (ENTER). This will fill the cell with, Shareware/freeware rience a mood shift. (Some people mentioned in this article periods. Then use the command even claim that the poetry is a little (MENU) Copy A2 .. A2 to H22. risque!) I hope you have a couple POET.ZIP - Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet con­ When you press (ENTER) the of minutes of pleasure from all taining poetry generating program and data screen will fill with "periods." In file mentioned in this article, plus POET­ your work. CLX.EXE, (executable version of the pro­ cell B2 enter the word "target" . gram). and related files. Freeware. Use the command (MENU) More of the same Available on this issue's HP Palmtop Paper Worksheet Column Set-width to ON DISKand at: www.thaddeus.com make column A, I-character wide, If you're interested in this use of and column B, 17 spaces wide. The BABBLE200 - A program that generates the palmtop, you'll probably enjoy totally random text. Shareware. Available in other columns can remain in their a more elaborate version of a poet­ the PCVENB forum on CompuServe. default width of 9 spaces. Finally, ry generator. The file POET. ZIP, on press the (FN)+(SP ACEBAR) keys FASTPOET - Poetry generating program this issue's Palmtop Paper ON DISK, to zoom the display to small fonts. written by Ed Keefe for the HP 95LX. (and at www.thaddeus.com) will Available on 1997 HP Palmtop Paper CD Press the (TAB) key to move generate line after line of random InfoBase. off-screen and then press thE

THE HP PALMTOP PAPER JULY I AUGUST 1997 23 W TO USE YOUR PALMTOP USER PROFILE

Hong Kong Brewer Uses Palmtops for Order Capture

This company's sales staff uses HP 200LXs, each equipped with a PC card modem, to take customer ' orders and transfer the data back to the sales department offices.

By Ross Milburn

San Miguel, Hong Kong's largest very advanced when it was intro­ HP 200LX palmtop computers, brewer, has provided its sales team duced, and San Miguel used it suc­ used to take customer orders. The with palmtop computers to be used cessfully for about five years," said software program used, called the for order entry and uploading sales Eric Cheung, the brewer's IT man­ Sales Order Maintenance System, data to the company's distribution ager. runs on DOS, and was written in systems. San Miguel delivers about San Miguel has since grown about three weeks by a three-per­ two million hectolitres of beer rapidly to become a major regional son team from San Miguel's IT annually to thousands of bars, organization. Also, competition in department, using Clipper lan­ restaurants, hotels and shops beer products has increased. To guage. throughout the Territory. meet the challenge of changing The palmtops are equipped In the past, the company car­ market conditions, and focus on with PC Card modems, and at the ried out its own deliveries with a customer service and market data end of each afternoon's sales calls, fleet of trucks driven by salespeo­ collection, the company decided to the salesperson uses this to transfer ple, each assigned specific routes. outsource the delivery aspects of data by any telephone line to a Orders were taken by the salesper­ distribution to a specialist distribu­ receiver linked to a PC in the sales son, either for immediate fulfill­ tion firm, the South China department. In turn, the PC ment on a COD (cash-on-delivery) Warehousing Company, a member uploads the information to the basis, or for delivery at a later time. of the Tibbett & Britten Group. main order entry system, which is All orders were recorded on hand­ In the new system, which was part of the accounts programs run­ held terminals from Marvel introduced in December 1995, San ning on an AS/400. Both these Technology Co. Ltd. Miguel's sales team, known as pre­ applications were also written in­ After an order was entered, the sellers, have been equipped with house. handheld terminal was connected to a printer installed in the cab of the delivery truck, and an invoice This article first appeared in IT Asia, Asia's printed out. At the end of the day, leading Information Technologies 'publica­ tion focusing on the application of informa­ the salesperson would take his ter­ tion technologies in large organizations. IT minal back to the office and upload Asia is published by the Newscom Group, which also I?ublishes PC Week Asia, Channels the data to a PC, which then trans­ Asia, IT SlIIgapore, IT Malaysia and IT mitted it by telephone line to the Myanmar. For more information on IT Asia, go to www.newscom-asia.com on the Web, order entry system running on an or contact the US agent, Global Media IBM AS/400. "This system was Representative, Inc., at (415) 306-0880.

24 THE HP PALMTOP PAPER JUL Y\AUGUST 1997 HOW TO: Brewery sales staff uses palmtops Need MORE Storage Space For Your WIN CE, PDA, or Digital Camera? The KINGMAX Solutions

4MB 8MB 12MB 16MB 20MB 24MB 32MB 40MB 2MB 48MB 4MB 56MB 8MB 64MB 16MB

Kingmax Also Available SRAM, Flash, Ethernet Card and Fax Modem. Phone: 909-468-0958 Visit our website at www.kingmax.com Fax: 909-468-0769 or email [email protected]

San Miguel has located a printer Cheung. "It would be difficult to This company's sales staff uses HP and some terminals in the offices of maintain route optimization soft­ 200LXs, each equipped with a PC the South China Warehousing Co. ware, in the face of many fluctuat­ card modem, to take customer and authorized the vehicle route ing orders, frequent changes to the orders and transfer the data back to planners to access the AS/400, via locations of outlets, and a road sys­ the sales department. a leased line. Delivery information tem subject to many delays and [Reprinted with pennission of IT Asitz.] is downloaded as required, and for diversions. In these conditions, cash customers, the invoice is also expert local drivers used by our the delivery note. Invoices are delivery contractors may be a bet­ Detect/Plot Radioactivity printed out for delivery drivers to ter solution," he said. On Your HP 1 00/200 LX collect COD for small customers, The new system frees the sales Complete RM 60 System: $149.50 while larger purchasers have credit team so that, instead of just going I ,. 11-': accounts. , to outlets to take orders, they can 7.~':'l" The new system allows San provide a better service to cus­ ~ ,W&\\W"" . _ _ .~ __"dt..::.. .~ Miguel to concentrate on its core tomers. One key function is to .. business - products and customers determine the kind of co-operative - while responsibility for ware­ sales promotions activities that will housing and delivery is in the benefit particular outlets. These hands of an international specialist include competitions, offers such as company. In the previous system, "buy two, get one free," and "pro­ VISA I Me I EURO complex delivery schedules could moter teams" (young ladies that Tc) order or/or more information call: conflict with the need for good cus­ promote beer sales). "In addition, (800) 729-5397 - 45 day $ hack. tomer liaison. more customer contact means bet­ AWARE When San Miguel carried out ter feedback on customer profiles, Electronics= its own deliveries, modern route drinking habits and preferences, P.O. Box 4299, Wilmington DE 19807 optimization software was consid­ necessary for efficient marketing," PhonelFax: (302) 655-3800 E-mail: [email protected] ered, but not adopted, said Mr. said Mr. Cheung. Visit us at: http://www.aw-el.com

THEHPPALMTOPPAPER JULY / AUGUST 1997 25 REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW User to User: Hal shares his perspective on HP's new five-year R&D program; gives directions for using HP 200LX PC Cards in HP 300LX Series Palmtop PCs; and describes a few interesting freeware/shareware programs.

By Hal Goldstein

As you can see from the article on successful. My whole organization LX series they had great engineers page 30, there are strong feelings is focused on H / PC and nothing Iwith years of calculator experience, from many HP 200LX users about less." but little marketing savvy in the the Windows CE platform. Those The handheld future is excit­ new palmtop marketplace with few of us who use HPCalc, the HP ing. Hundreds of third-parties are marketing dollars. When HP 200LX database program, the full creating applications for Windows Singapore took over at the end of version of Lotus 1-2-3, and run CE-based handhelds. Just by exam­ 1994, they fell victim to the classic DOS programs will be slow to ining current technology we can NIH (not invented here) syndrome. switch. Others who use a hand­ guess that handhelds in the coming HP R&D started over and cre­ held for phone book, appointment years will include color screens, ated the OmniGo 100 organizer, book, and want the ability to easily voice and handwriting recognition, with a number of innovative fea­ synchronize with Windows 95 wireless communications, and tures, but missed the mark. HP desktop programs should look seri­ more. now works closely with Microsoft ously at the HP Windows CE Microsoft wants Windows CE on Windows CEo HP sees the machine. These users will appreci­ to be the operating system for a potential for future handheld PC ate having Pocket Word and Excel variety of electronic devices includ­ sales working with Microsoft to on their handheld and will like ing other types of handhelds. create a standard handheld operat­ HP's larger screen and keyboard. According to PC Week, future ver­ ing system. Unfortunately, even HP is certainly committed to the sions of Windows CE will allow though Singapore has a lot of mar­ handheld arena. According to a manufacturers to create thin, key­ keting savvy, they never got news report: "Hewlett-Packard is board-less, Pilot-like devices. For behind their orphan, the HP 200LX. injecting $28.5 million ($40 million those of us who pioneered this Rather, they invested most of Singapore) dollars into its Asia­ field owning HP DOS LX palm­ their R&D and marketing dollars Pacific Personal Computer Division tops, it will be fun to watch what into the OmniGo 100 organizer and (APCD) in Singapore, to develop happens. At the same time many of now the HP 300 and 320LX palm­ new technologies designed to give a us have a renewed appreciation for top PCs. In other words, the timing boost to handheld computing what the HP Palmtop engineers was never right for HP to properly through a five-year R&D program. achieved beginning in 1991 . get behind the HP 200LX. HP will use the funds to design and develop products aimed at tapping Why not an upgraded 200LX Using your HP 200LX PC Card the growing palmtop market, espe­ in the HP 300 Series cially as Microsoft's Windows CE As you can see from the letters sec­ operating system begins to find wide tion, we receive many letters and For users who do want to move acceptance." e-mail complaining about HP's from the HP 200LX to the HP commitment to the HP 200LX. 320LX, a common concern is PC HP is focused on H/PC Users don't understand HP's seem­ cards. Since PC storage cards are ingly poor marketing efforts on expensive, users don't want to I asked Kheng-Joo Khaw, General behalf of the 200LX. They don't have to purchase new cards. There Manager of APCD, the division understand why engineering dol­ is good news and bad news. responsible for producing palm­ lars can't be spent upgrading the Basically, older cards won't work, tops, to confirm the report. Khaw 200LX. Here is my analysis of the newer cards will. e-mailed back to me: "We are 'dead situation. Software-wise, the file systems serious' about making the H/PC When HP Corvallis created the are compatible. This means, for

26 THE HP PALMTOP PAPER JULY / AUGUST 1997 example, that Pocket Word, which reads text files, can read Memo files. (However, Pocket Excel does New! Link-A-Printer II not have conversion capability and Smaller size & Attached cable cannot read Lotus 1-2-3 files.) Link-A-Printer II is a serial to parallel converter If your card is of the newer 3- that allows direct printing from your OmniGo Volt variety it should work; if it is a 5-Volt card, you may only be able 100 to any parallel printer. It also works with to read it; and if it is a old 12-Volt the HP 100/200LX $79 card, you can't use it a t all. (The SDP3B-XX and SDCFB-XX [CompactFlash] SanDisk cards, Link-A-Printer II has a built-in connectivity cable that plugs in to your OmniGo which have been produced in 3.3V 100. Since it does not require batteries or extra cable Link-A-Printer II is simple as well as 5V versions, are useable and easy to use. in the HP 300/ 320LX Palmtop PCs.) According to the HP manual, Also Available Link-A-Printer I the largest capacity that the HP Requires connectivity cable and optional battery Features auto $59 300/320LX can use is 32 Mg. on/off fixed 9600 baud Greenwich Instruments LTD However, SanDisk reports that Tel: 704-875-8490 European Distributor there are no problems using its GRUlla Fax: 704-875-2801 Tel: 011-44-181-302-4931 higher capacity 40 Mg and 85 Mg ..... Toll Free: 800-476-4070 Fax: 011·44·181·302·4933 cards.

My last column not world is a mysterious place, that notions sacrilege. The scientists say appreciated by some men there is much more that we don't impossible, just palmtop mysti­ know than we do know. The uni­ cism. of science or religion verse is vast. Our senses of percep­ tion limit and determine what we Interesting Freeware and We received several subscription know about our world. I believe Shareware cancellations based on my column that there is much wisdom con­ last issue. In the column I tained in ancient traditions when described the palmtop as a tool to Back to the world of palmtop com­ humans were much closer to puting. I have come across the fol­ learn new subjects using as an nature. Most of this knowledge has example, learning the meanings of lowing freeware and shareware been lost or distorted in the mod­ that you may find of interest. tarot cards. Two (former) readers ern world. Hopefully, religion and wrote saying they appreciated The science are powerful enough to HP Palmtop Paper but were disap­ Free Palmtop EditorlSpellchecker incorporate ancient knowledge that pointed (to put it mildly) with my combination can be shown valid and useful column. In one letter the author even if it seems counter to current Andreas Garzotto, who has con­ provided Biblical passages that he understandings. felt condemned the subject matter tributed so much to the HP palm­ I can just imagine a discussion top user community, has upgraded of the column. He wrote that he 500 years from now. Someone did not want the information con- , his popular PalEdit (PE) program speaks of a palmtop that many tained in the issue in his house. In to include a spell checker. Andreas people used as their primary com­ is the author of WWW /LX, a palm­ the other cancellation, a scientist puter, that ran 10,000s of programs, stated that articles such as mine in top Web browser from D&A many of them free. It had a full credible publications help perpetu­ Software. He created HV, a implementation of a spreadsheet; it ate ignorance and superstition. Palmtop hypertext (HTML) viewer had a numeric keypad with an and PE to work with www/LX. Even though I am a religious intuitive, powerful, multi-function person and a proponent of scientif­ Andreas has made HV and PE calculator; and it made use of a ic thinking, I wasn't surprised by available for stand-alone usage as super-flexible database engine. the cancellations. The subject mat­ copyrighted freeware. According to mythology these Andreas describes the new ter contradicts much scientific palmtops only needed 1 megabyte thinking and some religious senti­ version of PE as follows: "PalEdit for memory and storage and ran on (PE) 2.0 is a PAL based DOS text ment. an incredibly slow "8086 proces­ On the other hand, both sci­ editor with the same look and feel sor." Priests of the Gatesian religion ence and religion teach that the as the built-in applications. It also study their manual and call these accepts many of the commands the

THE HP PALMTOP PAPER JULY I AUGUST 1997 27 USER-TO-USER: HP's R&D program, etc. complex. The player and the com­ PC DfPOTlNc. puter take turns placing "stones" on the intersections of the board. Each player tries to surround the other. The player controlling the For your 200LX/100LX 8M IBM 32M 8M IBM 32M 89 165 ... 650,660 89 175 .. most squares at the end is the win­ 2MB ATA Flash Card $129 109 179 299 ActioNote 800,866,880,890 89 175 .• ner. The good news is that this ver­ 8MB ATA Flash Card $179 350P,510A/P,810A/P 95 195 295 Fujitsu lifaBook 98 178 288 12MB ATA Flash Card $245 763,765,782,784,786·789 85159 .• Biblo NB5100, 5122, 5133 85 179 285 Pro950,954,955,957,959 99 185 289 sion is freeware. The bad news is 16MB ATA Flash Card $269 Milan,Mont. C.~o,Montago 99 199 325 ASTAdv.Explorer, BravoNB 179 ... 20MB ATA Flash Card $329 H·P OmniBook 800 95 185 425 Ascentia 800,900,910,950 87 159 ..• that the company that publishes Citizen PN50 black/white por· Ascenti. Jl0,J20,J30,J50 75145 275 Hitachi C,E,M·Series 95 185 298 the full commercial 19-by-19 ver­ table printer $239 Ascenti. P30, P50 88 178 288 IBM Thinkp.d 350, 350C 89 169 289 Citizen PN60 Color portable PowerExecEL,3/25.4/33Sl 95 185 ... ThinkPad 345,355,360,730 95 168 368 sion seems to be out of business. printer $339 AT&T Glob.lyst 130 85 149 ... Thinkp.d 365C/CO,365E/EO ... 155 •.• Globalist 200,250,250P 95 175 285 ThinkPad 50018M onlyl,510 107 205 .•. MONTHLY SPECIALS Thinkp.d 701C/CS 88 178 628 Meg.hertz XJ2288 28.8 fax modem 179 S.fari 3151,3180, 3181 105 185 .•. ThinkPad 750,755 mod.ls 95 175 329 ATI30 Expres~on,PC2TV,2MB card 139 Canon 8M 16M 24M ThinkPad 760C/CD/l/lO 78 158 628 Food database Mitro. Mystiqua 2MB PCI VGA card 159 Innova 150.175 .•. 149 ... Thinkp.d 760E/ED/El/ElO 79 159 589 Mitro' Millanium 2MB PCI VGA card 189 Innova 200lS 75 168 265 NEC Va". V,M,P.4000 75 175 285 IIEC VXI7+, 17" .28mm monitor 739 Not.J.t 486 C25/C33/M33 79165 .• TI Extensa 550,555,560 79 159 269 Several databases on food have lomlgl Zip drive, 100MHI,Ext. Pera .189 EPSDN 2MB 4MB Compaq 8M IBM 32M Travelmate6020,6030,6050 79179279 S•• y 2GB Exttapa backup,perallal 195 1000,1500 89 _ Arm.nd. 1100 series 75 169 299 emerged through the years. The GoldSlorl6xCOROM,internallOE 189 1100,1400,180045 Arm.nda4100series 75 159295 Toshiba 8M IBM 32M T•• hihI12X CO ROM, internal IDE 159 H.P 2MB 4MB Concerto 4/25,4/33 89 189 .• TI 00, 200, 400, 600 sar~s 79 159 275 37K FOOD.GDB file is small, To.hib.16x CO ROM SCSI intern.1 259 11 , 110 99 125 Contura Aero 4/25, 4/33C 74 148 .• Tl900, T2100 Saries 89 159 .•. Compoql0l0,PI20,16/810,11.3" 1950 Contura400,410.420.430 85165 .. . T4500,4700,4800,4900 99 199329 S.m.ung P75,8/810, 10.3"activ. 1195 IIP,III,IIIP 95 119 Contura 4/25.4/25c.4/25cx 87169 .. . T4400, 8400, 6600 99 179 •.• straightforward, but may contain To.hiba IIOcs,Pl00,8/810,11 .3" 1375 IIIsi.4.4M 55 85 lTE5000 75175285 Tacra 500, Protog. 650 85 159 289 To.hiba205cds,Pl00,8/810,6xCD 1575 4l(IMBonly)35 .•. DEC HiNote/HiNote Ultra 75155 .•. Ta", 700, 710, 720 85 165 325 all the information you need. To.hiba 420cds,Pl 00.8/810,6xCD 1775 4+ .4V,4P 39 45 HiNote VP P.ntium Models 79 159 275 Win Book XP, XPC .• 159 289 The database contains over 400 To.hibaTacra500cs,PI20,16/1.3G 1695 \JI[..mJlt.....oIlI'-!JV Dell latituda433.450,475 79179279 Zenith Z·STAR 433Vl, VlP·· 79 •.. common foods. It can be used for people who are on diets, in training or just want to be conscious of the famous EMACS editor accepts. Games foods they eat. The file contains the Major features: edits multiple files following fields: Food Name, of unlimited size and with long I came across two new games for Category (meat, fruit, cereals, etc), lines, incremental searches, sends the palmtop. The first is shareware Calories, Protein, Carbohydrates, and receives e-mail using TILES, aMah Jongg-like solitaire Fat, Sodium, Cholesterol. The data­ WWW /LX. New in 2.0: integrated game where the player removes base comes sorted by food name. I spelling checker, reads formatted matched pairs off a pile (see screen have been told to watch choles­ Memo documents, undo function. dump on previous page). I am not terol, so I sorted by the cholesterol Copyrighted freeware by D&A sure why the fascination, but it is field to study the worst offenders. Software Inc. Developed by A. challenging and addicting to try to Garzotto." find matches and eliminate the pile. The other freeware game, IGO, is a subset of the classic Japanese Shareware/freeware game of GO. GO is normally mentioned in this article played on a 19-by-19 board. IGO PalEdit 2.0 (PE.ZIP) - A PAL-based DOS lets you play on a 9-by-9 board, text editor. Freeware, Available on this ideal for fast games and for learn­ issue's HP Palmtop Paper ON DISK TILES is an addicting shareware game where the ing how to play. The rules of the player removes matched pairs off a pile. game are simple but strategies are HV.ZIP- A HP Palmtop hypertext (HTML) viewer (and PalEdit) program that works with WWW/LX. Freeware. Available on this issue's HP Palmtop Paper ON DISK I Whi teo t.o ..... ove TILES.ZIP - Mah Jongg-like solitaire game. Shareware, Available on the this issue's HP Palmtop Paper ON DISK

IGO.ZIP- Game, similar to Go, Freeware. Help/Rules Fj. Pass F2 Available on this issue's HP Palmtop Paper Retract F3 Why? F4 ON DISK Hint ~:~Ul:a",e B Score/File Quit Fj.On FOOD.GDB (FOOD.EXE)- Database file Stones captured by Black: 0 White: 9 containing over 400 common foods. Freeware, Available on this issue's HP Palmtop Paper ONDISK In the freeware game IGO, the player and the computer take turns placing stones on the inter­ sections of the board. IGO is a subset of the classic Japanese game of GO.

28 THEHPPALMTOPPAPER JULY/ AUGUST 1997 MORE ... KNOWLEDGE PRODUCTS FROM THADDEUS

~~ IThe HP Palmtop Paper's CD In/oBase I THE 1!;),I -e U !!1 NEW 1997 VERSION: Buy or Upgrade HP Pahntop "The contents of the CD are great! I This Windows CD contains in hypertext searchable Paper's love having all the information in format all 1991-96 The HP Palmtop Papers, detailed one single place instead of having to advertiser product descriptions, HP 200LX Users search through piles of paper." Guide, HPlOO/200;700LX Developer's Guide, and Thomas Rundel complete DOS and 1-2-3 Microref manuals, You'll

The HP Palmtop Paper's CD InfoBase also find over 900 pieces of freeware and shareware from the 1991-96 ON DISK collection/Subscriber PowerDisk!Developer's Guide plus 700 e-text clas­ sics readable on the Palmtop, PC PC In Your Pocket IN YOUR UP Palmtop book: Ideal for users, great gift for interested friends POCKET! The editors of The HP Palmtop Paper have organized some of their best material Ilow thc org.lIlizin); power of the Hcwlctt-P,\ ck.ud I'JlnHOp P( ' wil1m.lke p n. into a readable, practical book about the HP Palmtop, The book is filled with hun­ mtlrcclfclt i \"(~! _ Best of dreds of real-life examples of the HP Palmtop's features and capabilities. Busy profes­

The HP Palmtop t ",'('(I b~' [(j j, '_ Paper .~. ; sionals describe how they use the HP Palmtop to organize their time, information, and money to be more effective, Order directly from us and we'll include a disk containing PC In Your Pocket most of the software mentioned in the book. Written both for users and for those consid­ ering purchasing an HP Palmtop. I MicroRef Quick Reference Lotus 123 and DOS 5 Guides I Get the DOS and Lotus Answers You Need - Fast and Easy Locate subjects fast. Numerous examples and illustrations. MicroRef QUick Reference Lotus 123 and Dos 5 Guides ''Far superior to any other guide, cheat sheet, or original documentation. .. an excellent guide Jor all users .. .. Highly recommended!" John Dvorak - PC Magazine

T'IM HI" tOOLX , "P 2OOLl[ "'welope,..Oukle , HP lOO/200IX Developer's Guide Attention: Palmtop Developers and Enthusiasts The Developer's Package includes everything you need to write software, design hard­ ware, or simply understand the inner workings of the HP Palmtop. The Package includes: 1) Printed copy of 586-page Developer's Guide HP IOO/200LX Developer's Guide 2) Disk containing HP-created source code and utilities for developers 3) Complete set of kits for marketing your Palmtop product 4) CompuServe starter kit (CompuServe is where Palmtop programmers hang out) 5) PAL: a C source code library for developing software with the look and feel Thaddeus of the HP Palmtop built-in applications Computing INC. Publisher: Tbe HP Palmtop Paper and Handbelel PC Magazine 110 North Court, Fairfield. IA 52556 800-373-6114 • 51 5-472-6330 Fax: 515-472-1 879 ' E-Mail: [email protected] continued from page 8 The Great Palmtop Debate: HP 200LX vs HP 320LX Palmtop PC

320LX will be better for me, application. Why he likes HP 320LX fRO since the screen is MUCH Switching is not a truly Palmtop PC wider on the HP 320LX. background operation, and He has no guilt in Plus, Lotus 1-2-3 is too com­ you end up managing things The new HP 320LX I pur­ using HP's 320LX plicated for my needs. the computer should be chased is proving its worth I am still waiting for an managing. As weak as it is, in a number of ways: I've played around with my offline CompuServe reader the Mobile Forms database - No-brainer syncing with HP 320LX Palmtop PC for like I'm using now. When by AIIPen is as useful as the Outlook, which our office only a few days, so I'm no that happens, I might even database for the HP 200LX. uses. expert. So far, I am very pack away my trusty little Lotus 1-2-3 on the liP 200 - A better Web browser impresssed with it. HP 200LX. No guilt, though, LX is more powerful than than I expected on such a My only complaint is the because I'm still using an the HP 320LX's Excel, as small machine. screen is not as bright as the HP! We shall see. long as you only want one - Very useful screen size, HP 200LX. It's actually no Dick B. Chatjaval spreadsheet and don't need and with backlighting it's problem for me because [email protected] to enter dates. Of course, actually pretty good. mostly I use the HP 320LX when you need several - Easy e-mail access. with backlight and an The myth of DOS com· spreadsheets you create a - Easier to use when not at adapter. patability book of them in Excel and your desk. I find using the I am very happy with the "hot key" from one to the pen with handwriting recog­ built-in programs, especially Regarding the HP 100/ next with the HP 320LX, as nition like CalliGrapher Internet Explorer and Inbox 200LX's ability to run DOS compared to Quit, Confirm, (while holding the HP (e-mail). I am on a trip in programs: Close, Open, etc., with the 320LX in one hand) much London so I need a rather Unfortunately, the version 200LX's Lotus. easier than thumb typing. complicated setup for e­ of DOS that the machine Dates? Just format the col­ (Incidentally, CalliGrapher mailing (for me anyway) runs doesn't permit EMS umn and type them in with has to be tried to be and it worked brilliantly. memory; the unit, itself, Excel. With 1-2-3, you either believed. No training My ISP and mail/ pop3 doesn't support VGA; and do something like enter required, recognizes cursive, serv~r is in Hong Kong and the upshot is, you can't real­ @date(97,12,25) [and then print, whatever.) I wanted to connect to them ly run the "last" batch of format the cell as a date] or Sure, there are problems. by logging on to Compu­ powerful DOS programs. you have to write a macro. No database, no RPN calcu­ Serve in London. I followed Take FoxPro, for instance. Same for time. Don't tell me lator, relatively limited the intructions in the You can run version 2.4, but that is a handy way to keep spreadsheet, but I suspect enclosed manual and it you can't buy 2.4. More track of elapsed time and that for most people it's a worked first time. Very recent versions may still be mileage. more useable solution (than impressive. findable, but the HP 200LX So while the HP 200LX is a an improved HP 200LX). Now when I travel I no won't run them. useful machine that fits all longer have to log on to So the claim of DOS com­ of the palmtop computing Vikas M. Gore CompuServe and telnet (ter­ patibility is, in my opinion, needs of many, it's an over [email protected] minal emulation) to a couple more virtual than real. simplification to focus on of my ISPs to check e-mail Unlike the new HP 320LX the weakest points of the HP while being online the Palmtop PC, the HP 200LX 320LX Palmtop PC vs the CON whole time. The Inbox e­ has a built-in database func­ strongest points of the HP Won't program for mail program can be an tion, but if you have more 200LX, then conclude that WinCE offline reader. than several hundred the HP 200LX is a superior PocketExcel and Word are records, editing begins to piece of anything. As the author of WWW / LX, ok for me because I don't do slow, and at 500 to 1,000, it Both units have their PalEdit, HV, QuickLX, and very complicated things on may take 30 to 120 seconds strengths and weaknesses, other popular HP 200LX them. Actually, Excel will be just to edit one record, save but the market has left DOS programs, I've been encour­ great because my secretary it and bring up the next. and will never return. So the aged by a number of people will copy me files and I need Then if you need to go to fact that it has some useful to start writing programs for it simply for reading infor­ another database, you have DOS stuff is not going to the new WinCE platform. mation. She currently saves the same wait while one impress most of the folks Sorry, but I have no Excel files as *.wk1 (Lotus 1- exits and the next loads. You who make a living using intentions of developing 2-3) so I can read them on can use Carousel to hot Windows on their PCs. anything for what I consider my HP 200LX's Lotus 1-2-3. switch, but you loose big Don Vine one of the poorest platforms PocketExcel on the HP chunks of memory for each [email protected]

30 THE HP PALMTOP PAPER JULY/ AUGUST 1997 available. I am less interest­ doesn't allow me to freeze It's of course possible that PC isn't an improvement for ed in turning something that rows or columns, so once I the HP 320LX wasn't intend­ me. is currently "not really scroll, I loose my column ed at all for the HP 200LX Technically the unit looks usable" into something that headings. I want my 1-2-3! crowd. In that case HP good and works well. I like is "barely usable." I am more 3. The calculator is a total missed a deeply loyal mar­ the back light capability. It's interested in perfecting waste; nothing but the basic ket that's ready for an unfortunate that HP had to already useful things. +,-,*,/. I have to have the upgrade. It's also possible use the Microsoft operating Also, I am not interested power of my HP 95LX, with that the company was stuck system and programs. I in purchasing a desktop which I can write my own with the pathetic limitations don't think that anyone at computer with Windows equations in Solver. of Windows CE; if so, why Microsoft has any experi­ (and upgrading it all the 4. The screen was not bother? ence doing anything other time) just to be able to do bright enough to read, and That's why I'm going to than writing software. something as simple as a required constant adjust­ continue using, enjoying The thing I always liked backup, or installing soft­ ment with every new loca­ (except for typing difficul­ about HP equipment is that ware. This would be neces­ tion. To use the backlite was ties) and relying on my HP it seemed to be designed by sary because WinCE forces to destroy the battery life. 200LX, until HP comes up people who actually knew you to use a Windows desk­ On the plus side, I really with a worthy successor. how measurements or calcu­ top for making backups, like MS Outlook, which lations should be done. installing software, and loads on my desktop. I also Ehud Mouchly They included those special development. liked using the stylus like a [email protected] features that made the user's Also, software develop­ mouse. But these pluses life easier. My impression of ment for the CE would lock were far outweighed by the Microsoft is that they think me to a desktop and force negatives. He returns HP 320LX, everyone spends all of their me to develop within a sys­ I'm now determined to buys HP 200LX time surfing the net, making tem where I would spend a buy an HP 200LX 4 Mb. For out expense reports and lot of my time rebooting and $739, the CE machine wasn't Recently I bought a new HP sending e-mail. finding work-arounds for all a good buy. 320LX Palmtop Pc. I guess I should ha ve the flaws. (I think it is obvi­ When I got home I began known better than to expect ous that I am not a Michael Valadez to convert my HP 100 files so much from Microsoft Windows fan.) [email protected]·net over to the new system. The software. By the way, everything I calendar and phone systems I returned the 320LX and developed for the 100/ Returns HP 320LX, were different from what I found that Service Mer­ 200LX was developed on my prefers HP 200LX was used to, but they were chandise is running a clear­ 200LX. This alone made it acceptable, even though ance sale on the 200LX. I possible to develop all the I'm returning my newly­ they don't have the charac­ bought one. software I wrote. If I had acquired HP 320LX Palmtop teristic HP attention to What convinced me to been locked to a desktop, I PC for a refund. For what detail. return the 320LX is that it simply would not have had it's worth, here's why: I I was sorry to see that the has no Find function that I the time to write any of it. loved the keyboard and the HP calculator with solver could discover in the On the HP 200LX, I can screen of the 320LX. But wasn't included. I loaded Scheduler. I was in a meet­ work whenever I have some that's where it stopped. The my Lotus files into Excel ing at work, and was asked spare time, e.g., when sitting rest is a triumph of market­ and saved them as Excel about a future meeting that I in a train or in an airplane. ing over many years of engi­ files, then moved them to was to attend. That's when I neering excellence and cre­ the HP 320LX. This is when learned that that feature was Andreas Garzotto ativity at HP regarding cal­ my frustration began. not available. That night I [email protected] culators and handhelds. I discovered that the discovered that it is avail­ For my own individual Pocket Excel couldn't plot able on the desktop version. He sent back his purpm;es, HP would have the data in my Lotus files; The Hewlett-Packard engi­ WinCE unit done us all a great service if nor could it run macros as neers who designed the soft­ it had done nothing more Lotus can. I then scoured the ware for the HP 100/200LX I had a Windows CE than put all of the outstand­ manual to see what other must have used the proto­ machine for two weeks and ing functionality of the HP limitations it had that Lotus types to learn what features ended up sending it back for 200LX inside the HP didn't. Excel can't do any are important. credit. Why? 300/320LX case. database functions such as I think that Microsoft sim­ 1. The CE version of To stay with the HP 320LX sort or DSUM. ply started dropping fea­ Calendar doesn't have a Palmtop PC, I'd be giving Unfortunately, these are tures until they could shoe­ search utility. So if I enter an up too many outstanding the functions that I use fre­ horn their software into the event or appointment, but features of the HP 200LX, quently. It has no table cal­ available space. That later can't remember the such as a much better PIM, a culation capability, and it approach doesn't serve the date, I have to manually go fully-functional RPN finan­ can't do multiple linear customer. to each date and search for cial calculator, a much more regression. Lotus can do all the item! My HP 95LX functional spreadsheet, etc. of these. I am reluctantly Genr Kohlenberg Appointment lets me search. Life is too short for such coming to the conclusion [email protected] 2. The CE version of Excel compromises. that the HP 320LX Palmtop

THE HPPALMTOPPAPER JULY/ AUGUST 1997 31 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR (continued from page 2.) So I called HP and asked how to get a Comparison; Mark omitted Memo in new battery door. They said I had to the included applications and also buy the "Palmtop Maintenance Kit" for neglected to note that the HP 200LX $20 and that it included a new door. can support even the latest IRDA speci­ Actually, it has lots of little things fication with an optional driver, as he Calculators & Palmtop (including three screws) that I'll detail noted in the case of EMS Support. 2. In the 'Phone Book vs Contacts' Hewlett Packard below. I called the other number he gave me he said, "No" to custom fields in the 320LX 4 mb ...... $688 300LX 2 mb ...... $588 and ordered the kit. The lady said I 200LX. This is odd because the phone­ 200LX 4 mb ...... $555 would have it in 2-4 business days for a book is fully-customizable. The user is 200LX 6 mb ...... $688 total of only $20.85. free to change the entire format of the 100LX 1 mb** ...... $269 I was expecting a padded envelope phonebook, if desired. 95 LX 112 mb** ...... $149 in my mail box. Instead, two days later 3. In the "Spreadsheet Comparison" 95 LX 1 mb** ...... $229 I got home and found a Fed Ex box, Mark also says "No" to Undo in Lotus, 1000 LX 2 mb ...... $399 8.25w x 1O.5d x 13h inches. All I could and "Yes" to Search and Replace! I Omnigo ...... $199 think was that HP must have somehow , believe that he may have got his wires 41 CX** ...... $298 mixed my order up with someone crossed here. There is an Undo feature ** Remanufoctured Casio ·Cassiopeia else's (which would also explain the on my HP 200LX, but I have been 2 mb ...... $518 FedEx delivery). Opening up this big unable to locate the Search and Replace 4 mb ...... $618 box (larger than the one my entire HP function! (Undo can be found by using: Philips· Velo & accessories originally came in), I "Menu/ Worksheet /Global/Default/ 2 mb ...... $588 found, neatly packed for safety, a box Other / Undo/ Enable".) 4 mb ...... $688 measuring 6.25w x 5.5d x 5h inches. Compaq Inside that box I found the parts kit, in Ian Melville 4 mb ...... $688 an assortment of bags. ianme/@opus-networx.com Psion This level of service and commit­ 3C 1 mb ...... $456 ment kind of makes me pity HP's com­ 3C 2 mb ...... $518 She misses lost Sharp petition. palmtop Zarus 5800 ...... $479 For those of you who might need it, the parts kit is part number F1216- 60998 (Palmtop Maintenance Kit), and I am a physician who calls her palmtop Tel: (610) 588-4444 ~ ~ calculafor can be obtained by calling HP service. I her "peripheral brain." FAX:(610) 588-1727 .. world only have the US 800 number (800-227- I recently lost my palmtop and had 1086 S. Delware Drive, _ IJ}(OIINJ/(//{'d M .. Bethel,PA 18343 8164). my PC hard drive crash at the same Repair· Buy· Sell· Trade time. The kit contains: Of the two computers, I miss my 2 battery doors palmtop the most. I especially miss 2 backup battery trays having my phone books at my finger­ 8 rubber feet tips, and being able to jot down ideas 3 replacement screws (added to and compose letters. original kit by customer request) I also miss being able to add to 4 hinge caps expense accounts and databases wher­ Project: Vision 2 IR covers ever I am, and then being able to plug 2 metal ID plates (the ones you get my palmtop in and send the informa­ engraved for the bottom). tion to wherever it needs to go - PC, Gives You printer, fax or e-mail. The palmtop was Planning In Your Palm For $99 Steve Van Dyke always where I needed it. For HP 100/200 and DOS based PC's 70611 .214 [email protected] Of my two computers, if I had a choice as to which one I had to get rid Features Include: Free Demo Pc Di of, it would be my PC every time. t One Hour Learning Curve sk Handheld comparisons t Uses 300K with Max file size from 80K to lMEG. Marta Jacenyik t Logic Networks, Timelines, Resource Histograms The March/ April '97 issue of The HP Gulf Breeze, FL t Critical Path, Milestones, Variable Zoom t Mouse and keyboard for Dortllhililtv Palmtop Paper was yet another job well tNEW! toMS done! Thank you. I especially enjoyed How to Write to The HP the article entitled "Comparing the Palmtop Paper Windows CE Handheld PC to the HP Palmtop," which was well written, We welcome your comments, reactions and informative and unbiased. suggestions. Please send letters to The HP Palmtop Paper, 110 N. Court Street, I do have a few comments about Fairiield, IA 52556, U.S.A., or e-mail us: the article, however: [email protected] l. Under the 'Specifications

32 THE HP PALMTOP PAPER JULY/ AUGUST 1997 • •• BASIC TIPS •••

all you have to do to create more each file. . records is to highlight the first record and Fourth, press (MENU) Qptions, Use compatible format then press (FN)+(Copy), and then Sort. Then select "Sort files by... Date" (FN)+(Paste). This creates two identical and "Qrder.... Descending. This will dis­ Lotus 1-2-3 has been out for a long time, records, and all you have to do is open play the most recently saved file at the and there have been many enhance­ the new one and change the name field. top of the screen. ments to the program and many different This will save a lot of time, as well Fifth, if the file at the top of the versions of it for a variety of platforms as lessen the chance of making errors. screen has a date and time which is only (DOS, Windows, etc.). a few minutes old, that's the program's The version used on the HP Tom Gibson score file. (The file mayor may not have Technical Editor, HP Palmtop Paper 100/200LX is Version 2.4 for DOS. a *.DAT or *.SCO extension. Kerry's pro­ There can be a compatibility problem if [email protected] gram stores its scores in a. file called you are using a newer version of Lotus GAME.RES.) on your desktop and try to import a You could delete the file, but it's worksheet file you created on your desk­ safer to rename it, or move it to a differ­ top. You may get the error ''Worksheet ent directory. By renaming or moving the revision is out of date." This is because file you give yourself the option of rein­ Use Filer to delete or save trodUCing the old score file if you want to. the newer versions save the files in game scores slightly different ways. To rename the GAME.RES file, press (MENU) Eile, Rename. Then type Fortunately, the people at Lotus When Thaddeus Computing's mailing foresaw the potential problem. Different in a different name, such as GAME.R, or director, Kerry Smith, started sharing GAME.OLD. versions of Lotus allow you to save palmtop game playing with her family, spreadsheets in a variety of formats. All Now play the game again. The pre­ she found that one family member won vious high scores should be gone, and you have to do is save the worksheet in all the hands in her favorite pamtop a compatible format. From the desktop, the youngsters will be happy when they game. The program, like many games, see their own scores displayed. choose File, Save As, and specify the keeps track of (and displays) the highest File type as 1-2-3 (WK1). scores from previous games. Carol de Giere MS-Excel and most other spread­ The youngest children in the family, Associate Editor, The HP Palmtop Paper sheet programs on the market will allow who never could beat the "champion's" [email protected] you to save files in Lotus WK1 format highest scores, were disappointed and will also be able to open files in this because their scores never appeared in format. the score box, even when they played the game by themselves. AI Sherman Luckily, Kerry discovered that it was Intemet EMail."[email protected] Insert batteries correctly • possible to delete the record of scores from the program (as well as from many Most battery-equipped devices are other games). After she deleted the file designed so that all the batteries get that stored the scores, the youngsters' inserted with their negative ends resting scores appeared in the score box. (If against the spring coil. Enter multiple names from there's no existing score file, the pro­ For some reason, Hewlett-Packard same company easily gram creates a new one.) designed their palmtops so the positive Some games automatically start end of one battery rests against the spring Many people use the Palmtop for with a score of zero each time, but other coil, while the negative end of the other Business. It is a very convenient and games (like Kerry's program) store their battery rests against the other spring coil. powerful tool for storing information scores in a special file. Here's how to try If you're not paying attention when about your contacts, but if you want to to "reset" the scores. you change batteries and you insert keep track of a number of people at the First, playa hand (or session) of the both batteries with the negative ends same company, it can be a pain to have game. This will cause (in most games) a touching the springs, your palmtop won't to enter all of the same information into new score file to be saved (Le., a file work when you turn it on. different records. You can save yourself with the current date and time). When you replace the main batter­ all of that time and effort by using the Second, press (FILER) and go to ies, orient them according to the sym­ built-in Cut and Paste features of the the directory where the program is locat­ bols in the battery compartment, not 200LX. Here is how to do it. ed. If there's a score file, chances are it according to the position of the springs. Let's say that you are a salesman will be in the same directory as its pro­ and one of your biggest customers is the gram. Ralph C. Tumer ABC Corp., and that you have 100 peo­ Third, press (F7) (Full), which will Managing Editor ple which you need to contact there. display in full view the file list. This will The HP Palmtop Paper After you create one record and save it, allow you to see the date of creation of [email protected]

THE HP PALMTOP PAPER JULY/AUGUST 1997 33 ...... QUICK TIPS ......

sheet that calculated sales­ a very powerful tool for your To use the program you men's commissions, and the arsenal. It's too bad that it have to first run the program Search and Replace in commission rate changed. isn't well documented. from the DOS prompt or Filer. Lotus 1-2-3 Searching through labels To activate the program, will search everything that is Tom Gibson press (CTRL)+(ALT)+(m). not a formula. For example, it Technical Editor, HP Palmtop Paper Your palmtop's keypad is now In Mark Scardina's compari­ [email protected] son of the HP 200LX with the will search text or numbers a mouse. Unfortunately, it HP320LX, he mentioned that that are not used in formulas. stays a mouse until you Lotus 1-2-3 on the 200LX has Searching both formulas reboot your system by press­ a search and replace func­ and labels will find the first ing (CTRL)+(ALT)+(DEL). tion. I have heard a lot of peo­ occurrence of the search HPMouse makes work­ ple say that they can not find string in the range, regard­ I ing with CAD and some game it. The search and replace less of where it is. Turn your numeric programs a lot simpler and function is pretty well buried Once you have told keypad into a mouse easier. It has been tested with in Lotus's menu system, but it Lotus where to search for the the following programs suc­ is there. I'll tell you where it is search string, you are asked There are many DOS pro­ cessfully: and how to use it. if you want to find or replace grams that are capable of The search feature is the search string. running on the palmtop. - Flight Simulator 4 located in the Range menu. Find will go through the Unfortunately, some of them, - Champions of Krynn To invoke it, press (MENU) specified range and stop at particularly drawing pro­ - Finger Paint Bange Search. You will be the first occurrence of the grams, function better using a prompted to enter the range search string and prompt you mouse. HPMouse works with the of the spreadsheet you want to find the next occurrence, or It is not impossible to HP 100/200LX only; it will not to search (for example, to quit. use a mouse with the palm­ work with another PC. A 1.. Z500). You are next If you choose Replace top, but it is difficult to set it Tom Gibson, Technical Ed/lor prompted to "Enter string to you are prompted to supply a up. Fortunately, a program replacement string. Once you called HPMouse makes it HP Palmtop Paper search for." At this point you [email protected] need to enter the letters or have given Lotus the replace­ easier. numbers to search for. The ment string, the program will HPMouse is a TSR pro­ go to the first occurrence and gram that turns the numeric search string in not case sen­ HP 200LX hex calcula­ prompt you to "Replace," "All, key pad into a mouse. After sitive. tor: a built-in but un­ Next, Quit." activating the mouse driver, Supply the search string documented program and press (ENTER), and If you select "Replace," you can use the numeric key­ Lotus will replace it and go to pad for mouse movement. Lotus will ask you where you In a recent issue of The HP want to search: in formulas, the next one, then give you Press 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 or 6 or the same prompt. "All" will 7 or 8 or 9 to move the cursor Palmtop Paper, Tom Gibson labels, or both. described LXPRO, a feature­ If you select formulas, replace all of the occurrences in the eight directions. Press in the range, and "Next" will o or = for the left and right packed TSR by Stefan Peichl then Lotus will only search that includes HEX/DEC/ the formulas in the range you go to the next occurrence and mouse buttons, respectively. ask what you want to do with The cursor moves as long as OCT/BIN conversions. specified for the search This reminded me that that occurrence. you hold the key down, and string. This would be very the only references I have The Search and Replace stops when you release the useful if you had a spread- seen to the HP 200LX's built­ feature in Lotus 1-2-3 can be key. in but undocumented pro­ grammer's calculator in The HP Palmtop Paper were in the initial reviews of the HP 200LX palmtop. Well, for those who don't know it's there, the HP 200LX has an emulation of the HP16C programmer's calula­ tor. It provides arithmetical 2A and logical operations in Hex 2A binary, octal, decimal and M;C- _.'q;W_'l'!IilMM:ii,_ -;m;-_"_~:ili;W_:tiJi!M -i#6'••• " hexidecimal. The program and its HEXCALC, an undocumented programmer's calculator that is built into the HP 200LX, associated icon are: provides arithmetical and logical operations in binary, octal, decimal and hexidecimal.

34 THE HP PALMTOP PAPER JULY I AUGUST 1997 D:\BIN\Hexcalc.exm. and but after you have gotten a folded the paper in half and test." D:\BIN\Hexcalc.icn character right three times in then in half again, now mea­ With these tests you can a row it is eliminated from the suring about 2.9 by 0.6 cm . check the condition of your The program can be list so you can concentrate on Then I cut a length of rubber palmtop's display, keyboard, added to the HP 200lX appli­ the ones you still don't know. band about 2.7 cm in length, serial port, batteries, RAM, cations menu by adding an When all characters have inserted this into the opening ROM, IR port, timers, and entry with the following fields: been eliminated, the session in the folded paper, and any plugged-in RAM .card. ends and the percent correct Crazy Glued it on two sides, CAUTION #1: Before you run Name: He&x Calc is displayed. very close to the opening. I the self test, save data in any Path: D:\BIN\Hexcalc.exm You may also have the then removed the latch and applications you have open, Key Assignment: Alt+Calc computer sound out charac­ Crazy Glued the the folded since the self test performs a (Press (F4) to set this up.) ters you type (Type->hear). paper inside the latch com­ system reset. This can be useful to review a partment, rubber-band-side CAUTION #2: Do NOT run This entry allows quick few characters that keep giv­ closest to the screen. I then either the "Plug-in RAM card" access to the calculator in ing you trouble, or to playa put Crazy Glue on the latch test, or the "Test al/" option if one of two ways. It sets up a text file. and pushed it in place. you have a Flash card in your shortcut key of "x" for use To install Morse Code on On my first attempt I did palmtop. The plug-in test can when the applications menu your Palmtop, unzip the not push the latch all the way destroy aI/ the data on a is displayed, but also sets up archive and copy MC.EXE to up into position, and as a Flash card, and possibly an appropriate "hot key" com­ your palmtop. Run it from the result the unit did not close harm the card itself. It's all bination of (Alt)+(Calc) (My DOS prompt, from Filer, or completely. So be sure to put right to perform the plug-in method of remembering the set it up in APManager. everything in place with no test if you have an SRAM "hot key" combination is to Good luck in learning glue first, so once you put the card inserted in your palmtop. think of "alternative calcula­ Morse Code and passing the glue on you can get every­ To get to the diagnostics tor.") exam. thing in place fast, before the screen, press the (OFF) key Ron Lees glue dries. to shut off the unit. Next, Canberra, Australia Tom Gibson, Technical Editor JoeMa/z while holding down the (ESC) [email protected] .HP Palmtop Paper [email protected] key, press and release the [email protected] (ON) key, then release the (ESC) key. The diagnostics Learn Morse code on screen will appear, containing the palmtop instructions. (One instruction that's not there: if you want to If you'd like to pass the upper Running the diagnos­ terminate a test, press the level Amateur Radio exam, or Use Crazy Glue and tics self test (BACKSPACE) key.) you'd merely like to have paper to repair broken As each test is run, result some fun sending a message latch [WARNING: The fol/owing tip messages will appear on the in code, take a look at refers to a procedure that can screen, such as "OK," "Bad," Freeware Morse Code Trainer The latch on my HP 100lX destroy data and possibly "No Card," (if you don't have 1.1 (KB9PSl) by David A. broke about 18 months ago harm flash cards. Do NOT try a card inserted in the card Nye. (He can be reached at and as I live in Atibaia, Sao to perform this procedure slot) or "No loop," (if you don't [email protected]) Paulo, Brasil, sending it out before you read and under­ have a loop-back tester con­ This DOS program, for a seven day trip to replace stand the cautionary notes nected to the serial port). which works on the HP the latch was out of the ques­ listed below.] During the tests, don't 100/200lX, will help you tion. Since that time I have The HP 95lX, HP 100lX press any keys. learn Morse code quickly. tried stuffing folded paper, and HP 200 lX all contain a The program provides differ­ rubber bands, cardboard, set of built-in diagnostic tests, Ralph C. Tumer ent ways of practicing the Managing Editor, HP Palmtop Paper paper and rubber bands, etc. collectively called the "self code, including: Every' solution worked to [email protected] some degree. A week ago The Koch method - With another piece of the latch this method, (which is also broke, (how? I don't know, I known as the "Hear->type just noticed one day that the Shareware/freeware mode") you hear the Morse latch was about to fall). At mentioned in this article code for a character and then this point the latch was not press the cooresponding key working at all. HPMouse (HPMOUS10.ZIP) - A TSR program that tums the numeric keypad into on your palmtop. The com­ a mouse. Freeware. Web: www.thaddeus.oom and on this issue's HP Palmtop PaperON Today while fixing my DISK. puter displays the correct child's toy with Crazy Glue an character if you enter the idea came to me. Here is Morse Code Trainer 1.1 (MC11.ztP) - DOS program that helps you leam Morse wrong one, and keeps track code. Freeware. Web: www.thaddeus.oom and on this issue's HPPaimtopPaper ON what I did, and so far it is DISK of the percentage of correct working great, and the latch an-swers. feels firm like when it was LXPRO - A TSR utility (designed for the 100LX and 200LX palmtops) that monitors new. battery voltages, card status, serial power status, and more. Freeware. Included in the MarchlApril1997 HP Palmtop Paper ON DISK The Elim method - This is I cut a small piece of like the "Hear->type mode," paper 2.9 by 2.3 cm . I then

THE HP PALMTOP PAPER JULY I AUGUST 1997 35 HOW TO CONTACT US [Please note: The HP Palmtop Paper does not and cannot provide technical support.] There are a number of ways to get in touch with The HP Palmtop Paper staff. You can write, mail us a disk with your com­ ments, send CompuServe or fnternet e­ Products advertised in this issue of The HP Palmtop Paper mail, fax, or call. Our mailing address and contact information is: COMPANY (PRODUCT) ..•.....•.••..•.•••.•..•..••••.. [PHONEIFAX NUMBERS) .. PAGE NUMBER Thaddeus Computing, Inc., 110 N. Court St., Accurite (Floppy Drives lor l0012ooLXIDoubie Slot) " ,[510·668·4900: Fax:510·668·4905J .. 6 Fairfield, IA 52556, U.S.A. Aware (Micro Roentgen Radiation Monitor) , , , , , , , . ' .. ' , , •• , . , , , , [302-655-3800; Fax: 302-655-3800J .. 25 Phone: 515-472-6330 Calculator Wond (Buys, sells, trades, repairs Palmtops) ,,[610-568-4444; Fax: 610-568-1727] .. 32 or 800-373-6114 ConectUS Wireless Comm (Wireless Messaging) '''''''''''''''''''' '''''''''''''''''' ""'"'' [8oo-35O-0373J .. 14 Fax #:515-472-1879 E&B (Leather Cases). """',"', . , """"""'" ,[800-896-2273; Inti: 9t6-344-5047; Fax: 9t6-782-9306J .. 12 Internet: [email protected] EduCALC (Accessories) , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , " [800-365-9376J .. 2 CompuServe: 76125,1773 EXP Computer (ThinFax Modem) " , , , ,,[800-EXP-6922 ext, 64t or 714-453-1020; Fax: 714·453-1319J .. back cover Greenwich (Palm Link), """"""""""""""" , [800·476-4070 or 704-875-8490; Fax: 704-875-2801J .. 27 TO SUBSCRIBE, change address, or clear Greystone Peripherals (PC Cards/Drivers/Adapters) , , ",,',"""" [800-600-5710 or 408-868·4739; Fax: 408-866-83281 .. 23 up any problem with your subscription, contact our subscription department. Call Inmax (CGA VGA Graphics Pack VisionJ ' , , , , , , , , , I ' , , , , , , , , , , " [804·980·9991: Fax: 604-985-5597] .. 32 or fax us at the phone numbers above. E­ Kingmax Micro (Peripherals) " , , , , , , , , , , , , , " , , , , , , , [909-468-0958; Fax: 909-468-0769J .. 25 mail us at: [email protected] MagicRAM (Flash Cards) "" [800·272-6242 or 213-413·9999: Fax: 213-413-0828J .. 22 PC Depot (ATA Flash Cards) """",'" . ,' , , , , " "_, [800-570-6828 or 8t8-868-8288; Fax: 8t8-868-8293J .. 28 TO ADVERTISE in The HP Palmtop Paper Pretec (PCMCIA Memory Cards) " """"""""" """"""" [510-440·0535; Fax: 510-440-0534J .. 16 contact Brian Teitzman, Margaret Martin Puma (Windows Connectivity Kit) """"""" " , " " ,,[ 800-248-2795 or 408-321-7650; Fax: 802-658-3991J .. l0 or Tiffany Lisk at phone: 515-472-1660 or 800-809-5603; Fax: 515-472-8409. Shier Systems (Cables, software, accessories, Web Browser) '" , , ' [805-371-9391; Fax: 805·371·9454J .. ,inside tront cover Steele Creek Technologies (CardLink Drives) "'"'''''''''''''''''''' "'"'''''''''' [Phone/Fax: 704-568-1780J .. 20 Technical Support Thaddeus Computing (SubSCriptions: HP Palmtop Paper, HP Palmtop Paper ON DISK) '" , , , ' , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 29 """"""""'" """""""""" ,[800-373-6114 or 515-472-8330; Fax: 515-472-1879J .. HP Technical Support - HP offers tech­ (Knowledge products: HP Palmtop Tech Ref. Manual, Lotus/DOS Relerence Books, HP PTP's CD InloSase) , ...... 8 nical support from 8:00am. - 5:00pm. P.S.T. (The Palmtop Papers new 1997 CD InloSase) ''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''','', "'''''''' 18,19 Phone: 970-392-1001. (Handheld PC Magazine) , , , , inside back cover Times2Tech (HP 200LX 5MB RAM Upgrade) ,,[Phone/Fax: 205-620-1408J .. 21 On-Line Support-offered by these bul­ letin board services. o COMPUSERVE: GO HPHAND FORUM - Call 800-848-8990 or 614- 457-8650. o AMERICA ON LINE: Keyword PALMTOP - Call 888-265-8001 for membership information. Shareware and Freeware Index (July/August 1997) o INTERNET NEWS GROUPS: news:comp.sys.palmtops.hp; or Software on The HP Palmtop Paper ON DISK or CompuServe news:comp.sys.handhe1ds PRODUCT FUNCTION CIS FORUM I LIBRARY TYPE PAGE How to Submit an Article BGFAX170.zIP Utility: Send/receive FAX on the palmtop. HPHand, 9, '1 Freeware 3 GET.ZIP Application: Download Web pages on the palmtop. NA, '3 Shareware 14 The richness of The HP Palmtop Paper HPFAX108.ZIP Application: Palmtop Faxing program _ NA, '2 Shareware 3 comes from the contributions of Palmtop HPMOUS10.ZIP Utility: TSR program tums numeric keypad into mouse, NA, '5 Freeware 35 PC users. We and your fellow users wel­ HV,ZIP Utility: Palmtop hypertext Web page viewer. HPHand. 11, '3 Freeware 14,28 come your submissions. (We do not offer IGO,ZIP Game: Similar to classic Japanese game of GO. NA, '4 Freeware 28 payment for articles, your reward is know­ MC11.ZIP Application: DOS program helps you leam Morse code, NA, '5 Freeware 35 mg that you've helped others.) NEWS.ZIP Text: Batch & data files to load Web newspaper pages. NA, '4 Freeware 14 If you have a good idea and want to "go for it," send it in via CompuServe e-mail PE,ZIP Utility: PAL·based DOS text editor, HPHand, 11, '4 Freeware 28 [75300,2443), Internet: haCgoldstein@thad­ POET,ZIP Spreadsheet: Lotus poetry program; related files. NA, '4 Freeware 23 deus.com, or send disk or liard copy to Hal PTP33,ZIP Text: The HP Palmtop Paper,July/August 1997. NA NA NA Goldstein or Ralph C. Turner at tbe above README.ZIP Text: Cover letter to the HP Palmtop Paper ON DISK NA NA NA address. Alternatively you can send an TILES,ZIP Game: Mah Jongg-like solitaire game, NA, '4 Shareware 28 outline of ),our idea. We will try to guide )'OU as to when and whether we woufd use the article and contact you if we need clari­ '1 http://www_blkbox,coml-bgfax/ '2 http://www.qfax,com '3 http://www,dasoft,com '4 www.thaddeus,com fication or have any suggestions - please '5 http://www.palmtop.netlsuper.html include your phone number. We ma), want to use an article but for a variety of reasons you ma)' not see it for many months. Please understand that we cannot Software mentioned and included in The 1997 HP Palmtop Paper CD Info8ase promise to run any particular article at any FASTPOET, application, freeware, p. 23; LXPRO, utility, freeware, p. 35. particular time. If you can, especially if you write a Palmtop Profile, send us a photo of your­ self - black and white is preferred, but color is acceptable.

36 THE HP PALMTOP PAPER JULY/AUGUST 1997 Windows®CE)

r ~ ti L: ,U ~ ~ It's Simple. Subscribe to Handheld PC Magazine! Subscribe and learn about Windows CE hardware and software advances. Read about the 100's of third party solutions. Study Handheld PC profiles. Glance at tips and tricks. Check out the best web sites.

We've gone to full color, while still retaining the flavor and philosophy of The HP Palmtop Paper. In other words, if you like The HP Palmtop Paper, you'll like Handheld PC Magazine. Special offer to HP Palmtop Paper subscribers. Order Now and Gel This Issue ~ We've just published the premier issue of Handheld PC Magazine. With your paid subscription we'll send it to you free. Your subscription to Handheld PC Magazine will start with the Jan/Feb 1998 issue when regular bi-monthly publication begins. Just call us, fax

12 Quick Tips _rid Tricks us, or send in the order card right away.

70 Programmer's Cornu ­ EverlltKaser ~11oI .... __ 1Ot_ t_ ...... ""''''..-SoIIwatt With your paid subscription, you get these 3 Fall =="" .. _CE_ Bonuses: wm PC MM'M~ Annual Special Report: Windows'CE 12 IMPORTANT THINGS EVERY BUYEWB Handheld PC User Should IIUIOE KNOW Mail the Reply Card Today! QRCALL: 808-373-8114· OUTSIDE U.S. CALL: 1-515-472-6330 CoMPUSERVE: 76125,1773- E-MAIL: [email protected]· FAX: 1-515-472-1879 VISlTUS ON THE WEB: www.thaddeus.com Thaddeus Com uting INC. • 110 North Court, Fairfield, IA 52556 The Only HP Palmtop Upgrade That Has It All. To get the most from your HP 100/200LX palmtop, you need 3 advanced upgrades on 1 convenient PCMCIA card. First, you need to send and receive both faxes and data at an exceptional 14, 400 bps speed. Second, you need fax/modem software that operates easily with the same HP function keys and commands you already use ... without the hassle of downloading software and without conSuming precious hard disk space. Third, you need Flash memory for fast, easy access to all your software applications and for efficiently storing data. Plus you need to fax from and receive faxes into your Flash memory for extra convenience. And, most of all, you need the flexibility to use all your upgrade features together or independently, without inserting and removing separate fax/modem and memory cards. Now you can have it all with ThinFax 1414LXM. ALl THE ADVANCED UPGRADE FEATURES YOU NEED ... ON 1 CONVENIENT PCMCIA CARD. EXP's award-winning MiniFax™ software. High-speed fax/modem. 2 or 4 MB Flash memory. They're all built into the ThinFax 1414LXM card. That's why ThinFax 1414LXM is the one upgrade that's a must for your HP palmtop. So call the toll-free number today for complete ThinFax 1414LXM specifications and the name of an EXP dealer near you. C,d': 714-453-1020 or Fllx: 714-453-1319 bttp://www. expnet. com ~ MOBILE COMPUTING EXP ERTISE IS BUILT INTO OUR NAME.