Sam Williams (

036-40 _iC10 PDA 8/9/04 2:09 PM Page 1 Illustration: Sam Williams (www.magictorch.com) 036 036-40 _iC10 PDA 8/9/04 2:09 PM Page 2 PDA SUPERGUIDE Discover how to switch on to mobile computing as Rob Buckley presents the ultimate guide to using a PDA with your Mac n the age of the notebook, why There’s no start-up time to worry about with PDAs, you can access any would you need anything other than of your applications in a couple of seconds, you can fit one into your pocket and an iBook or PowerBook to be wired carry it with you wherever you go, you can take it out from your pocket without wherever you go? It’s a good anyone noticing you have an expensive and nickable electronic device with you, question, but ever since Apple and if you drop it your chances of a heart attack are substantially reduced in released its Ifirst portable machine – which many relation to the inevitable sharp stabbing pains in the chest you’ll get when a professional powerlifters still use today as an PowerBook topples to its doom. alternative to weights – it’s been clear that laptops simply Unfortunately, if you do begin the journey down the path to true PDA make it easier, not easy, to take files and programs with you enlightenment, you’re going to have to get used to the phrase, “Does it work wherever you go. with a Mac?” along the way. And if you pick the wrong model, you’re going to Fortunately, there is an alternative: the Personal Digital Assistant be as cool as Bill Gates in a woollen sweater at a roller disco. So tread wisely (or PDA). Roughly the size of the palm of your hand, a PDA has a and read on. screen, memory and the ability to synchronise data with a computer. Even though PDAs are nowhere near as powerful as a laptop, they can The smart option? give you access to almost all your information – in particular, your calendar As always, your first questions should be: “Do I really need this? What am I and your address book – without giving you a hernia. going to use it for?” If all you want to do is take your calendars and ▼ 037 036-40 _iC10 PDA 8/9/04 2:09 PM Page 3 LIFE-SAVING Once someone starts using a PDA, they often wonder It’s the amount of software and the ability to synchronise information that really makes a SOFTWARE how they lived without one. The more you learn about PDA a worthwhile purchase. PDAs have access Essential utilities to thousands of programs written especially for for PDA owners your PDA the more you can get out of it them, including games, business applications, databases, spreadsheets, word processors, contacts with you, and you can afford it, dictionaries, shopping list programs, fitness buy an iPod. They’re cool, can store lots of trainers, language tutors, Web browsers, wine THE MISSING music and can display all your information advisors (!), guidebooks, maps, route planners SYNC FOR POCKET and a little bit more using iSync or some and restaurant guides. Many can exchange PC/Clié/Palm OS third-party software. information with Mac programs automatically Cost: $39.95 URL: www.markspace.com If you want to be able to alter or add to during synchronisation and, when they don’t PDA users with Macs come off that information, however, you’re going to have Internet connections of their own, even badly compared with those have to look for something more. The next use your Mac’s to download data. with Windows. Mark/Space’s Missing Sync makes it possible step up from the iPod is a ‘smartphone’. to sync your Mac with Pocket These are the same as regular phones, but Picking a PDA PCs or Cliés. with some computer-like programs – usually If you decide on a PDA rather than one of email, a calendar, a Web browser, and an Although Pocket PCs don’t come with Mac-compatible its less powerful cousins, it’s time to pick an software, third party developers like Mar/Space make image viewer. Importantly, you can make software to plug the void Operating System. While generally Macs use changes to calendars and contacts on your Mac OS X and PCs use Windows, PDAs divide phone and they’ll be updated on your Mac are relatively few people with each variety of into those that run the Palm OS and those that the next time you synchronise them. Best of phone. And because there are even fewer use the Pocket PC OS. all, you can download and install additional people willing to pay for new software, there PDAs that use the Palm OS are the more APPLE MAIL CONDUIT programs from a Mac or PC, including some aren’t many programs out there. Many types obvious choice for most Mac users since they Licence: Donationware URL: www.queuesoft.jp/ trusty old Mac favourites such as Opera, of application would be unusable on the all come with software for Mac synchronisation, index-e.html RealPlayer and Acrobat Reader. average smartphone anyway (who would with the exception of Sony’s Clié devices. A nice Japanese man has A smartphone may be enough for you and want to edit a spreadsheet on a 160-pixel Pocket PCs don’t, although you can buy extra developed lots of conduits to fill is a good alternative to a PDA. Even if you wide screen?). software for Mac syncing. There are no really in the gaps Palm has left in its Mac syncing. Of main interest is have a PDA as well, you might not want to More important is the issue of cheap Pocket PCs. HP’s iPaq Pocket PC H1930 is this one which syncs Mail with take two devices with you all the time and synchronisation. While smartphones will probably the cheapest at £189 and most are the Palm mail programs. having some of your data with you is better happily synchronise contact and calendar heavier and bulkier than their Palm brethren. than none. Nevertheless, they do have quite information with Address Book and iCal, very So is there any reason for a Mac user to buy a few failings. Since they’re smaller than few of them will synchronise that information a Pocket PC? The simple answer for most PDAs, they have smaller screens so it’s harder with Entourage or Now Contact, for example. consumers is, “No, not really”. But for business to read things on a smartphone than it is with Other information won’t be synchronised at users and power geeks, Pocket PCs may be a PDA. Most have few keys to enter data all. So, if you do upload a Word document more appealing, even if Mac support is limited. with, so if you think writing text messages on onto your smartphone, by some miracle find a The Pocket PC OS is really a cut-down version of MAL CONDUIT a phone is hard enough, wait until you’ve piece of software to open it and then don’t Windows, so developers find it a lot easier to Licence: Freeware tried composing an email on one. go blind from actually trying to read it, you’ll rewrite a Windows program slightly for Pocket URL: www.maczipit.com/ malconduit-103.dmg The final area where smartphones fall still have to manually upload it onto your Mac PCs than to completely rewrite it for Palm OS. Many news sites let PDA users down in comparison to PDAs is in software again and then synchronise any changes As a result, there are many business-level access their stories via and synchronisation. Since smartphones have you’ve made with the original document (if applications being developed for Pocket PCs AvantGo. The Palm OS conduit hasn’t been updated since only recently appeared on the market, there that’s even possible). that are not making it through to the Palm OS. OS 9, but this open source version does the job for OS X. Step-by-step PDA Syncing your PDA with your iApps 1. Get the conduit 2. Enable the conduit 3. Configure iSync First, you need to get the iSync conduit from Apple and Once you’ve installed the conduit, enable it using HotSync Use iSync to configure what will sync with your PDA. install it. You can download it from www.apple.com/ manager. Make sure it hasn’t disabled any of your Next time you HotSync, iSync will run and synchronise isync/download existing conduits (except the ones from Palm)! your PDA with your Mac and other devices. 038 036-40 _iC10 PDA 8/9/04 2:10 PM Page 4 For the power geek, the hardware in a Pocket PC also appeals more than Palm OS hardware. Six of the best PDA models Not only do Pocket PCs tend to have more Save time and hassle when buying a PDA by snapping up one of our recommended picks memory, faster processors and bigger screens, they are also more feature-laden and more Palm Zire Palm Tungsten C Nokia 3650 expandable. For instance, many Palm devices Price: £59 Price: £319 Price: £299 (without URL: www.palmone.com URL: www.palmone.com contract) have Bluetooth while the top end Tungsten C The absolute entry-level The top of the PalmOne URL: www.nokia.com has WiFi (what we Mac users call AirPort), but model for anyone who range. It’s faster and has the A big screen, a built in no Palm OS device has both.

Load more