Palm and Treo Hacks By Scott MacHaffie ............................................... Publisher: O'Reilly Pub Date: October 2005 ISBN: 0-596-10054-X Pages: 234 Table of Contents | Index Palm OS is one of the most popular handheld operating systems on the planet. From the newest Tungstens and Treos all the way down the family tree, Palms are everywhere. Although the Palm OS is simple to learn and use, there is more to it than meets the eye--from new features in the Palm to capabilities you can get with add-on software, the Palm can be made to do quite a lot. Palm and Treo Hacks gives you tips and tools that show you how to make the most of your Palm. A few minutes spent reading some of the hacks in this book will save you hours of research. Inside this book, you'll learn how to: Find great applications for your Palm and make the most of the ones you're using now Get super-organized, getting more from the built-in Personal Information Manager and learning how to manage complex projects with your Palm Extend the Palm with must-have software and hardware add-ons Take your Palm online, reading email, surfing the web, and sending instant messages Get some rest and relaxation with your Palm, whether it's listening to music, playing classic games, or watching video Written for beginning to experienced Palm users, Palm and Treo Hacks is full of practical, ingenious tips and tricks you can apply immediately. Whether you're looking to master the built-in applications or you want to trick out your Palm to its fullest extent, this book will show you how to get it. Palm and Treo Hacks By Scott MacHaffie ............................................... Publisher: O'Reilly Pub Date: October 2005 ISBN: 0-596-10054-X Pages: 234 Table of Contents | Index Copyright Credits About the Author Contributors Acknowledgments Preface Why Palm and Treo Hacks? How to Use This Book How This Book Is Organized Using Code Examples Safari Enabled® How to Contact Us Got a Hack? Chapter 1. Managing Information Section 1.1. Hacks 110: Introduction Hack 1. Maximize the Date Book Hack 2. Get the Most Out of the To Do List Hack 3. Extend the Address Book Hack 4. Add Pictures to the Address List Hack 5. Get More Out of MemoPad Hack 6. Show Palm Desktop Who's Boss Hack 7. Find Anything Hack 8. Annotate Everything Hack 9. Become a Better Student Hack 10. Keep Track of Your Collectibles Chapter 2. Palm Applications Section 2.1. Hacks 1117: Introduction Hack 11. Manage Projects Hack 12. Lose Weight the Palm Way Hack 13. Watch the Stars Hack 14. Get Creative with a Spreadsheet Hack 15. Replace the Calculator Hack 16. Turn your PDA into a Flashlight Hack 17. Run Linux on Your Palm Chapter 3. Play Games Section 3.1. Hacks 1822: Introduction Hack 18. Master the Dungeon Hack 19. Discover the Best Palm Games Hack 20. Play Multiplayer Games Hack 21. Play Classic Games Hack 22. Boost Your Online Gaming Chapter 4. Multimedia Section 4.1. Hacks 2328: Introduction Hack 23. Read Books and Articles Hack 24. Improve Text Entry Hack 25. Listen to Music Hack 26. Record Voice Memos Hack 27. Take Great Pictures with Your Palm Hack 28. Watch Videos Chapter 5. Treo Section 5.1. Hacks 2933: Introduction Hack 29. Take Charge of Ringtones Hack 30. Dial with Your Voice Hack 31. Use Your Treo as a Modem Hack 32. Join Conferences on the Move Hack 33. Set Up a Master Application Chapter 6. Communications Section 6.1. Hacks 3441: Introduction Hack 34. Connect to the Internet Hack 35. Get Your Email on the Road Hack 36. Receive Alerts on the Go Hack 37. Surf the Web On- and Offline Hack 38. Read Syndicated Content Hack 39. Post to Your Weblog Hack 40. Control Your Computer Remotely Hack 41. Control Your Home Theater Chapter 7. System Section 7.1. Hacks 4249: Introduction Hack 42. Simulate a Palm Hack 43. Make Upgrades Less Painful Hack 44. Reprogram the Hardware Application Buttons Hack 45. Improve the Launcher Hack 46. Tweak Every Setting Hack 47. Extend Your Palm Hack 48. Investigate Your Palm's Databases Hack 49. Write Your Own Programs Chapter 8. Hardware Section 8.1. Hacks 5055: Introduction Hack 50. Find Cheap Palms Hack 51. Find a Better Stylus Hack 52. Find the Perfect Keyboard Hack 53. Must-Have Accessories Hack 54. Repair Worn Contacts Hack 55. Replace Your Batteries Colophon Index Copyright © 2006 O'Reilly Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. Published by O'Reilly Media, Inc., 1005 Gravenstein Highway North, Sebastopol, CA 95472. O'Reilly books may be purchased for educational, business, or sales promotional use. Online editions are also available for most titles (safari.oreilly.com). For more information, contact our corporate/institutional sales department: (800) 998-9938 or [email protected]. Table Editor: Brian Jepson Production Editor: Adam Witwer Series Editor: Rael Dornfest Cover Designer: Marcia Friedman Executive Editor: Dale Dougherty Interior Designer: David Futato Printing History: October 2005: First Edition. Nutshell Handbook, the Nutshell Handbook logo, and the O'Reilly logo are registered trademarks of O'Reilly Media, Inc. The Hacks series designations, Palm and Treo Hacks, and related trade dress are trademarks of O'Reilly Media, Inc. Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book, and O'Reilly Media, Inc. was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed in caps or initial caps. While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher and author assume no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein. Small print: The technologies discussed in this publication, the limitations on these technologies that technology and content owners seek to impose, and the laws actually limiting the use of these technologies are constantly changing. Thus, some of the hacks described in this publication may not work, may cause unintended harm to systems on which they are used, or may not be consistent with applicable user agreements. Your use of these hacks is at your own risk, and O'Reilly Media, Inc. disclaims responsibility for any damage or expense resulting from their use. In any event, you should take care that your use of these hacks does not violate any applicable laws, including copyright laws. This book uses RepKover™, a durable and flexible lay-flat binding. ISBN: 0-596-10054-X [C] Credits About the Author Contributors Acknowledgments About the Author Scott MacHaffie (http://www.nonvi.com/sm) is a programmer. He learned to program in 1980 and has been getting paid for it since 1987. He has a B.S. and an M.S. in Computer Science, from the University of Washington and Portland State University, respectively. He has studied Human- Computer Interactions and User Interface design for many years. He specializes in GUIs for scientific, engineering, and math applications and is currently working on Maestro, a GUI for chemistry applications, at Schrödinger, Inc. (http://www.schrodinger.com). Before that, he worked on geometry software at Saltire Software (http://www.saltire.com). Scott writes games for Palm OS devices as a hobby. He and his wife are learning to speak Irish Gaelic. Scott also teaches aikido when he can get a break from his twin boys, and he is knowledgeable about early Celtic, Irish, and Scottish history. Contributors The following people contributed their hacks, writing, and inspiration to this book: Jen Edwards, affectionately known as the "PocketGoddess, is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of PocketGoddess.com (http://www.pocketgoddess.com), a web site devoted to handheld news and reviews of all kinds. Launched in 2001, the site covers Palm OS, Windows Mobile, smartphones, Apple iPod, and mobile gaming devices such as the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP. As a PalmSource Champion she has authored four Expert Guides to Palm OS software (Life/Time Management, Project Management, Religion: Christianity, and Education: Students) that can be found at http://www.palmsource.com/applications. She is also a member of the Palm OS User Council, where she acts as a "voice of the user" to Palm OS platform licensees. Jen is a Staff Writer for Brighthand (http://www.brighthand.com) and a freelance writer for a variety of print publications, including Laptop, Computer Power User, and CE Lifestyles magazines. Jeff Ishaq (http://www.ishaq.biz) is a software engineer and writer living in Santa Cruz, California. He is the author of Treo Fan Book for O'Reilly, and has been developing Palm software since 1996. In his spare time, he enjoys eating spicy food, trail running, playing guitar, and alpine snowboarding. He hopes someday to organize his office. Brian Jepson is an O'Reilly editor, programmer, and coauthor of Mac OS X Tiger for Unix Geeks and Linux Unwired. He's also a volunteer systems administrator and all-around geek for AS220 (http://www.as220.org), a nonprofit arts center in Providence, Rhode Island. AS220 gives Rhode Island artists uncensored and unjuried forums for their work. These forums include galleries, performance space, and publications. Brian sees to it that technology, especially free software, supports that mission. Acknowledgments I would like to thank everyone who helped make Palm and Treo Hacks come together. I couldn't have done it without lots of help. My wife gets first credit for agreeing to let me try writing my first book while we were expecting twin boys.