Idle Hands No More
Documents to Go Professional Edition turns your Palm OS device into a tool for writing, editing, and number crunching.Keith Kirkpatrick, special to PCWorld.com
As Palm-OS PDAs get more powerful, people want to use them for more demanding tasks, such as working with the same files they use on their full-size computers. While it's easy to take desktop files on your Palm device, until now it's been a frustrating case of look but don't touch. DataViz offers relief in the form of the $50 Documents To Go Professional Edition Version 3.0. This upgrade adds editing capabilities to the previous version's word processing and spreadsheet viewing features.
A Palm-Size Briefcase
Documents To Go has two components. The first resides on the handheld and requires about 512KB; the second resides on the desktop and requires 16MB of hard disk space. The software works on any device running Palm OS 3.0 or later--including Palm, Handspring Visor, Sony CLIÉ, and IBM WorkPad handhelds. The program works like Windows' Briefcase: It acts as a repository for files to be compressed and synchronized between your main PC and your PDA. Adding to or removing files from this queue in the Documents to Go container is as simple as point and click; when you initiate a HotSync between your Palm handheld and desktop, the conversion and transfer process begins. Documents can be filed into specific category folders within Documents to Go.
Documents To Go supports ASCII and 13 file formats generated by popular Windows and Macintosh applications. For PCs, the list includes current and recent versions of Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Lotus WordPro, Lotus 1-2-3, Corel Quattro Pro, Corel WordPerfect, and the Palm 'DOC' format. For Macs, supported applications include AppleWorks 5.0 and ClarisWorks 5.0, Word, Excel, and Palm DOC.
We used Documents To Go to compress, convert, and transfer a 66KB, 20-worksheet Excel spreadsheet and a 70KB, 20-page Microsoft Word document to a Palm Vx. The files required 52KB and 29KB of space, respectively, in Sheet To Go and Word To Go, the applications on the handheld that permit document editing. (Two other utilities that are installed on your handheld, called WordView and SheetView, permit file viewing.)
Easy Editing
Editing files in Word To Go was as simple as selecting the text or area where you want to enter information and making edits using Graffiti or an external keyboard. As in other spreadsheet apps for the handheld, such as Cutting Edge Software's QuickSheet 5.0, editing spreadsheets was a bit challenging, due to the Palm's small screen size. Once we hotsynced again with our desktop, Documents To Go checked to make sure all our linked files were up to date, and each file was updated automatically.
Documents To Go includes several nice touches, including letting you format text on your handheld; you can use bold, italics, underlines, and justify or indent text, or add bullets, numbers, or tables. In addition, while you can't beam the handheld version of Documents To Go, it's possible to beam any document together with the appropriate viewer to other Palm users so they can read the files on their devices. (However, they will need to buy Documents To Go in order to upload your files to their PCs.) If you beam a file to another user who already has Documents to Go installed, the file will automatically be added to their document list.
Attachments to Go, Too
Another add-on product that can be downloaded from DataViz's Web site is DataViz Mail, which allows you to view the attachments to Microsoft Outlook and Lotus Notes e-mail messages that you've downloaded to your Palm. Once this add-on is installed, clicking on the paper clip icon in the Palm Mail program opens the attachment automatically in Documents To Go (if the file is in a compatible word processing or spreadsheet format). Our only gripe is that DataViz Mail doesn't work with handheld-based e-mail systems, such as OmniSky's OS Mail program--it's only designed to work with the Palm mail app via a hotsync.
While Documents To Go Professional Edition, Version 3.0 might not eliminate the need to carry a laptop altogether--the Palm's tiny screen and stylus-based input system deter lengthy document creation--it's a must-have for Palm users who need to edit or revise their work on the go.