Better version of Palm OS for my Clie?

[taxgeek]

Hi all. I've got a Sony Clie PEG T-615. 16mb, color. I love it. But here's the thing. It has Palm OS 4.1. I use it plain vanilla for GTD.

If it is worth it, I might upgrade to the latest version of Palm OS either by getting a new PDA or by downloading the upgrade (if my model will do that).

Here are the things which would make me smile if they had fixed them in later versions of the OS -- could you all with newer PDAs chime in and let me know if there have been any changes in these areas?

1. Allowable length of memos. Not very long on my version. 4096 characters.

2. Ability to use simple font attributes in memos or todos like underline and bold.

3. In desktop software only: Ability to have multiple windows open at once. I.e., so I can open a memo called "Project List", and then flip over to "todos" and make sure all my listed todos are on the project list. This is REALLY aggravating if I have to close the memo every single time to look over at the todo lists, as on my current OS version.

4. Any other nifty new goodies that you think warrant sharing!

Oh, and one more question. We will FINALLY be getting Outlook here at work pretty soon. I intend to (probably) use the Outlook GTD plug-in. Does the particular OS version make any difference with this?

Thanks!
Susan

 

[lilmagnus]

Re: Better version of Palm OS for my Clie?

Hi all. I've got a Sony Clie PEG T-615. 16mb, color. I love it. But here's the thing. It has Palm OS 4.1. I use it plain vanilla for GTD.

If it is worth it, I might upgrade to the latest version of Palm OS either by getting a new PDA or by downloading the upgrade (if my model will do that).

No. There will be no OS upgrade path for any pre-PalmOS 5.x devices. Different CPU architecture. Sorry :cry:

Here are the things which would make me smile if they had fixed them in later versions of the OS -- could you all with newer PDAs chime in and let me know if there have been any changes in these areas?

1. Allowable length of memos. Not very long on my version. 4096 characters.

To my knowledge, PalmOS 5.x does not increase or remove this limit.

2. Ability to use simple font attributes in memos or todos like underline and bold.

Again, version 5.x of the OS does not address this.

3. In desktop software only: Ability to have multiple windows open at once. I.e., so I can open a memo called "Project List", and then flip over to "todos" and make sure all my listed todos are on the project list. This is REALLY aggravating if I have to close the memo every single time to look over at the todo lists, as on my current OS version.

Palm Desktop does not allow this.

Sorry, but I don't know much more about PalmOS 6 either. Of course, that won't be released to OEMs until later this year.

4. Any other nifty new goodies that you think warrant sharing!

Possibly wait until PalmOS 6 is out to make your decision.

Oh, and one more question. We will FINALLY be getting Outlook here at work pretty soon. I intend to (probably) use the Outlook GTD plug-in. Does the particular OS version make any difference with this?

No. The PalmOS does not make a difference. What will be needed is a conduit program to link with Outlook. Two are generally mentioned frequently: Pocket Mirror Pro and Intellisync. I prefer Pocket Mirror Pro. YMMV.

HTH

 

[Anonymous]

FYI:

There are mutliple apps available to kill the 4k memo limit. BlueNomad(.com)'s WordSmith also doubles as a fantastic word processor; Meteor has a desktop component as well as the PalmOS version. Search on either name for details at your favorite Palm app store.

As regards fonts, if you want color and bolding for the calendar and/or ToDo apps, you'll want to check out Datebk5 which allows you to color the actual font, as well change its size, per entry. Agendus adds coloring, but as background behind the text, by category. I'm not aware of anything that will assist with underlining. If you just want to change the actual fonts themselves, take a look at HandHigh(.com)'s free FontBucket. But note that only a handful of apps will pay attention to your FontBucket selection-- listed at HandHigh's site.

Finally, I elected to upgrade to a PalmOS5 device primarily so that I cold see more per screen, via the hi-res feature. Bonus = much speedier, which I can see and feel in daily usage. FWIW, I opted for Sony's TG50, among the thinnest/smallest form factors-- which means I carry it with me always. The built-in fonts were still too big for me, so I added Fonts4NX, which I adore. I can see more, even withOUT my reading glasses.

Whatever you do app-wise, this plea: use the FULL trial period, and RESIST the urge to buy immediately. Had I done so, I would not now have apps-up-the-wazoo picking up e-dust!

--------
dpg

 

[taxgeek]

Thanks for the input, both of you! I appreciate your taking the time to address my questions!
TG