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CUSTOMIZING YOUR PDA
I want machines to look and act the way I want them to look and act, not the way the manufacturer decrees. On my desktop computer, I routinely change wallpaper, sounds and mouse cursors. On winter afternoons when I'm too lazy to do anything else, I can waste hours tweaking buttons and changing menu bar colors, loading and removing themes, or trying out start up and shut down screens. It's fun, it's simple, and it's a way to make my plain vanilla computer look just a bit different than everyone else's.
However, what is second nature to many computer users is practically unknown on the Palm. I'm not sure why that should be, since you can customize your PDA with very little trouble or expense. It may not make you more productive - but it can make using your PDA more pleasant - maybe even more fun.
In the next several weeks, I'll write about the ways I've overhauled my Palm IIIC and my Clie 610 (both color Palm OS PDAs).
Here's a brief preview: on my PDAs, the only hardware button that still does what it did originally is the Power button. The application launcher buttons all launch something other than the built in applications. The Palm color scheme is long gone. I couldn't see the point of having icons for applications I never used, like Expense and the Welcome app, taking up screen space, so I got rid of them. In fact, I couldn't see any reason to have the Welcome app and Expense (among other things) taking up space, so I eventually got rid of the applications themselves. (Yes, you CAN delete unneeded built in applications from your ROM). I experimented with replacing the system and alarm sounds with simple midi files. I installed a start up screen with a pretty picture and tried out the Palm version of wallpaper. I changed all the fonts a dozen times. I've created a dozen or so custom shortcuts that act almost like macros, inserting blocks of predefined text into memos with just two pen strokes.
Not every experiment worked; I haven't retained all the changes and customizations. But my PDA works in a way that makes sense to me, with a display that I find easy to look at and navigate, and an input method that is suited to my handwriting. I hope you'll find some of these tips useful as well.
TIP #1 - CUSTOMIZE YOUR HARDWARE BUTTONS
The Palm has 4 hardware buttons that, by default, launch the four built-in applications plus a silkscreen "Calculator" button. However, with a few taps, you can make any button launch any application you choose.
Here's how:
First, tap the silkscreen "Home" button to get to your main application launcher screen. (The "Home" button is the little picture of a house in the top upper left hand corner of the graffiti area.) Now scroll down the screen until you come to the "Prefs" icon. Tap it. It will probably open to your General Preferences or your Date and Time set up. In the upper right hand corner of the screen, there is a small drop down menu, indicated by a downward pointing arrow. Tap the down arrow, and then from the menu that appears, tap "Buttons." You should now see a screen with five icons representing the hardware buttons and the calculator button. Beside the picture of each button is a drop down list. Tap the arrow beside the button you want to reassign, and you'll see a list of all the applications on your PDA. Go ahead and assign those hardware buttons to the applications you really use! For instance, my Datebook button launches Datebk5. My ToDo button opens Shadow Planner and my Calculator button starts the iSilo Reader.
Next tap the "HotSync..." button in the lower right hand corner of the same screen. From here, you can assign functions other than HotSyncing to the HotSync button on your Palm's cradle or modem. If you tap the "Pen..." button in the center, you can designate specific actions - like "Beam" or "Turn off and lock" - that will be performed if you draw your stylus from the bottom to the top of the screen.
If you fear you've somehow messed things up or just want everything to go back the way it was - tap the Default button. Everything will be returned to the standard Palm set up.
TIP #2 - TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR COLOR SCHEMES
Not too long ago, I convinced a friend to spend the extra $100 for a color PDA. While she loves her Palm m505, eventually she asked, "Where's all this color I paid so much for?" I was forced to admit that Palm didn't go overboard with the display. A blue menu bar against a white screen is easier to see (at least for me) than a black menu bar against a greenish screen. But Renoir it ain't.
Color PalmOS PDA owners have a choice of three programs to correct this sorry situation: Chrome, Khroma, and Butterfly. I've used Chrome and Khroma on both my Palm IIIC, with OS 3.5, and my Sony Clie with OS 4. I've never tried Butterfly, though it sounds quite similar.
In many respects, Chrome and Khroma are almost identical. I found Chrome slightly easier to use, but Khroma let me colorize a few individual items Chrome didn't. Both come with predesigned schemes, which you can use as is or as a starting point for wholesale changes
Fully 75% of my PDA time is spent reading. On both the Palm IIIC and the Sony Clie, I've designed a "Blue" theme that is both easy to see and low glare. I can read for long periods with no visual fatigue. In most applications, the white background is replaced with a light blue. Drop down menus, title bars, dialog boxes, fonts and buttons are all colorized as well. On the IIIC, I put together a special, high contrast scheme for use outdoors in bright sunlight.
Depending on your personal tastes and needs, you can install any number of color schemes, ranging from the default, to the tasteful Santa Fe (familiar to Windows users) to the garish Fruity to the tasteless Mr. Hanky (familiar to South Park fans).
Even those with grayscale Palms might find Chrome or Khroma useful. Beginning with the V series, Palm introduced a 16 bit grayscale display. However, very few applications take advantage of the full range of tones. You might be surprised to see just how "colorful" 16 shades of gray can be.
Will any of this make you more productive? Maybe not. But I find that - especially on a small screen - visual clues are very helpful. And, like my friend, I figure - I paid for the colors, I ought to get to see them.
You can find all the applications mentioned in this article at PalmGear (note - these are long URLs and the lines may wrap in your email program. The URL should be one, long, continuous address when you paste it into your web browser):
CHROME
http://www.palmgear.com/software/showsoftware.cfm?sid=98261620011022125127&prodID=6253
KHROMA
http://www.palmgear.com/software/showsoftware.cfm?sid=98261620011022125127&prodID=12575
BUTTERFLY
http://www.palmgear.com/software/showsoftware.cfm?sid=98261620011022125127&prodID=41011
TIP #3 - SKINNING YOUR PALM
PocketPC's have it all over Palm OS PDAs when it comes to skins - at least that was true until recently. Slowly, bit by bit, it is becoming easier to change the overall appearance of your Palm and the newest Sony Clie offers even more options for skinning than the other Palm OS devices.
If you want to change your PDA's appearance, the first - and simplest - place to start is with a launcher that incorporates themes or skins. Aside from a very minimal addition of color, Palm's deadly dull launcher hasn't changed since at least the Palm III, maybe longer. (The Palm IIIC could display 256 color. Palm apparently thought it would be tacky to use more than 4, however.) With a customizable launcher, every day is a new treat.
SilverScreen, by PocketSensei, has long been admired for its themes. Quite aside from any useful features it may introduce as a launcher, SilverScreen permits you to change Launcher icons. There are a number of themes, for both color and monochrome devices, ranging from whimsy to sci fi. If you've always imagined your MemoPad as a cartoon character, SilverScreen may be just the ticket for you. All themes are free, though SilverScreen itself isn't.
MegaLauncher takes a slightly different approach. You can't change icons, but you can change the overall look and layout of your Launcher screen. MegaLauncher has both normal and hi-res collections of skins. Like SilverScreens themes, the MegaLauncher skins are free. A bonus for the highly motivated is that you can learn to create your own skins. A complete tutorial, with links to all the applications necessary - almost all free - is online at ClieSource: http://www.cliesource.com/cgi-bin/display.cgi?path=tutorial/megalauncher_skin&page=ML_Tutorial_1 ClieSource's discussion boards also have numerous examples of skins and wallpapers and tips for making them.
A final option is YiShow Explorer. There are two versions: one for the Palm m5xx series and one for the Clie. YiShow allows you to create custom backgrounds - very similar to desktop wallpaper on a PC. The wallpaper sits behind your icons, looking pretty, just as it would on your desktop. You can have a sunset, a picture of your dog, a view from space. The possibilities are virtually endless, since you can use YiShow's wallpaper or create your own.
The newest Clies, the NR series offer yet another skinnable area: the virtual graffiti area. Tired of that boring "Home" icon and the indecipherable "Menu" icon on your Graffiti screen? With a mere $500 investment in new hardware, you can now spruce them right up before you make them disappear altogether.
On my Palm IIIC, I used to use an application called Palm Theme Pro to change the look of menu bars and buttons. Like Silver Screen and MegaLauncher, Palm Theme has a wide range of free themes, once you buy the program. You can make your buttons 3D, change their colors, or change the width and texture. There are versions for both monochrome and color devices. Unfortunately, Palm Theme, which has not been updated in over a year, does not interact well with all third party applications, nor is it fully compatible with OS 4.
Once again, none of this will really make you more productive. It's all surface flash and trash. In fact, themes and skins and wallpaper will probably eat up a significant chunk of your RAM to no good purpose, However, if using my Palm is ultimately more fun, to me it is RAM well wasted.
Trial copies of Palm Theme, MegaLauncher, SilverScreen and YiShow Explorer are available online. Once again, if the URLs are very long, the lines may be wrapped by your email reader. They should be one continuous address when pasted in your web browser.
MEGA
LAUNCHER and skins : http://www.palmgear.com/software/answernew.cfm?sid=98261620011022125127&quicksearch2=megalauncher&CFID=450542&CFTOKEN=44806646
SILVER
SCREEN: http://www.palmgear.com/software/showsoftware.cfm?sid=98261620011022125127&prodID=5512
SILVER
SCREEN THEMES: http://www.palmgear.com/software/answer_category.cfm?sid=98261620011022125127&categoryIDs=195,&searchTitle=SilverScreen%3A%20Themes
YI
SHOW EXPLORER
: http://www.handango.com/PlatformSearch.jsp?jid=EXB9C2BB189C159ACC5C4F1731FD3E4X&optionId=1_1_2&platformId=1&siteId=1&txtSearch=YiShow&zsortParams=true
TIP #4 - FONTS
Palm introduced a selection of fonts with OS 3. Now, Palm III owners could switch between regular, bold, and large fonts. Most doc and text readers and editors quickly incorporated this innovation. Many PDA owners wanted more. As always, the Palm developer community was happy to oblige.
FontHack 123 makes it possible to add a wide variety of fonts to ANY screen on your PDA. You can choose different font sizes, from tiny to extra large, and font styles from decorative to plain. FontHack 123 is usually bundled with another utility called AAAFontViewer, which will let you preview fonts on your Palm. Both are free, as are most of the font collections available at download sites like Palmgear. Whether your goal is to improve readability or just dress up the display, there is probably a font collection you'll enjoy. There are even special collections of High Resolution fonts for the Sony Clie.
HandsHigh software also has a program called FontBucket. It operates in much the same way as FontHack 123. If you've downloaded QuickOffice or MemoPlus recently, you've probably gotten a copy of FontBucket. Like FontHack, it supports a variety of fonts. HandsHigh is trying to make FontBucket the standard font application for the Palm.
WordSmith users are familiar with WordSmith's own font utility, FineType. FineType can take any TrueType font on your desktop PC and transfer it to your Palm. The FineType fonts (and FineType itself) are significantly larger than either FontHack or FontBucket fonts. They are available only in WordSmith documents. You can't replace the large system font with a 16 pt. Times New Roman in your doc reader using FineType.
Everyone goes overboard on fonts, at first. And some fonts, like those on your Launch screen, should not be replaced or altered. After several attempts and failed experiments, I returned to the system fonts on my PDA. Turns out, for me at least, the most readable fonts are the ones that came with the machine.
You can download all applications from Palmgear:
FONT
HACK 123 : http://www.palmgear.com/software/showsoftware.cfm?sid=98261620011022125127&prodID=2136
AAA
FONT VIEWER : http://www.palmgear.com/software/showsoftware.cfm?sid=98261620011022125127&prodID=6273
FONT
BUCKET : http://www.palmgear.com/software/showsoftware.cfm?sid=98261620011022125127&prodID=32918
FONT
COLLECTIONS & UTILITIES : http://www.palmgear.com/software/answer_category.cfm?sid=98261620011022125127&categoryIDs=198,&searchTitle=Development%3A%20Fonts
6/22/02
CHECK BACK FOR MORE CUSTOMIZING TIPS
This article first appeared in Pocket Press, a weekly newsletter for PDA users.
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