Pocket Press
Issue Date

Freeware Application Review

Pocket Press Freeware Reviews : 2000

BIG CLOCK v2.8
Author : Jens Rupp
Download from : http://www.palmgear.com/software/showsoftware.cfm?sid=82769220021005195251&prodID=1611

There are any number of shareware and commercial clock applications for the Palm, but I don't think any are better than Big Clock. Big Clock has (1) a clock with a large, easy to read display; (2) a world clock with four configurable times; (3) four alarms which can be set separately; and (4) four timers. You can choose analog or digital clocks. Big Clock can be set todisplay almost any combination of dates, times, alarms, and timers on any or all of its screens. V2.8 now also offers color support for the Palm IIIc.

Rating (1 = it crashed my Palm and I deleted it; 10 = I couldn't live without it) : 9

MIDDLECAPSHACK
Author : Rui Oliveira
Download from : http://www.palmgear.com/software/showsoftware.cfm?sid=82769220021005195251&prodID=1840

Graffiti is a pretty simple text entry system, and the upstroke used to shift cases is not hard to master. But it is an extra stroke and every extra sylus stroke invites mistakes. It can also slow you down. Unless you use MiddleCaps Hack: the absolutely indispensable text entry hack. With MiddleCaps Hack, you define a section of your Graffiti input area either as a starting point or as a crossing point. When you draw a Graffiti character in that area, it is capitalized. For instance, for the crossing point area, you can choose the space between the alphabetical and numerical entry areas on the Graffiti pad. So if you start a letter on the alphabet side but end the stroke on the numerical side, the letter will be capitalized.

Rating (1 = it crashed my Palm and I deleted it; 10 = I couldn't live without it) : 10

CSPOTRUN
Author : Bill Clagett
Download from : http://www.palmgear.com/software/showsoftware.cfm?sid=82769220021005195251&prodID=1779

If you want to read books and stories on your Palm or Visor, you'll need a doc reader. There are literally dozens to choose from, including many freeware, or lite, versions of some well known shareware readers. But very few readers, including many full featured, shareware readers, offer more than CSpotRun. It can handle any number of documents, limited only by the available memory of your PDA. The screen can be rotated for more comfortable reading (some people find it easier to hold the Palm with the hardware buttons at the 3 or 9 o'clock position). The font size and line spacings can be adjusted. CSpotRun is also a very compact app, leaving scarce space on 2 Mb Palms for the documents themselves. The only standard feature missing is bookmarks. 

Rating (1 = it crashed my Palm and I deleted it; 10 = I couldn't live without it) : 8

DIDDLEBUG
Author : Mitch Blevins
Download from : http://www.palmgear.com/software/showsoftware.cfm?sid=82769220021005195251&prodID=16870

Diddlebug is very similar to the shareware app, Bug Me, except that Diddlebug is free. It's a combination "sticky note," drawing, and alarm application. Diddlebug allows you to jot a quick note on the PDA's screen (that's the full screen - not the graffiti area) using your own handwriting. You can them attach an alarm to the note. Or link it to the Addressbook or your ToDo list or calendar. So, for instance, if you have a meeting with Diddlebug's author at 4 PM, you'd just open Diddlebug, scribble "Mitch" across the screen, tap the alarm, set the time for 4 PM, and, if you were feeling really compulsive, link the note to your ToDo list.

Diddlebug also functions as a Palm Paint type drawing program. You can control the size, smoothness, and fill of the line. A separate plug-in enables you to use Diddlebug for screen captures.

Palm IIIC owners note: The original Diddlebug does not seem to work on color Palms without a third party application that will allow you to set screen color depth to "1".

Diddlebug is now being maintained and updated by

Rating (1 = it crashed my Palm and I deleted it; 10 = I couldn't live without it) : 9

MENUHACK
Author : Edward Keyes
Download from : http://www.daggerware.com/mischack.htm

Just about the only function on the Palm that is truly counter-intuitive is the menu location. To activate the Menu Bar at the top of an application screen, you must tap the silkscreen menu button at the bottom of the Graffiti area. Shouldn't you just be able to tap the top of the screen with your stylus? If you use MenuHack, you can. This tiny hack does one thing, and one thing only -- but it does it so perfectly that it integrates seamlessly with almost any Palm application, whether built in or third party.

Palm finally wised up and included this function in OS 3.5. For every other version of the Palm OS, MenuHack is a must have hack.

Rating (1 = it crashed my Palm and I deleted it; 10 = I couldn't live without it) : 9

FONTHACK123
Author : Sergey Menshikov
Download from : http://www.sergem.net/fonthack123/Default.htm

If you like to customize your PDA display, this is a must have utility. Beginning with OS 3.0, the Palm was able to display 4 different font styles: regular, bold, italic, and large. Unfortunately, the font itself could not be changed. Now, thanks to FontHack123, you can install a large (and growing) number of custom fonts. Some will improve an application's readability; others are mainly decorative. FontHack123 allows you to apply the new fonts to certain applications while excluding them from others. You can, for instance, substitute a smaller sized font on a crowded spreadsheet, while using a large, bold font in a document reader, and still retain the built-in font in the Datebook. If you're dissatisfied with the Palm's default type styles, this application is certainly worth a look.

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Pocket Press Freeware Reviews : Jan-Jun 2001
Pocket Press Freeware Reviews : July-Current 2001

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