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Palm
The following tips should work on most handhelds that run the Palm operating system, so the term "Palm" is used generically.
The Wonderful World of Hackmaster Extensions.
Hackmaster is an extremely useful shareware program that allows you to add features and functions that are absent from the standard Palm operating system. Hackmaster itself doesn’t add these features; rather, it opens up and manages the process to allow other Hackmaster programs to run on your Palm. Here are some of the more useful and popular hacks. Caution: While many Palm hacks behave themselves, a few don’t. Always make a full backup of your Palm via a HotSync before you install any Hacks. If you are a little adventurous, you may find these tiny programs absolutely indispensable.
Note: The main Hackmaster program must be installed on the Palm prior to running any of the following. Hackmaster can be downloaded from.
MiddleCapsHack ():
Tired of making all of those additional and annoying Graffiti "up strokes" with your stylus just to make a capital letter? This hack lets you make capital letters simply by drawing a letter across the vertical alpha/numeric boundary in the Graffiti area, or in a user-defined "zone." No shifting required, just turn your Palm’s Graffiti from a manual transmission into an automatic.
ClearHack ():
If you don’t like seeing those horizontal dotted lines cluttering up your Palm programs such as the Date Book and Memo Pad, this hack gets rid of them, leaving you with a cleaner, uncluttered display.
SymbolHack ():
Can’t remember how to make that "§," "%," or other symbol in Palm Graffiti? No problem. This hack lets you make your own customized table of symbols that pops up whenever you tap on either the tiny "abc" or "123" dots in the Graffiti area. All you have to do is tap on the desired symbol and it’s instantly inserted into the text — no fuss, no muss.
AppHack ():
Okay, a show of hands: How many of you have tried to use your Palm one-handedly (often while juggling other items) and wished there was a faster way of launching all your third-party Palm programs without using the stylus? AppHack lets you assign up to 24 programs to the six Palm buttons, which lets you launch them with two simple button presses, thus bypassing the need to tap on icons in the main application manager.
When Your Palm Seems Under the Influence
After using your Palm for a while, you may notice that it gets increasingly difficult to accurately tap on various screen items. Many times, the Palm digitizer just needs to be recalibrated:
Perform a HotSync to back up your Palm. (While soft resets normally don’t erase any data, it’s better to be safe than sorry.)
Perform a "soft reset": Use a paperclip or reset pin included in some styluses to press the tiny reset pin on the back of the Palm.
Tap on the "Prefs" application on your Palm.
Tap on the pull-down menu at the top right corner of the Palm, and tap on "Digitizer."
Follow the onscreen directions to recalibrate your digitizer pad, which increases your accuracy and decreases your frustration.
Your help is always appreciated. If you have a tip that you would like to submit, please e-mail it to us, and include your name, telephone number, and the program to which your tip applies.
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