Registered: Nov 1999
Location: Glendale, CA, USA
Posts: 3

I read a cute little story in the latest PalmPower Magazine about a letter to Santa hoping for improvements to the standard Palm/Visor OS.

I would like to place my support and add a few of my own:

More Categories in Address Book! (I freelance for multiple large companies and trying to keep everybodies contact lists in order is a big pain -- I could use 20-30 categories instead of the limit of 15)

More space for Memo Pad! (The memo pad should support longer documents instead of, again, a limit of 4,000 characters or less)

A Real Security Application (see article for description)

Real handwriting recognition -

Built in sketch pad -

Better Screen -


Does anyone have any pull with Handspring or Palm to add pressure/voices to the OS developers to support consumer demand???

~Michael

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 90

A perceived demand for real handwriting recogition has been the thing that's held back the PDA market for years. Devices like the Newton had handwriting recognition but it never worked well. Until the Palm guys recognized that you *could* train people to write a little differently instead, there just wasn't a viable way to enter text by hand into a PDA.

There are just far, far too many variables in people's handwriting. A computer would have to be fully as smart as a person (maybe more so) to really be able to read a different handwriting style for every user. Can't fit that much smartness into a PDA yet, although we may well get there in another few years.

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: Gainesville, FL USA
Posts: 112

Not to nitpick a nitpicker, but Graffiti isn't a Palm invention. I used to use it on my Newton MP110, back in the olden days.

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Alberta, Canada
Posts: 34

Grafitti *is* a Palm invention. Palm originally created Grafitti for the Newton. When that product failed, they created they're own... the Palm Pilot.

------------------
Too err is human, to moo bovine.

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Streamwood, IL USA
Posts: 118

OS Fix Wishlist to Handspring:

1. Add Icon Support for DateBook+ back in
2. Have ONE Icon for databook and have the preferance switch between regular and +
3. Add Beaming support for DateBook+
4. Have the Alarms all come from DateBook+ or Datebook, not a mix -n- match
5. Add desktop support for enhanced DateBook+ events
6. Include IRSync.
7. Fix Memory Limits in MemoPad et. all.
8. Allow unlimited Catergories
9. Allow the same entry to be a part of multiple catergories, i.e.: Bob is a friend AND a co-worker. Allow him to show up in both lists.
10. Beef Up the Security
11. Compromise on the issue of Screen Space vs. Easy access to the Graphiti area. Make it a virtual area that is always on by default. That way the "power users" can toggle it on and off.

That would be helpful!

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: Gainesville, FL USA
Posts: 112

I stand corrected. I thought Palm bought Graffiti from somebody else. I guess not. I'm looking at the Graffiti documentation that came with the Newton version. Copyright 1994, Palm Computing.

Dang! This Newt is *huge*!

[This message has been edited by Axeman (edited 12-08-1999).]

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: Glendale, CA, USA
Posts: 3

VERY GOOD POINTS!!!

I forgot about the alarm problems!! I still prefer Action Names rather than Datebook or Datebook+ but whenever an alarm goes off I get a minimum of 2 alarams, sometimes 3 (1 from each datebook application). I cannot tell you how annoying that is, especially in the middle of meetings!!!!

There should be some defalt alarm preference where you can assign which application you want your datebook alarms originating from that ALSO disables the others!!!

Registered: Oct 1999
Location:
Posts: 95

I'd like birthdays, etc. in my Address Book that integrate seemlessly with my Datebook.

But alas, I must rely upon the superior Microsoft Outlook product to do this for me!

(Maybe my little jab will spur Palm to add this...or maybe not... )

MJH <><

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Seattle, WA, USA
Posts: 406

Sigh . . .

These are all things that people have been *****ing about for YEARS, and 3com / Palm Computing hasn't done anything about it yet, and I don't think they ever will...

There are 3rd party options for writing long memos, SmartDoc, for example, let's you compose very long documents, with unlimited length (but, however much free memory you have on your visor of course.. )..

If you REALLY want Palm Computing to change something, you should start an online poll, and mail it to Palm Computing. Even that's not likely to work. but it's worth a shot. Even though I think it's been done before with no success...

Registered: Oct 1999
Location:
Posts: 110

Hey Vertigo - I know a faster way to make Palm change something: pray that the new WinCE (Rapier) is a success! Sure, we all hate MS, but there's nothing like competition to kick a monopolist (in this case, the Palm OS) in the butt!

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Seattle, WA, USA
Posts: 406

Very True But I think M$ Might have dug a hole that even they can't climb out of this time. I'll be amazed if M$' 'WindowsPowered' Devices ever get 20% market share. I wish they would get rid of that stupid Start button, takes up 1/6th the screen