August/September 1995
Software Review
PalmConnect for HP 100LX/200LX
A must-have utility for Hewlett-Packard 100LX/200LX owners
PalmConnect lets you connect a Windows PC with Hewlett Packard's 100LX and
200LX Palmtop computers. It provides an automated file management, backup,
and synchronization system for data created on the palmtop. However, superb
synchronization is the keyword in Palm Computing's latest offering.
PalmConnect's HotSync! technology provides a one step/one button backup
and synchronization procedure that updates any files that have changed either
on the palmtop or on the PC, or on both. HotSync has record-level synchronization
of the 100/200LX Phone Book, Appointment Book, and Note Taker files, i.e.
you can change and/or make additions both on the palmtop or the PC and they
will be merged into the files on both systems without overwriting any changes.
But what about a situation where you change, say, a phone number in John
Smith's phone book record on the palmtop, then change the fax number in
his phone book record on the PC? Will PalmConnect overwrite one of those
records, thus losing one of the modifications? No. Whenever PalmConnect
encounters changes to the same record on both systems, it will create duplicate
entries on both sides so that you can decide how to handle the situation.
There may be times when you don't want to completely synchronize all data.
In this case, Manual HotSync! lets you determine which files should be synched
and which shouldn't. Options are to synch a file, to do nothing, or to copy
the file in one or the other direction, or to delete either the HP palmtop
or the PC file.
Easy synchronization offers substantial benefits. For example, the tiny
chiclet keyboard of an HP Palmtop works well enough, but it can be a pain
to enter a lot of data on it. With PalmConnect on your desktop or notebook,
you can enter data into the PC versions of the HP's Phone Book, Appointment
Book, and Note Taker, using a full size keyboard and then synchronize the
two systems. This also allows printing of palmtop data files directly from
a PC.
Another nice feature of PalmConnect is file management. There is a button
in the PalmConnect window that takes you directly to the standard Windows
File Manager. Pressing F5 causes the File Manager to rescan the drives and
display both the internal RAM disk and the contents of a PCMCIA storage
card in the HP palmtop. The palmtop drives show up as the first two logical
drives, e.g. if your PC has a C: drive, the HP's drives would be D: and
E:. However, the palmtop's drive designations can also be changed by the
Comm Setup program. Using the Windows File Manager, you can move and copy
files between the palmtop and the PC. PalmConnect can also easily restore
all data files. With PalmConnect, you can also import or export data files
in comma delimited, tab delimited, or dBASE III or IV format.
Installation is fairly straightforward. PalmConnect comes with a disk for
Windows installation, a nicely done 95 page user's guide, a five foot serial
cable that fits the HP 100LX and the 200LX (but not the 95LX which has a
different serial port connector). The serial port is a 9-pin, but the package
also comes with a 9-pin to 25-pin adapter. The installation program asks
if you want HP100, 200, or both. This is because in order to connect to
an HP Palmtop, the HP must be running LapLink Remote which is resident in
the 200LX ROM but must be installed in the 100LX. If you selected a 100LX
installation, PalmConnect will automatically install LapLink Remote on the
palmtop using a separate installation program, HP100LX Remote Install. Unlike
some programs, the PalmConnect setup program asks before it makes modifications
to Autoexec.bat and Config.sys and gives options. A nice touch. Once everything
is installed, the PC will attempt to connect to the HP palmtop. After about
seven seconds the HP beeps to indicate a successful connection.
A PalmConnect installation on a PC can also handle multiple users. Each
connecting HP palmtop has its own user account. This way, you can create
separate backup files for multiple HPpalmtops.
PalmConnect is a must-have for HP palmtop users. Its excellent HotSync technology
alone is worth the price of admission. Now if those nifty HP palmtops only
had pens.
Palm Computing can be reached at 800-881-PALM.
Pen Computing Issue #6