Handspring Visor Handheld User Guide

							Chapter 1 Page 13
Opening applications
You can use the Applications Launcher to open any application 
installed on your handheld. You can also open the four main 
applications — Date Book, Address Book, To Do List, and Memo Pad 
— with the application buttons on the front panel of your handheld.
Tip:When you press an application button on the front panel, you 
have instant access to the selected application. You don’t even 
need to turn on your handheld first. 
In addition to providing a way for you to open applications, the 
Applications Launcher displays the current time, battery level, and 
application category. Next/
previous 
arrowsTap the up and down arrows to display the previous 
and next page of information; tap the left and right 
arrows to display the previous and next record.
Scroll bar
Drag the slider, or tap the top or bottom arrow, to 
scroll the display one line at a time. To scroll to the 
previous page, tap the scroll bar just above the slider. 
To scroll to the next page, tap the scroll bar just below 
the slider.
You can also scroll to the previous and next pages by 
pressing the scroll buttons on the front panel of your 
handheld.
Scroll 
bar  Previous/next 
arrows  
						

							Page 14  Introduction to Your Visor Handheld
To open an application:
1. Tap the Applications icon  . 
2. Tap the icon of the application that you want to open. If you have 
many applications installed on your Visor handheld, tap the scroll 
bar to see all of your applications. 
Tip:To find an application quickly, you can write the Graffiti 
character for the first letter of its name. The Applications 
Launcher scrolls to the first application with a name that 
begins with that letter. You can also assign application icons to 
different categories. See “Categorizing applications” in 
Chapter 3.
Using menus
Menus on your handheld are easy to use. Once you have mastered 
them in one application, you can use them the same way in all other 
applications. 
The menus of each application are illustrated in the section on that 
application in Chapter 4. The Edit menu is described in “Editing 
records” in Chapter 4. 
To open the menu bar:
1. Open an application (such as Memo Pad).
2. Tap the Menu icon  .  
						

							Chapter 1 Page 15
In this example, three menus are available: Record, Edit, and Options. 
The Record menu is selected and contains the commands New Memo, 
Delete Memo, and Beam Memo.
Choosing a menu
After you open the menu bar for an application, tap the menu that 
contains the command you want to use.
The menus and menu commands that are available depend on the 
application. Also, the menus and menu commands vary depending on 
which part of the application you’re using. For example, in Memo Pad, 
the menus are different for the Memo List screen and the Memo 
screen.
Graffiti menu commands
Most menu commands have an equivalent Graffiti Command stroke, 
which is similar to the keyboard shortcuts used to execute commands 
on computers. The command letters appear to the right of the 
command names. 
To use the Graffiti menu commands, the menu bar must be closed. 
Tap the Menu icon
Command letters Menu commands 
						

							Page 16  Introduction to Your Visor Handheld
Draw the Command stroke anywhere in the Graffiti area, and 
immediately write the corresponding command letter in the Graffiti 
letter area. When you draw the Command stroke, the word 
“Command” appears just above the Graffiti writing area to indicate 
that you are in Command mode.
For example, to choose Select All in the Edit menu, draw the 
Command stroke, followed by the letter “s.”
Note:Command mode is active for approximately two seconds, so 
you must write the command letter immediately to choose the 
menu command. 
Displaying online tips
Many of the dialog boxes that appear on your handheld contain an 
online Tips icon in the upper-right corner. Online tips anticipate 
questions you have in a dialog box, provide shortcuts for using the 
dialog box, or give you other useful information.
To display an online tip:
1. Tap the Tips icon  . 
2. After you review the tip, tap Done.
Three ways to enter data
There are three ways to enter data into your Visor handheld:
nUsing the onscreen keyboard
nUsing Graffiti writing
nEntering or importing data in Palm Desktop software and then 
synchronizing with your handheld Command
    
						

							Chapter 1 Page 17
Onscreen keyboard
When you create or edit a record in an application such as Address 
Book, you can open the onscreen alphabetic and numeric keyboards 
to enter data. 
After a keyboard is open, you can tap to open any of the other 
keyboards, including the international keyboard. See “Using the 
onscreen keyboard” in Chapter 2 for more information.
Note:You cannot enter Graffiti characters while using the onscreen 
keyboard. 
Graffiti writing
Your Visor handheld includes Graffiti writing software as the primary 
system for entering text and numbers. With Graffiti writing, you write 
simple strokes with the stylus and they are instantly recognized as 
letters or numbers. 
Tap here for 
alphabetic keyboardTap here for  
numeric keyboard
Backspace
Carriage return Tab
Caps lock
Caps shift
Tap here to display 
alphabetic keyboard 
Tap here to display 
numeric keyboard Tap here to display 
international keyboard 
Alpha 
Numeric 
International 
						

							Page 18  Introduction to Your Visor Handheld
Your Visor handheld also includes Giraffe, a game you can use to 
practice Graffiti writing. See “Installing and removing applications” 
in Chapter 3 for installation instructions. The Memo Pad application 
is ideal for practicing Graffiti writing. This section explains how to 
open Memo Pad and use it to practice Graffiti writing.
To open Memo Pad:
1. Press the Memo Pad application button  . 
2. Tap New.
Note:A blinking cursor appears on the first line of the new memo to 
indicate where new text will appear. 
 
See “Using Graffiti writing to enter data” in Chapter 2 for more 
information.
Write letters here Write numbers here
Division marks
New 
memo 
cursor
Tap 
New 
Write in Graffiti area  
						

							Chapter 1 Page 19
Using Palm Desktop software
If you have new records you want to add to your Visor handheld and 
prefer to use the computer keyboard rather than the onscreen 
keyboard, enter the data in the Palm Desktop software or the PIM you 
have installed to use with your handheld. 
After the information is in Palm Desktop software, perform a HotSync 
operation to synchronize your handheld with your computer. See 
“Exchanging and updating data: HotSync operations” in Chapter 5 for 
more information.
Importing data
If you already have data in a database on your computer, you can 
import it into the Palm Desktop software. You can import data stored 
in computer applications such as spreadsheets and databases, or data 
from another handheld that is compatible with the Palm Computing 
platform. When you import data, you transfer the records to your 
Visor handheld without having to enter them manually. See 
“Importing data” in Chapter 2 for more information.
HotSync 
button 
						

							Page 20  Introduction to Your Visor Handheld
Customizing your handheld
You can customize your handheld by using the Preferences 
application. You can enter personal information such as your name 
and address; change the time and date; view different date and time 
formats when you travel; turn off sounds; and configure your 
handheld to work with a modem or network. See Chapter 9 for more 
information on customizing your handheld.
To open the Preferences screens:
1. Tap the Applications icon  . 
2. Tap the Preferences icon  . 
3. Tap the category pick list in the upper-right corner of the screen.
4. Tap the Preferences category you want to view.
The following procedures for setting the time and date give you an 
example of how to customize your handheld.
You make changes to the time and date in General preferences.
To set the current time:
1. Tap the Set Time box.
2. Tap the up or down arrows to change the hour.
3. Tap each minute number, and then tap the arrows to change them.
4. Tap AM or PM.
Note:Your handheld can also display time based on a 24-hour 
clock. See “Formats preferences” in Chapter 9 for more 
information. 
5. Tap OK.
Tap here 
						

							Chapter 1 Page 21
To set the current date:
1. Tap the Set Date box.
2. Tap the arrows to select the current year. 
3. Tap a month.
4. Tap the current date. 
Palm Desktop software
Palm Desktop software includes the same main applications as your 
Visor handheld: Address Book, Date Book, To Do List, Memo Pad, 
Expense, and desktop e-mail connectivity. You can use the HotSync 
feature of this software to back up and exchange data between your 
handheld and your computer.
It is a good idea to back up your data in case something happens to the 
data on your Visor handheld. Changes you make on your Visor 
handheld or Palm Desktop software appear in both places after you 
synchronize.
With Palm Desktop software, you can do the following:
nWork with your Visor handheld applications on your computer. 
Palm Desktop software duplicates the Date Book, Address Book, 
To Do Li st, and  M emo Pad  appli cati on s on your h an dheld , so you 
can view, enter, and modify any data stored on your handheld.
nBack up the data stored on your handheld with HotSync 
technology and synchronize the data on your Palm Desktop 
software. Synchronization is a one-step procedure that ensures 
your data is always safe and up-to-date. See “Exchanging and 
updating data: HotSync operations” in Chapter 5 for more 
information. 
Tap arrows to select year
Tap to select month
Tap to select date 
						

							Page 22  Introduction to Your Visor Handheld
nImport and export data, so you can easily transfer data from other 
desktop applications into any of your main applications. See 
“Importing data” in Chapter 2 for more information.
nPrint your Date Book, Address Book, To Do List, and Memo Pad 
information on any printer.
Connecting the cradle
The cradle that comes with your Visor handheld enables you to 
synchronize the information on your Visor handheld with the Palm 
Desktop software using HotSync technology.
Note:If your computer does not have a USB port, or it uses 
Windows 95, Windows NT, or MacOS 8.0 or earlier, you need 
a serial cradle to connect to your computer. You can purchase 
a serial cradle from http://www.handspring.com. 
To connect the cradle:
1. Plug the cable from the Visor handheld cradle into the USB port or 
serial port on your computer.
Note:If you are unsure about the exact location of the USB port or 
serial port on your computer, refer to the manual supplied 
with the computer.
Installing Palm Desktop software
The following instructions guide you through installing Palm 
Desktop software. After installation, refer to the online Help in Palm 
Desktop software for information about how to use the software.
Note:You must install the software that comes with your Visor 
handheld even if you already installed Palm Desktop software 
for a previous Palm organizer.
Shown with 
USB port