Palm M500 Handheld Instructions Manual

							Chapter 1 Page 11
4. Plug the AC adapter into any AC current outlet.
Charging your handheld
Your handheld contains a Lithium-ion polymer battery that is 
recharged each time you place the handheld in the cradle. Just place 
your handheld in the cradle for two hours for an initial charge before 
you use it. Then place it in the cradle for a few minutes each day to 
recharge the battery to full capacity. 
If the battery gets low, your handheld displays a warning message. If 
this occurs, perform a HotSync operation and then recharge the 
battery as soon as possible. If your handheld shuts down, you still 
have about a week to recharge the battery before you lose the data on 
your handheld. 
						

							Page 12  Introduction to Your Handheld
Palm™ Desktop software
Palm Desktop software extends many of the functions of your 
handheld to your computer and serves to back up all your data. 
Viewing and editing your data using Palm Desktop software is 
optional. However, when you use it with your handheld and the built-
in HotSync technology, you can fully synchronize the information on 
your handheld with the information on your computer. 
It is a good idea to back up your data in case something happens to the 
data on your handheld. Changes you make on your handheld or Palm 
Desktop software appear in both places after you synchronize.
With Palm Desktop software, you can do the following:
nWork with your handheld applications on your computer. Palm 
Desktop software duplicates the Date Book, Address Book, To Do 
List, and Memo Pad applications on your handheld, so you can 
view, enter, and modify any data stored on your handheld. (You 
cannot modify Note Pad data in Palm Desktop software.)
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. 
nImport and export data, so you can easily transfer data from other 
desktop applications into Date Book, Address Book, To Do List, 
and Memo Pad. 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. 
						

							Chapter 1 Page 13
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, the Quick Tour in Palm Desktop software (for 
Windows users), and the Palm Desktop Software for the Macintosh 
User’s Guide on the Palm Desktop software CD-Rom. 
To ensure a safe and uninterrupted installation of Palm Desktop 
software, please print these instructions or refer to Getting Started with 
Palm™ m500 Series Handhelds. Do the following before installing:
nTurn off your computer and connect the HotSync cradle to it. 
nDo not simply copy the Palm Desktop software files to your 
computer’s hard disk. You must use the installer to place the files 
in their proper locations and to decompress the files. 
To install Palm Desktop software on a Windows computer:
1. Turn on your computer.
2. Exit any open programs, including those that run automatically at 
startup such as Microsoft Office, and disable any virus-scanning 
software.
3. Insert the Palm Desktop software CD-ROM into the computer’s 
CD-ROM drive. 
4. Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the installation. 
During installation you may be asked to place your handheld on 
the cradle. 
						

							Page 14  Introduction to Your Handheld
To install Palm Desktop software on a Macintosh computer:
1. Turn on your Macintosh.
2. Insert the Palm Desktop software CD-ROM into your Macintosh’s 
CD-ROM drive.
3. Double-click the Palm Desktop CD icon.
4. Double-click the Installer icon to begin the installation procedure.
5. Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the installation.
Using your handheld with another PIM
If you prefer to use another personal information manager (PIM), such 
as Microsoft Outlook, you still need to install Palm Desktop software 
in order to add HotSync Manager, the connection software, and other 
features of Palm Desktop software to your computer. The connection 
software, called a conduit, lets you synchronize the data between your 
handheld and your PIM. The conduit for Microsoft Outlook is 
included on the Palm Desktop software CD-ROM (Windows only); 
however you must install it in addition to the Palm Desktop software. 
For information on the availability of conduit software for the PIM 
you use, contact the vendor of your PIM or visit the web site 
http://www.palm.com. 
						

							Chapter 1 Page 15
Tapping and typing
Tap with the stylus to get things done
Like using a mouse to click elements on a computer screen, using the 
stylus to tap elements on your handheld screen is the basic action that 
gets things done on your handheld.
The first time you start your handheld, setup instructions appear on 
the screen. These instructions include a calibration screen. Calibration 
aligns the internal circuitry of your handheld with its touch-sensitive 
screen so that when you tap an element on the screen, the handheld 
can detect exactly which task you want to perform. 
Important:Always use the point of the stylus for tapping or making 
strokes on the handheld screen. Never use an actual pen, 
pencil, or other sharp object to write on the handheld 
screen.
With your handheld turned on, you can tap the handheld screen to do 
many operations, such as the following:
nOpen applications
nChoose menu commands
nInitiate a Find operation to search through applications installed 
on your handheld for specific text (Find operations do not search 
through applications on expansion cards)
nSelect options in dialog boxes
nOpen the onscreen keyboards
Just as you can drag the mouse to select text or move objects on your 
computer, you can also drag the stylus to select text. You can also use 
the stylus to drag the slider of any scroll bar. 
						

							Page 16  Introduction to Your Handheld
Elements of the handheld interface
Menu barA set of commands that are specific to the 
application. Not all applications have a menu bar.
IconsTap the icons to open applications  , menus  , 
Calculator  , and to find text anywhere in your 
data .
Contrast 
control
(on some 
models)Tap the Contrast icon   to open the Adjust Contrast 
dialog box. Tap to the left or right of the slider to 
adjust the contrast in small increments or drag the 
slider to change the contrast in large increments. You 
can also press the up and down scroll buttons to 
adjust the contrast.
ClockTap the Clock icon   to display the time and date.
abcWith the cursor in an input field, tap the dot to 
activate the alphabetic keyboard.
123With the cursor in an input field, tap the dot to 
activate the numeric keyboard.
Menu 
bar
Icons 
						

							Chapter 1 Page 17
Opening applications
You can use the Applications Launcher to open any application 
installed on your handheld. You can also open Date Book, Address 
Book, To Do List, and Note Pad with the application buttons on the 
front panel of your handheld.
Check boxWhen a check mark appears in a check box, the 
corresponding option is active. If a check box is 
empty, tapping it inserts a check mark. If a check box 
is checked, tapping it removes the check mark.
Command 
buttonsTap a button to perform a command. Command 
buttons appear in dialog boxes and at the bottom of 
application screens.
Next/
previous 
arrowsTap the left and right arrows to display the previous 
and next record; tap the up and down arrows to 
display the previous and next page of information. 
Pick listTap the arrow to display a list of choices, and then tap 
an item in the list to select it.
Scroll barDrag 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 upper and lower scroll buttons on the 
front panel of your handheld.
Scroll 
bar Previous/next arrows
Check 
box
Command 
button
Pick list 
						

							Page 18  Introduction to 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. 
To open an application on your handheld:
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 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.
Note:You can also use applications on expansion cards. See 
“Opening expansion card applications” in Chapter 4.
Applications 
Launcher
Address BookDate Book Note Pad
To Do List 
						

							Chapter 1 Page 19
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 5. The Edit menu is described in “Editing 
records” in Chapter 5. 
To open the menu bar:
1. Open an application (such as Memo Pad).
2. Do one of the following:
Tap the Menu icon  . 
Tap on the inverted title area at the top of the screen.
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 that is currently open. Also, the menus and menu 
Tap the Menu icon
Tap the title area 
						

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commands vary depending on which part of the application you’re 
currently 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. 
Draw the Command stroke anywhere in the Graffiti area. When you 
draw the Command stroke, the Command toolbar appears just above 
the Graffiti writing area to indicate that you are in Command mode. 
The command toolbar displays context sensitive menu commands for 
the current screen. For example, if text is selected the menu icons 
displayed may be undo, cut, copy, and paste. Tap on an icon to select 
the command, or immediately write the corresponding command 
letter for an appropriate command in the Graffiti writing area.
For example, to choose Select All in the Edit menu, draw the 
Command stroke, followed by the letter “s.”
Command   
Command letters Menu commands
Cut Undo Copy Paste Beam Delete