Palmone IIIxe Personal Handheld Organizer Handbook

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Chapter 1
Introduction to Your 
Palm III
™ Organizer
This chapter explains the physical buttons and controls on your Palm 
III™ connected organizer, how to use your Palm III organizer for the 
first time, and how to use HotSync
® technology to synchronize your 
Palm III organizer and Palm™ Desktop organizer software.
Getting to know your Palm III organizer
What is a Palm III organizer?
With your Palm III organizer, you will no longer have trouble getting 
to meetings and appointments on time, remembering people’s names 
and personal details, or keeping track of all the items on your to do list. 
The Palm III organizer can help you improve your track record in all 
these areas, both at work and at home. 
You can enter all your schedule details in Date Book so you can view 
them by the day, week, or month; you can even set an alarm to remind 
you of important meetings. Keep all your contact names, addresses, 
phone numbers, and other details in Address Book, so you can find 
them as soon as you need them. Add your tasks to To Do List, 
prioritize them so you don’t overlook them, and assign them a due 
date. 
To make sure you don’t lose any of this important information, you 
can synchronize your data with Palm Desktop software on your 
computer so you always have a backup copy. You can set different 
levels of security for your Palm III organizer so unauthorized eyes 
cannot view your data.
When you are out of the office, track your expenses for your expense 
reports; then transfer the data to your computer to print it out. You can 
write, edit, and view your e-mail, and then synchronize your e-mail 
with your desktop E-Mail application when you return to your office. 
						

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System requirements
To install and operate Palm Desktop software, your computer system 
must meet the following requirements:
Minimum requirements 
nWindows 95, Windows 98, or Windows NT 4.0
nIBM-compatible 486 computer or higher 
n8 MB RAM (memory) minimum, 16 MB recommended (required 
with Windows NT 4.0)
n20 MB available hard disk space
nVGA monitor or better (the Palm III Quick Tour requires a 256 
color video display)
nCD-ROM drive (you can also download the Palm Desktop 
software from http://www.palm.com, or order 3.5 diskettes 
from 3Com)
nMouse
nOne available serial port
Optional equipment
nModem (such as a Palm Modem® accessory)
nWindows-compatible printer
Upgrade information
If you already own a Palm connected organizer, 3Com recommends 
that you install the version of Palm Desktop software that comes with 
your new Palm III organizer into the same folder as your current Palm 
Desktop software. All your data will be preserved when you install 
the new version in the same folder as the previous version. If you use 
another personal information manager (PIM), such as Microsoft 
Outlook, you still need to install the most recent HotSync Manager 
and conduit software for your PIM from the Palm Desktop software 
CD-ROM that came with your new organizer.
You can perform HotSync operations in exactly the same way, so you 
can quickly synchronize your data with your new organizer. Just 
remember to synchronize your old organizer with Palm Desktop 
software before you synchronize with your new organizer, so you 
have all your latest information. When you synchronize your new 
organizer for the first time, select the Desktop overwrites handheld 
option for all the conduits. See “Customizing HotSync application 
settings” in Chapter 6 for more information. 
						

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Palm III components
Locating front panel controls
Palm III 
organizer 
screenDisplays the applications and information stored in 
your Palm III organizer. It is touch-sensitive and 
responds to the stylus.
Graffiti
® 
writing 
areaThe area where you write letters and numbers using 
the Graffiti® alphabet. See Chapter 2 to learn how to 
write Graffiti characters. 
Application 
buttonsActivates the individual Palm III organizer 
applications that correspond to the icons on the 
buttons: Date Book, Address Book, To Do List, and 
Memo Pad. See “Buttons preferences” in Chapter 7 
for details on reassigning these buttons to activate 
any application on your Palm III organizer.
Tip:If your Palm III organizer is turned off, 
pressing any application button activates the 
Palm III organizer and opens the 
corresponding application.
Screen
Graffiti writing area
Application buttons
Scroll button
Power button, 
Backlight control 
						

							Page 6  Introduction to Your Palm III™ Organizer
Using the backlight
If you have difficulty seeing the information on your Palm III 
organizer, you can use the backlight to illuminate your screen. 
To activate the backlight:
nPress the power button and hold it down for about two seconds. 
Release the button when the backlight turns on.
Tip:In addition, you can assign the full-screen pen stroke to 
activate the backlight. See “Pen preferences” in Chapter 7 for 
more information.
To turn off the backlight:
nPress and hold the power button for about two seconds. The 
backlight also turns off automatically (after a period of inactivity) 
with the Auto-off feature. See “General preferences” in Chapter 7 
for more information. Scroll 
buttonDisplays text and other information that extends 
beyond the area of the Palm III organizer screen. 
Pressing the lower half of the scroll button scrolls 
down to view information below the viewing area, 
and pressing the upper half of the button scrolls up to 
view the information above the viewing area.
Power 
buttonTurns your Palm III organizer on or off and controls 
the backlight feature. If your Palm III organizer is 
turned off, pressing the power button turns the unit 
on and returns you to the last screen you viewed.
If your Palm III organizer is turned on, pressing the 
power button turns the unit off. Holding the power 
button down for about two seconds turns the 
backlight on or off. 
						

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Protective flip cover
The cover protects the Palm III organizer screen when it is not in use 
and helps reduce glare while you use your Palm III organizer. You can 
open the cover so that it is at an angle, open it fully, or remove it 
altogether by pulling the cover out of the holes on the sides of the Palm 
III organizer. To reattach the cover, reinsert the pegs in the holes. 
						

							Page 8  Introduction to Your Palm III™ Organizer
Locating back panel components
Stylus
Slides in and out of the slot in the back panel of 
the organizer. To use the stylus, remove it from 
the slot and hold it as you would a pen or pencil.
IR port
Uses infrared technology to transmit data to and 
receive data from other Palm Computing
® 
connected organizers. See “Beaming 
information” in Chapter 5 for more information.
Reset button
Under normal use, you should not have to use the 
reset button. See Appendix A for information 
about when and how to use the reset button.
Contrast 
controlAdjusts the appearance of the screen for the 
clearest screen display. Depending on the 
lighting conditions or temperature of the 
environment where you use your organizer, you 
may need to adjust the contrast control setting.
Battery door
Covers the batteries that power your organizer. 
Serial (COM) 
port doorCovers the connector that connects your 
organizer to the cradle, which in turn connects to 
the back of your computer. This allows you to 
update the information between your organizer 
and computer using HotSync technology.
Reset 
button
Serial (COM) 
port door StylusIR port
Contrast 
control
Battery 
door 
						

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Installing the batteries
To use your Palm III organizer, you must install two AAA alkaline 
batteries. The batteries fit behind the battery door on the back of the 
organizer. See “Battery considerations” in Appendix A for more 
information.
To install the batteries:
1. Press the latch on the battery door and lift the battery door away 
from your organizer.
2. Install the two AAA alkaline batteries supplied with your 
organizer into the battery compartment.
Note:A diagram in the interior of the battery compartment 
shows + and - ends of the batteries. When correctly 
installed, the clips in the battery compartment secure the 
batteries in place.
3. Insert the battery door back into place so that it is flush with the 
back of your organizer and “clicks” into position.
Important:Do not force the battery door. When the batteries are 
correctly installed, the battery door clips smoothly into 
place. If you feel resistance when replacing the door, 
make sure the door is aligned with the slots on the back of 
your organizer, and that the batteries are firmly seated in 
the battery compartment.
Press tab to open 
battery door 
						

							Page 10  Introduction to Your Palm III™ Organizer
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 organizer screen is the basic action that 
gets things done on your organizer.
The first time you start your Palm III organizer, setup instructions 
appear on the screen. These instructions include a calibration screen, 
or digitizer. Calibration aligns the internal circuitry of your organizer 
with its touch-sensitive screen so that when you tap an element on the 
screen, the organizer can detect exactly which task you want to 
perform. 
Important:Always use the point of the stylus for tapping or making 
strokes on the organizer screen. Never use an actual pen, 
pencil, or other sharp object to write on the organizer 
screen.
With your organizer turned on, you can tap the organizer screen to 
perform many operations, such as the following:
nOpen applications
nChoose menu commands
nInitiate a global Find operation
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. 
						

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Elements of the organizer interface
Menu bar
A set of commands that are specific to the application. 
Not all applications have a menu bar.
Command 
buttonsTap a button to perform a command. Command 
buttons appear in dialog boxes and at the bottom of 
application screens.
Icons
Tap the icons to open applications  , menus  , 
Calculator  , and to find text anywhere in your data 
.
abc
With the cursor in an input field, tap the dot to 
activate the alphabetic keyboard.
123
With the cursor in an input field, tap the dot to 
activate the numeric keyboard.
Check box
When 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.
Pick list
Tap the arrow to display a list of choices, and then tap 
an item in the list to select it.
Menu 
bar
Command 
buttons Icons
Pick list
Check 
box 
						

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Opening applications
You can use the Applications Launcher to open any application 
installed on your organizer. 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 organizer.
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 organizer first. 
In addition to providing a way for you to open applications, the 
Applications Launcher displays the current time, battery level, and 
application category. 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 upper and lower portions of the scroll 
button on the front panel of the organizer.
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  Previous/next 
arrows