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Rating: 
Summary: Stop the Booker Prize Jury Before They Pass Over This Book
Review: But only if Preston is British (With a name like 'Preston,' how could he not be!). You won't read a more compelling account of one man's journey to master technology this year. Most of the "Complete Idiot's Guide..." books are long on helpful tips, but short on characterization. Not this one! You really get to know Preston Gralla as he takes you on a magical tour of the PALM III "Personal Digital Assistant." For example, the chapter on downloading free shareware applications for the PALM operating system starts off as a relatively dry account of how to download free shareware applications for the PALM operating system. By then end though you've been through several bouts of the gigglies, and been moved to tears more than once (I won't ruin it for you, but the author's account of the first time he tried to download free shareware applications for the PALM operating system, and how he nearly couldn't download free shareware applications for the PALM operating system, made me choke up inside). All in all this is a great book. Its not the best book ever (That honor maybe goes to "Life's Little Instruction Book" or MAUS II), but it certainly holds your attention. Plus there's a free CD of Preston's music included! I tried to play it on my CD player, but apparently my CD player is broken as it didn't play at all. I went ahead and ordered a new CD player on Amazon, which should be arriving shortly, so when it arrives and I get a chance to listen to the CD I might write another review to let you all know how it is! I'll definitely be buying a PALM III now, as soon as they hit the stores, so that I too can begin Preston's journey!
Rating:
Summary: Preston Gralla Does it Again
Review: I have had my Palm IIIx for a few months now and am still discovering great hints and tricks to get the most out of it. This book is an invaluable reference, easy and fun to read. The table of contents and index are great- you don't have to read the whole thing to answer your questions. A hundred times better than the pretty useless manual that came with my Palm! I would highly recommend this book not only to anyone who wants a good Palm reference, but to anyone who really wants to get organized and change their life. The Palm is so much more than just a replacement for the paper planners we all used to lug around. It really helps you see how beneficial the Palm can be to all areas of your life- handling/tracking expenses, making sure you have all the reference material you need for meetings, keeping track of all those things you have to do, etc. Please note that this book is not designed to tell you how to program your Palm, but it is perfect for the other 99.9 percent of us who just want to get the most out of it that we can. I think that this is the best of the Palm books out there- give it a try and I am sure you will be pleased. PS If you are looking at this book and still have not made the decision to get a Palm Pilot, get one now!! I have always been a very busy person, and I honestly feel for the first time in my life that I am on top of things and more in control than I ever have been before.
Rating:
Summary: Stop the Booker Prize Jury Before They Pass Over This Book
Review: I own a PalmPilot, and this book is great for mastering every part of your Palm. Although many people don't like the Graffiti language, the chart in the front of the book with the Graffiti shortcuts has helped me with inserting text into my PalmPilot. Also, there are some useful applications that are on a CD that comes with the book that can help you with everyday stuff, like travel information, keeping track of your investments and some games. One minor detail is that most of the information is for the newer Palm III series of PalmPilots, so my old PalmPilot can not do all of the features mentioned in the book. If you have a newer Palm, it's a great book. All in all, this Idiot's Guide is much better than any Palm manual I know of, and it will definetly help you get started with your new Palm, whether you're an idiot or not.
Rating: 
Summary: Thou shall never utter the word PalmPilot. O.K.?
Review: It's been called the Palm offically for years. Thanx to the shinny suited Board of Directors. I know 'cause I used to own stock in PalmPilot - and I was informed in glossy, slippery paper and clever muli-colored graphics that I shall here forth refer to the gadget/company as Palm. Sorry I forget the silly sensible reasons given. Something to do with the tides on Pluto or Neptune I think.
So all together now. "PALM, PALM, PALM, PALM, PALM........Are the cows home yet? " Arn
Rating: 
Summary: Preston Gralla has deepened my relationship with my Palm!
Review: Like a lot of people, I didn't used to have a very good relationship with my Palm. Sure, I had relied on my Palm as an easy, anytime-anywhere solution, but in many ways I felt that I was taking advantage of myself by viewing my Palm as just an instrument, rather than an end in itself. It was as if I relied on my Palm when no other solution presented itself. After reading Preston Gralla's wonderful book though, I feel that I now have a much deeper and more engaging relationship with my Palm. Whereas I used to turn to my Palm when I didn't have access to a "real" computer, I now enthusiatically embrace my Palm on its own merits, as an acceptable, healthy way of meeting my computing needs. People used to tell me that I would go blind staring at the little LCD screen, but Preston Gralla taught me that that's just an urban legend. I was particularly happy with the enclosed disk of shareware applets for my Palm. Now that I have some good "material to work with," I feel that I can really get going with my Palm.
Rating: 
Summary: "Save Some Trees: Buy Another Book"
Review: The information on how to use your Palm device is here, no doubt about that: The book is accurate and complete. But the information could be condensed into a book half the size if the author didn't repeat himself endlessly and tightened his prose style considerably. There are too many "clever" asides and lame attempts at humor. The irony is that using a Palm device is supposed to help you be more efficient and get your life under control; this book takes way too long to wade through. I'm not advocating a dry, dull text. Keep it light and conversational, but get to the point, for cryin' out loud!
Rating:
Summary: Presto! Preston is a Literary Magician
Review: Wow, that's all I can say. This book was packed with information which allowed me to take advantage of the miracles of "Palm" technology. The only problem I had with the book was that it almost had too much useful information! I was able to get around the quality-content overflow by buying one of those Franklin Day Planners to manage my Palm III use. Every day I sit down with my planner and write out a schedule of tasks I hope to accomplish that day using the Palm III. Then, when I get to work I open up MS Outlook and type in my notes on how I plan to use the Palm that day. I print out the schedule from Outlook and put the printouts in a 3 ring binder that I carry with me as a reference for when I need to use the Palm III. I leave detailed instructions with my secretary to call me whenever I have a Palm III activity planned. I find that by doing this I can maximize the value of the Palm III. Credit Gralla though: If he hadn't given me so many insights about how to use the Palm III effectively, I might never have been motivated enough to create a plan that works for me. I also enjoyed the many shareware items included with the book. I would have liked to have had some kind of contact management software included, but I guess I'll have to wait for the next edition of the book!
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