FIGURE C

The Card Category Setup screen is used to setup card categories. Click picture for a larger image.

TealDesktop is able to move and copy files from RAM to the card and back, but requires an external program, such as Filez (at http://www.nosleep.net/) to create, move, or edit folders on the card.

Usability
As you might expect from a brand new program, TealDesktop has some usability problems that need to be worked out. For example, after each HotSync, the device will scan to check if they're any new programs and add them to the list. However, these scans can take a long time, and, if you're in a hurry, can get rather aggravating. Hopefully TealPoint will find a way to speed them up in the future, but, until then, they are a minor but annoying problem.

A second, more minor problem is its use of categories. The program requires you to have 15 categories at all times. These categories can be renamed, and all categories with 0 applications are automatically hidden from display in the launcher. However, the program lists all 15 categories on the category selection lists, generating quite a bit of clutter that isn't needed.

Conclusion
TealDesktop is, without a doubt, better than the built-in launcher, but overkill for many. Users that are fine with the mainstream layout and aren't particularly interested in making their own themes will likely find other launchers with additional non-theme related features to be more useful.

However, users that want to create their own themes in a simple interface and that want a layout slightly different layout from the one used in many other third party launchers will find TealDesktop perfect for them, and should definitely take a look.

OUR RATING: 3 of 5

Heather Wardell received her first Palm handheld in 1997 (from a boss who couldn't get the hang of Graffiti) and has never looked back. She worked in banking as a systems analyst for four years, and then moved into elementary education, teaching computers at a private elementary school for four years. Heather is now a full-time writer with two main specialties: articles that explain how a particular technology works, and short stories that usually involve technology run amok. You can reach her on the Web at http://www.heatherwardell.com.