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PRODUCT REVIEW
DateBk6 has advantages over the built-in Palm Datebook
By Heather Wardell
Many people use their Palm handhelds primarily for calendar and todo list functionality. While the built-in applications are more than capable of performing these duties, they don't have much in the way of extras. Pimlico Software's DateBk6 offers more than two hundred and fifty improvements over the built-in applications, and is one of the best-supported applications I've ever seen to boot.
DateBk6 is a large application, taking up nearly one megabyte of my Palm's memory, but the features it adds make it worth the space. The manual is over a hundred pages, and packed with information and tips on how to make the best use of the program, but the software is still accessible for the new user.
Installation and setup
The program requires two files to be installed (the application file and a resource file), with the help database an optional third. I recommend installing it too, since it provides a quick and easy way to access help directly from the application. The main application file can be installed to a memory card, but the resource file must be in main memory.
Right after installation, DateBk6 is functional and can be used without further settings or customization, but the real power of the application comes from tweaking its settings and display to best suit your needs.
An overview of DateBk6's operation
Pimlico has done a great job maintaining the general look-and-feel of the standard applications while adding more features. This means that anyone familiar with the built-in applications will be able to navigate DateBk6 easily.
For an example of how much functionality DateBk6 can add, Figure A shows the Today view of DateBk6 on the left, and the built-in Calendar's Today view on the right.
FIGURE A
 
DateBk6 packs a lot more information into its Today view, all of which can be customized to suit your needs. Roll over picture for a larger image.
DateBk6 offers the Today view as shown above, a more standard day view, a weekly view showing bars blocking out your booked time, a weekly view showing the text of your appointments and tasks for the week, a monthly view showing which days have appointments, a tiny but amazingly readable full-year calendar, and a view that lists all your upcoming tasks and appointments.
As if these weren't enough, you can create your own views based on any or all of the originals. The manual provides a full-page list of possible views, and some are really interesting, such as the suggestion to use a specific icon to track days when you feel a specific medical symptom, then use a yearly view, filtered by that icon, to look for patterns.
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