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September 16, 2002
My favorite Palm application
Although I play Solitaire a lot, I'm not much into games on the Palm. And although I like using the built-in applications (except for Mail and Expense, which don't really move me), they really aren't eye-openingly interesting.
One thing I've found that the Palm (and similar devices) can do better than other devices is remote controls. The small size and touch screen have allowed developers to create some very interesting software remotes.
So far my favorite is Pacific Neo-Tek's OmniRemote. The program allows you to create your own button layouts and train a number of devices -- so with a quick flip of a menu and you can go from the stereo to the VCR to the TV. You can also create "macros," buttons that take several steps automatically. There is even a timer function, so you can have a macro go off after a certain amount of time.
Another interesting approach is ConnectedTV. This application is subscription based, you download a TV schedule to your Palm and then change channels by clicking at the channel listings. So instead of a screen that looks like a physical remote control you see the listings. The advantage, according to the company, is that you don't have to switch the TV to a special listings channel, or obscure part of the screen, in order to see TV listings. I haven't tried it.