DateBk3
The weakest part of the standard PalmOS software, in my opinion, is the To Do List application. Aside from some early experimentation, I have given up using it. The Windows CE equivalent Tasks program is slightly superior, with start as well as end dates and repeats, and the Psion (both Series 3 and 5) Agenda is significantly superior. Part of the reason that I am dissatisfied with it is that I often work on several different projects simultaneously, and the Psion's ability to create multiple Agenda to do lists is ideal for handling this.
I have looked at Pilot products that purport to provide project management capabilities, and have not been happy enough with them to even mention them here. However, I have found one product that, through approaching the problem from a different direction, does really make To Do List tasks worth using on PalmOS. This product is called DateBk3; and, unlike most PalmOS third party applications that weigh in at 10 to 20 K, DateBk3 is over 245K! It is also very slow to start up - from pressing the Date button to seeing the first display typically takes a couple of seconds. If you decide to use it, be warned that it will cut a large swathe through your available RAM.
Show To Do items in Date application
More flexibility for entering times
The new Week view with text
The diary-like Journal with automatic timestamps
So what is so good about DateBk3 that justifies so much RAM consumption? It is a complete reworking of the Date application, incorporating the To Do List database. An extra week view is provided, that allows you to see the text of appointments. In the long term views you can assign icons to different appointments. The screen for setting appointment times lets you pick 5 minute intervals directly. You can create appointment templates, which are very handy if you need to repeatedly enter the same type of events, not on a regular schedule. As well as combining appointments with action items in the same display, it also implements a special type of appointment called a floating appointment; this will carry over to the next day if it hasn't been started by their start time. There are a lot more minor changes throughout the application, which will appeal to a long term Pilot user. One advantage is that it uses the existing Date and To Do List databases, so is fully backward compatible with the standard applications, and all data is backed up.
I use it with TealGlance, which flashes up all current To Do List and Date items for a few seconds whenever I power on; the combination effectively reinforces any project tasks that are outstanding.
DateBk3 is shareware, and costs $20 to register.
Words and design by:
Paul Lynch
Last updated: March 2, 1999