TextMaker Coming to the Palm OS?

One of the Pocket PC's platforms most popular applications could be coming to the Palm OS soon. TextMaker is a full featured word processor for mobile devices.

TextMaker for palmTextMaker is considered by many to be one of the most useful and feature packed word processors for the Pocket PC platform. It offers seamless document exchange with Microsoft Word, extensive image support, tables and many formatting options. It also has a automatic spell checker, dictionaries, hyphenation and thesauri.

TextMaker also has extensive font support. Including antialiased TrueTyoe fonts. It reads and writes to a number of formats including MS Word, RTF, txt and HTML files.

SoftMaker did confirm a Palm OS version is in the works, and is reported to be making "good progress", but does not have a release date at this time.

Article Comments

 (31 comments)

The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. PalmInfocenter is not responsible for them in any way.
Please Login or register here to add your comments.

Comments Closed Comments Closed
This article is no longer accepting new comments.

Down

Great!

abosco @ 7/21/2003 1:57:10 PM #
Textmaker is one of the most powerful pieces of software for any mobile device. Finally native Word format!

Was it really hard for Dataviz and Cutting Edge to understand we need to write in native format in addition to reading it? The memory excuse for conversions don't hold up anymore. We've got dual expansion and RAM bleeding out the sides now; I want to edit docs without a conversion! Thank you SoftMaker. It seems they already have a working beta up, so it can't be more than a few months off from official release.

-Bosco

RE: Great!
mj6798 @ 7/21/2003 2:15:51 PM #
Finally native Word format!

I have a better solution: stop using MS Word on your PC.

RE: Great!
a3 @ 7/21/2003 2:20:18 PM #
yeah and then stop using your PC... and your PDA, your fridge, telephone, mobile phone and car and whe all of that is done call yourself Robinson Crusoe!

_______________________________________
Already a Tapwave's Helix fan.
RE: Great!
mikochu @ 7/21/2003 3:09:50 PM #
Hello, I am Robinson Crusoe.
RE: Great!
rsc1000 @ 7/21/2003 3:24:46 PM #
Stop using MS Word? Sure, yes - and i'll get a job digging ditches. I assume u work a manual labor job as well? :) OK - maybe yr lucky enough to still work with computers but - say - u make games or something right?


RE: Great!
Ben S @ 7/21/2003 3:54:56 PM #
OpenOffice.org can load/save Word format and it works fine for my day-to-day tasks. Most people use Word when Notepad or equivalent would do, anyway.

RE: Great!
Fammy @ 7/21/2003 3:55:57 PM #
There are plenty of solutions that replace Microsoft Office. OpenOffice.org (its name is its website) does a really good job and shows a lot of promise. What I ask you, if what solution on the Palm allows you to edit business/school documents on your desktop and sync them to your PDA? What format should we use? Plain text?

Word is the standard. That's not going to change anytime soon. I haven't seen to many WordPerfect -> Palm solutions.

-- Fammy

RE: Great!
abosco @ 7/21/2003 4:39:51 PM #
Guys, I could care less about which one I use. I use MSWord because it's basically universal. I send and receive native Word and Excel documents over Wifi a lot. My current work-around is a VPN solution, but it takes an extra minute to drag it into Dataviz Docs To Go, then Network Hotsync. It's a pain. I want to be able to view and edit those documents and send them right back.

-Bosco
RE: Great!
rsc1000 @ 7/21/2003 5:33:28 PM #
Ben S and Fammy - are u guys paying attention here? or are u such anti-ms freaks that u fail to understand the conversation before u just jump in? whether its 'Word' or 'OpenOffice' or whatever-the-f@#$, we are talking about the damned format! If u managed to follow this teeny-tiny little thread here - you'll notice this turn of the conversation came about becuase mj6798 said "I have a better solution: stop using MS Word on your PC." IN RESPONSE TO: "Finally native Word format!". So to recap - we are talking about (and mj6798 was cleary talking about) the format. sheesh. I hate office as much as the next person but i try not be so rabid as to not see the forest thru the trees.


RE: Great!
Fammy @ 7/21/2003 5:59:39 PM #
Hey Ben, are you paying attention? Apparently we are not.

The fact we had the same idea about a minute apart shows that great minds think alike (and non-Office users aren't confined to digging ditches).

I'm excited about Native Word Format because it'll make sharing documents (no matter which app on the PC you use) alot easier. I am back on topic. Happy?

-- Fammy

RE: Great!
mikecane @ 7/21/2003 6:19:54 PM #
I am glad it is coming to PalmOS! Now if we could just get Opera too...

BTW, you *don't* have to use Word, for crying out loud! There's a *desktop* version of Textmaker that will sync its Palm files.

I wonder if PPC owners will require Peacemaker Pro in order to send/receive Textmaker files from PalmOS PDAs?!

guys, get over it
73939133 @ 7/21/2003 6:52:04 PM #
The suggestion that the choice is between using MS Word formats or swearing off any kind of technology is pretty ridiculous. There are plenty of word processing formats besides MS Word that you can use.

MS Word as a format is a pain to use: it's hard to support on handhelds, it's hard to support on desktops, it carries viruses, and it keeps changing. It's your choice whether you want to put up with that kind of nonsense, but don't pretend that if some handheld company finally comes up with a half-hearted implementation of a subset of MS Word features for Palm, it's salvation for the rest of the world. And, you can bet that you will soon run into compatibility problems with this software as well: MS Word just isn't up to it.

Editing software
Spell @ 7/21/2003 7:18:41 PM #
Unrelated to the shouting match re: Word, I am very pleased with Wordsmith editing software (www.bluenomad.com) both as far as conversion between PDA and PC, as well as the formatting and tools available on the PDA. I regularly read, edit and write on my PDA.

When TextMaker becomes available for Palm OS, I'll try it out, but it will have to do something I use regularly that Wordsmith doesn't already do to get me to switch.

(I mention this because sometimes the most useful comments on this website are those that suggest alternatives to whatever item is being discussed.)


RE: Great!
Altema @ 7/21/2003 7:47:04 PM #
NOTE: Unless something has changed in the last two months, the PPC version did not create native word documents on the handheld... they needed to be converted. Had it on my PPC for a few weeks but it was overkill for my needs. Good app though...

RE: guys, get over it
jamesgood72 @ 7/21/2003 8:50:51 PM #
73939133,

>The suggestion that the choice is between using MS
>Word formats or swearing off any kind of technology is
>pretty ridiculous. There are plenty of word
>processing formats besides MS Word that you can use.

Not true. We have to use MS Word format because that's what 99% of the business world uses.

>MS Word as a format is a pain to use: it's hard to
>support on handhelds, it's hard to support on
>desktops, it carries viruses, and it keeps changing.

Couldn't agree more! Nicely put...

>It's your choice whether you want to put up with that
>kind of nonsense, but don't pretend that if some

No! It's not my choice. If I've got to get some tech-documentation to my boss, and he see's an OpenOffice format doc come through, he's going to say 'can't open that crap. why are you not using company approved software?'.

You could argue that RTF would work well, but in truth it doesn't work well for the complicated documents I have to create. Neither does OpenOffice's MS Word format, either, unfortunately. So, MS Word is the primary editor for documentation on my machine again...

-James.



RE: Great!
reigndub @ 7/21/2003 10:37:05 PM #
"Altema @ 7/21/2003 7:47:04 PM

NOTE: Unless something has changed in the last two months, the PPC version did not create native word documents on the handheld... they needed to be converted."

That is incorrect.

RE: Great!
Gremmie @ 7/21/2003 11:46:48 PM #
Textmaker uses rmf format to create documents, the desktop software reads rmf and saves to word.

RE: Great!
abosco @ 7/22/2003 12:14:56 AM #
>Textmaker uses rmf format to create documents, the
>desktop software reads rmf and saves to word.

Which is plenty good enough. As long as the receiving desktop with Word can read the file without a conversion, it's money in the bank. I regularly collaborate with people who are sending me files in Excel and Word formats from their desktop without a Dataviz conversion tool on there. Sure, I can read the docs with Picsel Viewer, a great program, but I need more than just viewing. I need to edit that document and send it right back to them. Then, they need to take that file and open it up in Word with no conversion.

I'm SURE there are tons of better alternatives to Word as a stable file. There are a bunch of unsafe Macros that come with Word, and that was the cause of my second great hard drive crash nine months ago. But it doesn't matter. It is seriously the standard for 99% of all uses. There's a reason why they can charge $400 for Office and have it be their second most successful piece of software behind Windows.

Sure, conversions were great when we were stuck with 8 MB internal RAM, 16 MHz, and no expansion, but now that we're approaching 64 MB, 400 MHz, and dual expansion with wireless options, this particular aspect of the software needs to evolve. This is one of the most important things I do on my PDA, too. If Textmaker can natively read, edit, and write in Word format (or at least a format Word can read without conversion), it'll be well worth the high price.

And if I wasn't such a useless piece of junk, I'd link to Hansberry's Simplicity article once again. ;)

-Bosco

RE: Great!
73939133 @ 7/22/2003 10:40:30 AM #
No! It's not my choice. If I've got to get some tech-documentation to my boss, and he see's an OpenOffice format doc come through, he's going to say 'can't open that crap. why are you not using company approved software?'.

Well, "you" in that case refers to "your company". If your company want to spend enormous amounts of money on MS Office and solving the problems that it causes, then that's your choice. But there are alternatives.

RE: Great!
mikecane @ 7/22/2003 4:51:15 PM #
>>>If your company want to spend enormous amounts of money on MS Office and solving the problems that it causes, then that's your choice. But there are alternatives.

You make it sound like his company is an anomaly in a sea of "We Don't Use Word Here" companies. Are you just being argumentative?

Wish I had heard this before I ordered a new PPC.

Timothy Rapson @ 7/21/2003 7:38:09 PM #
Could this news not have come last week?

I just decided this week to try PPC again. Why? Well, WordSmith has just quit syncing properly for me. I can fuss with it and get it to sync one file from my Desktop to the Clie, but then it stops again. I think I have one doc that is too big for the client to convert and it is timing out. Anyway, I never did care for syncing at all. On my Ipaq I always just copied files back and forth where and when I wanted rather than syncing.

The other reasons I want a PPC are.

I want TextMaker. All the pictures (and even a small editor to size and add simple graphics to them) I want. And native file support.

I want Pocket Artist. TealPaint was supposed to be written early last Winter. It is dumb that we have 8-9 Palm OS models with cameras and no third part picture editor.

I want a $200 ARM power model so that I can browse and display pictures without waiting.

I want 64 meg of RAM without paying $500 or begging Palm for a year to live up to the promise of OS 5.

I am probably a fool and will send this Zayo back within a month because it locks and bogs down like my Ipaq did. Maybe by then there will be TextMaker for Palm and TealPaint will be shipping and someone will come out with a reasonbly priced Palm OS device with 64 meg and include the camera that I so love having on my Clie NR70V.

Or maybe that perfect PDA is just not meant to be.

RE: Wish I had heard this before I ordered a new PPC.
Altema @ 7/21/2003 7:54:04 PM #
Timothy, if Wordsmith stopped syncing, the conduit may be corrupted. If you are interested, delete and re-install on your desktop to replace the conduit. You will have to pick your docs again, but the originals will still be on your desktop. I doubt that size or complexity is the issue, as I've been given 3Mb files to sync from an iPaq owner who could not sync the same file sucessfully. DTG did beautifully, and WS did OK despite leaving out the photos. For your needs, TextMaker is the best bet for creating really complex documents.

In regards to speed, I can't make any comparisions for browsing. However, my associates are stunned by the speed difference for jpeg viewing/manipulation between an iPaq and the newer Palms such as the T|T and T|C. There was a two second delay when rotating an image on the iPaq, on the Palm it was instant, almost like it anticipated your next command. Even zooming from 5% to 1600% was as fast as you move the slider. They thought the difference was due to smaller jpeg's until we did it with the same files. Then I did it with a 4 megapixel image and really blew their minds!

I will say that I am impressed with the wireless abilities and battery life of the iPaq with the expansion pack. Despite the Tungsten C being a screamer, I belive the built in 802.11b radio is only 30Mw, which makes it unsuitable for wireless site surveys. Something which an iPaq with a Cisco Aironet 350 card does in spades. True, it's as thick as four T|C's stacked, but it's better than carrying a laptop!

Of course, you can now get an adapter for the card for Palms with the universal connector, and there is also the Xircom 802.11 sled or the wi-fi case, but I'm not sure about the software.

RE: Wish I had heard this before I ordered a new PPC.
PalmOS @ 7/21/2003 10:02:20 PM #
HaHAHa

RE: Wish I had heard this before I ordered a new PPC.
reigndub @ 7/21/2003 10:31:14 PM #
"Wish I had heard this before I ordered a new PPC.
Timothy Rapson @ 7/21/2003 7:38:09 PM

Could this news not have come last week?"

If you look at the picture carefully, it's more of a UI design study instead of actual running prototype. The buttons and sliders are from Linux Textmaker version. The icons and slider will look impossiby small almost non functional if implemented on .12 pixel pitch such as in typical hires screen.

So it's best to write Softmaker directly to ask what is their Palm OS port status, and when they plan to release it.

RE: Wish I had heard this before I ordered a new PPC.
helf @ 7/21/2003 11:10:28 PM #
Did you not read the text in the image?

"What I have running on the simulator so far"..So he does have a beta of sorts working..

RE: Editing Software
FIA WRC @ 7/21/2003 11:22:34 PM #
I use Mobile Word 2003. Very nice and well written software. I recommend it to anyone who works with documents. Never had a problem and syncing is a breeze. Just open it up in My Documents after a sync and print it out. Has plenty of features too.
RE: Wish I had heard this before I ordered a new PPC.
PalmOS @ 7/21/2003 11:34:17 PM #
Hi Guys,
Could you let me know how to delete the uploaded page which upload by a mistake?

RE: Wish I had heard this before I ordered a new PPC.
drw @ 7/22/2003 11:03:40 PM #
what uploaded page?

---
David
I quick answer 4a n00b
FRANKY_JOE_BOB @ 7/23/2003 12:36:05 AM #
will this great and legendary programs conduit support mac?

-ME
RE: Wish I had heard this before I ordered a new PPC.
mikecane @ 7/23/2003 8:13:50 AM #
Support Mac?

Is the Mac still around?! *cough cough*

RE: Wish I had heard this before I ordered a new PPC.
FRANKY_JOE_BOB @ 7/23/2003 3:11:28 PM #
yes

-ME
Top

Account

Register Register | Login Log in
user:
pass: