PalmSource Posts 20 New Expert Guides

Posted By: Ryan Monday, July 19, 2004 10:32:38 AM

PalmSource today announced the availability of its expanded Expert Guides, offering 20 new guides with expert opinion on applications tailored for a variety of professions and special interests.

"Many Palm OS users add additional software -- beyond the traditional calendaring and personal information management (PIM) applications -- to help them manage their business and personal lives," said Michael Mace, chief competitive officer for PalmSource. "Much of this software is created to meet the needs of a particular industry or special interest. With more than 23,000 titles available for Palm OS, one of the largest libraries of native software for a mobile system, we believe users will increasingly rely on the Expert Guides to find the software that meets their unique requirements."

PalmSource started the Expert Guides to help Palm Powered smart mobile device users navigate the wide range of Palm OS software and locate the applications and resources that are right for them. Written by Palm OS users with expertise in the topics covered, the guides describe and recommend the Palm OS applications they consider best for various interests, professions and tasks. The guides include references to relevant eBooks and Web sites, and also incorporate first-person testimonials from users in the subject area.

The new additions bring the total number of free Expert Guides to 55, making them one of the Web's most comprehensive references to what users can do with a Palm Powered device.

Examples of practical uses of Palm Powered smart mobile devices include:

  • A member of the Civil Air Patrol helps a lost pilot by looking up an airport location and radio frequency on a Palm Powered handheld;
  • A medical student carries a library of medical reference material and textbooks on his Palm Powered device, and looks up proper drug dosing on the go;
  • A traveler uses a Palm Powered device to post pictures and text to a website while on the road, so family and friends can see what she's up to; and
  • A Boy Scout troop leader manages the troop with a Palm Powered handheld, using troop tracking software, first aid reference programs and even knot tying guides written specifically for Palm OS.

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No update on existing expert guide?

asiayeah @ 7/20/2004 11:40:18 AM #
It's really good that PalmSource has asked so many volunteers to write those expert guides. However, some of the expert guides are written some time ago and are never updated. Some new software may solve the same problem in a better way and they are not mentioned.

--
With great power comes great responsiblity.
RE: No update on existing expert guide?
rcartwright @ 7/20/2004 4:36:10 PM #
I agree. The legal post had a reference to JDPDA.com, which as far as I can tell has not had a new review since June 2003. Even worse, she omits Shadow Plan as as useful software, which amazed me as many of the lawyers that are into Palm products also use Shadow.

Rick C
RE: No update on existing expert guide?
abosco @ 7/20/2004 6:17:03 PM #
Actually, we're required to keep them updated at least once every quarter. Standard things - add in new applicable software, make sure there are no broken links, tweak some of the descriptions if desired, etc. If there's software that's missing, it's a possibility that the creator of the guide is unaware of it. Drop them a line and let them know.

-Bosco
NX80v + Wifi + BT + T616
RE: No update on existing expert guide?
Michael Mace @ 7/21/2004 3:42:07 PM #
Thanks for the comments, and I'm sorry I was slow to respond on this.

Alex is right, the guide authors generally update their material at least once a quarter, and some of them are a lot more frequent. If something's missing, chances are the author just didn't know about it. There's a feedback link at the left edge of every guide; just click it to send us a message.

Regarding links to third-party web pages that haven't been refreshed, this is a tough issue for us. It's pretty common on the web for someone to get enthusiastic, create a page on a subject, and then not do much to maintain it. We struggle over whether to point to these pages. The general rule is that if the page still has relevant info, we'll point to it. In this case, the author made the call that the page is still relevant.

Again, thanks for the comments.

Mike
CCO, PalmSource Inc.

Great Resource!

DWD @ 7/21/2004 4:10:58 AM #
I've used a number of different guides on several occasions and have always found them to be an excellent resource. It's nice to see Palm expanding the subject matter.

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