This is the time of year where many people are getting Palm handhelds for the first time or upgrading to a new Palm. Thus, I felt is to be appropriate to create a “Palm Best Of” series, laying out what I feel to be the best free Palm software, the best Palm developers, and the best Palm websites. The best free Palm software is presented below, the articles on the best Palm developers and websites are to follow.
Adding additional functionality to your Palm, outside of the built-in applications, does not require a large outlay of money. While there are several programs on my Palm that I have gladly paid for, Agendus, SmartListToGo and ZLauncher come to mind, there are many high quality freeware and/or open-source programs available in the Palm universe. Some of these programs are as good or even better than their commercial counterparts.
The following is a list of some of the best and most popular free software for Palm handhelds. This is not in all inclusive list. This free Palm software listing has been split up into three categories: Productivity, Utilities, and Fun with several subcategories in each group. I have not included several free niche and device specific pieces of software and also have not included every piece of free software for each category. For example, there are numerous free high-quality ebook readers. Some of these are not included as I selected what I felt to be the best and most complete of the lot.
A5 is a replacement for the default Datebook and Tasks applications. It uses the same database as its built-in counterpart and adds a week view with an uncluttered interface. Support for repeating events and Icon Manager icons is included.
KsDatebook and KsToDo are replacements for the default Calendar and Tasks Palm applications that use the same database as their built-in counterparts. They add additional features such as weekly view with text as well as text display in monthly view.
Today gives a one page overview of current appointments, tasks, mail, etc., along with the current date/time and owner information of the device. It is similar to the Today screen on Pocket PC and to the Agenda view found in the newer built-in Palm Calendar applications. Today is very configurable, can be skinned and will work as a mini-launcher.
