Dynamite Downloads

Handhelds

You can load these PDA programs, which range from a file manager to simple games, onto either your Palm OS PDA or your Pocket PC device.

Palm OS Downloads

File Finder

FilePoint, 894KB, $30

The more applications, documents, and games you add to your Palm OS PDA, the more you realize that it desperately needs a good file management tool. FilePoint lets you organize and find Palm apps, documents, and files with drag-and-drop ease. This utility simplifies creating folders, launching programs, tracking recently used files, and (especially) moving files to and from expansion memory cards. A $50 deluxe version, FilePoint Pro, extends this functionality from the PDA to the PC desktop. Each time you resync, any drag-and-drop changes you made in PC file and folder locations are updated accordingly on your Palm OS device. Now why didn't Palm think of that?

--Michael S. Lasky

Let's Make a Date

Palm DualDate, 282KB, free

The Palm date book that comes standard on Palm OS handhelds is a single calendar for tracking appointments and reminders only. Palm DualDate expands on those solo capabilities by letting you and other DualDate users send, receive, and synchronize calendars--so, for instance, you and an associate can more easily locate a time when you both are free for lunch.

The enhanced screen views include side-by-side calendars on the same page to complement the original single view. You also get handy user options for maintaining privacy by limiting the data sent or received to your specifications. Though DualDate will work on both monochrome and color screens, color is better for differentiating between twin calendars, especially in monthly views. You can switch between solo and dual calendar views with a single icon tap.

--Michael S. Lasky

A Gem of a Game

Bejeweled, 68KB, $15

Ultimately, simple games wind up being the most popular--like Bejeweled for the Palm. Bejeweled is highly addictive, combining the beguiling style of classic Tetris with its own unique puzzle. Five types of gems randomly drop into an 8 by 8 array; you play by tapping two adjacent dissimilar gems so they trade places. The object is to switch the gems' positions so that three or more matching gems align horizontally or vertically, causing them to disappear. As the matched sets fade out, random gems fall from the top to replace them. Color graphics and animation are sharp and lively, but you can play Bejeweled in gray scale on a monochrome Palm OS device as well. For a heart-pounding experience, switch to the caffeinated, timed game mode. Just don't plan to get very much work done.

--Michael S. Lasky

Pocket PC Downloads

Tap Once to Remember

Pocket Informant, 2.6MB, $20

Pocket PC PDAs come with built-in applications for scheduling appointments and maintaining contacts and to-do lists. Pocket Informant improves on these tasks by integrating them. For instance, if you want to make sure you don't forget a friend's birthday, you can create an alarm that links to your friend's name, letting you see the details for that entry. The app's excellent task manager allows you to filter tasks to view the matters that require immediate attention.

--Richard Baguley

Burst Your Bubble

Bubblets, 82KB, $15

In this seemingly simple game, five colors of "bubbles" are randomly placed on a grid. You play by clicking on a bubble; it and every adjacent bubble of the same color pops. The more you pop at once, the more points you get. When you pop the bubbles, ones above sink into the available spaces, and others waft down from above those; if you can maneuver the bubbles together to form bigger blocks, you score more points.

--Richard Baguley