Mobile Computing Tips: Great Palm Utilities for Travelers

Feature: Five Great Palm Programs for Business Travelers

A Palm PDA can be a business traveler's best buddy. It puts all those easy-to-forget flight numbers, appointments, and client birth dates in your hand, so you can focus on more important things--like finding that cocktail bar you heard about that has 20 different infused vodkas.

There are hundreds of add-on Palm OS utilities, many $30 and under, that can smooth out the bumps in your next business trip. The following five may prove invaluable, whether you're traveling for business, pleasure, or just getting the heck out of the house. All the utilities reviewed are either free outright, or offer a free trial. They can be downloaded from Handango, PalmGear.com, or PCWorld.com's Downloads section devoted to Palm devices.

BigClock. Yes, there's an alarm clock in most every hotel room these days, and you can always request a wake-up call. But for early-morning appointments, I need all that and BigClock, too, to make sure I pry open my bloodshot eyes on time. BigClock is a basic utility that lets you set up to four different alarms (I set one alarm for the time I need to awaken and a second for 10 minutes later, just in case--if there were an alarm clock that also threw cold water in my face, I'd buy it too.) BigClock includes a stopwatch timer, and you can set up to four other clocks so you'll know what time it is in Paris. Best of all, BigClock is free.

CheckPlease. The only thing worse than trying to figure out the tip on a restaurant check is trying to divide the total amount by the number of people splitting the check. Blessedly, this $5 shareware utility performs both odious tasks. CheckPlease remembers the tax rate and tip percentage you typically use, so when the bill arrives, just enter the total amount and number of persons. CheckPlease instantly calculates the tip and the amount each person owes. Or do what I do and just stick your dinner partner with the whole tab--it's easier and infinitely cheaper.

TravelTracker. Business travelers have a lot on their minds: flight times and numbers, hotel and rental car confirmation numbers, train schedules, what the heck security code you used for the in-room safe, that sort of thing. TravelTracker is a marvelous little utility that remembers it all for you (except for the security code, that is). It stores your travel arrangements in one convenient place, then adds flight times and other information automatically to your Palm calendar. The program costs $29.95.

Vindigo 2.0. Until recently, this city guidebook service was free. It now costs $24.95 per year, and it's worth every cent. Vindigo stores valuable information on your Palm or Pocket PC in seven categories: Food (restaurant reviews); Movies (including show times, theaters, story synopses, and review summaries); Bars; Shops; Services (such as ATM machines and post offices); Museums; and Music. You can search category listings by location, so you can quickly find, say, a nearby auto repair shop (business trips aren't always a carefree lark, you know). Restaurant reviews can be sorted by cost, rating, and name, and you can see only those eateries that are one-half mile or closer. Vindigo's content is updated on your Palm every time you HotSync, which requires an active Internet connection.

WorldMate. What's tomorrow's weather forecast for Paris? What time is it in Bangkok right now? When it's 8 a.m. in San Jose, what time will it be in London? WorldMate reveals the answers to these and other mystifying questions with just a few taps of the screen. The $19.95 utility also converts foreign currencies, measurements, and clothing sizes, and provides international and local dialing codes. To paraphrase Karl Malden, don't leave the country without it.