One very convenient use for your PDA is to read things on the go. You may have a business report, article or other file on your computer that you want to store on your PDA for later viewing. Obviously, having to retype that data in your PDA would be very inconvenient and a waste of time. Fortunately, there are many ways to get your data into your PDA for later viewing.

The easiest way to do this is to use the Palm desktop application to create a new note. You can then just copy and paste the text that you want to read into the note and sync with your PDA. This will create a new MemoPad entry which will contain all of the text that you just copied. While this an easy process, your text will lose any formating it has and MemoPad entries are limited to only 4K of text.

Another method to view your files on your PDA is to convert them into 'Doc' format, so that they can be read with a 'Doc' reader on the Pilot. These include AportisDoc and TealDoc. While these 'Doc' converts can make files of any size, they are currently limited to text files (and HTML files for TealDoc). A future version of AportisDoc professional is said to be able to also convert HTML and Microsoft Word files.

An easier method to get your files onto your PDA include using more sophisticated programs that let you view your word processing and spreadsheet files on your PDA. One such program is Documents To Go, by Dataviz. This is a powerful and very easy to use program that puts your desktop files right on your Pilot for easy viewing. The file formats that Documents To Go support include:

• Word 6, 8 (98)
• AppleWorks 4,5 (word processing)
• Excel 5, 8 (98)
• AppleWorks 4,5 (spreadsheet)
• Text

• Word 7 (95), 8 (97), 2000
• WordPerfect 6, 7, 8
• Word Pro 96, 97, 98
• Excel 5 (95), 8 (97), 2000
• Quattro Pro 1, 5, 6, 7, 8
• Lotus 1-2-3 97, 98

	Documents To Go

Documents To Go also supports the Palm OS 'Doc' format. To install your file on your PDA, you simply launch Documents To Go on your PC and drag the file into the application window. Doc To Go will then create a version of your file that can be viewed on your PDA. This file will be installed on your PDA during your next HotSync.

	SheetView

In addition to the desktop application, Documents To Go installs three applications on your Pilot. Besides the Documents To Go Pilot file that lists the files you have installed, it also adds the Word View and SheetView applications to view word processing and spreadsheet files.

	Word View

A great feature of Documents To Go is that after you install a file, it checks to see if the original file on your computer has changed, and if it has, an updated version of the file is sent to your PDA during your next HotSync.

A similar product is available from Qvadis. Their Express Reader GT lets you view text files created in Word, WordPerfect, Outlook and Explorer on your PDA. It also supports 'Doc' files and you can also view these files and manage all of the files conversions on in the Express Reader DX desktop program.

Overall, I think your best bet for viewing your files on your PDA is to use Documents To Go. It is available for both Windows and Macintosh computers, files require no special preparation before being installed on your PDA, and it is the only one that lets you view spreadsheet files.

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