Like many others, I chose the Palm brand of PDAs for their size and convenience. My reliance on my Palm IIIxe to perform an increasing number of the functions performed by my clunky notebook computer caused me to search for a quick and easy to use word-processing/document editing program for the Palm OS. TakeNote! is an offering from Landware Software and fills the void for word processing functions in the palm of your hand.

TakeNote! is a document reader for the Palm OS . TakeNote! is also a powerful document editor for the Palm OS which allows a user to import and export DOC and memo entries and provides a software conduit to convert and transfer MS Word and WordPerfect files into the DOC format with drag and drop ease.

Many Functions

First, and foremost, TakeNote! is a greatly enhanced document reader that easily handles the DOC format. Subsequently, reading widely available e-books and other information is not a problem for this application. As part of its document reading function, TakeNote! comes with a full compliment of features such as bookmarking, word count, and different scrolling options for ease of reading. Another great feature of TakeNote! is that not only can you read Memo files generated under the MemoPad function of your Palm, TakeNote! automatically converts a Memo file into the DOC format to allow more size than the standard 4k file limit.

	TakeNote!

Second, TakeNote! is a more than adequate document editor for the palm of your hand. In the TakeNote! environment on your Palm, you can create a document in either the Memo or DOC format. (I found the DOC format a better choice because you get around the 4k limit and take advantage of TakeNote!'s compression technology which means the file consumes less space on your Palm.) TakeNote! allows ease of editing with a great find and replace function, easy access to cut and paste functions, and even has a thesaurus, the WordSleuth Thesaurus, that comes bundled with the software.

Easy Portability

What if you do not want to generate a file on your Palm? TakeNote! comes with a Windows conduit or Drop Doc application for Macintosh which allows you to effortlessly convert and move between text files generated on a desktop PC and TakeNote! DOC files.

I found this aspect of TakeNote! particularly impressive. During installation, TakeNote! establishes two Windows directories: one to download documents from the PC to your Palm and the other to save documents downloaded from your Palm. TakeNote! also gives the user the option to create shortcuts in the "Send To" Folder and/or on the desktop to easily transfer files between your PC and Palm.

TakeNote!'s file transfer function is a breeze to use. The other day, knowing I would be out of the office the next day, I wanted to take a WordPerfect file with me. Rather than save the file to disk and carry my notebook computer with me to continue working on the document, I saved the document as a text file, selected the "Send To" option in the WordPerfect "File" menu, selected my TakeNote! transfer folder, and on my next Hotsync, that file was installed on my Palm. With a few simple steps, I was able to finish the edits to my document on my Palm without having to carry around a bulky computer.

Summary

If convenience, ease of use, and portability of standard DOC and word-processing files are important for you, give TakeNote! at try. TakeNote! serves as a document reader and word processor all rolled into one reasonably priced package. Throw in the WordSleuth thesaurus, and TakeNote! becomes a powerful application that no one should be without!

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