Chances are, this is the first article you've ever read that was written largely on a PDA. I'm writing the review with a little program called WordSmith by Blue Nomad. It has effectively brought word processing to the Palm OS in a simple to use yet full-featured editor. While I strongly suggest that you don’t tr writing more than three sentences with a stylus (I'm using a Palm keyboard) WordSmith does turn out to be a very handy application.
I always start off my reviews by asking myself two questions: First, does the product do what it is supposed to, expected to, or advertised to? WordSmith gets a resounding yes in this category. Second, is what the product does actually useful? For many products the answer to this question is often "no" and I expected WordSmith to be the same. It's hard to picture word processing on a Palm being useful. I was pleasantly surprised by what I found, however.
WordSmith sports a full list of the most commonly used word processing features. Spacing, page justification, fonts, they're all there. I was surprised by how comprehensive the list actually is. Unfortunately, my most used desktop word processing feature, spell checker, isn't included because of obvious space restraints inflicted by the Palm's small memory. Fortunately,WordSmith makes up for this shortcoming with some excellent desktop syncing features. Documents written in Microsoft Word can be automatically synced into Wordsmith and vice versa during normal Palm syncing sessions.I found this feature very intuitive and definitely one of the products strong points.I'll mention more on this later.
So, what is lacking? For the most part, the same factors that prohibit any Palm application from being great: screen area and input. The Palm's tiny screen is not the best place to edit a three-page paper, and the stylus is definitely not the tool to write one with. It must be noted that the Palm keyboard worked excellent with the program and is almost a must have if you plan on doing extensive work with WordSmith.
I must admit though, even with the number of papers I write I doubt I will ever type a complete one in WordSmith. The Palm's physical limitations are just too restrictive, even for the great features of the program. There is a redeeming "must-have" use though. Remember the "walk-away" period in the paper writing process that your English professor always talks about?The time after writing your paper and doing the final editing? Well, I've found having an editable copy of your paper with you at all times lets you edit as soon as you think of improvements. The program lends itself well toward small document fixes that are easy to do with the stylus. When you get back to you computer, all that is necessary is a quick sync and your document is ready to print.
Overall, WordSmith does what it was designed to do very well. Unfortunately, what it was designed to do isn't always useful,though this will depend largely on the user. It should be noted WordSmith comes with an excellent 62 page electronic manual. The retail cost of $29.95 is definitely reasonable for the features and a free trial can be downloaded that allows 200 editing sessions. Like many Palm programs before it, WordSmith is an excellently designed piece of software that ends up being hindered only by the Palm's less than ideal screen and input.
Word Smith can be purchased at Blue
Nomad's website.
It requires a handheld device with Palm OS 3.0 or better and a PC with
Windows 95/98/Me/2000/NT4, MacOS 9.0 or better, or Redhat Linux
6.0+/Intel.
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