WordSmith Review: A Revolutionary Palm Writing Tool
by MaximumPDA Affiliate:

Mike Rohde of PalmTipSheet.com

As a writer, I'm always on the lookout for tools to improve the time I spend writing, whether it's a Stowaway foldable keyboard, a Hackmaster extension like MagicText or a powerful word processor like WordSmith. In this month's feature article I'll explore WordSmith's features, capabilities and explain why I think it has established a new standard for Palm OS word processors.

http://www.bluenomad.com/ws/prod_wordsmith_details.html

**Writing With A Palm** -- So you might ask me why WordSmith is such a big deal for writers using Palm handhelds? There are certainly many writing tools available, which I've already covered in my feature article 'Writing With a Palm' in Palm Tipsheet 7.0:

http://www.palmtipsheet.com/html.texts/tipsht07.html#writing

However, since adopting SmartDoc as my writing tool of choice in 1999, no other application has piqued my interest as much as WordSmith. This new word processor combines text editing and formatting, HotSync connectivity and foldable keyboard access into a revolutionary Palm OS application.

**What Makes WordSmith So Revolutionary?** -- Well, WordSmith is first and foremost a text editor, which in itself isn't that revolutionary. The application can edit Doc, Word, Rich Text Format (RTF) and Memo Pad files. But what puts WordSmith in a category of its own are extensive text formatting features, including bold, italic, underline, strikethrough, justification, tabs, indents, line spacing controls and even font controls.

It doesn't stop there. WordSmith also allows users to seamlessly sync Word or Rich Text files between the Palm handheld and a Windows PC via an included conduit (a Mac conduit is in the works). WordSmith's installation package even integrates with MS Word and the Palm Desktop application.

Finally, WordSmith was built around Palm Foldable and Targus Stowaway keyboards. This is significant, since WordSmith can be controlled by key commands, keeping your hands on the keyboard while writing.

**The WordSmith Desktop and Conduit** -- Running the WordSmith installer on a Windows PC installs the WordSmith desktop application and the HotSync conduit used to synchronize documents between the PC and Palm. WordSmith's installer can also add a menu item to Microsoft Word, for selecting documents to synchronize with the Palm handheld and can add a button to the Palm Desktop to activate the WordSmith desktop application.

WordSmith is also able to work with WordPad and other word processors capable of saving RTF formatted files, such as Word Perfect, so you don't have to use MS Word to take advantage of document synchronization. In this case, the WordSmith desktop application is used to mark documents for synchronization. Documents converted to WordSmith format are kept in the default 'My Documents' folder, though the location of a default folder is optional and is designated at installation time.

Mac and Linux users can use the simple conversion tools included with their installation packages to convert Word and RTF files into WordSmith documents for the Palm. I also understand from Blue Nomad that a Macintosh conduit is currently in the works to synchronize WordSmith with Word for Macintosh.

**The WordSmith Palm Application** -- On a Palm, the WordSmith application is installed, which can read, edit and create Doc, Word or RTF documents. The application first opens to the document listing screen, which lists all WordSmith readable files on the Palm device. At the top of this screen are two tabs: one labeled 'Memo' and the other labeled 'Doc'.

The Memo tab displays all of the memo pad documents stored on your Palm, while the Doc tab displays Doc, Word and RTF files. Word and RTF files are distinct as they are marked with 'W' icons to the left of the document title, while Doc files have no icon and memos are numbered. Clicking on either the icon or space next to any document pops up a menu to quickly edit, beam, delete, duplicate, rename, categorize or get info on it, saving multiple trips to the menu bar.

At the bottom of this screen, you'll find a 'New' button for creating new documents, a 'Filter' field to enter characters and quickly drill through a list of documents and a indicator displaying your Palm's free RAM space.