One of the really great things about the Palm is that it was born after the initial explosion of the Internet. The volume of information and programs available for the Palm is overwhelming. That’s great news for people who want to know more about the Palm or who are looking for specific Palm programs because almost anything Palm you might want is quickly available.
Before you read any further, bookmark this page in your Web browser so you will always have your handy link list of places to go to help you with all your Palm needs.
Each of the resources mentioned below are ones that I have found particularly helpful. There are thousands of Palm related sites but these should appeal to the masses.
The mother ship. This is the official site of the manufacturer of Palms. There is information about their Alliance Partners, software updates, hardware sales, and more. Ironically Palm doesn’t have the most complete listing of Palm software, nor do they have the most current news. But once you do find something on their site you can be assured it is certainly accurate.
The guy who invented the Palm and his key partners spun off their own company, based on the Palm OS, and provided a Palm competitor called the Visor. This is their official Web site with a store and special information about their proprietary plug-in modules called Springboards.
I really like this site for the latest and greatest Palm information. While their stated topic is the Handspring Visor, they do a fine job covering many related topics — this makes them a good overall Palm news source.
One of the things people like to know about is thoughtful reviews of Palm stuff. Software, hardware add-ons and Palms themselves. This is one of three great sites I like to go to for reviews.
More than just Palms, the Gadgeteer covers Palms plus many more pocketsize electronic gadgets. The reviews are thoughtful and comprehensive and a good resource.
This is a great site that combines news and reviews of everything Palm. Interestingly they call themselves a ‘magazine’ but when I last asked, they didn’t have a print version. Their major updates had originally been monthly like a magazine but they have begun to provide more timely updates and even offer an AvantGo channel with news.
PalmStation and PalmInfoCenter
These two sites tie as my favorite Palm-only news sites. There aren’t articles and reviews, it’s just a summary of what’s going on in the Palm community, updated daily. Think of them as “Palm Watch.”
These guys have the Palm superstore of the Web. You’ll find news, an exhaustive list of Palm software, Palms, Visors and all kinds of third-party gear too. This is the biggest collection of Palm hardware and software so start your searches here.
This is just an introduction to volumes of great Web sites dedicated to Palms and associated products. It should give you a solid start toward learning more about the world’s favorite handheld platform and you’ll probably be an expert before you know it.
For more columns by Larry Becker, click here.