Treo Essentials

Michael Morrisonis a writer, developer, toy inventor, and author of a variety of computer technology books and interactive Web-based courses. Michael has been using wireless handheld devices for over a decade, dating back to early HP handheld calculators. Michael is the creative lead at Stalefish Labs, an entertainment company whose products include a social/trivia game called 'Tall Tales: The Game of Legends and Creative One-Upmanship' (http://www.talltalesgame.com). more >>

Michael Morrisonis a writer, developer, toy inventor, and author of a variety of computer technology books and interactive Web-based courses. Michael has been using wireless handheld devices for over a decade, dating back to early HP handheld calculators. Michael is the creative lead at Stalefish Labs, an entertainment company whose products include a social/trivia game called 'Tall Tales: The Game of Legends and Creative One-Upmanship' (http://www.talltalesgame.com). Michael’s previous books includeSpecial Edition Using Pocket PC 2002, The Unauthorized Guide to Pocket PC, Beginning Mobile Phone Game Programming,andSams Teach Yourself Wireless Java in 21 Days.

Make your Treo smartphone live up to its name.Treo Essentialswill show you how to get the most out of your Treo 600 or 650 smartphone without making you feel anything but smart. You already know the basics and this book will take you beyond them. You'll learn how to synchronize with a PC, launch applications while making a phone call, and take and share pictures. You'll find out how to use e-mail and instant messaging, and how to secure your Treo with passwords, work over virtual private networks and use anti-virus protection software. There's so much more to your Treo 600 or 650 smartphone than meets the eye. LetTreo Essentialshelp you uncover its mysteries!

Introduction

When I first started tinkering with Treo devices a few years ago, I had some reservations because of mixed feelings about handheld device convergence. I'm referring to the notion that many devices used regularly (phones, PDAs, music players, video games, and so forth) should be merged into a single all-purpose mobile computing device. This concept is important because it underlies the very design of the Treo line of devices. Treo devices represent one of the first mobile devices that truly serve as an all-in-one mobile computing solution.

So what brought on the mixed feelings? Well, the truth is that I kind of liked having a separate mobile phone and a separate gadget to check email, play music, and so on. I tend to carry my mobile phone in my pocket and I also tend to drop it a lot, so I like that most phones are small and often more rugged than their more full-featured counterparts. The idea of a larger, more fragile device has always been a turn-off to me—that is, until the latest generation of devices, including the Treo 650. The Treo 650 truly changed my perceptions of all-in-one mobile devices because I realized how nifty it can be having everything in one compact package.

Granted, the Treo 650 is still a bit chunkier than the tiny little Nokia phone I had been using, and I'm certain that it's more fragile, but the benefits proved to far outweigh my perceived negatives. I underestimated the significance of a larger screen that can be used to view full-blown HTML web pages, a dedicated MP3 player, and a digital camera and camcorder, all combined with a mobile phone. I have to be a little more careful with my Treo in terms of not dropping it or running over it with a bicycle or skateboard (I've done both in the past), but as I said, the tradeoff has been well worth it.

So this brings me to this book, which is intended to be an all-encompassing guide to your Treo. By all-encompassing, I mean that I've searched far and wide to include coverage of tricks, tips, and gotchas that you won't find in the manual for your device. I've read my share of books on computers and mobile devices, and I know when an author has taken the path of least resistance and created just a more user-friendly version of the manual. This book is user-friendly, but it's far from a rehashing of the manual. I like to tell people that anyone could write one of these books if given a device, Google access, and a few thousand hours!