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Use the Web to Find Gadgets for Your Gadgets
Joe Borders
Texas Lawyer
December 11, 2001
Since the introduction of the PalmPilot in 1996, handheld personal digital assistants have become almost ubiquitous for lawyers on the go. Now the relatively simple Pilot has been replaced by PDAs that can -- with some added gadgets -- send and receive wireless messages, communicate with a satellite to plot your location on a map and even store a novel. The advances in the basic handheld device have been followed closely by development of a multitude of accessories, add-ons that expand the little computers' functionality. Here are some Web sites that make those add-on gadgets available:
Beyond.com
www.beyond.com/departments/handheld/
The section on handhelds at this online high-tech superstore features software that can expand the functionality of a Palm, Compaq, Handspring or similar device. The software ranges from a financial planning package for Palms to a golf game for Pocket PCs. Accessories for Palms include such items as leather cases, sync cables and a $169 modem.
DeLorme
www.delorme.com/roadwarrior/
This mapping-products company offers products that can help the user of a handheld computer keep from getting lost. For example, a $200 Earthmate Global Positioning System receiver can turn a Palm V into a real-time mapping device, showing the user's location in the United States on street-level maps.
Arkon Resources Inc.
www.arkon.com
Anyone who uses handheld computing devices in a car can find useful products at this site. The section for dash and windshield-mount kits lists six varieties, ranging from $40 to $60 each.
Palm Inc.
store.palm.com/Catalog/accessories.asp
Go to the source for official Palm cases, memory expansion cards, keyboards and related accessories. A fold-out keyboard for a Palm V, for instance, costs $99, and a modem for the m500 series costs $99.
LandWare
www.landware.com
Click on the catalog link to see a variety of useful accessories. A digital voice recorder for the Palm III series costs $35, and a Zagat Restaurant Guide with information on 15,000 restaurants costs $30. An intriguing software add-on is Small Talk, a $20 package that translates pre-selected phrases into or from five different languages.
Gethightech.com
www.gethightech.com
Anyone who is capable of taking apart a handheld device and putting it back together can find replacement parts at this site. A new screen can cost from $55 to $80, and a new motherboard can cost between $10 and $80, though some of the latest models aren't represented.
This article orginally appeared on August 6, 2001.
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