If you want to work with a variety of document files on your Palm OS handheld computer, take a good look at Documents To Go 4, Professional Edition. More than just a simple document viewer, Documents To Go allows you to view and edit word-processing and spreadsheet files on your handheld computer. The latest update, version 4, also allows you to review Microsoft PowerPoint slides on your handheld. It also comes with an Add-On Kit that includes DataViz Mail, for synchronization of email and attachments, and PDF To Go for viewing PDF files on your handheld.

Documents To Go is actually a suite of programs that are all tightly and seamlessly integrated including Word To Go, Sheet To Go, Slideshow To Go, DataViz Mail, and PDF To Go. There are lots of document viewers available for the Palm OS, but Documents To Go also allows you to also edit documents from your handheld and synchronize them with your desktop computer. All of the original formatting is retained including fonts, graphics, and charts. Ideal for Microsoft Office products, it also supports many other word-processing and spreadsheet formats including WordPerfect, WordPro, AppleWorks, ClarisWorks, Quattro Pro, and Lotus 1-2-3. If you give presentations with PowerPoint, you can review your slides on your handheld.

The software is installed using a CD-ROM disc. You have the option to install the full suite of programs and the Add-On Kit or you can install only the ones you want. This is handy if your handheld has limited storage space and you know you will not be working with certain types of files such as PDF, spreadsheet, or PowerPoint slides. The installation process is simple and worked flawlessly when I installed some initial programs and then added others later. A conduit is installed that automatically synchronizes your document files between the handheld and desktop so any revisions you make on your handheld will automatically update the files on your desktop and vice versa. This slows down the hot-synch process a little bit but not excessively.

Tapping the icon for any of the viewers will launch a menu of documents available for viewing on your handheld. Selecting a document then automatically launches the appropriate viewer. This is particularly handy if you have a variety of different files you want to view and don't want to have to constantly switch back and forth between viewers. Word To Go gives you a view similar to that at left. You can select text and easily change some basic font settings including bold, italic underline, and alignment from the main view by clicking on the small icons at the top. You can write in new text, cut and paste, and delete text just as you would with a word-processor. When you are finished you have the option of saving your changes to the same file, saving to a new file, or abandoning your changes.

You can also change the size of text, but this requires going in the file menu. The choices are limited to either small or large text size. It would have been nicer if this feature was accessible from a button on the main view like the other features mentioned above, but this is a minor point. There is also a separate menu for changing the paragraph settings of your document, and you can specify automatic indenting for paragraphs if desired. You can easily add bookmarks in your document for quick navigation in a lengthy document or making a table of contents.

The spreadsheet viewer, Sheet To Go, works equally well. Even a complex spreadsheet can be viewed and edited with this software. Like desktop spreadsheet software, it will recalculate values if changes are made. During the program installation process you have the option to install a more limited viewer that does not have editing capabilities to keep down the program file size. But I think anyone who is going to view spreadsheets will want to use the full-featured viewer/editor that is installed by default so you can edit spreadsheet information if desired.

The PowerPoint viewer, Slideshow To Go, allows you to upload PowerPoint presentations for viewing on your handheld. They first undergo a conversion process by Documents To Go to enable this, and it can take several minutes to complete this depending on the size of your file. PowerPoint files can also become quite large. I uploaded a presentation of mine with 52 slides that was only 278 KB originally, but after conversion for viewing on my handheld was 796 KB in size. Unless you have expandable memory capability on your handheld you are not likely going to upload many presentations. You can easily switch between views of your presentation outline, individual slides, or notes by tapping on the appropriate icon on the top menu bar. You can select between slides by using the arrows at the bottom of the window to move up or down your list. Even easier, you can tap the little arrow in the top menu bar which will bring up a list of all of your slides. You can then easily select which slide you want to view from the list.

Unfortunately, PowerPoint slides can be difficult to view on a handheld. Unless your print is very large it can be almost impossible to read. Slideshow To Go tries to circumvent this by adding a button at the bottom of the screen that allows you to enlarge the slide view a little bit. You then have to move the slide around the screen with your stylus to view sections that aren't otherwise visible on the screen. Even this, though, does not make small type very readable which sort of defeats the usefulness of being able to review your slides on a handheld. You are not going to be able to practice your presentation by reading off the slide from your handheld unless you are using very large type on your slides.

Overall, I give Documents To Go 4, Professional Edition very high marks. The flexibility and editing capabilities of the word-processing and spreadsheet file viewers is outstanding. The ability to view PDF files on your handheld is a nice additional feature. While I applaud DataViz' effort to bring PowerPoint slide viewing to the handheld, it remains to be seen how useful this capability will be given how hard it is to read slides on a handheld unless you are using very large type.

Documents To Go 4, Professional Edition retails for $69.95. Purchasers of the Palm m500 series handheld or Documents To Go 3 can download a copy of Documents To Go 4 free of charge up to 90 days from date of purchase. If you do not have use for viewing PowerPoint slides, PDF files, or email attachments, Documents To Go, Standard Edition, is available for $49.95.

I thank DataViz for the opportunity to test-drive and review this excellent product.

Terry R. Nye