There are basically three main players in the Datebook replacement category for the Palm. The first is the default Datebook, which I personally find to be terribly deficient. The other, DateBook 3 and 4 which there is a tremendous amount of hype and support for. And finally, Iambic Software's Action Names. I'm going to try to lead you through the highlights of this fantastic application, and maybe let you in on some of the reasons that I'm now an Action Names convert.

Action Names is currently in version 4.5 (Ed. Note: Version 4.52 was just released today). The most significant addition to Action Names is color support. As all of our Palm IIIc owners are painfully aware, there are far too few color applications available. Fortunately, our friends at Iambic are taking the proper steps to remedy this. While I don't personally own a color machine, I can tell you that the color version of Action Names is definitely worth taking a look at. Check out the screenshots at Iambic's website and you'll be convinced that color is the way to go. Let's talk about the things that make Action Names powerful.

Personally, I really like the way that Action Names is laid out. Rather than sticking with the default view and enhancing it, Iambic went against the paradigm and gives us a totally different look, a look that I have found to be easier to use. I also feel that I can quickly have access to more information without jumping through bells and whistles or cluttering the main view.

Notice the split screen. Appoitments on top, ToDos at the bottom. Want to see the whole day's schedule? Tap the down arrow and your Appointments will fill the screen. If you like to see your entire ToDo list on the screen, tap the up arrow and the ToDo list will dominate the view. Finally, return to the split view by tapping the dot between the two arrows. I primarily stay in this view, but being able to get a look at a full day's appointments or a full list of ToDos in a snap is a tremendous plus for me. And this setup keeps the screen from looking cluttered like it does when you just add ToDos, untimed events, etc. at the top of the normal Datebook screen.

The other view that I use a lot is the week view, accessed by tapping the "7" button in the bottom left of the screen. This is a good time to talk about those buttons. And I'm sure you'll find that everything you need is right at your fingertips. The next button is "31" and as you've probably guessed, that takes you to the token Month View. Nothing spectacular there.

The next is the "1/4" button. This is a view that's proprietary to Action Names. This three-month view shows the current "Quarter" and in the space left over, you get a look at your schedule, ToDos and calls. I use this view as a quick reference for scheduling future events. Before I started using my Palm, flipping through a calendar was a pain in the neck that always made me feel unorganized. Thanks to Action Names, all that information is right in front of me with the tap of a button.

The last button in that bank is the "Contact" button. It brings you to a clean, flexible, tapped view of your Address Book. All my categories were automatically imported. I've found that the tabs make searching for a particular name, or group of names faster, and you have the flexibility of grouping your contacts by Company, City, State, Country, or Zip Code. This is done by tapping the arrow under the "abc" tab next to "Name". The drop down menu on the right allows you to view the number, address, etc. Let me just say that the Contacts view is so flexible and configurable that I have started to use it exclusively as my Address Book. This frees up the Address Book button, which I have decided to reconfigure to open Phone Log, an application that I reviewed earlier and use frequently instead of "Call Slips". Just another bonus that worked out great for me.

The next button you'll see is the typical "Find" icon. Tapping the button allows you to choose what is included and viewed on your calendar. Under Types, you can toggle between Meetings, ToDos, and Calls as needed. The ToDos menu allows you to choose which categories of you ToDo List are viewed in the bottom half of the screen. Next, you may select which icons are viewed. "Show All" will instantly include everything in your Action Names schedule. Lastly, "GoTo" will bring up the typical Palm "GoTo" date selection.

The following button is the "New Event" button which brings up a menu for you to choose new a Meeting, Call, or ToDo. A Call brings up a "call slip" in which you can insert a given date and time, all necesary contact info, and even set an alarm. The neat thing is that Calls are listed at the top of your ToDo list with a different icon. By the way, with Action Names, you can choose which icon represents Meetings, ToDos and Calls in "Preferences" under the "Options" menu. While I mentioned icons, Action Names has a built in Icon Editor, so you can add to and edit existing icons for use in Action Names.

The next button is a quick link back to Today in day view, This Week in Week view, etc. Enough said :) .

Lastly, the button with the up arrow is only in the Day view and toggles between List View and Split Screen. The list view is pretty self-explanatory. All events, ToDos, and calls are listed separated by a dotted line. While the view is "neat" and easy to read, it's not a view that I use. I'm a big fan of the Split Screen view.

Two last things under the "Options" menu. First is "Performance". Choosing this will bring a prompt to "Purge completed ToDos". One thing that many developers don't tell you is that while integrating ToDos, Calls, etc. makes apps like Action Names more convenient, your Palm's performance is compromised as it has to filter through all of these separate databases. Action Names offers this one step process to help this performance issue somewhat by eliminating completed ToDos, including Calls. Purging these completed items will lessen the amount of info that your Palm has to sort, thereby increasing speed. While this is something that can be done individually in each separate database, the "Menu" option within Action Names definitely makes the process less nerve racking. Also, seeing the option from time to time gives a reminder to perform such purges from time to time.

Finally, let's take a look at the "Preferences", also under the "Options" menu. Each category within Action Names can be customized to your individual needs. From Alarms to ToDos, Week View, Day View, Split and List View. This is one of the most organized and least confusing "Preferences" setups that I have worked with.