In my quest to eliminate my laptop and carry only my Palm and GoType keyboard with me, I have been increasingly amazed by how similar in function the Palm is to my old laptop without the oversized, heavy, bulky form. I can write with the Palm, which I'm doing right now. Faxing, games, database, spreadsheets, where does it all end? How about the Internet? Surprisingly enough, your Palm is adequate for surfing the web, and more than adequate for sending and receiving email on the go. Today I'd like to talk about a nice package deal for both Web Browsing and Email for your Palm.

Many of you loyal Palm owners are familiar with Qualcomm's pdqSuite. You may or not know that Qualcomm is responsible for the extremely popular desktop email client Eudora. Well, our friends at Qualcomm have done us a double favor. pdqSuite has always been fully compatible with Eudora. As a matter of fact, pdqSuite has always come with a conduit for Eudora desktop. So what's changed? Basically, the name. pdqSuite is now known as 'Eudora Internet Suite' for the Palm, and at least for now, you can download and use it for free, as long as you download and use Eudora desktop in Sponsored or Paid mode. Sponsored mode is free, but you'll have to tolerate ads. The good news is that you fill out a questionnaire at setup and Eudora customizes those ads to suit your interest. I personally don't think the ads are nearly as bothersome as the ones on some websites and those free Internet Service deals. Actually, Qualcomm does a really nice job of balancing paying their bills while keeping the annoying banners to a minimum. Just for your information, Paid mode simply removes the ads. There are no enhancements over Sponsored mode. There is a Light option, which removes the banners AND offers a more limited list of features. Enough about Eudora desktop, let's talk about Internet Suite for Palm.

First, as I said, you'll be asked for a registration code after a demo period. That code is obtained free if you are using Eudora desktop in either Paid or Sponsored mode. The Eudora Palm client again comes with a conduit that syncs very nicely with newer releases of Eudora. It also syncs very nicely with Outlook Express, so all you staunch Express users can breath a sigh of relief.

Eudora Palm is also a very simple to configure, straightforward email software. It maintains the same simplicity of the built in mail app and features Address Book lookup, extensive filtering options, a very nice "fetch only recent messages" feature (that is really the most efficient way to retrieve your mail with your Palm), and the ability to fetch the first few lines of an email, and get the rest later. I found Eudora very easy to setup and use. The only thing that would keep me from using Eudora on my Palm is its inability to handle multiple email accounts, and lack of support for attachments. With several email accounts that I have to check, Eudora just wouldn't cut it there. But that's not a huge gripe, and many of you only have one email address to check. Because of its ease of setup, simplicity of use and its seamless integration with the Eudora desktop, this could be the perfect email application for anyone looking to keep connected on the go. My only other question mark is its size. At 211K, Eudora will REALLY pack a punch on your precious RAM. Add to that another 196K for Eudora Web, and the suite may just be out of reach for some. But don't let the size scare you away, Eudora Suite is a terrific package for anyone looking to expand the use of their Palm.

Now let's take a look at the other half of the Eudora Internet Suite. The nicest thing about Eudora Web is its speed. Like it's email brother, Eudora Web couldn't be easier to setup and use. Once your Network settings are in place, you're ready to surf the web with surprising speed. That speed is due in part to Eudora Web's lack of graphical support. While many of us may thumb our nose at the thought of an "old fashioned" text only web browser, you need only consider that today's graphic intense websites just don't have the same charm on a monochrome 160 x 160 pixel screen. Some sites would cause your Palm to time out before the browser was able to download the graphic-intensive site. You can also imagine that some things will have to get juggled around in order to display the site on the Palms limited screen space.

To see what would happen, I called up our very own PDAlive.com site. The first thing that I noticed was the speed. The site was viewable in less than 10 seconds. I was pretty impressed by this both because of the Palm, AND the 19.2K modem connection. With all the graphics removed, PDAlive.com initially looks like a blank screen. I had to look twice before I realized that scrolling down quickly brought up the survey, followed by our current news headlines. Hyperlinks are displayed with a dotted underline and I had no problem jumping from link to link quickly and easily. Again, loss of the graphics gives any site a different feel, but I have never been a fan of web surfing on my Palm mostly due to the screen limitations. But I've also got to say that having the ability to do some quick research on the net in a pinch. I don't personally use the web on my Palm, but I can see the benefit to being able to do so. My biggest issue with that is the sacrifice of some 200K for something that you may or may not use. Use your own discretion here.

While Eudora web is graphically challenged, it is not hampered in the other important features in that should be present in any browser. First, as I said, all hyperlinks are displayed with a dotted underline. In addition, Eudora Web fully supports HTM/HTTP, cookies, forms, bookmarks, and caching of websites for offline viewing. Most importantly, Eudora Web works with any ISP. There is no additional proxy server to access or other service required. The nice thing about caching websites is that you don't have to be tethered to the wall or pay high wireless costs to view a web page. Download, disconnect and view in your spare time.