Notebooks for Palms are expensive, starting
at about $30. This is how to use the Visor's plastic cover to
anchor it into just about any notebook.
I started with a small, well used cammo colored zippered binder that
used to be a Day Timer, and immediately jazzed it up with a spiffy MI
Corps Embroidered Patch. I pulled out the High Quality Day Timer
Brand 3-ring binder and replaced it with a Salvation Army 3-ring binder
from which I had torn out the 3 rings. You don't want to cram a
lot of stuff around your Palm, and small notebooks like this get really
tight inside when you also have a 3-ring circus of paper. Since
the main purpose of the binder is rigidity, and since I use a Mead
spiral notebook for notes, death to rings! If you want to
also carry a number of papers, get a larger 8.5 X 11 inch zippered
binder by Five Star (Walmart, $9.95). Whatever you use, however,
should have a zipper!
The next step is to carefully cut
parallel slots into the fabric or fake-leather lining. Each cut
should be 2 3/4 inches long, and the distance between the cuts is 4 3/8
inches. You will be slipping your Visor's plastic cover through
these slots, so they need to be large enough
to allow this, but not so large that they let the Visor flop
around. Once the cuts are made, slip the cover through and
position it as shown. If the fabric lining starts to unravel over
time, you may need to touch it up with finger nail polish.
All
done! Just clip the Visor into place. For those with
Palm-Brand devices, you may have to use Velcro. Just be
careful that you don't stick it over the battery cover on the rear!
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This is the Fellowes PDA
Bumper, which costs $25 at Walmart or Staples, or $35 online.
It
is a neat alternative to the Notebook Mount, and lets will keep the
Gizmo handy for immediate use. Fellowes makes them for both Visors
and Palms, and I STRONGLY recommend getting the right one for your
model. The Bumper is made out of rubber, with a plastic cover that
folds out of the way on a hinge designed to let it fit snugly on the
back. There is a place on the side to clip your stylus, and a hole on
the side for the IR port. The Visor model is scored on the top and
back so that you can easily remove a chunk of rubber to make room for a
Springboard Cartridge... and is likewise scored on the bottom so that
you can remove a different rubber chunk to permit attachment of a Hot
Sync cable.
The only modification I'd recommend is the addition of
a lanyard. Take a 46-inch piece of 550 parachute cord, remove the
inner core so that it can lay flat, and melt the ends to keep it from unraveling.
Ensure you leave a small melted nylon bead on each end to keep the
lanyard from pulling out of the Bumper. On the bottom inside of
the Bumper you will see a plastic clip. If you are a Nomenclature
Freak, you can call it
the Clip, Lanyard Retaining. Push one end of the Lanyard IN the
bottom right hole, and take it OUT the bottom left hole. Take the
other end and push it IN the bottom left hole, and OUT the bottom right
hole. Take up the slack so that those melted nylon beads are just
outside their respective bumper holes, and replace the Lanyard Retaining
Clip.
Slip
you Visor into the bumper top-first, and you are good to go! I am
5' 10'' and like to carry my Visor at navel-level. Adjust the
lanyard length to your size and preferences.
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Pen Stylus Combo

Mr Murphy will ensure that your stylus will not be lost until after
you have deployed to where there are no Stylus Stores. And you do
NOT want to write on the screen with a pen or pencil. My
recommendation is to pick up a pen-stylus combo. Twist the body
one way you have a pen... twist it the other way you have a plastic
stylus designed to write on Palm Screens. Prices vary between the
$1 paid for this one at a Staples Sale Rack, to $36 for Parker Designer
models.
Spare Stylus Collection

Can't find a good deal on the Pen-Stylus combo?
Then be sure to grab a pack of styluses to throw in your rucksack!
Any will do, but it's best to get the ones that fit YOUR brand of
PDA. A pack of 5 for the Visor (shown) costs between $9 and
$15. Other brands cost about the same, and can be found in your
local Office Supply store or online. Sometimes Walmart, KMart,
Target, etc will have them. |