Quicksheet from Cutting Edge Software is a good example of a spreadsheet application. It can be found at http://www.cesinc.com, and is pictured in Figure C.

FIGURE C

Quicksheet lets you view spreadsheets on your Palm device.

In the same vein, all handheld users, especially attorneys, need a good document reader to open up Word and Excel files, as well as email attachments. A good product here is Documents To Go from DataViz. You can find it at http://www.dataviz.com, and it's pictured in Figure D.

FIGURE D

Documents To Go lets you use your Palm device to open Word and Excel documents.

More specific to attorneys' needs would be a printing application that allows the user to print to any printer or fax machine. In the legal world, there are many times when a hard copy of a document is crucial. Having the ability to print out an email, client history, or entry from a legal database from your Palm device can make the difference between a deal and a defeat.

Bachmann Software's PrintBoy at http://www.bachmannsoftware.com/printboy.htm may be just what you need. It's pictured in Figure E.

FIGURE E

PrintBoy prints from your Palm device to any printer.

Enterprise solutions
Of course, the ultimate goal of any law firm is to get all its employees on the same page. This can be accomplished easily with several applications designed to automatically synchronize calendars, email, contacts, and tasks with personal information management, contact management, and groupware applications. Additionally, there are applications in this category that enable a Palm device to be used as a shared resource in a corporate environment. An administrator can define individual users and assign them various access rights, allowing them to use only designated applications. This aids in the effort to keep everyone in the firm moving together in the right direction.

An application called Enforcer from Haus of Maus is a good example of this type of application. You can find it at http://www.hausofmaus.com/index.php3?page=enforcer, and it's pictured in Figure F.

FIGURE F

Enforcer provides multi-user access control for Palm devices.

You might also want to try Pumatech's Intellisync software at http://www.intellisync.com. It uses patented DSX (Data Synchronization Extensions) to simultaneously synchronize your handheld organizer data with multiple PC applications like Microsoft Outlook and Schedule+, Lotus Notes and Organizer, Novell GroupWise, ACT!, GoldMine, etc.

Another option is Infowave's Wireless Business Engine at http://www.infowave.com/products/index.htm. Infowave has developed smart "connectors" for the Wireless Business Engine that give you access to email and collaboration tools, corporate intranets, the Internet, and Web-enabled applications.

Meet your goals
After you arrive at the best software solutions for your law firm, you can apply what you already know to help meet your goals. You can break down your transition into steps, which include: wrangling the most popular three operating systems, standardizing them, and pushing your staff in those directions; providing the applications for those three platforms; and integrating all the information to support one platform. Your firm's eventual goal will probably be to make all handheld purchases for your staff in order to ensure uniformity.