In this month's edition of Letters to the Editor, one reader writes in with praise for last month's editorial, another would like to know why Palm applications won't run on his Pocket PC, and a third is looking for truck sales software.

Pervasive appeal
Your analysis of desirable uses of pervasive computing is the first one I have read that makes any sense to me. I don't like push-technology of any kind either. But a "where the hell is..." query/search application for stores, libraries, hospitals, airports, etc. is really appealing. Of course, the database used for the search and the search engine have to be MUCH more intelligent about synonyms than, for instance, Microsoft Help, and much more refined than most Web searches.

Sandra Greer
Citicorp

Can my Pocket PC do that?
Hello. I am a medical doctor. I just have bought the Cassiopieia E-125, and I have downloaded some info I can read with [Pocket] Word. My question is: how can I read and work with Palm OS software? There is a lot of medical info made for the Palm device, and I would like to know if you have any kind of special program that can help me read them on my Pocket PC.

Thank you, sincerely,
Ari Auron, MD

Editor-in-Chief David Gewirtz responds
Unfortunately, you can't. The E-125 runs a variant of Windows CE, and the Palm OS is a completely different beast. You'd need a Palm device or one of the Palm OS compatibles like a Handspring Visor, a Sony CLIE, or a TRGpro. Availability of add-on software is one of the reasons Palm devices are so much more popular than Pocket PC devices.

Truck sales software wanted
Please advise the best program for a sales force of ten sales people, for Palm V-series, Class 8 truck sales program. I have seen one for the Palm V and Palm Vx but have been unable to locate.

I thank you in advance for your time, courtesy and speedy reply!!

Sincerely,
Alton Davis

Editor-in-Chief David Gewirtz responds
Well, I can't give advice specifically for managing truck sales. But there are a whole bunch of great Palm OS tools for increasing sales. We recently devoted an entire issue of PalmPower's Enterprise Edition to sales force automation. You can read it at http://www.palmpowerenterprise.com/tocs/issue200011.html. I'm not going to single out individual articles because most of that issue is devoted to exactly what you're looking for, so I recommend you read it all.