Upgrading Your Palm Software that will do the job

I've long grumbled about the necessity of taking a laptopwith me on every excursion away from the home office. Butthere's always e-mail to check, online phone books to refer to,and faxes to send and receive. That's why, for me, the criticalmission with my Palm was to transform it into a connected device.What software does the job?

• Mobile WinFax ($44.99, http://www.symantec.com/mobile/winfax)An exceptionally useful tool, this software lets you send andreceive faxes on your Palm, and the incoming and outgoing can alsobe easily synced to your desktop computer for archiving. Reading 81/2-by-11-inch faxes on a 4.1-inch screen isn't fun-it takesjuggling-so receiving is something to do only when absolutelynecessary. But sending is a snap-just write and connect, and thedeed is done.

• AOL Mail (free, AOL Keyword: PDA) For AOL users, e-mailcouldn't be easier to send or receive with this program. A fewhitches: This app delivers only e-mail connectivity (no Webbrowsing) and, for now, there's no way to sync mail sent orreceived on the Pilot with your desktop PC.