A few weeks back I saw a post by Sammy about PKWriteDA, which is T9 type predictive text application for the palm. I noticed the DA part, and was intrigued. I had heard about DA's (Desk Assitants) before, but never thought I would use them... Boy was I wrong!
For those who don't know, a DA is an application that runs on top of the currently open application. I had been using a DA in Snapcalc5, without knowing it! Now I use several DA's and they increase my productivity several times!
First, you'll need a DA launcher, I use DALauncher by Hacker-Dude-San (the same programmer behind PowerRun). I then set it to show a list of my DA's via the command stroke. There is also a program from Alex Pruss (the man behind FontSmoother) called RunDA that allows you to place DA's in the default application launcher. This may seem redundant, but it then allows you to set DA's to the hard buttons on your Palm. Neat, eh?
Now that you have a launcher, you need some DA's! I use RakuDA (the one in the picture) which allows me to create Datebook, ToDo and Memo items without leaving the current application. This is very handy for when I don't want to leave the current application, but need to enter a To-do or new event.
I also use PKWriteDA which is the predictive text application I mentioned above, but in DA form.
The last one I'll mention is BatteryDA. So many times I'll be writing in an application (more likely playing a game), and want to know the state of my battery. If I don't want to lose my current state in a game, I either have to save and leave the program or just wait it out, hoping I have enough battery left! Now, with a command stroke I can see the voltage, the % left, and the voltage at which it will sound a warning.
DA's are a new world to me, and I hope I inspired you to try them out on your Palm. (Always remember to back up your palm before installing any new programs, as some may not play well with your palm, or other programs on your palm).