Palmtop

Consulting and Instruction

PocketPCTraining.com

Rick  Shaddock, Palmtop Instructor
showing ACT! for the palmtop

Instruction

Training HP Engineers

Consulting

Seminars

 COMPUTERS
As Computers Get Smaller,
Need for Trainers Grows
News USA

(NU) While many of use were still learning how to se the clock on our new VCRs, computer scientists were busy developing miniature portable computers small enough to fit into a shirt pocket and operate from remote locations -- without a modem.

These small wonders, often called palmtops, can do some amazing things.  When used in connection with special FM paging receivers, they can access computers from areas served by two paging companies, SkyTel and Motorola's EMBARC (electrical Messaging Broadcast to a Roaming Computer).

Pilots and sailors can connect a palmtop to a "global positioning device" that can tell them where they are - anywhere on Earth - by giving a readout on their longitude and latitude.

Palmtops, some weighing in at less than a pound, can do many of the sophisticated functions of their larger counterparts.  You can even use them to get the latest news, weather and sports from USA Today if you subscribe to EMBARC.

However, they are not as user-friendly as a laptop, a desktop or a personal computer.  Enter consultant Rick Shaddock of Computer Instructors Co. (CIC) of Washington, D.C., whose firm bills him as "the first palmtop computer trainer."

"There's a lot of potential power in a palmtop," says Shaddock, who gives regularly scheduled seminars in 15 U.S. cities from Boston to Los Angeles.  "But because of its small size, a user needs to become familiar with its instructions and the special attachments and software - such as Lotus 1-2-3 -- that are available."

"There is quite a wealth of add-ons for the palmtops, and we try to give students an idea of what they can do, such as check on E-mail (electronic mail) or appointments, access corporate data, and edit letters and reports.   There are a lot of software and games available too.  With a modem, you can even send a fax with a palmtop," Shaddock says.

Shaddock is a leading authority on pocket-sized computers, and his clients include Consolidated Business Systems of San Jose, Calif., and AT&T of Morristown, N.J.

"Just because I work for HP, that does not mean I automatically know how to use the HP palmtop (HP95LX)." says marketing executive Sid Bhatt of Strongville, Ohio.  Shaddock gave him a class emphasizing Lotus 1-2-3.

CIC offers customized, on-site training for groups as small as three, with training fees approximately $295 per person.  For a free brochure or more information telephone CIC at 1-800-319-3190.