Palm OS Programming from the Ground Up: The Accelerated Track for Professional Programmers

There's money to be made in developing applications for the Palm OS. As 3Com sells more of its devices, and licensees like Handspring add to the Palm OS universe, there's an ever-growing number of people who want to use their handheld computers to make their lives easier. By reading Palm OS Programming from the Ground Up, you can learn how to satisfy this market demand with quality software. Because author Robert Mykland is so liberal in sharing his ideas and exhibits such talent in communicating them effectively, you'll probably also enjoy the learning process.

Mykland takes care to explain every aspect of the programs he includes in this book, even going so far as to discuss what event-driven interfaces are and what the most elementary C statements do. Sometimes he includes really long code listings without much explanatory commentary in the immediate context, but you're usually able to figure out what he's doing by referring back to earlier sections. As you work through the explanations and exercises, you'll develop a solid understanding of how the Palm OS takes in, processes, and displays information. Experienced C developers won't find this book overly elementary, though, as Mykland digs fairly deep into the Palm OS's capabilities (including a considerable bit about its database format). A concluding section on tricks you can use to minimize bugs and speed the development process is particularly valuable. --David Wall

Topics covered: Developing software for 3Com's Palm OS for handheld computers and means of collecting, storing, and manipulating data. Other topics have to do with designing attractive user interfaces, using Palm OS development tools (especially MetroWerks CodeWarrior 6), databases, and troubleshooting.