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FastWriter
October 3, 2001
Now that there are several word processors available, it’s worthwhile to stop for a moment and talk about some of the most important features available. What I look for in a word processor is a good conduit and an easy to use desktop file manager, strong keyboard integration, and the advanced text formatting features that I need in my writing. A low memory requirement is also a plus, as is the ability to read several different types of files. In many ways, FastWriter fits that bill admirably.Getting started is easy, and the process is the same one that you’d follow to install almost any program to your Palm. At the next HotSync the FastWriter application, which takes up just under 300K of memory, is installed, and you’re ready to go once you have some files to work with. The installation process also added an icon for the FastWriter Manager on your desktop; double-click that, and a window opens that allows you to manage all of the files you’d like to transfer to your handheld device. Simply click on the “add file” button and select the file that you would like to add; at the next HotSync it will appear in the FastWriter application on your Palm. Be advised though that files are not compressed as they are in some other Palm OS word processors. My test file was 6K in WordSmith, but 20K in FastWriter. With most Palm OS devices offering memory expansion these days that may not be much of an issue unless you have a large number of documents, but it is something that should be mentioned.
FastWriter offers a very nice variety of text formatting features, including bold, italics, underlining, three alignment options, bulleted lists, and more. Even more important is the fact that every single one of those options is accessible by a keyboard shortcut. That’s becoming a necessary feature as more and more people start using keyboards with their Palm OS devices, in effect making them into laptop replacements. Color support is included, which is something that WordSmith lacks, but unfortunately FastWriter also does not have any font support. While it is possible to change the font of a block of text, that change shows up only on the desktop computer, not the handheld. If you need “WYSIWYG” text formatting on the Palm, you’ll have to stick with WordSmith for now.
That doesn’t mean that FastWriter should be dismissed out of hand. One of the things that I was impressed by is the program’s ability to work with a wide variety of file types, including text, HTML, Word, Rich Text, Palm DOC, and Memo Pad records. It excels as an ebook reader due to the built-in autoscroll capability with user-defined speed settings. Bookmarks are supported, as well as a Table of Contents feature. And the program itself is very snappy. I didn’t have to wait very long for any document to load, even ebooks larger than 60K in size.
All in all, I really enjoyed using FastWriter. It has a very solid mix of features, and while it doesn’t quite compare to WordSmith in some of the more advanced formatting options, it is still a very capable word processor. You also can’t beat the price— right now it is $29.95 at the iambic Store, but you can also get FastWriter as part of the iambic Office bundle with TinySheet (which I’ll be reviewing tomorrow) and iambic Mail for only $39.95. A free trial is available, so go ahead and try it for yourself.
PocketGoddess Rating for FastWriter: 
