12 Days of Treo - Day 11

Day 11: Treo Shortcuts

When you first start using the Treo there is a natural tendency to want to use the stylus. I feel that reaching for the stylus can be a slow way to get something don on the Treo. Using the touch screen, keyboard shortcuts, and the navigator system can be much faster.

Use the touch screen

All of Palm's Treo smartphones (including the Windows Mobile phones) include a touch screen. Sometimes the fastest way to get to a button on the screen is to reach up and tap it with your finger. If the screen becomes soiled, clean it off when a soft cloth. (T-shirts can be really helpful here.) If you are really worried about soiling the touch screen, then you can purchase a pre-cut screen protector from a thrid-party accessories vendor, like BoxWave.

Use keyboard shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts are quick ways to issue commands that can be found in application menus. Using shortcuts are quick because they are only two key presses.

For example, if you wanted to see how much free space is left on your Treo, return to the application launcher by pressing the Home button. Then press the Menu button on the keyboard (to the right of the Alt key) and then press "I" for info. With just 2 key presses you can quickly access the information you are looking for. To learn which keyboard shortcuts are available for a give application, look for a letter listed along the right side of drop down menu. To issue that command, press the Menu button (to the right of the Alt button) and then the corresponding letter.

Use the 5-way navigation

Ever notice how some buttons have a light blue "halo" around them? That blue ring signifies that object is selected. To activate that object, press the center button on the navigator. If the object you want to activate isn't selected, you can move the halo around the screen using the navigator.

Bonus tip!

Did you know that you can access the Treo alerts screen by pressing and holding down the center button for 2 - 3 seconds?