UNC PDA Resources

The knowledgebase (in the resources section of this website) is also available in a simpler format, appropriate for viewing on a small screen (e.g., Palm OS or Pocket PC PDA's, or web-enabled mobile phones). For live browsing, just go to pda.aims.unc.edu. For offline browsing (download the site to your device, and read it later) there are several options, some of which are listed below:

• AvantGo
• Plucker
• iSilo

AvantGo

PDAs, web-enabled phones. Probably the most popular option, and easiest to use. You download "channels" of information--these can be any web site you choose; AvantGo has several available. There is, however, a limit of only 2 Mb of information for the free account, although for a fee you can increase the limit. Click here to add an AvantGo channel to your device.

Plucker

PDAs only. A bit harder to use than AvantGo but it is free and guaranteed to remain free, it is more flexible, the number of channels is limited only by the memory on your PDA or its external memory card, and unlike AvantGo there are no privacy issues. All the work is done on your computer rather than through an intermediary. Instructions (PC) are below:

1. Click here to download the Plucker Desktop application.
2. Install the application, then run it. It should install the desktop application, and put the viewer application on your PDA with the next synchronization.
3. Choose "Add a new channel using wizard..." under the File menu
4. Choose a name, e.g. "UNC PDA Resources" or "PDA Anesthesiology." Hit Next.
5. Enter "http://pda.aims.unc.edu" in the "Start on a website URL" box. Hit Next.
6. Enter "3" in the "Retrieve linked pages to a depth of" box. Also, check the box for "Ignore links to a server that is different from starting page's server." Hit Next.
7. Select where you want the file stored on your PDA. If you do not like the default choice, delete it (select it in the box at the top, and hit the "Remove selected handhelds" button). Create a new location by choosing the "Add handheld..." button, and choosing a location (can be in main memory or on external external memory cards). Hit Next.
8. Hit Finish.
9. Select the channel you just created. Go to the Update menu and update it (i.e., download the content).
10. NOTE: this channel will not update automatically unless you configure it to do so: From the list of channels, choose this channel and go to the Scheduling tab. There, put a check in the checkbox, and enter the details of how often to update, then hit "OK." Also, Plucker must be running, and you must set the preferences: Go to the Options menu, choose Preferences, and select the Autoupdate tab. Select the appropriate radio button - probably "Autoupdate any channel as soon as it becomes due." Hit OK. You will need to have the desktop application running for this to work. An alternative would be use JPluck to convert web sites to Plucker format; that does require more configuring.
11. Sync your PDA. The appropriate files [the Plucker handheld viewer application, and the channel(s) you have chosen] should be installed.

iSilo

PDAs only. A  very popular program that reads both HTML and DOC format files. Click here to download the application (there is a fee to purchase the full-scale application). iSiloX can be used to automate the process of converting web sites to the iSilo format. Instructions can be found at the company's web site.