DPUG - Detroit Palm Users Group Mobile Edition

We are continually amazed at how many people own Palm OS handhelds and seem to know so little about them. People would see us using our Palms and end up saying things like, "I didn't know you could do that with a Palm!" We enjoy educating people about Palms.
We had read about Palm Users Groups (PUGs) in Palm newsgroups and thought they sounded cool. We searched and the closest one to us was in East Lansing. That was too far for us so we started our own PUG closer to home.

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How many people typically come to meetings?

We average about 40-50 people, which is a fantastic turnout for a PUG. We've had anywhere from 20 up to 55. It all depends on the topic and how good of a job we do of publicizing the meetings.

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What are your meetings like?

We usually review some interesting software and/or hardware applications. Sometimes we have companies come in to talk about their products, or we do the reviews ourselves, or a DPUG member will do the review. We usually give tips and tricks about Palm usage. Meetings are "presentation" style, with rows of chairs set up in a large classroom. We have a laptop computer connected to a digital projector. We run the Palm Emulator on the laptop so that everyone can see the application that we're reviewing. We also sometimes have Powerpoint presentations as well.

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How long do meetings last?

We try to wrap up our "formal" presentations by about 8:15 or 8:30 so that we have plenty of time for questions, networking, and visiting with old and new friends. Some people love to stick around and chat, or show us some new cool application or accessory they got. Others need to get home, so the networking portion is optional.

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Can kids come to meetings?

Sure. We've had very young kids come. We used to bring our own kids until the baby got mobile... Feel free to bring a snack for your kids.

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Do you serve refreshments?

Not normally. We did at the first few meetings at our own expense but discontinued it. You're welcome to bring your own food and beverage. There are vending machines and even a microwave available for our use in the Kelly Services cafeteria which is just acrooss the hall from the auditorium.

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What is the cost?

There is no cost. This is a labor of love :-).

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How can you do it for free?

The only real costs we have are our web hosting fees, and of course our time. We sell advertising on our web site, and earn money from affiliate programs (links to stores on our web site). We also accept donations :-). You can help us by supporting our advertisers and letting them know you heard about them on the DPUG site. If you're planning an on-line purchase you can help us by first going to our site, and then clicking on the link to their site from our site. Visit or "Links" page for a links to all or our affiliate programs.

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How much does it cost to advertise on your site?

Hardly anything at all. Our monthly advertising fees are very low, and we offer significant discounts if you purchase multiple months. Contact us for more information.

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Where can I get the Palm Emulator you use in your meetings?

Visit www.palmos.com/dev/tech/tools/emulator/ to download the emulator and read more about it.

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Which handheld should I buy?

This answer warrants it's own page.

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Which handhelds do the DPUG Founders own?

Our current models of choice are a Palm Tungsten T3 for both Scott and Tracy. Finally after years of owning different brands (with different connectors) Scott and I own the same series handheld. Now we can share accessories like cradles, cables and keyboards. This really simplifies the gear we need to take when we're on the road.

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What handheld models do most of your members own?

The Palm Vx is the most popular model. This graph shows what our members own.

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I am thinking of starting a Palm Users Group in my area. How do I get started?

Michael Ashby of InterPUG.com has excellent information on his site about this. InterPUG.com offers free web hosting, or you can reserve your own domain and setup your own web site if you prefer. We went with our own web host because we wanted to be able to run Active Server Pages. Back in April 2000 when we started DPUG InterPUG.com couldn't provide us with that.

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Can someone from DPUG speak at our event?

We love talking about Palms! Tracy has given several presentations about Palm handhelds to various professional organizations. Contact us if you're interested in having her speak at your event, or provide on-site training.

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Do you know anyone who develops Palm-based software applications?

DPUG is our hobby; we also have our own consulting business called DigitSense. DigitSense has developed a couple of Palm software applications, and also provides custom Palm-based software solutions.

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Do you know anyone who can do on-site corporate Palm training?

DPUG is our hobby; we also have our own consulting business called DigitSense. DigitSense can provide on-site Palm training, from intro classes up to the very advanced user.

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