Royal Software
£24.95
Helpmate is one of the breed of desktop
accessories now available for the ST range, comprising of three
different programs which can be used separately within any Gem
program.
Calculator, Calendar and Phone pad make up
Helpmate and are accessed through the desktop after booting up. The
three files can be split up and copied onto your appropriate boot
disks.
Calculator: This is similar to a standard four
function pocket sized calculator available almost anywhere. All the
standard keys are there plus 'Memory' and a 'Copy Key'. Screen keys
are activated by using the key pad on the ST or by pointing and
clicking the mouse and are displayed immediately on pressing. The
only exception to using this method is the 'Copy Key' which can only
be accessed using the mouse.
The screen keys actually flash when you press the
corresponding keys on the ST. The function of the Copy Key is to
copy the value of the calculators display on to a file on disk. This
file has a pre-set name [Scrap.TXT] which can be called up by a Gem
based Word Processor such as 1st word. The file will constantly
overwrite itself so multiple dumps to file will result in the last
file copied being the only one available for patching into your
document.
Calendar: To get the best use of this section the computer needs to
know the correct date and time. Using the control panel resident on
the Gem Desktop, you must type in the correct date and time although
those of you who use a clock card can by-pass this operation. The
9000 year calendar, like the calculator, is selected from the Desk
Drop down menu and is displayed on the screen. Provided the date was
correctly set prior to this selection the display will show you the
correct month and from this you can either display the previous
month or the following month and continue to scroll through the
months at will.
Select a date by clicking the mouse on your choice
and the 'alarm' feature is activated. Based on the 24 hour clock you
type in the time of your appointment or reminder and a brief message
of up to sixteen characters. Click on the OK panel and it is stored
in memory. A maximum of six appointments are allowed per day. At the
given appointment time, a 'peep' is heard from the speaker and a box
is displayed on the screen with your appointment message. If you
require it, a list of appointments can be dumped to printer although
every time I tried this the time was always 12:34 even though the
screen display showed the correct time and the alarm 'peeped' at the
stated screen time.
Phone Pad: Not much use in this county as we
have a different telephone system from Old Ma Bell in America. The
main functions of this file is to list up to 100 names and telephone
numbers and, provided you have a Hayes compatible modem and the
American system of pulse/tone dialing then, it will automatically
call-up your selected number. At a pinch you could use the phone pad
as a mini data base to record phone numbers etc, but unless all your
contacts have three figure area code, you won't get much use out of
it.
All the accessories can be moved around the screen
or overlayed on any other GEM application. The manual is eight pages
long, well written and informative. Overall I found the program
fairly useful, well two parts anyway, although priced at £24.95 I
feel its a little costly for what you get. If it had a note pad
instead of the phone pad then it may appeal to a wider audience.
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