Q1. What is Ezy Carnival for Palm?
Ezy Carnival is the first sports carnival software that we know of that has developed a handheld plug-in that runs on Palm® Operating System (OS)-powered devices, called "Palm Pilots" by some. Ezy Carnival for Palm lets you deploy a fleet of inexpensive handheld units to the various stations of your school grounds on carnival day, collect outcomes of station events locally and digitally, and synchronise them at any time with the desktop computer or laptop you're using, from which results are instantly collated and can be reported on.

Q2. How does the Palm version of Ezy Carnival work?
1. Set up your carnival events programme and list of athletes in Ezy Carnival on your desktop or laptop computer, and install Ezy Carnival on your handheld(s).
2. Set up a list in Ezy Carnival of which events will be sent to which handhelds, and synchronise each handheld so as to load the list of athletes, scoring standards, and any nominees for selected events.
3. Take handheld(s) to the locations or stations where the events are to be held and enter scores (results) in real-time using interactive graphical events screens in Ezy Carnival for Palm.
4. When convenient, bring handhelds back to main computer and synchronise them. Scores are inducted from handhelds into Ezy Carnival as though they were typed on the main computer, where they are automatically compiled and reported on.
Whether you enter event results on your computer or on handhelds, Ezy Carnival treats them the same way.

Q3. Why Palm handhelds? Does Ezy Carnival work with other handhelds like Pocket PC's?
We have found that for the purposes of performing school-based tasks on the go, Palm-powered devices are best suited. The #1 reason is the price. You can find them in retail electronics shops such as Harvey Norman, Dick Smith, Telstra, and OfficeWorks, and we saw them recently available at some of these for $150. Although there are many models, any Palm device made in the last 4 years will run Ezy Carnival - even the most basic and inexpensive models. Consider the following further advantages of Palms, borrowed from a website promoting Palms for use in medical applications (https://www.pdamedic.com/CustomServices.htm):
Palm devices are efficient: Aside from the low initial purchase price, Palm devices are very inexpensive to keep in the field. Most Palm devices can run for weeks on two AAA batteries (Try doing that with a PocketPC). Many Palm devices will do the same with rechargeable batteries. In addition, Palm devices are very fast. Users can jump from one screen to another - and back again - in a split second. Anyone can be trained to use a Palm device in a matter of minutes. Try doing that with a notebook. The palm user can be starting on the first screen of data entry before the notebook user has the unit out of the case and the power button pressed. If you get a call in the middle of entering data in the palm no problem, just put the Palm into your pocket or case and leave. The notebook user must first power down, which can easily take a minute or so, and then put the notebook away.
Portability: They will fit in a shirt pocket or into your clipboard. Palm devices are also fairly rugged as electronic devices go. Many services find that by using metal or leather clipboards with the palm device attached with Velcro or in a sleeve the devices stay protected.
Ease of Use: It is no exaggeration to say that just about anyone, regardless of computer experience, can use a Palm device. Everything is well laid out for intuitive quick access and control. This means that business and enterprise groups need not devote resources to training and retraining. New employees can pick up the system in less then an hour. Most programs written for the Palm OS can be used on virtually any Palm OS device. Try this test: Get a Palm device and a PocketPC device or notebook. Give them to a new user and see how well they can find and navigate programs.