thanks for the feedback.
i did purchase the palm USB connect for the hotsync cradle that i have for the Palm Vx, and it still did not work with my powerbook. and for some reason, one day my powerbook rebooted into the OS 9.2, and i was able to hotsync in that OS system. i am not sure why it won't work with OS 10.1.5, but at least i was able to sync what i wanted to with the older OS.
maybe someday i need to get a more updated palm that syncs easily with my titanium???