After much poking around on the 'net, I finally found the fix for my problem. Apparently, an essential piece of the Hotsync software was not moved to the new system during the Panther install. The PalmBladeConduit.bundle was in my previous system folder but not in my current (i.e., Panther's) system folder. To fix, I did this:
% sudo cp -Rp /Previous\ System/Previous\ System 1/System/
Library/SyncServices/PalmBladeConduit.bundle /System/Library/
SyncServices/PalmBladeConduit.bundle</code>
Note: the above is a one-line command entry in the terminal. Remove the line breaks and the indent spaces -- such that the text comes right after the "/".]
Voila! I am syncing my Palm, via bluetooth, to the i-apps (iCal/Address Book) once again! Hope this helps someone. It sure did help me.
[robg adds: Another Palm fix was covered in a previous hint...]

