Wireless PDAs Hit Their Stride New apps allow you to book airline…

Wireless PDAs Hit Their Stride
New apps allow you to book airline tickets, get instant directions, or even find the
nearest Starbucks.
by Sheryl Huggins

Web exclusive
During the early hours of the cliffhanger that was the 2000 presidential election, Franklin
Madison was anxious to know the latest results. Tied up in a venture capital "boot camp"
given by his nonprofit employer, Industrial & Technology Assistance Corp., he didn't have
time to turn on CNN, listen to news radio or even pick up a newspaper. "I'm a news junkie,"
admits New York-based Madison, who is ITAC's technology program director.

To satisfy his fix, Madison reached into his pocket for his Handspring Visor handheld PC.
Tricked out with a Minstrel S wireless modem from Novatel Wireless, and wireless
connection service from Yadayada, the device allowed him to immediately and unobtrusively
access up-to-the-minute election news from many major media outlets via the portal
NewsJunkie 2.0.

Madison is one of a growing number of wireless personal digital assistant (PDA) users who
have discovered that you can use these gadgets to do far more than just check and send E-
mail. Four percent of U.S. adults use or have someone in their household who uses a
wireless PDA, according to market researcher Taylor Nelson Sofres Intersearch in Horsham,
Pa. The PDAs either have wireless modem attachments (such as the Minstrel or Handspring
VisorPhone) or have the wireless modem built in (as with the Palm VII/VIIx).

Although nearly 70% of wireless PDA owners use them for e-mail, a third also use them for
research, a quarter use them to check news and about one-fifth use them to shop, book
travel arrangements, and check stock quotes. Simply by downloading the right wireless
applications--many of them freeware--they're using their PDAs to execute a host of tasks
while they're on the go, such as pulling up directions to the next meeting, booking flight
reservations, trading stocks, and finding the nearest ATM or Starbucks.

"There's nothing better than being able to use it when you're away from your laptop," says
Jose Ivey, who is chief technology officer for Doublespace, a media incubator in New York.
For a while, he used a pdQ Smartphone combination cell phone and computer when he was
on the road to book restaurant reservations, buy movie tickets, and even conduct telnet
sessions to administer his company's computer servers remotely. Disappointed with the
short battery life and bulkiness of the Smartphone, he has since switched to a color
Handspring Prism and is looking for a cost-effective modem to go with it.

Wireless PDAs often come loaded with some wireless application software, such as Palm
VII/VIIx's Web Clippings from providers such as ABC News (headline news), UPS (package
tracker), and MapQuest (maps and directions). However, if you really want to get the
goodies, you can download and hotsync hundreds of third-party applications at Palm.net for
the Palm VII/VIIx and PalmGear for the Visor. Both Palm OS and Pocket PC users can get
dozens of wireless applications such as Biztravel (travel reservations) and Nextbus Transit
Information (bus and train schedules) through the popular Avantgo portal. Unlike many
applications that you must hotsync on a non-wireless PDA, the wireless applications are
very small--often taking up just 1k on your PDA.

But no matter how many handy applications are loaded onto wireless PDAs, they're still
limited by shaky service on limited networks. "They've got those cool apps out there, but
they've got to do something about the network," says Lena West, president of xynoMedia, a
business development firm in Yonkers, N.Y. She complains of frequent service drops on her
Palm VII, especially when she's trying to check her e-mail in an airport. "It's a great tool,"
she adds, "but would I want to 100% rely on it yet? No." Palm.net's connection service
offers coverage in more than 260 metropolitan areas in the U.S., mostly on either coast,
while Omnisky service is available in at least 118 cities.

Nevertheless, plenty of converts are willing to wait out the growing pains. Personal business
coach Ramon Williamson in Leesburg, Va., is truly one of the faithful; he's so hooked on
using his wireless Handspring Visor he actually plans to launch a Website with tips for
getting the most out of it. These are some of his favorite applications for business travel:
RoveNet This service enables you to send faxes, order flowers, schedule limo
transportation, get ski reports and more. Some services require a fee.

Worldmate Convert currencies, measurements and U.S./U.K./European clothing sizes in
real time. Also includes cool clock features, with an alarm and the all-important snooze
option! $19.95.

Stock Manager This stock portfolio manager is packed with cool features plus a handy
desktop tool that allows you to check the latest stock prices. Shareware.

MealTip Traveling with cheap business associates? MealTip calculates the tip for a meal,
helps you split the bill evenly, and shows you scenarios for what percentage tip you end up
paying if you round up, down and to the nearest half-dollar. Shareware.