Getting the information out
Other companies are less focused on supporting certain existing applications and concentrate more on using the Palm as a way of collecting or disseminating information. AvantGo, for example, has created an enterprise platform that allows companies to create wireless handheld applications to meet the specific needs of their companies.
"Corporations don't like to rewrite applications for new platforms," Owen says. "The platform that everyone is writing for now is the Web - everything is delivered in some form through the browser. Our technology enables companies to take existing HTML and XML [eXtensible Markup Language] and make it work in the wireless mobile disconnected universe as if it is working on a computer."
For consumers, AvantGo offers a free service that lets users download and browse content from various Web sites, including Hollywood.com, MapQuest.com, RestaurantRow.com, The New York Times' Web site, TheStreet.com, Trip.com and Weather.com, using their Palms, Windows CE-based devices or Web enabled wireless phones.
"Without any advertising, just by word of mouth, we've attracted 1.2 million subscribers," Owen says. "That tells you that there is almost insatiable demand for these types of services, tools and technologies. People want to use the Palm to recapture their dead time."
Today, there are more than 400 content channels that have been optimised for the small screen, Palm reports. Users can download and browse news, stock quotes, flight schedules, movie listings, restaurant reviews and maps.
One key function that has been missing from the handheld space is printing; information has been largely imprisoned on the device until it is synched back to the notebook or desktop computer.
In December, Bachmann Software started shipping a family of products that enable Palm handhelds to do wireless printing. Bachmann's PrintBoy 2.2 is a suite of applets that prints appointments, addresses, to-do lists, memos and email stored on the device clipboard to a printer using infrared communication. PrintBoy Documents allows users to print text, HTML, Word, Rich Text Format and Portable Document Format documents; the deluxe version adds Text Notes and Scribble Notes.
Software vendors say they will continue to add functionality to their programs by supporting more features found in desktop computers and popular applications, while still maintaining the best advantages of the Palm OS.
