Using PDAs To Get Connected
Bridging The Information Gap

Corporate information centers are constantly struggling to find ways to get the attention of the higher levels of their organisations. However, these senior executives usually do not surf the Net and prefer printouts of email messages. They are not technophobic. They are just very busy people who are rarely at their desks. They get their correspondence and their reading is done between meetings, on airplanes, while waiting in offices, and anywhere or anytime they have a few minutes to spare. How can this group be reached?

Personal digital assistants (PDA) have played a major role in overcoming the information gap. Information services are now available at the executive's fingertips; anytime, anywhere. The core of the system is software that translates Web pages into a format that PDAs can understand by converting complex HTML pages into a simpler text-and-image format. A user downloads and installs the desktop and handheld software. In other words, they are downloaded to the user's handheld each time the handheld and the desktop PC talk to each other.

These Web pages can then be read on the handheld PDA. Information entered is transferred to the PC the next time a user synchronises the PDA. From there it goes to the server, and back to the original Web site-just as if the user were using Netscape or Internet Explorer. The Pocket version of Internet Explorer can display any normal Web site, and the user can choose between a view optimised for the pocket-sized screen or a normal view of the site by using scroll bars. With the right cellular phone and adapter, users can even browse the Web wirelessly. However, because of current data transfer rates, this requires a certain amount of patience, especially with graphics-intensive sites.

While many IT managers may see personal digital assistants as cute little toys, others are migrating applications onto their PDAs, including sales-force automation tools, database access, Web portals, E-mail, and productivity applications. Many of these same attributes can make the device attractive to businesses as well.

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