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Published in the January edition of 
Computer Link Magazine

There has been a lot of hype recently about wireless communication and browsing the Internet on Palm Pilots and cell phones. As an owner of a Palm IIIc, I was starting to feel left out, but recently I've found a solution that brings the web right to my Palm without the need for a modem.

Before I tell you about my great find, let's step back for a moment and take a look at what's been happening on the web over the last several years. In the early days, the only people on the web were the techies. Back then, the web was a pretty desolate place, there were just a few sites, not many graphics and a high-speed connection was a 14.4 modem! (Thank goodness there weren't many graphics).

Over the next several years the web blossomed. The number of web sites jumped from thousands to millions, sites started getting more graphically rich (eventually designers started understanding how to use graphics on the web effectively, and access speeds keep getting faster and faster. What used to take minutes over a dial-up connection now downloads in seconds over a cable modem or DSL connection.

So when the wireless web became available for my cell phone, I quickly jumped at the chance to start using my phone to access the web. However, once I got connected, I was quickly reminded of the days when I first started using the web. There were very few web sites that worked with cell phones, and those that did only displayed text information. My particular cell phone only has 4 lines of display, so as you can imagine, trying to read anything more than a few words was difficult. The best use I found for the wireless web was checking movie times at local theatres.

Then one day I stumbled across AvantGo (www.avantgo.com). AvantGo provides a tool that enables PDA's to access web information both online and offline through synchronization. AvantGo offers over 1,000 "channels" of information. In essence, a channel is simply an AvantGo interface to a web site and provides information that is formatted properly for displaying on a PDA.

The thing that first drew me to AvantGo was the Wall Street Journal Channel. I've always enjoyed reading the What's News section on the front page of the Journal, but with everything I have piled up on my desk, I hardly ever find the time to read it at the office. By turning on the Wall Street Journal channel, the What's News column is automatically downloaded into my Palm each time I synchronize! Now, whenever I find I have a few extra minutes, I simply grab my Palm and read the Wall Street Journal. In just the last two weeks I've read the Journal while waiting for a train, sitting at the Doctor's office, and in the hallway outside my daughters dance class.

In addition to the Wall Street Journal, AvantGo offers 146 other news channels including CNN, the New York Times and MSNBC. The channels are nicely organized into categories to help you find your particular areas of interest. Beyond media/news, other categories include items like: Automotive, Business and Finance, Shopping, Travel and Portals.

Earlier in this article, I mentioned that I used to check movie times through my cell phone. While my cell phone gave me the ability to access other information, such as synopsis and news, it was really difficult to read on my 4-line display.

My source for movie information was the portal Yahoo! Yahoo! offers a service called "MyYahoo" that gives you the ability to enter your Zip code to see all the movie theatres in your neighborhood with a complete listing of movies and times. With this in mind I quickly checked the "portals" category of AvantGo and not surprisingly Yahoo! was one of the choices.

Once I added Yahoo! to my list, on my next sync, I found a variety of categories (including movies) and the ability to log in. By filling out a simple form on my Palm, I signed into my Yahoo! account and on my next sync my local movie theatres were listed (not to mention stock quotes and weather information I get through MyYahoo!).

AvantGo also integrates with a variety of other sites I've found very useful. I often use Expedia for airline and hotel reservations. In the past, I used to print out all my itineraries, but now my plans are automatically loaded into my Palm whenever I sync.

I also use MapQuest's trip routing service to download maps and directions before heading out to meetings. Once I find directions online, I simply click the "Download to PDA" option and select AvantGo. The next time I sync, the directions are downloaded into my Palm (they even include the maps!).

Now, for the best part, AvantGo is completely free! AvantGo offers a simple installation application on their web site and then you are all set to go. Once you've registered with them, you select your channels and they do the rest. You can also add and change channels at any time.

Using AvantGo with your non-connected PDA is a great way to see just what all the hype about Wireless communication is about. It's about making the information you need available when, where and how you need it. So if your PDA doesn't have a modem, don't feel left out, get connected with AvantGo.