The Technologies
Web Browsing, Specialized Content, and Offline-browsing 

The Internet is only as good as it's content. In the old days (a year ago?) specialized content kind of sucked in the mobile arena. Nowadays, the content providers pretty much provide what one would need in any situation. Maps & Directions, Restaurant Reviews, Flight Information & Booking, Weather - its all there. Both GoAmerica and OmniSky had brought together an excellent group of sites and info. Also, more and more large sites are adding a mobile or wireless component to their offerings. SlashDot, CNET, the New York Times, and even VisorCentral from AvantGo offline channels, and mini-sites that you can browse live. Many of these PDA-style sites are available to Palm VII users packaging as PQAs. Since these "mobile" sites are designed for tiny-browsers using TinyHTML (my word) they can be surfed quite comfortably given the typical slower speeds of wireless connections. Even though the RIM BlackBerry 957 used a pager-like connection, sending packets one at a time, its response time was certainly acceptable.

One interesting point to note, however. Although this article focuses on Wired and Wireless connectivity from personal devices, at the core we are talking about information. If you have the information you need at your fingertips, it really doesn't matter where it came from. While I was in New York and Phoenix, I used an app on my Windows CE PalmPC called "Portable Guide" from PortableInternet.com. Before I left on my trip, I loaded up a CompactFlash memory card with the Portable Guides for these cities and others. The guides were a few megs each and included full city maps with every street, door to door driving and walking directions, a surprisingly complete restaurant and sightseeing guide, and a host of other features. What set this guide apart from other city guide style apps, be they online or off, was the "I'm Here" feature. Simply find a cross street, or major landmark with the Find a Place feature, and you'll see a bullseye on the map. Then, use “What's Nearby” to find ATMs, Restaurants, Lodging and basically anything you would want. I found my location in the Manhattan, searched for inexpensive African Dining, and found a great Ethiopian spot. The entry in Portable Guide included address, phone number and a review that told me what to expect. Then I tapped Directions and I got turn-by-turn directions on how to get there. To be honest, I was really amazed that my PalmPC could handle this much information. It was an invaluable tool, and required no Internet connection, and that itself was helpful in the subway, when my OmniSky Wireless PalmV modem let me down. 

If you use your Palm-sized PC for city information, maps, and reviews, perhaps you just need the Portable Guide module for the cities you frequent. I found more useful information on New York in the module I was provided than in the Newyork.CitySearch.com online mobile site. 

PortableGuide works on Palm-Sized and PocketPCs, with PalmOS support planned for the future. Check them out as an alternative, or complementing product, to internet access.

When exploring your wireless connectivity options, you'll probable be looking at speed, coverage, and convenience. But what specialized content for your particular device you'll be able to access, as well as what web browsers are available for your platform. There are several great browsers for Windows CE (both Palm-sized, PocketPC, and the larger Pro devices). For the older Palm-Sized size CE devices I prefer a browser from Foliage or using AvantGo's browser in online mode. However the new PocketPCs have a very sweet version of PocketIE that downsizes pages very well considering it's tiny screen. For the Pro devices, I prefer AvantGo's browser of PocketIE, as PocketIE can be dog-slow.