We now know that Palm devices can be inexpensive data collection tools, they can be pervasive network access devices, they can be powerful legal assistants, and, as we discuss further in this issue, they can even be helpful assistants to doctors and other medical practitioners.

Out of the box, Palm devices provide some powerful basic functionality. We're all familiar with the To Do, Memo, Address Book, and Date Book applications. So, just as soon as the batteries are installed, Palm devices can completely blow away your typical daytimer.

And yet, we know that they can do so much more. They're general-purpose, extensible computing devices, and specialized applications and hardware can tailor Palm devices for unique needs.

And that's where things start to get exciting. And complicated.

When a consumer (even a consumer who works for a company) goes out to buy a Palm device, it's usually the result of some consideration. But once the decision is made, the plastic is plunked down, and the sale is done.

What's interesting is that the "sales cycle" works somewhat similarly in the corporate world. Individual employees, often reading this esteemed publication, have been inspired to go off and purchase their own Palm computers. Sometimes the purchase is expensed, but more often than not, the employee buys his or her own device.

This is exactly how PCs originally made it into the corporate world. Companies and MIS departments in the early 1980s weren't really prepared for personal computing. So employees went out and bought their own devices.

In 1983, the boss I had was a product marketing director. He gave tons of presentations, usually using overheads. When he first saw the Mac, he realized he could use MacPaint (seriously) to make better overheads. So he went out and spent something like $3000 of his own money for an original, floppy-based Macintosh and dot-matrix printer. This was before PowerPoint. "Presentation software" wasn't even a concept to most of the computing world. But John knew he'd do his job better (and make a better impression) with nicer presentations, so he bought the Mac.

Although much less expensive than John's Mac (and much more powerful), Palm devices have been entering the enterprise in much the same grassroots way. For an example of this, see "Agribusiness in the Palm of your hand" elsewhere in this issue.

But that's now changing. Companies, some inspired directly by articles here in PalmPower's Enterprise Edition, are now seeing the incredible potential of Palm devices and are outfitting their entire teams with customized Palm devices.