The number of channels you subscribe to is limited only by the amount of free memory you have on your Palm device. Currently, there are over one thousand channels available from AvantGo!

Users can also create custom channels using any Web page on the Internet. Later in this article, I'll show you how to do this.

How do I get my channels into my Palm device?
This is the interesting part. There are actually two ways to get your channels into your Palm device for offline reading. First, you can simply HotSync with your PC or Mac when it's connected to the Internet. Your PC or Mac will then act as an AvantGo agent for your Palm handheld. It'll go out to the AvantGo server and pick up updated pages for the channels you've subscribed to. It will then transfer this information to your Palm device via the conduit that's part of the AvantGo software. After the HotSync is complete, you'll be able to start up the AvantGo application on your Palm device and read the Web pages that make up your channels. You can read this information at any time after the HotSync and in any place. I've read the channels I subscribe to on airplanes, trains, buses, and even in my easy chair at home. I particularly enjoy reading this information while traveling on business or commuting.

The second way to pick up your channels' Web pages is to use a PalmModem or wireless connection from your Palm device. To do this, just select Modem Sync from the AvantGo program's Channels menu. This will cause your Palm device to directly connect to AvantGo's server and transfer the Web pages of your channels directly to your handheld. This is the technique I most often use. Every morning I come downstairs with my Palm IIIc in my hand, get my coffee, and sit down in my recliner. Sitting right next to my recliner is a PalmModem that's plugged into my home phone system. I just clip the PalmModem onto my Palm IIIc and use it to pick up my email and to perform an AvantGo modem synchronization while I'm drinking my coffee. Then I review my morning's email and read some of the pages of my AvantGo channels.

How can I create a custom channel?
Creating a custom channel is actually quite easy. In fact, you can use just about any Web site as the basis for a custom channel. However, if the Web site you choose isn't designed for the small screen size and limited memory of the Palm device, the results can be downright frustrating. Try to stick to Web sites that are designed to be viewed on a Palm device or other PDA.

I'm going to use a known "Palm-friendly" Web site as an example of how to set up a custom channel. This is my own Web site, The Palm Device as Information Portal, located at http://www.monmouth.com/~mconnick/palm.htm.

To add my Web site as a channel, first login to AvantGo.com using the User ID and Password you selected when you first set up your account. After you login, you'll be presented with a screen that contains a list of all the channels to which you're currently subscribed. This list is located in the upper right-hand corner of the screen. Figure B shows an example of this list.