To learn more about current developments and legislation, you really shouldn't miss this event. There's still time to register at http://www.e-gov.com/egov2001/. More than 70 sessions are scheduled to explore the latest strategies, technologies, management issues, and best practices for transforming the way government does business.

Emerging mobile technologies will of course be a big talking point. Here's a sampling of what's in store:

Carl Yankowski keynote
Naturally, Palm, Inc. will be well represented at E-Gov 2001. In fact, on Tuesday, July 10, from 8:45 a.m.-10:00 a.m., Carl Yankowski, Palm's Chief Executive Officer, will deliver an opening keynote entitled, "Handheld Computing: Grass Roots to Enterprise Standard." In the address, he's sure to talk about how, from the U.S. Armed Forces, to the U.S. Postal Service, to the City of San Francisco, public sector users are installing Palm OS-based mobile and wireless systems to expand their technology environments beyond their offices.

National security and public safety
On Wednesday, July 11, from 11:15 am-12:30 p.m., national security and public safety will be addressed in a panel featuring speakers David Gans, Deputy Chief of the Bellevue, Washington Police Department; Bill Weslund, Senior Information System Specialist of the Portland, Oregon Police Department; and Steve Kinkade, Motorola Public Safety Paging Solutions.

Policing is, by nature, a mobile business, so it's essential for those in the field to have the information they need to make informed decisions. Wireless technologies will have an enormous impact on the way our police forces obtain and distribute information. This panel will discuss the applications, hardware, and software being developed for the wireless Web, and the benefits the public can expect.

Convergence, confidentiality, and safety
Also at that time will be a session on business models for benefits management. Mobile and wireless solutions are becoming increasingly popular with government and healthcare workers as users discover how easy it is to deliver timely information to and from the field. These new technologies bring new challenges, including issues of convergence, confidentiality, and safety of mobile data. This session will report on the current strengths and vulnerabilities of mobile computing.