The benefits of living in a wireless world are made clear to me every time I put my feet up while sitting at my computer. I have to maneuver my feet around the knots of chords and cables and risk knocking something loose, potentially disconnecting myself from the Internet, or worse, cutting the power altogether.

When it comes to handheld technology, wired connections are even more impractical. Technology exists that will allow you to plug your Palm handheld into the nearest phone jack in order to access the Internet. There are a few obvious drawbacks to this solution, however, as you'll most likely end up pulling the plug on yourself should you stroll more than a few yards from the wall socket, and you can just forget about surfing the Net on the train or at the park.

There are also cable solutions for attaching your Palm handheld to your cell phone in order to access the Internet that way. This is better, but it still requires you to fumble around with the cable every time you want to get a quick check of your stocks or the day's weather.

Fortunately, wireless solutions exist to connect your Palm handheld to both the Internet and other pieces of hardware. As Editor-in-Chief David Gewirtz explained in the sidebar above, the various technologies differ in terms of functionality and reach. Let's take a closer look at each one in detail.

Bluetooth
Bluetooth (at http://www.bluetooth.com) is a small-form factor, low-cost radio solution designed to link handheld computers, mobile phones, and other portable handheld devices.

The Bluetooth SIG (Special Interest Group) includes companies such as 3Com, Agere, Ericsson, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia, and Toshiba, as well as more than 2500 Associate and Adopter member companies. Palm, Inc. is an associate member of the SIG, and the company is working to integrate Bluetooth technology into Palm handhelds.

Bluetooth is designed to let devices communicate with each other over a short distance. The most common example is to have your Palm handheld communicate with your cell phone in order to use the phone as a modem to access the Internet. That way you can have your phone switched on in your pocket or briefcase while freely browsing the Web on your handheld.

Another potential use is to allow your Bluetooth enabled handheld to communicate with a Bluetooth enabled printer. You could then simply walk within range of the printer and print data from your Palm handheld without the need for a physical connection or the lining up of infrared ports. You could also use your Bluetooth connection to perform a HotSync operation between your Palm handheld and your desktop computer without the use of a cradle.

Bluetooth could also enable two or more Palm handhelds to communicate with each other without lining up the infrared ports. This would allow you and a group of coworkers to sit around a desk and look over the same data on your respective handhelds.

When I first learned about this technology, security became my immediate concern. If Bluetooth could allow another Palm OS device user to connect to my handheld, what's to stop them from accessing my personal data? It turns out, that's not how it works at all.