Things will get really interesting, though, when companies begin developing proprietary software and placing it on SD cards. You can use your personal digital assistant to store all of your personal data, and when you need to, you can pop in your company's proprietary SD card to access your corporate data without taking up valuable space on your device. This may even turn into a security feature for companies, as they can require sensitive information to be stored on an SD card that you'd then check at the door before leaving the office at night.

The Universal Connector is the new standard across all current and future releases from Palm, Inc. The Universal Connector is located on the base of the handheld and is used to connect it to the HotSync cradle for synchronization with a PC. The connector can also be used to hook the handheld up to various useful accessories such as the Palm Portable Keyboard. The Universal Connector bodes well for the future of enterprise installation, as one day all devices throughout the office could have a standard HotSync connection.

Wireless connectivity
With a device like the Palm i705, however, it's the wireless connectivity that everyone wants to talk about. Once you open up your brand new Palm i705 and sign up for the required Palm.Net service, you'll be able to take secure wireless email and Internet connectivity with you almost anywhere you go. Keep in mind service is not available in all areas, so check on that before you buy.

You can feel confident sending and automatically receiving your business and personal email with Palm.Net's end-to-end security. The device supports Microsoft Exchange, POP3, IMAP4, and SMTP email. For Internet access, you can use the MyPalm Portal, enter any URL you'd like, or make use of any Web clipping application. You'll notice a change to the built-in hardware buttons at the bottom of the handheld's face. The two buttons on the right-hand side used to automatically open the To Do List and Note Pad applications. Now, however, they will instantly connect you to the MyPalm Portal and MultiMail Deluxe respectively.

You can find more information on MultiMail in the April 2001 issue of PalmPower's Enterprise Edition at http://www.palmpowerenterprise.com/tocs/issue200104.html. You can also read Claire Pieterek's review of MultiMail Pro 3 in the July 1999 issue of PalmPower at http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue199907/multimail001.html.

Another benefit of wireless connectivity is instant messaging. You can communicate with your colleagues in real-time using handy applications like AOL's Instant Messenger.

Besides email and instant-messaging, wireless connectivity with your Palm i705 can allow you to access the Internet to receive stock quotes, weather information, and industry specific resources such as ePocrates (a healthcare database at http://www.epocrates.com) and Westlaw Wireless (an online business and legal research tool at http://www.westlaw.com). We reviewed ePocrates in the March 2001 issue of PalmPower's Enterprise Edition at http://www.palmpowerenterprise.com/issues/issue200103/spotlight0301001.html, and we reviewed Westlaw Wireless in the February 2001 issue at http://www.palmpowerenterprise.com/issues/issue200102/westlaw001.html.