THE WHOLE WIDE WEB IN YOUR HAND.

• Author: BORT, JULIE
• Position: Personal digital assistants and wireless communications systems

Reading palms has taken on a whole new meaning in today's digital world: Instead of examining life lines, people now study their palms for stock quotes, news flashes, urgent messages and much more. Welcome to the realm of Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and Internet-enabled cell phones. International Data Corp., a market research firm in Framingham, Mass., estimates there will be more wireless Internet subscribers than wired Internet users by the end of 2002. New York-based market research firm Jupiter Communications says global wireless Internet users will grow in number from 300 million in 1999 to 1 billion in 2003. And by 2005, sales of handhelds with Web browsers will grow more than 900 percent to $7.8 billion, according to Washington, D.C.-based Strategis Group.

Considering the devices cost as little as $150 and handle so many computing and communications functions, it's a wonder more businesses don't consider the adoption of handhelds an urgent priority. But they don't. Not yet.

"By now handhelds could be in use a lot more," says Jay Leber, president of the Colorado Palm User Group (COPUG) and owner of Creative Computer Consulting, database specialists in Boulder. "They do everything." Each of Leber's employees gets a handheld to use for wireless E-mail and to track billable hours while they work. They note how much time they spend on each task at a client location, then, upon returning to the office, the employee transfers the billing data into the company's accounting system, which allows the company to produce a detailed invoice of what each client gets for each dollar spent.

Local businesses are eyeing handhelds for a range of custom applications, says Rick Bolin, wireless technology leader for CIBER Inc., an Englewood consultancy that started a wireless practice in August. "Its applications for sales-force and supply-chain management are becoming the priority," he said. Early adopters believe applications increase productivity for mobile workers, improve customer service and, ultimately, provide a competitive advantage. "Activity in Colorado will continue to grow because Colorado's traditional verticals -- including manufacturing and health care -- are shifting in this (wireless) direction," says Bolin.

Wholesaling, too, is a hot area for handheld devices. Mountain View Marketing Inc., a distributor of sunglasses and novelty items to convenience stores, couldn't function without them, said Dan-in Eisele, vice president. For the last three years, Mountain View; from administrative offices in Sedalia, has been issuing Palm III PDAs to its salespeople instead of laptops. The salespeople fulfill orders on the spot at customer sites, entering order data into the Palm as they work and generating invoices using an attached, portable...