These days, an attorney clutching an address book is quaint at best, somewhat akin to a barrister wearing a powdered wig. It is no longer enough to have your personal database residing electronically in your suit pocket. Now you can carry your e-mail too! Handheld Internet devices are gaining very rapid acceptance among professionals. Using handhelds, you can send and receive email and even surf the Web (In a fashion), virtually anywhere, anytime. If you are shopping for a handheld, here is an overview of three current options:

Blackberry

BlackBerry, manufactured by Waterloo, Ontario-based Research In Motion, Ltd., is an integrated, wireless e-mail system that lets you read, originate, forward and reply to e-mail. It is available in two platforms: BlackBerry Exchange Edition and BlackBerry Internet Edition. Both services feature a RIM wireless handheld device, with e-mail, calendar, address book and task list applications. The device includes a 32-bit Intel386 processor; 2 MB flash memory plus 304Kbytes SRAM; integrated RIM wireless modem; thumb-operated track wheel (which operates as a mouse); clock, alarm auto on/off, radio on/off; search functionality; password protection; and more, according to RIM. The unit operates on a single AA alkaline battery. The MSRP for the unit is $399.

The Exchange Edition is designed for law firms and corporate environments that use Microsoft Exchange. It features an end-to-end security system, which assures that all e-mail remains encrypted at all points between the desktop PC and the handheld, says the company. The BlackBerry Enterprise Service also allows for centralized administration. An upgrade to version 1.6 software is now available, which adds new features to the service, including a memo pad and calculator. Blackberry Exchange wireless service is supported by BellSouth Wireless Data Mobitex Network, with coverage of 93 percent of the U.S. business population, says RIM, including major U.S. metropolitan areas (approximately 175 million people). Access, according to one friend in New York, is good everywhere except in the subway and the basement at Macy's. Flat-rate pricing plans run from $39.99 /month to $48.99/month. Some plans require a $20 activation fee.

	RIM 957

The BlackBerry Internet Edition offers single mailbox integration and is currently available from RCN Corp., on a flat-rate price plan. The RCN service offers nationwide coverage, with e-mail filter controls, it says. According to RCN's web site, the current pricing is $44.95 per month, including unlimited dial-up access and use of the unit. Of course, there are activation fees and other charges to set up the service. www.rcn.com/blackberry.

Two Los Angeles firms are among legal organizations providing their attorneys with BlackBerrys: Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker; and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. RIM also announced that it has just signed a contract with Salomon Smith Barney to provide 2,500 financial professionals with its service.

ELink

From American Mobile Satellite Corp., of Reston, VA, eLink is a recent entry into the handheld e-mail market. Two services are offered, the company says: eLink Messenger, and eLink Agent. Each option includes a Research in Motion (RIM) 850 wireless handheld device, says AMSC. The RIM 850 includes a backlit display that can deliver six to eight lines of text, AutoText data entry shortcuts, and 2 MB memory. It runs on one AA battery; a rechargeable NiMH battery is included. As a personal information manager, it can be used to coordinate calendar, tasks, contacts, alerts and other functions. A desktop cradle allows for loading, syncing and backup of data, as well as charging. The RIM 850 unit has a MSRP of $359.

	Blackberry.net

The eLink Messenger service combines the portability of a pager with e-mail, says AMSC. The service includes wireless email (send, receive, reply and forward); a personal e-mail address (username@2way.net); real-time two-way messaging; text messaging to fax machines; paging (with toll free numbers and PIN); and operator-assisted message creation, the company explains. The eLink Agent plan merges users Internet e-mail box with the handheld device to automatically retrieve mail from POP3 Internet mail accounts. It offers filter and forward capabilities that are accessible via a Web browser, enabling users to decide which mail should be sent from the wireless device. Its respond capability makes replies look like they are coming from desktops, the company notes. Access to Internet mailboxes can be conducted manually, or automatically. eLink systems allow users to configure preferences so e-mail can be received from a variety of accounts. It can also be synchronized with a PC and leading organizer programs.

The services are supported by AMSC's ARDIS network, a nationwide two-way wireless radio data network, to support the service. ARDIS can handle 75 million messages a month, and offers coverage in approximately 430 markets, including more than 11,000 cities, towns and suburbs across the U.S., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, the company reports. The company offers a variety of payment plans, ranging from eLink Limited Usage Plan ($24.95/month) to $59.95 a month for its unlimited usage plan, plus the usual activation fees.

Palm VII

The Palm VII is a hybrid in the handheld Internet device category. It combines the handheld computing functionality of the familiar Palm III (date book, address book, to do list, etc.) with Internet access. Like Blackberry and eLink, the Palm VII allows users to send and receive e-mail messages (though product literature emphasizes that the system is built for brief messages, that it strips attachments. Users can check e-mail on the fly, says Palm, using its iMessenger application that compresses text, and sends the first 500 characters of each message directly to the organizer. If a message exceeds 500 characters, users can determine whether to download the next section, or read it later. The unit can be used to access the user's ISP, Web-based, corporate or school e-mail accounts 24/7, Palm says.

Web clipping is not exactly browsing. Instead, the service gives you access to the content you really need, and nothing more. User interaction is based on a simple query and response system, rather than hyperlinks. When users want information from one of those sites, information is clipped from the site. Palm offers a library of clipping applications for such popular sites as E*Trade, ESPN.com, ABC News, Travelocity.com, and The Weather Channel. Palm promises to continue adding new sites.

	Palm VII

Wireless communication is offered via Palm.Net, says the company. It covers about 260 regions, with heavy coverage on the metropolitan areas coasts and Midwest. Coverage in rural areas is iffy, according to the company's Web site map. The unit's MSRP currently is $449. For the wireless service, four billing plans are offered, ranging from $9.99 per month for spartan service to $44.99/month for unlimited volume. By the way, Palm offers MacPac2 kits for Apple addicts, to provide Macintosh compatibility.

A note on pricing: Handheld computers are hot, and prices often are very competitive among resellers. Check price comparison chart at sites such as www.cnet.com before you buy directly from the manufacturer -- you might save a bundle.)

You never know when a handheld might save the day. For example, Paul Hastings used one to trump opposing counsel during a deposition (first reported in a Nov. 29, 1999 story on www.callaw.com). A litigator in the firm's Washington, D.C., office was in a deposition when opposing counsel began asking his client about a speech the client had given. The lawyer knew the speech was being mischaracterized by opposing counsel, who withheld the hard copy of the speech from the witness. So he shot off a quick e-mail to his secretary, who e-mailed back a copy of the speech within three minutes. The litigator was able to clarify the record on redirect.

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