By Joseph Kornowski, who directs wireless initiatives for lexisONE. Reprinted with permission from lexisONE Wireless.

As a busy professional, why should you have to waste time sitting in traffic or in a courthouse hallway waiting until you get back to the office to access the case, Web site or document requested from a client or colleague?

The truth is, for the increasing number of lawyers who do not spend all day behind a desk, the Internet amazing and powerful as it is has increased the number of times a day that a mobile lawyer must utter the phrase "when I get back to the office." In that respect, the Internet has not exactly been the best example of "liberation technology," especially for on-the-go professionals.

Wireless Internet access is beginning to change all that by putting more of your office into the palm of your hand. With the first generation of wireless personal digital assistants (PDAs) the Palm VII, Palm V with the Omnisky or GoAmerica wireless service, Palm IIIxe with the GoAmerica service, and soon a Handspring Visor with the Minstrel S modem offered by Omnisky and GoAmerica you can get real-time weather, check flight schedules, traffic and road conditions, get stock quotes, track a UPS or FedEx shipment and even find the nearest coffeehouse or restaurant!

For the first time, an attorney can have immediate access to a specific case or statute, Shepardize a case, or look up a lawyer through Martindale-Hubbell without being tied to a desk! This is the onset of pervasive access to critical practice-related data that can be used right away, wherever you are in a taxi, on a train, or sitting in a cafeteria or a courthouse hallway between court appearances. And, it's all coming from the premiere legal publisher that lawyers know and trust.

But this is just the beginning. What we are really talking about is more than "wireless" access to the Internet. It is pervasive communication and remote management of your professional life the ability to make things happen, no matter where you are, when the need arises.

How do you get started? Begin by acquiring the devices First, you need a wireless access device and a wireless service provider. Wireless Internet access is still in its infancy. Even so, there already are several different types of devices and Wireless Internet Service Providers (WSPs) to choose from. Like computers, these devices can be categorized based on the hardware type and the operating system (OS) that the device uses. Currently, three different types of wireless access devices are available:

• Personal digital assistants (PDAs)
• Interactive pager-type devices- Brand names: the Palm III/V/VII series, Handspring Visor and PocketPC devices, such as the Compaq Aero iPAQ
• The so-called "smart" or Internet-ready digital cell phones- Brand names: Nokia, Ericsson, NeoPoint, Motorola and others.

Generally it makes sense to start with the kind of device you prefer. These preferences can be based on any number of factors, including:

• Personal preferences
• Types of use
• Number and variety of available applications
• Memory
• The ability to upgrade
• Price

Personal preferences Personal preferences include the comfort and ease of use and the image that you hope to convey with the device. The sleek, anodized aluminum rechargeable Palm V and Vx are ultra-thin and make for an appealing accessory in the boardroom or courtroom. The Compaq iPAQ PocketPC makes a similar statement, with the addition of a color screen. For those seeking wireless data access from phones rather than PDAs, smart phones like the NeoPoint 1000 and Motorola Timeport have the same look.

	Compaq iPAQ Pocket PC

	RIM Wireless Handhelds

	NeoPoint

For those who prefer the stealth value of an even smaller device, the RIM 850 or 950 Wireless Handheld would enables someone to unobtrusively check email or stocks, even from the first few rows in a courtroom without attracting the judge's attention.

Types of use Will the device be used primarily for work, consumer and entertainment purposes or both? Among the Palm OS devices, the Handspring Visor has been designed primarily with the multi-use consumer in mind.

The Springboard expansion slot facilitates use of the device by a number of entertainment and gaming applications contained in "Springboard modules," such as an MP3 music player, digital camera, Tiger Woods Golf, electronic books and an Omniremote control for your TV and entertainment system. Of course, these same modules can incorporate backup utilities, extra memory, pager, modem, and GPS device, among others.

While many of these consumer-oriented applications can also be found for the Palm branded devices, the Handspring Visor makes them easier to install, use, and later remove, because of the Springboard expansion slot. Contrast that with the professional use that predominates the more staid-looking Palm, IBM and TRGPro devices, some of which unlike the Handspring Visor also have flash upgradeable versions of the Palm OS.

The newest version of Windows CE, the PocketPC, was certainly developed with the general consumer in mind, enabling such multi-media applications as an audio book reader, MP3 player and voice recorder.

Number and variety of applications Palm OS devices currently lead the market with the largest and most varied selection of applications for PDAs. Take a look at one of the Palm OS software archive sites, like PalmGear (www.palmgear.com), to see more than 6,000 software titles available as freeware, shareware or commercial applications.

Memory If you are looking for a handheld device that can serve as a substitute for a laptop or notebook computer, at least occasionally, then you probably want to stick with the higher memory devices. For Palm OS devices, this means the "x" versions (such as the Palm Vx, IIIxe, VIIx), Handspring Visor Deluxe, or TRGPro. These will provide enough memory to store large documents and books that can be read or edited on the device. PocketPC devices should have adequate memory for most professionals.

Ability to upgrade Having the ability to upgrade your device's operating system can be an important consideration. Many (but not all) of the Palm devices, none of the Handspring devices and all of the current TRGPro devices have flash upgradeable versions of the Palm OS. That means if there is a new and improved version of the operating system, only those with flash upgradeable versions of the OS can upgrade their units. At the rate of improvement and competition in the marketplace, features and functionality will continue to improve rapidly.

Having an upgradeable OS device allows you to take advantage of a number of those improvements without replacing the device. Instead, the new operating system is essentially loaded into the device through the synchronization process with the desktop PC or laptop, much the same way software is loaded. Validating the importance of an upgradeable OS for wireless users, Palm recently announced that it would make a Mobile Internet Kit available to all Palm users with upgradeable devices to connect their cell phones to their Palms.

For PocketPC device owners, the ability to upgrade the device depends on the hardware manufacturer. For some devices, such as the Compaq Aero, a new ROM chip provides the necessary OS upgrade.

Price is usually a factor Fortunately, the entry-level price for PDAs continues to drop, with base models of Palm and Handspring Visors offered for less than $150. If you want higher memory, color or built-in wireless connectivity, expect to pay $400 or more but even prices on those devices should continue to drop over time. Generally, you are better off paying for features that you really need, like higher memory, expandability and wireless capability.

Wireless access Wireless access is built into all RIM Wireless Handheld devices and Palm VII devices, and will soon be available for all upgradeable Palm OS devices. For current Palm OS devices other than the Palm VII, wireless access is enabled by the addition of an external wireless modem, such as those made by Novatel Wireless, usually sold through wireless service providers.

Wireless Services The world of wireless data service providers, just like the world of wireless phone service providers, can be confusing. When selecting a wireless service provider consider three key factors:

• Supported devices
• Coverage
• Price

A description of the various services supporting specific devices is set forth below. In terms of coverage, no service provider currently offers good coverage throughout the U.S., and none really offers true global coverage. That means you need to determine where you most need to have wireless data access coverage and then check that against the coverage areas for the service providers being considered.

In terms of cost, expect to pay $50-$60 per month for unlimited access over wireless data networks; more limited plans start as low as $10 per month.

Palm VII via palm.net, Bellsouth Mobitex ("Web Clipping") The Palm VII was the first PDA device intended for wireless Internet access through Palm's proprietary wireless ISP, Palm.Net. Coverage for Palm.Net is limited to major metropolitan areas of the country served by the Bell South Mobitex packet radio network. If you are in Nebraska or Iowa, don't expect coverage. In major cities, though, it works quite well. Bell South is adding towers quickly throughout the country, however; so expect coverage to improve in the near future.

The Palm VII does not access the Internet through a regular Web browser, but rather through a process called "Web clipping." Web clipping transmits specific Internet-based data - such as a directory, stock quotes, driving directions, or local weather - across airwaves without links and graphics. This is done through Web Clipping Applications (WCAs), sometimes called PQAs (for "Palm Query Applications," their original name).

The user must download (free of charge) a PQA or WCA for every application he or she wants to use. This is easy to do through the user's PC by going to sites like Palm.Net or PalmGear H.Q. (www.palmgear.com). PalmGear has even created a PQA that downloads other PQAs directly to the Palm VII or the Palm V with the Omnisky wireless service.

This is first generation wireless technology, so the connection is slow (approximately 9-19 KBPS) compared to desktop access speeds. The access is nonetheless pretty fast on the Palm device because the PQA resides on the device and only sends and receives small packets of the specific data that the user requests.

Palm.Net has four access service plans, ranging from $9.99 per month for 50 KB per month, plus $0.20 for each additional KB, up to approximately $45 per month for unlimited access.

Palm Vx via GoAmerica or Omnisky with the Minstrel V modem Another WSP for Palm users is the well-established Go.Web service from GoAmerica or the relatively new Omnisky service. These services are now available for Palm V users. They require a snap-on external modem (because the Palm V does not have built-in wireless capability).

Palm III via GoAmerica For Palm III users, we recommend the Go.Web wireless service with two service plans: GoLite for occasional users or GoUnlimited for frequent users.

Handspring Visor via GoAmerica or Omnisky with the Minstrel S modem GoAmerica and Omnisky have announced that they will offer wireless access to the Internet for people who use the Handspring Visor via their service with the Novatel Minstrel S wireless modem.

Wireless Services for RIM Wireless Handhelds (e.g. Blackberry) Another popular device among mobile lawyers is the RIM Blackberry and other RIM Wireless Handheld models (850, 950, 957). With these models, we recommend use of the Go.Web service for accessing the LEXIS wireless products.

PocketPC/Win CE For now, PocketPC/Win CE users can access the Internet wirelessly using their PCS cell phone service and either a cable or infrared connection between the PDA and cell phone. Unfortunately, PCS service is extremely limited in most of the U.S., with New York and Los Angeles offering the only current connections.

Phones Most major cell phone carriers now offer some wireless data services, like AT&T's Digital PocketNet service or Sprint PCS Wireless Web.

The Future of Wireless Devices and Technologies Time will tell whether the reality will live up to the hype and the hope for wireless Internet access. Vendors of PDAs and smart phones, wireless services, and content are all investing vast sums into developing the wireless infrastructure, the products and services that will run on it and the content that will be accessible to the end users.

It is easy to imagine a mobile lawyer wanting to perform any number of remote information management tasks from a wireless handheld device, including:

• Electronically creating, filing and serving a pleading or motion (created from a Matthew Bender form, assembled using HotDocs, and uploaded to a server accessible through the Internet and filed through JusticeLink).
• Sending a retainer agreement, law-firm brochure, resume or client newsletter created in Word, WordPerfect or Acrobat, by fax or e-mail to a prospective or existing client.
• Forwarding scanned documents, photos and other files to a consultant expert for immediate review and analysis.

The same wireless handheld devices that provide these types of functions are likely to function as personal information managers and voice phones. The types of devices, services and content to prevail will become clear as the technology, and the markets, mature. As the premiere provider of legal content, however, the LEXIS family of products and services will be there, evolving with the technology to bring legal professionals the highest quality of information and services that you have come to rely on.

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