HOT NEWS IN THIS REPORT:

1. The handheld PC revolution
2. Don't forget to register...(your domain name)
3. Cool tools: extending the browser window

Executive Technology Briefing (ETB)
Editor/Publisher: Jordan Ayan
Contributing Editor: Chuck Frey

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-- THE HANDHELD PC REVOLUTION --

Thanks to continuing advances in PC hardware and wireless technology, handheld PCs have recently moved beyond being merely "turbo diaries," and now offer some exciting new productivity-enhancing benefits for executives on-the-go.

The latest generation of handheld PCs from Palm Inc. (www.palm.com), Handspring (www.handspring.com) and Windows CE-powered palm-sized PCs (www.microsoft.com/mobile) now offer more desktop computer-like functionality. In addition to "pocket-sized" versions of desktop productivity software, some of these handheld computers have begun to incorporate wireless technology for on-the-go Internet access.

Last year, Palm Inc. created quite a stir with the introduction of its Palm VII, which provides wireless access to a variety of online services via a flip-up antenna. For about $429 (street price) and $10-25 a month, you can access Palm's proprietary Palm.Net service, which include news, weather, sports, financial information, e-mail and limited Web access. We use it, and it's surprisingly cool!

Data input has long been the Achilles heel of "palmtop" PCs, because their handwriting recognition accuracy hasn't been very good, and the speed of input with a stylus is relatively slow. To solve this problem, Palm Inc. recently introduced a lightweight, foldable keyboard that makes it much easier to use the popular Palm PDAs (personal digital assistants) when you're away from your desk. We've used it with our Palm VII, and have found it to be very well designed and durable. Ibiz Technology recently introduced a similar keyboard (that doesn't fold up) for Windows CE-compatible handheld PCs.

The Palm PC may soon become the centerpiece of wireless communication in tomorrow's automobiles, too. Last month, Delphi Automotive Systems and Palm Inc. demonstrated the prototype of the Communiport Mobile Productivity Center, which will dock and synchronize with a Palm V handheld and will give drivers access to its content while in the vehicle. This unique system will offer hands-free operation through voice recognition. Users will be able to listen to data stored on their Palm Vs through a text-to-speech system, and will be able to dictate e-mail and other documents. This system is supposed to be introduced by the end of 2000; pricing has not been announced.

The Windows CE operating system hasn’t been much of a factor in the handheld PC market so far (Palm dominates, with over 80 percent market share), but all that may change this year. Microsoft usually takes two to three iterations of a new software platform to get it right (remember Windows 3.1, Windows for Workgroups and Windows 95?). Microsoft just introduced the third generation of its Windows CE operating system. Handheld devices incorporating Windows CE just started to hit the market in late April. The key strength of Windows CE-based handhelds is that they offer excellent synchronization with Microsoft desktop applications like Outlook, Word and Excel.

What does this mean to your company's strategy? As these handhelds become more useful, they can become an integral part of your company's strategy to keep your key executives connected, no matter where they are - and can help to make your organization easier for customers to do business with you.

Potential applications of handheld PCs equipped with wireless capabilities include: - Checking e-mail and accessing Web-based services - Placing product orders and checking pricing or order status from customer locations - Filling out brief reports and forms

You may find that equipping some of your mobile workers with handheld PCs may be a cost-effective alternative to laptops. Handheld PCs may also be a better solution than Web-enabled cell phones for many companies. While the latest generation of cell phones offers limited functionality beyond a scaled-down Web browser, handheld size PCs can support many different types of software applications.

One of the coolest new applications for palm-sized PCs comes from a company called AvantGo, Inc. (www.avantgo.com) This innovative firm has created a piece of software that allows you to download news, stock quotes, flight schedules, maps, weather and other information directly to your Palm or Windows CE-based handheld unit for offline viewing. It does this by using the desktop PC that you synchronize your handheld with as a "mini-server," and downloading the text-based "channels" of information you specify each time you synchronize these two computers. Over 350 AvantGo channels are already available, and this valuable service is free.

I use AvantGo to download the "Good Morning Silicon Valley" column from the San Jose Mercury News and the Wall Street Journal technology headlines during the day, and then read them while sitting in bed at night. This is a very convenient tool for time-challenged executives who are looking for ways to maximize the productivity of their "wait time" (while waiting for a flight to leave, a meeting to start, etc.).

-- DON'T FORGET TO REGISTER... (YOUR DOMAIN NAME) --

In today's wired world, your company's Web site domain name is an important intellectual assets. A memorable, easy-to-spell domain name canhelp your company to stand out in Web surfer's minds and can help toincrease your odds of e-commerce success. It's no accident that some of the best known online brands -- like Yahoo!, Lycos and eBay -- are unique and easy to remember.

Simply put, your domain name is the representation of your brand name and your company on the Web -- and having a good one is key to helping customers find you online. Here's a quick and helpful guide to registering and protecting your company's Web domain names.

Registering a new domain name is easy and inexpensive (only $70 for two years). The easiest way to do this is to visit the Network Solutions Web site (www.networksolutions.com) and type in the domain name you'd like to register. Within seconds, the site's database will tell you if the name you want is available or not. If it's already registered, you can also find out who currently owns it. If someone owns it but isn't currently using it (in other words, no site has been built at that address), you may be able to purchase it from them.

For best results, start your domain name search with a number of possible names - for example, variations on your company and product/service names, or on the industry you serve. According to the Domain Name Advisor Web site (www.domainnameadvisor.com), 10,000 new Internet domain names are being registered each day, which means that your first choice for domain name may NOT be available.

To make matters worse, domain name speculators -- or "cyber squatters" -- have registered thousands of domain names in the hopes of striking it rich by re-selling them to companies that need them. A recently passed U.S. law now makes this practice illegal, but the damage has been done. Tens of thousands of domain names have already been hoarded by these domain name brokers.

Considering the importance of a distinctive, easy-to-remember domain name to your business and the difficulty of finding one that's available, we recommend that you do some brainstorming to come up with a list of creative names that capture the spirit of your company or your products. In general, shorter names are easier for Web users to remember and spell correctly. If your company name is long or hard to spell, consider selecting a name that reflects your company's products or services, or the industry you serve (ex: plantseeds.com vs. Burpee.com). This strategy also increases your odds of getting traffic from prospective buyers who are searching for a particular category of products, rather than specific suppliers of it.

For best results in finding a distinctive domain name, you may want to try using a naming service, such as NameBoy (www.nameboy.com). This unique site asks you to input your company name, type of product and other keywords, and uses it to generate dozens of possible domain names. In addition, it classifies them by whether they are: - available to register - already registered but not in use (owned by a domain names broker), or - already registered and currently in use

If the domain name you really want is already registered, you may be able to contact its owners and offer to purchase it from them. Buyer beware, however: many domain name brokers are asking wildly inflated prices for the names that they own. Don't be afraid to negotiate aggressively!

One final piece of advice: If at all possible, register domain names for ALL possible variations of your company and product names (ex: If your company's Web site domain name is www.yourcompany.com, you should also register yourcompany.net, your-company.com and yourco.com). This strategy can protect you from unscrupulous competitors trying to block your access to these domain names - or steal some of your site's potential traffic.

Registering a domain name is only half the battle, however. There are a number of steps you should take to protect this valuable piece of intellectual property. Here are some of the potential problems that can occur with domain names, and how to avoid them:

1. Make sure that your company owns the rights to the domain name, not your Web development vendor. If your vendor registered the domain name for you in THEIR name, they could potentially hold it "hostage" if you ever decide to change vendors. If you want to check out how the domain you think you own is registered, check it out at www.networksolutions.com .

2. Registering a domain name does NOT mean you own the rights to it forever. That means you need to be careful to select responsible, knowledgeable employees to serve as the official company and technical representatives for your domain name registration. Renewal notices and e-mail messages requesting validation of any changes to your domain name must be acknowledged within a certain time frame, or you could lose control of it.

3. A competitor could potentially register a domain name that is spelled similar to yours, with the intent of deliberately confusing people (AmazoM.com was one recently disputed name, for example). Or a disgruntled person could launch a site that criticizes or parodies your company or its products, using your firm's name or trademark as part of its domain name (check out www.homedepotsucks.com (Home Depot) or www.untied.com (United Airlines Complaints)

4. Be aware that the process used to resolve domain name disputes is about to become more complicated. For many years, Network Solutions was the sole domain name registrar, acting as a contractor to the U.S. government. But now a new entity called the Internet Corporation of Assigned Names & Numbers (ICANN - www.icann.org) has been formed to move this function to the private sector. Under ICANN's control, domain name disputes will now be resolved by a mediation panel, not in a court of law. Unlike the court system, which allows plaintiffs to appeal a judge's decision, the decisions of ICANN's mediators will be final.

-- COOL TOOLS: EXTENDING THE BROWSER WINDOW --

For serious Web researchers, the ability to only view one Web page at a time with the browser's forward and back buttons is somewhat limiting. Recently, two software companies have developed innovative "alternative" browsers that attempt to overcome this limitation.

BroadPage (www.broadpage.com) offers users an easy way to subdivide the browser window into separate panels at any time, enabling you to visit a new Web site while keeping the last one you viewed still visible. For serious Web surfers, following a trail of links from one site to the next, this solution can be a real time-saver compared to clicking repeatedly on your browser's back button to re-trace your steps.

NetCaptor version 6.0 from StileSoft (www.netcaptor.com) takes a slightly different approach, allowing you to view multiple sites at once through a tabbed interface in the browser window. Favorite sites can be stored into groups called CaptorGroups. When one of these stored groups is selected, NetCaptor opens the browser with a corresponding set of tabs. This could be a real time saver for any executives who need to monitor a set of competitor's Web sites on a regular basis, or quickly scan the same group of news sites for items of interest. An advertising supported version of NetCaptor can be downloaded for free; an advertising-free version is $19.95.

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That's all for now! I welcome your comments and feedback on the Executive Technology Briefing, which will help me to focus it even more closely on your needs.

Jordan Ayan
President
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