Mobile Computing: GPS Buyers Guide

HANDHELDS

Review: Updated Remote Access Software

LapLink Everywhere 2.01, the latest version of the Web-based remote PC access service, lets you run your computer from afar via a browser on a PDA. But the new version lacks proper documentation, and interface quirks can make it difficult to distinguish an end-of-session message from an error message, says PCWorld.com reviewer Robert Luhn. Meanwhile, the updated version of Symantec's PCAnywhere, a competitor to LapLink Everywhere, has a new interface that can be confusing. Maybe your best bet, Luhn concludes, is to try yet another remote access service, Expertcity's GoToMyPC, a 2003 World Class winner. For the complete review of these products, see "New Ways to Remotely Access Your PC."

News: PDA Viruses Inevitable

Malicious code will be developed for PDAs as soon as the installed base of devices is big enough, according to Laura Garcia-Manrique, a Symantec group product manager. Garcia-Manrique believes that will happen "probably within two years," as the communications capabilities of handhelds grow.

Until now, only a few instances of PDA-focused malicious code have surfaced, she says. "In August 2000, we saw the first examples," Garcia-Manrique says. "Since then, there's been one virus, written for Windows with a combined payload that got delivered to the Palm when it was synced." The virus was discovered in October 2001; no new viruses have been seen since, she says.

News: Palm to Buy Handspring

Palm recently announced plans to buy Handspring, which makes Palm OS-based devices such as the Treo PDA/phone communicator. The idea is to strengthen Palm's ability to develop devices that combine voice and data, such as the Treo. The merged company will be divided into two business units: one focused on handhelds, the other on smart phones. The deal is subject to shareholder and regulatory approval.