The need
Today, millions of workers collect data on clipboards, view data on printed reports, and unnecessarily lug laptop computers to run specific applications rather than perform general purpose computing. Accomplishing these same tasks with handheld applications reduces errors, streamlines data processing, and enables corporations to more effectively deploy hardware and human resources.

In the past, only larger companies could realize the benefits of handheld applications. These efforts required large up-front costs for custom hardware and software design, and large variable costs with each additional unit deployed. Now, with the PalmPilot, organizations can cost-effectively create handheld solutions. Over the next several years, a growing number of corporations will deploy handheld applications, initially, as a way to gain competitive advantage, and ultimately, as a cost of doing business.

These factors create a significant opportunity for handheld software developers who serve the enterprise marketplace. These developers need to quickly prototype solutions for their prospects and expand these prototypes into complete, integrated solutions. There is nothing more powerful than to sit down with a client and interactively mock up their requirements into a functioning application. Leveraging these prototypes into full solutions speeds the development life cycle and reduces costs.

Developing for the handheld platform
I recommend an iterative approach for PalmPilot development. In this methodology, you create successive prototypes and solicit user feedback to refine your solution. While many of the principles you may be familiar with from client/server PC development apply to handheld development, the unique characteristics of the PalmPilot make feedback loops valuable, especially for your first application.

Your PalmPilot application must address a number of platform constraints and differences from the PC world. These include:

Less processing power
Don't expect to run complex algorithms that crunch lots of data on the handheld. Instead, segment your application so different parts run on the handheld client, on a middleware server, and on a database server. Let the middleware and database servers do the heavy lifting.

Less memory
In addition to segmenting your application, segment your data. For example, rather than storing an entire customer database on the PalmPilot, give each user only the information on the customers they service. Further reduce the size of this data set by eliminating customers that won't be seen this month or this week.