A few years ago wireless computing was sizzling hot. Everyone, it seemed, was working on some kind of killer wireless app -- even though most developers would admit they had no idea what customers actually wanted. At that time, mobile applications was thought of as completely new and different from desktop software. Mobile applications, it was said, would revolutionize the way we worked, spent our free time, communicated, and much more.

It took some time to realize that mobile technology is actually just another channel to the data you need. Applications are applications, and your staff and your customers want to be able to use them from a variety of devices. Well-built software should be adaptable to a variety of user interfaces and connections. As applications are designed more and more with this principle in mind, they are pervasive applications; that is, applications capable of running in more than one device or configuration.

These days, computer systems are everywhere, from mainframes to microwaves, and almost every system eventually has pervasive features. So, rather than focusing on changing the world, many developers are beginning to focus on designing pervasive systems -- that is, systems that are adaptable to a changing world.

Although the specific benefits offered by wireless applications vary on a case-by-case basis, a number of common advantages emerge. These include the ability to:

• Perform almost any function or task, from sending and retrieving e-mails to accessing patient data, at any location no matter how geographically remote from a central office
• Immediately access needed information while away from home or office
• Collect data remotely at point of contact and forward that data to a centralized location
• Retrieve up-to-the-minute information on demand, in real time, from any location

To put it succinctly, wireless applications offer the most value when there is a need for immediate, current information and the producer and user of the information either cannot be co-located or are better off being physically separated.