We're getting incrementally closer,'' to the dream, said Matthew Norden, an analyst at Forrester Research in Amsterdam. Like many industry executives, Mr. Norden predicted that the vision of ubiquitous and seamless access to information was still three to five years away. Mobile capabilities have improved dramatically in recent years. Dell Computer Corp. But getting all these devices to work seamlessly is never as easy as it seems, Mr. Norden said. He noted that Nokia Oyj had to delay the introduction of its first Internet-capable mobile handset, the 7110, for nearly a year, and then recalled it for one month after launch last year because its browser was incompatible with many gateways on the Web.
Interoperability is another hurdle that sometimes seems to recede with each new innovation.
Ideally, consumers should be able to synchronize their devices over the Internet. That gives us a full solution,'' said Ben Linder, vice president of marketing. Getting devices to talk to each other, whether to connect a notebook to the Internet over a mobile handset or to share information among digital assistants or notebooks, should become easier with the introduction of Bluetooth devices in the second half of this year. The Bluetooth chip uses radio signals to transmit data without cumbersome cable or infrared links. But the rollout of products may be slower than the hype around Bluetooth suggests.