If it finds one, the application grabs new data from the person's selected channels and sends it to the PDA, updating it with the latest information. However, AvantGo's software also works as a regular browser on PDAs with direct Internet connections, which enable users to view Web sites and download information for later perusal. Certain AvantGo content also works with Web-enabled mobile phones. AvantGo's Web site contains a growing list of channels to which users can subscribe for free. All types of interests are covered.
Users can also create custom channels and download information from virtually any Web site.
As a lawyer and technology enthusiast, I have found a number of interesting and informative sources. The user-submitted sources in particular makes for a growing sense of community and shared information. These sources may not look as good on a PDA's small screen as the official, optimized AvantGo channels, but they may very well feature such targeted information that it becomes a business necessity. Personally, I enjoy having the ability to make productive use of a few spare minutes here and there. Thanks to Avantgo, I can catch up on the day's news from several different viewpoints and read publications I might not otherwise have even known about let alone read.