A Mobile Guide to Fun

Palm Computing devices can be powerful, profitable tools in the hands of your mobile workers. But after your staffers have recorded the last delivery of the day, their Palm computers can also point the way to a little R&R.

Vindigo, a free software download for Palm OS devices from www.vindigo.com, lists more than 5,000 local restaurants, bars, clubs, shops and other diversions to help your field force uncork. Currently, Vindigo offers a guide to New York City and promises that San Francisco, Chicago, Boston and Washington, D.C., will soon be online.

Users can search by intersection (42nd and Broadway, for example) or neighborhood for eateries ranging from bar snacks to those with stellar views. Tap on the restaurant's name and get contact info, walking directions and--in some cases--pricing and a one-sentence review. Shopping options vary from a list of nearly 200 bookstores to 522 garages. Strangely, there are no computer or electronics stores listed for an audience of Web-savvy Palm users.

Unlike a bound guidebook, Vindigo never goes stale. Openings and closings--and even the latest movie theater listings--are updated every time a user hits the HotSync button.

Bottom line: Vindigo is a must-download not only because it's a blast to use, but also because it will save precious minutes for the harried mobile worker.