The jury is still out on whether personal digital assistants (PDA) will become as ubiquitous as cellular phones or will remain the dominion of technology wonks and midlevel executives, among others. But there is no denying that PDAs are becoming more noticeable in everyday life.

The handheld devices-bearing such names as Palm Pilot, Mindspring, Sony, and others-can be used as a portable Rolodex and a daily calendar. With wireless and downloadable capabilities, PDAs also can be used to download a myriad of items, such as retired General Electric Chairman Jack Welch's new autobiography, for instance.

Using a microscopic keyboard powered by a small typing assistant resembling a matchstick on steroids, PDA users can type messages and deliver e-mails. As manufacturers and developers continue to improve the still-nascent technology, the devices are benefiting from constant innovation.

Perhaps the most exciting development involving PDAs is the ability to download news and information to the devices from personal computers and other devices. Sign-up services are available that allow PDA users to select specific formats and Web sites to download. The downloads allow users to take the information with them wherever they take their PDAs, which is everywhere but the shower.

It is an exciting technology for those who crave portability or are always on the go. And it is a format that has great potential for the racing industry.

Tips on the move

Outside the United States, some services already allow PDA users to download racing information to take on the road. The launching point for many downloads is the subscription service AvantGo. The company's software is downloaded on the PDA, launching the free subscription service. Subscribers then select from a menu of news and information services that can be downloaded every time the user synchronizes the PDA with his or her personal computer.

Any technology that promises such easy access to information must back the product with quality content. From a racing standpoint, AvantGo's service offers that kind of content-depending upon where you are and what you want.

If you crave English racing and like having an occasional plunge on the 3:45 p.m. race at Newmarket or the 2:15 p.m. race at Newbury, AvantGo's service offers several choices.

One is the British Broadcasting Corp. (BBC) on-line news service. BBC News Online includes top international and domestic stories along with content on business, health, entertainment, and sports. Racing is one component of the BBC's sports service along with soccer, rugby, and other Anglocentric sporting endeavors.

One advantage of the BBC's service is how easy it is to locate within AvantGo's on-line service. It can be downloaded from the news section at http://www. avantgo.com/co.uk or the international section at http:// www.avantgo.com.

If you are more interested in making a bet, then AvantGo also offers handicapping advice and selections through the Racetips365 Web site at http://www.racetips365.com.

Racetips365, one of several sports-related Web sites under the 365 Corp. banner (soccer365, football365, etc.), offers such information on the English racing scene as news, fixtures, racecards, and weather information. The Web site also features an interactive tipster, and the site's services can be downloaded to PDAs through AvantGo.

South China report

England is not the sole domain for AvantGo racing downloads. Services in Hong Kong and the United States also provide racing news, though the depth of coverage varies.

In Hong Kong, the South China Morning Post's racing Web site is available to PDA owners through the AvantGo service and is free to all subscribers to the Morning Post's racing service. The newspaper offers extensive coverage of the Hong Kong racing scene, including news and tipping services.

In the U.S., the situation is a little different because of the content providers involved. ESPN and CNN-Sports Illustrated, two of cable television's leading sports information providers, are both available through AvantGo's service.

But neither network is known as a hotbed of racing despite ESPN's in-depth coverage of the sport. The emphasis on both networks is the mainstream team and individual sports that are immensely popular in America. As a result, in-depth racing news may be fed out of an eyedropper on their sites.

Jockey Club pilot program

So, where does this leave the American racing industry? That depends upon one's involvement in the industry.

From the insider's standpoint, racing information already is available on PDAs, and more is just around the corner. However, the information being provided is dedicated to owners, trainers, and breeders.

Jockey Club Information Systems Inc. is preparing to roll out a test program for owner-trainer communication involving PDAs. Using a cellular phone capable of sending e-mails, a trainer can type in information and relay it directly to an owner's PDA.

Four trainers, including David Donk, are taking part in the pilot program, which will launch in late January or early February of 2002.

"It will generate messages to owners on a daily basis," said Gary Falter, Jockey Club Information Systems director of product development. "One of our goals with all that we can do is to improve communication between farms and trainers and owners and breeders."

The Jockey Club also provides information to PDAs from its equineline.com subscription service. Owners can receive training information, results, and entries directly from equineline.com (http://www. equineline.com) to their PDAs.

Still, Jockey Club officials admitted they are in catch-up mode. "The Europeans and Asians are ahead of us in terms of wireless technology," said Bobby Burch, president of Jockey Club Technology Services. "All of us are pretty much catching up to the other guys across the pond."

TVG, which provides racing programming by satellite and by cable television in some localities, also has worked on a wireless product but will wait for the market to grow before launching it.

"We have developed a broad intellectual-property portfolio for a variety of technologies, including wireless technology," said TVG President Mark Wilson. "When we begin to see the emergence of an appropriate-sized market for this type of product out there, we will use that type of product to serve the market."

Daily Racing Form, a logical candidate to provide news and information to PDAs, is discussing wireless strategies but has not made any definitive plans.