Portable computers first appeared as what was called a laptop. The only problem is that no one could determine on whose lap this behemoth would comfortably sit. These devices were so big and heavy it took a suitcase to cart them around. They have since shrunk considerably to the current size of a notebook (or less) and weigh a mere 1 to 2 lbs. Subnotebooks and even palmtops became the envy of many people. The proliferation of palmtop devices (from 3Com, Vigor, HP, Compaq, and others) has steadily created the connected image from the handheld device. With these devices ranging from a couple hundred dollars on up, the novelty of communicating back to the office became contagious. No longer do we want to communicate back to the home office while traveling, we must do so.

Speed kills, except when we are talking about the capacity of the notebooks and subnotebook computers. Processor speed, storage, and memory have increased, driving the market to a feeding frenzy. In the late 1990s, mobile communications became necessary because many of the vendors were shipping Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD), wireless LAN cards, or wireless modems along with the notebooks and palm devices. Today, the devices that cost over $300 to $500 to equip a notebook have fallen to less than $100. The market is slowly flooding with service offerings from the top suppliers as well as many startup companies. Availability has become the driver for the demand.