At first glance, it seems like a bad idea, a kind of techno demotion. However some companies are now offering a new cell phone in exchange for their laptops. Of course, these are no ordinary phones. These super phones can be packed with 32 megabytes of memory, a 144-megahertz processor, a thumb keyboard, and a 1.8-inch color screen. They come with Palm software and a Blazer Web browser, and can run Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, and other business applications. Users can read and send e-mail, view PDFs, make changes to documents, etc. They can also call the office to check voice mail. Some users have said they feel more connected with their phones than with their laptops.

One of these smart phones is a Treo 600, made by Handspring. The price of a standard notebook is more than the cost of a Treo and a desktop combined. Moreover, support costs for notebooks run much higher than for desktops. Just a year ago, there were some decent handheld e-mail readers, such as the BlackBerry. But it was hard to get other applications on the screen, and the devices didn't work very well as cell phones. As a result, most executives traveled with a PDA, a mobile phone, and a notebook computer. Luckily the smart phones have started to change that. Even people who write reports and perform data entry will find themselves leaving the notebook behind on trips.

The smart phones will become next year’s super phones as these technologies continue their development. These phones will be packed with as much as 500 megabytes of memory and come in different shapes and sizes. Most will feature color displays, which will be brighter and easier to read. Keyboards will be common. Motorola's MPX smart phone, is one of several phones that will look like miniature notebook computers. Seimens is developing the SX-1, a phone that uses a laser to project a virtual full-size keyboard onto a flat surface.

Nvidia, famous for its superfast graphics chips, now makes chipsets for cell phones, which will allow videoconferencing. Intel has developed similar technology. Processors for phones are getting faster, headed toward the 600-megahertz range. Also on the way: dual-mode Wi-Fi phones, which can switch between a cellular network and a company's own computer network.

There are many business people that still need to have their laptops since their needs are not met by these super cell phones, yet.