Data to go: grab your files—anywhere, anytime

Entrepreneur, April, 2003 by Eric Bender

You're out of the office, and you're missing a key document. Wouldn't it be great if you could download it from your cell phone or wireless handheld? OK, neither cell phones nor Pocket PCs can store all the files you might need. But online storage providers would like to make your crucial files available to you anywhere you've got an Internet connection to your mobile phone, PDA or, of course, laptop.

For example, My Docs Online (www.mydocsonline.com) lets you securely access files from any Web-enabled phone, Palm-compatible handheld, Pocket PC or Blackberry Rim. For $34.95 a year (for the Personal Edition with 50MB storage--the Enterprise Edition starts at $59.95), you can view common formats such as Microsoft Word and Adobe Acrobat documents and shoot them off attached to e-mail.

Mobile phone carriers are starting to bundle such features for subscribers, and other online storage providers such as Xdrive are also broadening their support for mobile devices. "You can use your Pocket PC or Palm or phone almost as a remote control for your files," says Xdrive CEO Brett O'Brien.

Formerly an editorial executive for several high-tech publications, ERIC BENDER is a freelance writer in Boston.