Regarding the actual hardware, Harris Corp. is relying on HTC Corp. for customization of its handhelds running Windows Mobile 5.0. How important was it to the Census Bureau to use Windows Mobile over other operating systems? Windows Mobile was not a priority to us. It didn't matter to us if it was Windows Mobile 5.0 or something else. We put out a Request for Proposals and listed our functional requirements and said here's what we need, so it was up to industry to figure out the right solution. Harris won and will use Windows Mobile. Our requirements get into whether it performs the functions we need, and meets requirements for usability, reliability, user friendliness and more.

So how did that choice come about? We had very many priorities to consider. We wanted the solution to meet our needs, so we went through a technology evaluation, and Harris was the winner. All the vendors submitting proposals developed a prototype for canvassing that would include updating an address list. The demonstrations of the prototypes were in January, and included an application for address updates on a device, as well as a time-and-expense form on the handheld as well as an operation control system and use of maps on the handheld. Harris used an integrated prototype based on HTC hardware and we'll be working with them to tweak those devices.

One industry analyst was surprised to hear you won't be supporting voice communications, even though the data will transmit over a private Sprint Nextel cellular network. With canvassing going on in all kinds of neighborhoods, wouldn't it be safer to have voice? Voice is something we are still looking at, and we haven't dismissed it entirely. Adding voice would be a change from the current concept. There are issues in terms of making sure voice is effectively controlled over half a million users because of costs. If we did it, it would have to be very controlled, perhaps allowing enumerators to call their crew leaders only.

And you have the cellular data radio in the device as well as a telephone line port as backup? In some neighborhoods there might not be cellular service. If the worker is in cellular coverage, they could automatically transmit, boom! If not, the worker transmits at home that night over the wire.

You've also taken big steps for security, following federal mandates? Yes, the data is encrypted in the device and sent over the air in encrypted form.