This week, the Mountain View, Calif.-based WiMax Forum is expected to certify an initial group of products that comply with the emerging wireless specification, which was designed to deliver networking performance that's comparable to what Digital Subscriber Line and cable modem services provide.

Meanwhile, Lenovo Group Ltd. this month said it plans to develop a ThinkPad PC with embedded chips that let users connect to Cingular Wireless LLC's 3G wireless data network. That followed a flurry of similar announcements late last year by vendors such as Dell Inc., Hewlett-Packard Co. and Vodafone Group PLC.

The growing number of wireless options has left some IT managers grappling with the question of whether a feature like a 3G wireless radio device inside a notebook PC would even be beneficial for their staffers and end users.

"I don't find the choices confusing, just limiting," said Irving Tyler, CIO at Quaker Chemical Corp. in Consho-hocken, Pa. For example, Tyler said the ability to use an advanced wireless data network from a radio embedded in a laptop could be a good idea -- provided the equipment could find the best signal available and maintain the connection across different channels, similar to the multiband cell phones carried by many international travelers.

Potential benefits