For The Exec On The Run, A Digital Valet

Manhattan, Aug. 13, 10:15 a.m. Bob Vanech is racing through Central Park in a cab after a meeting with a prospective partner for his company. Vanech ignores the trees and the midmorning joggers the cab is whizzing past. Instead, he is focused on his handheld Palm III, coordinating his schedule via cell phone with Root, a service he is testing that acts as a Digital Age concierge or secretary. "O.K., so reservations for 1:15 at Blue Water Grill," Vanech says. "Great."

In the next five minutes, the Root employee on the other end of the phone advises Vanech that he should show up at the restaurant at 1 p.m. because he can probably get seated earlier. Vanech then O.K.'s a memory purchase for his computer that Root researched over the Internet and decides on accommodations Root found for a weekend getaway. Then it's over and out, as Vanech heads to his next meeting in midtown.