Amazon in the Palm of your hand

The Amazon Anywhere program will work with 3Com's Palm VII, and was being launched nationwide in the U.S. Monday.

Amazon said its new program will offer features like one-click shopping and product searching. In order to shop with their Palm devices, users need to download an application from www.palm.net or from www.amazon.com/anywhere.

Amazon isn't the only company offering services via the Palm. 3Com's unit has also struck deals with Fidelity Investments and eBay to allow consumers to trade stocks and check auctions online. To further develop its wireless business, Amazon also announced Monday that it would acquire privately held Convergence, which develops Internet access software, for $20m (£12.19m).

Convergence, an Atlanta-based company, will be relocated to Seattle to support Amazon Anywhere. Amazon also said that it has entered into agreements with handset manufacturer Motorola and with AvantGo, which is developing an online interactive service for wireless users.

Amazon has also joined the Wireless Application Protocol Forum, which is developing a global standard for wireless data and e-commerce transactions on the Internet. "By untying customers from their desktops, we're empowering them to get things done and off their to-do lists -- not just at anytime -- but from anywhere," CEO Jeff Bezos said in a release.