Forget infrared technology and the Bluetooth standard. Soon all you may need to transmit data is a simple handshake.

Japanese researchers at Nippon Telegraph and Telephone are developing a gadget that would plug into a conventional PDA to transmit and receive weak electrical signals across a user's body, exploiting the conductivity of human skin.

The technology is viable, says Farpoint analyst Craig Mathias, but could pose interesting security issues. Says Mathias, "Now they can hack your skin." Ouch.