There should be a way to run getty automatically when you want to connect to the Empeg with your Palm device. Empire would not be good for this because it is only listening for the OBEX protocol over IrDA, and IrCOMM is what you want to use for a terminal session. IrCOMM is not really practical in the car because of link integrity problems, and it is not supported very well (read: buggy) in this kernel release. Bluetooth would be a better option if you wanted to do this, or a direct serial link. Serial dongle BT adapters are available, and should be able to be used with a terminal app. rowitech has done some work in this area.