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Personal Digital Assistant

Encyclopedia : P : PE : PER : Personal Digital Assistant

 

palmOne Tungsten T5
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palmOne Tungsten T5

Personal digital assistants (usually abbreviated to PDAs) are handheld devices that were originally designed as personal organizers, but became much more versatile over the years. The many uses and tasks of a basic PDA include many features: calculating, use as a clock and calendar, playing computer games, accessing the Internet, sending and receiving E-mails, use as a radio or stereo, video recording, recording notes, use as an address book, and use as a spreadsheet. Newer PDAs also have both color screens and audio capabilities, enabling them to be used as mobile phones (PDA Phone), web browsers or media players. Many PDAs can access the Internet, intranets or extranets via Wi-Fi, or Wireless Wide-Area Networks (WWANs).

Contents

Functionality

Touch screen

Many original PDAs, such as the Palm Pilot, featured touch screens for user interaction, having only a few buttons usually reserved for shortcuts to often used programs. Touch screen PDAs, including Windows Pocket PC devices, usually have a detachable stylus that can be used on the touch screen. Interaction is then done by tapping the screen to activate buttons or menu choices, and dragging the stylus to for example highlight text.

Text input is usually done in one of two ways:

PDA's for business use, including the BlackBerry and Treo, have a full keyboard and scroll wheel or thumb wheel to facilitate data entry and navigation. There are also full size foldable keyboards available that plug directly into the PDA and allow for normal typing.

Synchronization

An important functionality for PDAs is the possibility of synchronizing data with a contact database, such as Microsoft Outlook or ACT!, hosted on a personal computers or corporate server. The data synchronized ensures that the PDA has an accurate list of contacts, appointments and e-mail, allowing users to access the same information on the PDA as the host computer.

The synchronizing also prevents the loss of information stored on the device in case it is lost, stolen, or destroyed. Another advantage is that data input is usually a lot quicker on a personal computer, since text input via a touch screen is still not quite optimal. Transferring data to a PDA via the computer is therefore a lot quicker than having to manually input all data on the handheld device.

Most PDAs come with the ability to synchronize to a personal computer. This is done through synchronization software provided with the handheld, such as HotSync Manager, which comes with Palm OS handhelds, or Microsoft ActiveSync, which comes with Windows Mobile handhelds.

These programs allow the PDA to be synchronized with a personal information manager. This personal information manager may be an outside program or a proprietary program. For example, the BlackBerry PDA comes with the Desktop Manager program which can synchronize to both Microsoft Outlook and ACT!. Other PDAs come only with their own proprietary software. For example, some early Palm OS PDAs came only with Palm Desktop while later Palms such as the Treo 650 has the built-in ability to sync to Palm Desktop and/or Microsoft Outlook. Third-party synchronization software is also available for many PDAs from companies like Intellisync and CompanionLink. This software synchronizes these handhelds to other personal information managers which are not supported by the PDA manufacturers, such as GoldMine and Lotus Notes.

Customization

Like a personal computer, it is possible to install additional software on most PDAs. Software can be bought or downloaded from the Internet, allowing users to personalize their PDAs to their liking. Some PDAs also allow for adding hardware. The most common is a memory card slot, which allows the users to get additional and exchangeable storage space on their handheld devices. There are also miniature keyboards that can be connected to some PDAs for quicker text input. PDAs with Bluetooth can also use Bluetooth devices like headsets, mouse and foldable keyboards with their PDAs.

Other functionality

Other functions are commonly added to PDAs. Some examples are:

Ruggedized PDAs

For many years businesses and government organizations have relied upon rugged PDAs for mobile data applications. Typical applications include supply chain management in warehouses, package delivery, route accounting, medical treatment and record keeping in hospitals, facilities maintenance and management, parking enforcement, access control and security, capital asset maintenance, meter reading by utilities, and "wireless waitress" applications in restaurants and hospitality venues.

Medical and Scientific Uses

In medicine, PDAs have been proven to aid diagnosis and drug selection and some studies have concluded that their use by patients to record symptoms improves the effectiveness of communication with hospitals during follow-up. A range of resources have been developed to cater for the demand from the medical profession, including [epocrates] and [ABX guide], which supply drug databases, treatment information and relevant news in formats specific to mobile devices and services such as [Avantgo] translate medical journals into readable formats and provide updates from journals. [WardWatch] organizes medical records to remind doctors making ward rounds of information such as the treatment regimens of patients and programs. Finally, [Pendragon] provides tools for conducting research on mobile devices, with a connection back to a central server allowing the user to enter data into a centralized database using their PDA. Recently the development of [sensor web] technology has led to discussion of using wearable bodily sensors to monitor ongoing conditions like diabetes and epilepsy and alerting medical staff or the patient themselves to the treatment required via communication between the web and PDAs.

Educational Uses

As mobile technology has become almost a necessity, it is no surprise that personal computing has become a vital learning tool. Educational institutes have commenced a trend of integrating PDAs into their teaching practices (mobile learning). With the capabilities of PDAs, teachers are now able to provide a collaborative learning experience for their students. They are also preparing their students for possible practical uses of mobile computing upon their graduation.

PDAs and handheld devices have recently allowed for digital note taking. This has increased student’s productivity by allowing individuals to quickly spell-check, modify, and amend their class notes or e-notes. Educators are currently able to distribute course material through the use of the internet connectivity or infrared file sharing functions of the PDA. With concerns to class material, textbook publishers have begun to release e-books, electronic textbooks, which can be uploaded directly to your PDA. This eliminates the exhausting effort of carrying multiple textbooks at one time.

To meet the instructive needs sought by educational institutes, software companies have developed programs with the learning aspects in mind. Simple programs such as dictionaries, thesauruses, and word processing software are important to the digital note taking process. In addition to these simple programs, encyclopedias and digital planning lessons have created added functionality for users.

With the increase in mobility of PDAs, school boards and educational institutes have now encountered issues with these devices. School boards are now concerned with students utilizing the internet connectivity to share test answers or to gossip during class time, which creates disruptions. Many school boards have modernized their computer policies to address these new concerns. Software companies such as Scantron Corp. have now created a program for distributing digital quizzes. The quiz software disables the infrared function on PDAs, which eliminates the element of information sharing among individuals during the examination. [link]

Overview

History

The term "personal digital assistant" was coined on January 7, 1992 by then Apple Computer CEO John Sculley at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, referring to the Apple Newton. In 1989, the Atari Portfolio, although technically classed a palmtop, was an early harbinger imitating the form of some of the more modern pocket devices. Earlier devices like the Psion and Sharp Wizard already had the functionality to be considered as PDAs. In fact, PDAs by other names were available as early as the mid-1970s -- first as very advanced calculators, then as electronic organizers, and later as palmtops. [link].

PDAs are some times referred to as "Palms" or "Palm Pilot" after an early PDA created by Palm, Inc. This usage is a case of genericized trademark, similar to referring to a tissue as a "Kleenex", a bandage as a "Band-Aid", or a marker as a "Magic Marker".

OS

The currently major PDA operating systems are:

Architecture

Many PDAs run using a variation of the ARM architecture (usually denoted by the Intel XScale trademark). This encompasses a class of RISC microprocessors that are widely used in mobile devices and embedded systems, and its design was influenced strongly by a popular 1970s/1980s CPU, the MOS Technology 6502.

Increasing popularity

According to a Gartner market study, the overall market for PDAs grew by 20.7% in the third quarter (Q3) of 2005, compared to Q3 2004, with marketshare resolving as follows (by operating system):[[Citing sources citation needed]]

The reason usually cited for the resumption in PDA market growth (after market declines in 2002 - 2004) is the growing interest in PDAs as Personal Communicators offering wireless email capabilities (such as BlackBerries), and PDAs with built-in GPS capabilities for navigation. It is possible that Smartphones, mobile phones with PDA-like abilities, will curtail growth in the sales of PDAs without telephony capabilty in the near future, as they subsume more of the same functions.

Popular consumer PDAs

Palm IIIxe PDA
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Palm IIIxe PDA

Rugged PDA for business, government and military applications

PDA Terminology

Operating system - Is a program that after being primarily installed, by a booby program, will administer all programs of a PDA.

Processor - A processor is the logic circuitry that responds to and processes the primary instructions that drive a PDA.

Memory/storage – This is a part of the PDA’s hardware that retains physical state or data, even when there is no source of electricity powering it.

Bluetooth – This is radio technology built around a new chip that enables you to transmit signals over short distances between computers and hand-held devices without the use of wires.

Wi-Fi – Also known as wireless fidelity. This type of wireless local area network (WLAN) uses certain specifications which conform to IEEE 802.11b.

Infrared port – A function that enables you to accept and send data from any other IR-enabled PDA.

Sync accessory – A cable that connects the PDA to another computing device through a USB or data port.

USB drive mode - Enables you to access, copy and move files between your PDA and the computer with Drive Mode. To access this you turn on Drive Mode, plug your sync cable into the USB port of the host computer, and the files stored on your PDA will appear as if you were using a USB drive. The benefit of the drive mode is that you are able to edit files without physically transferring them to the host computer. The changes that you make to the files are automatically saved to your PDA—and not on the computer.

Web browsing – This is a navigation tool running on your PDA, which enables users to access web servers within the Internet, browse information, view images, and download applications.

Desktop sync – The ability to connect with a personal computer from your PDA and share information between the two units.

Handwriting input – A function where you can physically handwrite on the PDA screen, where it will then be transcribed into a typed form.

Stylus - A blunt, pencil-like instrument used for writing or making selections on a PDA's touch-sensitive screen.

See also

External links

 

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