The Multi Headed Device: The PDA
A Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), also called a palmtop computer, is a handheld computer. Being the size of a palm, it is compact and easy to carry wherever one goes. It carries out all the basic functions of a computer also. It can be used as web browser, a media player and mobile phone. Availability of Wi-Fi or Wireless Wide-Area Networks allows many PDAs to access the Internet, extranets or intranet.
Business organizations as well as government organizations make use of PDAs in many ways. It is common to find that PDAs are deployed and used in package delivery and supply chain management in warehouses, facilities maintenance and management, medical treatment and record keeping in hospitals and ‘wireless waitress’ applications in restaurants and hospitality venues. It also finds applications in meter reading by utilities, parking enforcement, route accounting, access control and security, and capital asset maintenance. Automatic Identification and Data Capture (AIDC) devices like Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), Bar Code, Smart Card Readers, voice recognition, magnetic stripes, Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and biometrics are finding its way into PDAs. These applications identify objects, collect data about these objects and enter the data automatically.
Personal Manager Applications were only featured in PDAs initially. Normally this consisted of diary, appointment calendar, scheduler, address and phone book, a notebook program, To-do list, some games, Organizer, Calculator, World time and Alarms. To these were added the functions of the simple camera, editors, text readers and game emulation. Later such programs as handwriting recognition software, Notepad, common reference material, Finance software, Drawing application, Voice recorder, File manager, Printer connection and Data synchronization were added. More and more functions began to be enabled with Wireless Wide-Area Networks or Wi-Fi. PDAs could be enabled with even more applications accessing the Internet such as sending Email, browsing the web and online transactions in purchase and banking, downloading e-book and many more. Its functionality was further enhanced with the addition of such software programs as Word processor, Custom dictionary, Spell checker and Spreadsheet.
With more functionalities being incorporated, the PDA market is zooming. Newer and more sophisticated but user friendly models are being launched. Some of the PDAs in the market are Palm TX, PalmOne M515, Pharos 535e Traveler, Palm Z22, Palm TX Handheld, HP iPAQ 111 Classic Handheld, Nokia N810 Portable Internet Tablet and Palm Tungsten E2 Handheld. You can search for Palm TX review in the Internet for details on Palm TX.
The applications in PDAs and their role in varied activities related to our work and life in general have made PDAs a critical tool to better our efficiency and effectiveness. Convergence of technologies and functions make it possible to carry out and manage activities related to our homes, purchases, finances, education, businesses, and health amongst others.
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