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Personal digital assistants (PDAs) are , use as a Clock and Calendar , accessing the Internet , sending and receiving E-mails , Video Recording , Typewriting and Word Processing , use as an Address Book , making and writing on Spreadsheets , scanning Bar Codes , use as a Radio or Stereo , playing Computer Games , recording survey responses, and Global Positioning System (GPS). Newer PDAs also have both color screens and audio capabilities, enabling them to be used as Mobile Phone s ( Smartphones ), Web Browser s, or Portable Media Player s. Many PDAs can access the Internet , Intranet s or Extranet s via Wi-Fi , or Wireless Wide-Area Network s (WWANs). One of the most significant PDA characteristics is the presence of a Touch Screen . HISTORY The term "personal data assistant" was Coined on January 7 , 1992 by Apple Computer CEO John Sculley at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas , Nevada , referring to the Apple Newton . PDAs are some times referred to as "Palms", "Palm Pilot" or "Palm Tops" after an early PDA created by USR and Palm Inc called the Palm Pilot . TYPICAL FEATURES Currently, a typical PDA has a touch screen for entering data and a memory card slot for data storage and IrDA, Bluetooth and WIFI for connectivity. Touch screen Many original PDAs, such as the Apple Newton and 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 input is usually done in one of two ways:
PDAs for business use, including the BlackBerry and Treo , have full keyboards and scroll wheels or thumb wheels to facilitate data entry and navigation, in addition to supporting touch-screen input. There are also full-size foldable keyboards available that plug directly, or use wireless technology to interface with the PDA and allow for normal typing. BlackBerry also has additional functionality as push based email and applications. Newer PDAs, such as the Apple IPhone include new user interfaces using other means of input. The iPhone uses a technology called Multi-touch which uses fingers as input. Whereas the MicroSoft version contains a slightly different version of Multi-Touch which is more advanced than Apple's Technology. Memory cards Although many early PDAs did not have Memory Card slots, now most have either an SD ( Secure Digital ) and/or a Compact Flash slot. Although originally designed for memory, SDIO and Compact Flash cards are available for such things as Wi-Fi and Webcams. Some PDAs also have a USB port, mainly for USB Flash Drives . Wired connectivity While many earlier PDAs connected via Serial Ports or other proprietary format, many today connect via USB cable. This served primarily to connect to a computer, and few, if any PDAs were able to connect to ''each other'' out of the box using cables, as USB requires one machine to act as a host - functionality which was not often planned. Some PDAs were able to connect to the internet, either by means of one of these cables, or by using an extension card with an Ethernet port/ RJ-45 adaptor. Wireless connectivity Most modern PDAs have port or adapter. Most universal PDA keyboards use infrared technology because many older PDAs have it, and infrared technology is low-cost. Synchronization An important function of PDAs is synchronizing data with a PC. This allows up-to-date contact information stored on software such as Microsoft Outlook or ACT! to update the database on the PDA. The data synchronization 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 PC, 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 PC. This is done through synchronization software provided with the handheld, such as HotSync Manager, which comes with Palm OS handhelds, Microsoft ActiveSync for older versions of Windows or Windows Mobile Center on Windows Vista, 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 As with Personal Computers , 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. An example of this would be the display theme for the PDA. Almost all PDAs also allow for adding some form of 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 most mainstream PDAs for quicker text input. PDAs with Bluetooth use Bluetooth-enabled devices like headsets, mice and foldable Small Textkeyboard USES PDAs are used to store information that can be accessed at any time and any where. Automobile navigation Many PDAs are used in car kits and are fitted with differential Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers to provide realtime automobile navigation. Most systems can also display traffic conditions, dynamic routing and roadside mobile radar guns. This information is usually downloaded from the Internet prior to travel, or can be downloaded on the fly with PDAs equipped with GPRS technology. Popular software in Europe for this functionality is TomTom software showing road conditions and 3D environments. PDAs are increasingly being fitted as standard on new cars. 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. There are even PDAs designed to take significant amounts of punishment, probably meant for military use. Unfortunately, these devices often lack the features of other PDAs, and come with a steep price tag. {Link without Title} Medical and scientific uses In medicine, PDAs have been shown 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. The first landmark study in testing the effectiveness of PDAs in a medical setting was conducted at the Brigham & Women's Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospitals in affiliation with Harvard Medical School. Led by the team of Steven Labkoff, MD and Sandeep Shah, the Constellation project used Apple's Newton (first PDA in the market) to cater to the demands of the medical professionals.
DECREASING POPULARITY? PDA sales fell 43.5% from 2006 to 2007. Approximately 4 million PDAs are sold per year, while smartphone sales are approximately 60 million per year. 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):
SHORTCOMINGS Perhaps, more than any other computer devices, the PDA lacks the fully-blown infrastructure of a Wireless Broadband network. This could be offered in future by WiMax . Nowadays prices of Laptop s are coming down. Though somewhat bigger in size, laptops have better visibility and are more powerful. However, the OQO Model 2 has been released as an IBM-PC Compatible PDA with a USB port so that people can play computer games from ubiquitous operating systems such as Windows XP and connect typical PC peripherals. POPULAR CONSUMER NMC
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RUGGED PDAS FOR BUSINESS, GOVERNMENT AND MILITARY APPLICATIONS SEE ALSO
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