Personal Assistant

Showing posts with label Palm OS. Show all posts

Buying a Personal Digital Assistant

If there were one great invention in the field of modern gadgets, that would be the Personal Digital Assistant (PDA). This is because it helps people to do the things that they need to practically everywhere and anywhere they go without worrying about the size of the gadget.

PDAs are handheld computers which can enable you to do computer works in mobility. It has been invented to ensure that people who are in different fields can always have something to rely on in terms of organizing schedules, preparing activities or a calendar, a wide storage for contact details, and an access to the Internet everywhere and anywhere possible.

Useful tips

For starters, here are some of the tips that you can actually use in buying that perfect PDA for you. Make sure that you have done your research first so you won't be lost once you started your PDA shopping.

But since it is a compact computer, "Palms" or "Palm Pilots" can be quite expensive. If you really need one, it is best to conduct a research first about PDAs—what are the good models, what is the price range, features suitable for your need, and where you can you find the reliable sellers. The research can be done by spending some time browsing the Internet and visiting sites that offer information on PDAs. Here, you can get dose of PDAs history, its current trends, and even some tips in buying the model worth of your money.

You can also ask some of your friends or people that you know who have PDAs on what they think is ideal for you. Of course, this will depend primarily on your need and nature of your work. By asking people who have PDAs, you can get first hand information on the dos and don'ts in buying and using PDAs. They can even recommend brands that have the features that you need. And if you are lucky enough, they can even recommend you to the seller whom they got their PDAs where you can get some discounts or additional PDA accessories.

Once you have done your research, it is now time to have a list of what you really need the PDA for. This is very important because you might get overwhelmed with the models that you have seen during your research and not pay attention to what you really need. The nature of your work will greatly influence your buying options. Make sure that once you have chosen a unit to buy, you can maximize its use so you will get your money's worth.

The next consideration would be is your budget. Make sure that you have allotted a budget for your PDA and don’t go beyond what you cannot really buy. If possible, in setting the budget, make an allowance of about ten percent. This will help you get the best options without really going overboard. There are so many units in the market that are quite expensive because of its features. If you think that you don’t need those features, stick to those models within the range of your budget and of your needs.

You must also know the basics of PDA. Knowing the features is very important because this will help you decide which type of PDA that will suit your needs. Features of PDA include the size of the gadget itself, color, weight, stylus for character recognition, pre-installed programs including calculator, address book, date book, and note/memo pad.

It has synchronization, connectivity options as well as memory options for you to choose from. Also, determining the PDAs processor speed is quite crucial because it will greatly determine the efficient operation of your PDA. Knowing the right type of processor chip as well it's the memory size can help you perform the tasks needed in faster and accurate manner.

To ensure that you will get what you really need at your money's worth, other important things to take note of when buying a personal digital assistant is the memory, the software, and the operating system or OS.

What You Need to Know About a Personal Digital Assistant

Sphere: Related Content

Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) are handheld computers that are small in size so it can be brought when a person needs to go places. Also known as a "small computer," "palmtop computers," "palm tops," "palms" and "palm pilots," the PDA enables someone to do things that can be done using a personal computer.

Today, more and more manufacturers come up with newer models that have modern and updated features. These changes come in sizes, colors, and audio capabilities of the PDA. In fact, in the market today, most of the models have colored touch screens, higher definition of and audio components, and lighter, slimmer appearance.

Majority of which can also be double as a mobile phone, a portable media player with high storage capacity, and can even serve as a web browser because they can have access to the Internet through built-in intranets and extranets, through wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi), and through Wireless Wide-Area Networks (WWANs).

PDA 101

Although there are so many guides in using PDA, it greatly helps a lot if the user finds time to know its history and the movement of its progression. Did you know that the very first PDA was released 21 years ago? In May 1983, the CASIO PF-3000 released by GO Corp. penetrated the market and made the breakthrough. But, its fame did not materialize until John Sculley, the Chief Executive Officer of Apple used the term "PDA" at the Consumer Electronics Show which was held in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1992, referring to the "Apple Newton."

What makes that PDA a hit is that its touch screen means of entering any data, the large capacity of data storage through the memory card, and wireless connectivity such Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and IrDA. One unique feature about PDAs is that its software enables it to have a customized calendar for appointments and scheduled activities, an organized "to-do-list", an easy to use address book that has large capacity of memory for saving names and other details of contacts as well as a program that lets you take down some notes.

But, what makes it truly a hit for many people is its touch screen feature. Even the first batches of palms have touch screens for user interaction. This feature only has a few numbers of buttons that serve as shortcuts for specific programs. Although touch screen phones can operate using the bare hands, manufacturers came up with a "stylus" to make the touch screen feature more effective. Here, interaction is made easier and faster by just tapping the screen itself for the menu choices to appear. And just by tapping the screen, the stylus can easily activate the buttons you need for any program to work.

Aside from the touch screen feature, PDAs also have stroke recognition wherein there are a predetermined number of strokes which corresponds to the characters needed to be used. Other PDAs—especially those that are being used purely for business purposes—offer thumb or scroll wheels as well as full keyboards to make entering the data and navigation easier and more accurate.

For the personal digital assistant to work, it needs an operating system or OS. This is predetermined depending on the maker of the PDA.

Common PDA operating systems include the PalmSource's "Palm OS", Microsoft's "Windows Mobile Professional" and "Classic" for Pocket PCs, Apple Inc.'s "iPhone OS", and Research In Motion's "BlackBerry OS" among others.