The PDA - phone combo is one of the most powerful such combinations to come along in many years. The powerful new PDA's of today can replace your cell phone and much more. A good PDA cell phone combo can be your cell phone, your MP3 player, your electronic organizer and much more. This combination is often calles "smartphone"



When looking for a smartphone it is a good idea to make a list of the features you absolutely must have. Also make a list of those features you would like to have, but are not absolutely essential.

Once you have this list in hand it is time to start shopping for your new combination cellphone and PDA. The line of distinction between wireless phone and PDA is becoming increasingly blurry, and this is likely to continue in the future. There are PDA manufacturers who are incorporating cellphones into their design. Likewise, there are cell phone manufacturers who are loading their new devices with all sorts of "PDA like" features.

Whether you choose a PDA with comunication ability built in or a cellular with PDA features, you will want to pay careful attention to the service conditions for your cellular coverage. It is important to ensure you have true national coverage, particularly if you will be traveling often. PDA's that function as cellular phones are only as good as the cellular network on which they reside.

The new cellular and PDA combination units can be one of the most important accessories you can carry. Instead of carrying around two pieces of electronic equipment, you can carry around only your cellular-PDA combination.

This line of thought is the main consideration behind the trend we see in the last year or so. People have begun to look for an alternative to the duality of carrying around a cellular and a PDA. It makes no sense to have both. This is why Palm One has recently launched it's The Palm Treo 700p. This is one of many Smartphones produced that combines Palm PDA functions with a cell-phone, allowing for built-in voice and data. More examples for pocket pc and phone combos are the BlackBerry (Various Models) , Samsung i600, and the Audiovox XV6600. All of them cater to the same need for a phone that also has PDA abilities.

This direction is in the opinion of many, the way in which future PDA's are heading. It makes no sense to have a stand alone PDA when there are notebook computers that are so light and are much more comfortable and powerful when it comes to doing all the computer work one needs to do on the go.