Pda - Shrink your Computer

By: Raina Kelsey

PDA or personal digital assistance has been a boon for the busy professionals and the tech savvy users. The device is a hand held computer that is enabled with some advance features to effectively manage contacts, tasks and appointments. This includes specific information like address database, calendar, to-do list and note taker.

PDAs are also wireless at times. A wireless PDA can offer features like e-mail, Web browsing and cellular phone service. For synchronisation of data between PDAs and desktop computer, cabled connection is needed, or it may happen through a wireless connection.

PDAs first came into existence in 1993, with Apple's MessagePad. It was commonly known as "Newton". However, Palm Pilots improved upon the technology and made the device popular after couple of years. And with Blackberry's synchronized e-mail in 1999, the PDA escalated to becoming a mobile office.

PDAs are extremely useful for storing heavy information. PDAs can be operated in two ways - PDAs may use a pen or keys. In the pen-based PDAs, the users operate the device using a stylus. Stylus is a thin pencil shaped device, the users select the menu on the screen by gently tapping with the stylus. This also means that most PDAs have a feature called handwriting recognition. Lightweight, full-size, folding keyboards can be connected and used when a desk surface is available.

Key-based units have tiny physical keyboards and various cursor keys and scroll wheels. Blackberry's Thumbwheel is an example of such a device.

There are a vast number of PDAs available in the market today. Some have basic functionalities while others are enabled with many hi-end features. There are some PDAs which can even recognize voice. Thus, A typical PDA can function as a cellular phone, fax sender, Web browser and personal organizer.

PDAs are also called hand held computers, palmtops, and pocket computers.

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