Personal Digital Assistants - UserLand Software



Personal Digital Assistants

The main purpose of a PDA is to act as an electronic organizer or day planner that is portable, easy to use, and capable of sharing information with a PC. It is supposed to be an extension of the PC, not a replacement.

Because PDAs are designed to complement the PC, they need to work with the same information in both places. If you make an appointment on your desktop computer, you need to transfer it to your PDA; if you jot down a phone number on your PDA, you should upload it later to your PC.

All PDAs come with some kind of personal information management (PIM) software that typically handles the following tasks to keep you organized:

▪ Store contact information (names, addresses, phone numbers, e-mail addresses)

▪ Make to-do lists

▪ Take notes

▪ Track appointments (date book, calendar)

▪ Remind you of appointments (clock, alarm functions)

▪ Perform calculations

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Handheld Operating Systems ( Palm

▪ The Palm OS is the operating system Palm and Handspring PDAs utilize.

▪ The Palm OS is different from, and is a competitor of, the Windows CE Operating System.

▪ All Palm OS devices come standard with four major software applications: the address book, date book, memo pad, and To-Do list.

▪ Most Palms come with applications such as DataViz Documents to Go--to view Microsoft Office applications, and PalmOne Media for photos and video.

▪ Synchronization software on the PDA works with companion software that you install on your PC. Palm OS devices use HotSync synchronization software.

▪ Internet-enabled Palms come with VersaMail for email and web browsing software.

▪ All programs are listed on the main screen.

▪ The handwriting recognition software is called Graffiti. The new Palms come with an updated version called Graffiti 2.

▪ There is a vast library of third party applications (not made by Palm) that you can add to the operating system.

▪ Most Palms have a smaller display area because of the Graffiti area on the screen.

▪ PalmOne now makes all of the Palm PDAs. The name changed from Palm, Inc. in 2003, when they acquired Handspring, Inc.

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Handheld Operating Systems(Windows CE/Mobile

▪ Pocket PC is the generic name for Windows Mobile PDAs.

▪ The Windows CE is an operating system very similar to a desktop system.

▪ Click the start button to get to the programs. Close windows and programs in the same manner as desktops by clicking the X in the top right corner.

▪ Pocket PC handwriting recognition software: Block Recognizer, Letter Recognizer (similar to Graffiti 2) and Transcriber (similar to Graffiti).

▪ Pocket PC synchronizes with MS Outlook.

▪ Pocket PC comes standard with Pocket Word, Excel, and Outlook. Some formatting is lost when transferring between the two versions.

▪ Synchronization software on the PDA works with companion software that you install on your PC. Microsoft Pocket PC devices use ActiveSync.

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Handheld Operating Systems(Common Features

Today, most PDAs incorporate wireless and multimedia functions of some type.

Functions found on most (but not necessarily all) devices include:

▪ Short-range wireless connectivity using Infrared (IR) or Bluetooth technology IR is found on most PDAs and requires a clear line of sight. It is commonly used to sync with a notebook computer that has an IR port. Bluetooth wirelessly connects (it's a radio frequency technology that doesn't require a clear line of sight) to other Bluetooth-enabled devices, such as a headset or a printer.

▪ Internet and corporate network connectivity through Wi-Fi and wireless access points

▪ Support for Wireless WAN (Wide Area Networks); the cellular data networks that provide Internet connectivity for smart phone devices.

▪ A memory card slot that accepts flash media such as CompactFlash, MultiMediaCard, and Secure Digital cards (Media cards act as additional storage for files and applications).

▪ Audio support for MP3 files and a microphone, speaker jack, and headphone jack

High-end PDAs offer multimedia, security, and add-on features not found on less expensive devices:

▪ A Secure Digital Input/Output (SDIO) card slot for add-on peripherals contained in an SDIO card, for example, a Bluetooth card, a Wi-Fi card, or a GPS (global positioning system) card.

▪ A built-in digital camera for snapping digital images and capturing short videos. (The quality will not be as good as that of a dedicated camera).

▪ Integrated security features such as a biometric fingerprint reader.

▪ Built-in GPS capabilities

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Smart Phones

A smart phone is either a cell phone with PDA capabilities or a traditional PDA with added cell phone capabilities, depending on the form factor (style) and manufacturer.

Characteristics of these devices include:

▪ A cellular service provider to handle phone service. (As with cell phones, you typically purchase a cellular plan and smart phone from the service provider.)

▪ Internet access through cellular data networks.

▪ Various combinations of cell phone and PDA features, depending on the device (for example, not all smart phones offer handwriting-recognition capabilities).

▪ A number of different operating systems, including Windows Mobile Pocket PC Phone Edition, the Palm OS, the Blackberry OS for Blackberry smart phones, and the Symbian OS for smart phones from Panasonic, Nokia, Samsung, and others.

Related devices include ultra portable computers, smart watches, and multimedia players.

Ultra portable computers range in weight from less than a pound to about three pounds, come with a full desktop operating system (such as Windows XP), and include a small keyboard.

Smart watches offer some PDA functions in a wristwatch form factor. Microsoft's SPOT (Smart Personal Objects Technology)-based watches, for example, can receive MSN Direct information such as weather and news. They can also receive calendar information and personal messages.

Some multimedia players can combine the functions of a PDA with multimedia features such as a digital camera, an MP3 player, and a video player. For example, the Tapwave Zodiac comes with an SDIO slot that accepts a Wi-Fi card for e-mail and Web support.

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PDA History

Predecessors of the modern PDA include the Psion Organiser and the Sharp Wizard. These early devices, which were intended to be portable computers, came out in the mid to late 1980s. They included small keyboards for input, a small display, and basic features such as an alarm clock, calendar, telephone pad, and calculator. Support for specialized software, such as games and spreadsheets, was also included. The Psion Organiser II, released in 1986, was especially popular and more than half a million were sold.

In 1993, Apple introduced the Newton MessagePad at a price of $700. It provided users with an electronic notepad, to-do list, calendar, telephone log, and address file applications. Some of the Newton's innovations have become standard PDA features, including a pressure-sensitive display with stylus, handwriting recognition capabilities, an infrared port, and an expansion slot. However, the Newton MessagePad was too big, expensive and complicated, and its handwriting recognition program was poor. Apple discontinued the Newton in 1998.

The original PalmPilot was introduced in March of 1996 by Palm Computing (owned by U.S. Robotics at the time). It cost less than $300, ran on its own Palm OS (operating system), fit in a shirt pocket, and synchronized with consumers' PCs. The PalmPilot ran for weeks on AAA batteries, was easy to use, and could store thousands of contacts, appointments, and notes. Part of its small size was due to the lack of a keyboard. Users used a stylus and the Graffiti language to input data.

Not to be outdone, Microsoft had been working on various forms of portable computing, including PenWindows and tablet computers. In November 1996, Microsoft released Windows CE—its first operating system for mobile devices. A number of manufacturers, such as HP, Compaq, and Casio, adopted it for what was dubbed the Handheld PC—the first Windows-based competitor for the PalmPilot.

And Now—

Traditional PDAs appear to be less popular than they have been in the past. Several manufacturers have exited the PDA market, including Sony and Toshiba. Sales of traditional PDAs have declined in recent years, according to IDC's Worldwide Handheld QView press release dated February 2, 2005.

For the future, PDAs need to continue to add to their core PIM functions in order to survive. The emergence and gaining popularity of smart phones and devices that combine other features such as wireless Internet, GPS, and multimedia capabilities seem to back this trend.

How PDAs Work



Activity C301-04

Review Questions

Directions: Complete and key each statement below. Save the document as Activity C301-04. Remember to use a header with your name, class, and the date.

1. The two types of PDA operating systems are .

2. The _____________________________ OS is very similar to a desktop computer.

3. The ____________________ OS’s applications are all located on the main screen.

4. When using Pocket Word, only _____________________ formatting can be used.

5. The Address Book is a _______________________________ button on the PDA.

6. The Calendar has _________ different views to see appointments on the calendar.

7. Your “To Do” list is called ___________________________________ on the PDA.

8. Notes can be ___________________ or _____________________ on the screen.

9. ________________________________________ is used to find files on the PDA.

10. __________________________ is used to read downloaded _______________.

11. Pocket PCs include __________________________________ to play audio files.

12. Pocket PCs use _______________ to transfer files between the desktop and PDA.

13. Open the ___________________ program to transfer programs to the Pocket PC.

14. Transferring data from one Pocket PC to another is done by _________________.

15. PDAs are mainly used as a/an __________________________________.

16. PIM stands for _____________________________________________________.

17. Palm PDAs use _______________ to transfer files between the desktop and PDA.

18. The new version of Palm’s handwriting recognition is called __________________.

19. Palm and ______________ merged in 2003 and is now called .

20. You close Pocket PC programs by .

21. Pocket PC synchronizes with the ___________________ program on the desktop.

22. Smart phones use ________________________________________ when online.

23. A smart phone is a combination of a _____________ and a .

24. The first portable computers resembling PDAs came out in .

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