Personal digital assistant
This article needs additional citations for verification. (November 2012) |
A personal digital assistant (PDA), also known as a handheld PC,[1][2] is a multi-purpose mobile device which functions as a personal information manager. PDAs have been mostly displaced by the widespread adoption of highly capable smartphones, in particular those based on iOS and Android, and thus saw a rapid decline in use after 2007.[3][4]
A PDA has an electronic visual display. Most models also have audio capabilities, allowing usage as a portable media player, and also enabling many of them to be used as telephones. By the early 2000s, nearly all PDA models had the ability to access the Internet, intranets or extranets via Wi-Fi or Wireless WANs, and since that time PDAs generally include a web browser. Sometimes, instead of buttons, PDAs employ touchscreen technology.
History
The first PDA, the Organiser, was released in 1984 by Psion, followed by Psion's Series 3, in 1991. The latter began to resemble the more familiar PDA style, including a full keyboard.[5][6] The term PDA was first used on January 7, 1992 by Apple Inc. CEO John Sculley at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, referring to the Apple Newton.[7]
In 1994, IBM introduced the first PDA with analog cellular phone functionality, the IBM Simon, which can also be considered the first smartphone. Then in 1996, Nokia introduced a PDA with digital cellphone functionality, the 9000 Communicator.
Another early entrant in this market was Palm, with a line of PDA products which began in March 1996. Palm would eventually be the dominant vendor of PDAs until the rising popularity of Pocket PC devices in the early 2000s.[8] By the mid-2000s most PDAs had morphed into smartphones as classic PDAs without cellular radios were increasingly becoming uncommon.
Typical features
A typical PDA has a touchscreen for navigation, a memory card slot for data storage, and
Touchscreen
Many of the original PDAs, such as the
Typical methods of entering text on touchscreen PDAs include:
- A virtual keyboard, where a keyboard is shown on the touchscreen. Text is entered by tapping the on-screen keyboard with a finger or stylus.
- An external Infrared port, or Bluetooth. Some users may choose a chorded keyboardfor one-handed use.
- Handwriting recognition, where letters or words are written on the touchscreen, often with a stylus, and the PDA converts the input to text. Recognition and computation of handwritten horizontal and vertical formulas, such as "1 + 2 =", may also be a feature.
- Stroke recognition allows the user to make a predefined set of strokes on the touchscreen, sometimes in a special input area, representing the various characters to be input. The strokes are often simplified character shapes, making them easier for the device to recognize. One widely known stroke recognition system is Palm's Graffiti.
Despite research and development projects, end-users experience mixed results with handwriting recognition systems. Some find it frustrating and inaccurate, while others are satisfied with the quality of the recognition.[9]
Touchscreen PDAs intended for business use, such as the
Memory cards
Although many early PDAs did not have
Wired connectivity
While early PDAs connected to a user's personal computer via serial ports or another proprietary connection,[specify] many today connect via a USB cable. Older PDAs were unable to connect to each other via USB, as their implementations of USB did not support acting as the "host". Some early PDAs were able to connect to the Internet indirectly by means of an external modem connected via the PDA's serial port or "sync" connector,[10] or directly by using an expansion card that provided an Ethernet port.
Wireless connectivity
Most PDAs utilize Bluetooth, a popular wireless protocol for mobile devices. Bluetooth can be used to connect keyboards, headsets,
Synchronization
Most PDAs can
Most PDAs come with the ability to synchronize to a computer. This is done through synchronization software provided with the handheld, or sometimes with the computer's operating system. Examples of synchronization software include:
- HotSync Manager, for Palm OSPDAs
- Microsoft
- Microsoft Windows Mobile Device Center for Windows Vista, which supports Microsoft Windows Mobile and Pocket PC devices
- Apple iTunes used on Mac OS Xand Microsoft Windows to sync iOS devices (such as the iPhone and iPod touch)
- iSync, included with Mac OS X, can synchronize many SyncML-enabled PDAs
- BlackBerry Desktop Software, used to sync BlackBerry devices.
These programs allow the PDA to be synchronized with a personal information manager, which may be part of the computer's operating system, provided with the PDA, or sold separately by a third party. For example, the RIM BlackBerry comes with RIM's 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 Palm PDAs—such as the Treo 650—have the ability to sync to Palm Desktop or Microsoft Outlook. Microsoft's ActiveSync and Windows Mobile Device Center only synchronize with Microsoft Outlook or a Microsoft Exchange server.[
Wireless synchronization
Some PDAs can synchronize some or all of their data using their wireless networking capabilities, rather than having to be directly connected to a personal computer via a cable. Devices running Palm's
Operating systems of PDAs
The most common operating systems pre-installed on PDAs are:
- Palm OS
- Microsoft Windows CEkernel
Other, rarely used operating systems:
- Symbian OS(in mobile phone + PDA combos)
- Linux (e.g. VR3, iPAQ,[17] Sharp Zaurus PDA, Opie, GPE, Familiar Linux[18] etc.)
- Newton
- QNX (also on iPAQ)
Some PDAs include Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers; this is particularly true of smartphones. Other PDAs are compatible with external GPS-receiver add-ons that use the PDA's processor and screen to display location information.[19] PDAs with GPS functionality can be used for automotive navigation. PDAs are increasingly being fitted as standard on new cars. PDA-based GPS can also display traffic conditions, perform dynamic routing, and show known locations of roadside mobile radar guns. TomTom, Garmin, and iGO offer GPS navigation software for PDAs.
Ruggedized
Some businesses and government organizations rely upon rugged PDAs, sometimes known as
Typical applications include:
- Access control and security
- Capital asset maintenance
- Facilities maintenance and management
- Infection control audit and surveillance within healthcare environments
- Medical treatment and recordkeeping in hospitals
- Meter reading by utilities
- Military (U.S. Army, Pakistan Army)
- Package delivery
- Park and wildlife rangers
- Parking enforcement
- Route accounting
- Supply chain management in warehouses
- Taxicab allocation and routing
- Waiter and waitress applications in restaurants and hospitality venues
- Wildlife biologists
Educational uses
This section needs additional citations for verification. (August 2010) |
PDAs and handheld devices are allowed in many classrooms for digital note-taking. Students can spell-check, modify, and amend their class notes on a PDA. Some educators[
Recreational uses
PDAs may be used by music enthusiasts to play a variety of music file formats. Many PDAs include the functionality of an
See also
- Automotive navigation system
- Graffiti (Palm OS)
- Information appliance
- Medical calculator
- Pen computing
- Personal navigation assistant (PNA)
- Pocket-sized computing device
References
- ^ Viken, Alexander (April 10, 2009). "The History of Personal Digital Assistants 1980 – 2000". Agile Mobility. Archived from the original on 30 October 2013. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
- ^ "History of the HP 95LX computer". HP Virtual Museum. Hewlett-Packard. Retrieved February 18, 2011.
- ISBN 978-0-470-97742-2. Retrieved July 5, 2012.
- ^ "The Golden Age of PDAs". PC Magazine.
- ^ "The Protea Story". The Register.
- ^ "3-Lib History of Psion". Retrieved 9 June 2015.
- ^ Newton, Reconsidered - Time magazine, June 1, 2012
- ^ "Palm's market position erodes".
- ^ Kahney, Leander (August 29, 2002). "Apple's Newton Just Won't Drop". Wired. Condé Nast Publications. Archived from the original on September 2, 2010. Retrieved August 21, 2010.
- Mayer, Don (July 1, 1997). "Kibbles&Bytes #29: Don's Review of the Newton Message Pad 2000". Small Dog Electronics. Archived from the original on April 16, 2008. Retrieved February 18, 2011.
- Klingsporn, Geoffrey (May 1997). "The Postgraduate Newton: a month in academia with Apple's new handheld computer". The History and Macintosh Society. note-taking. Retrieved August 21, 2010.
- Wittmann, Michael C. "What's Right With The Newton: Part I: Handwriting recognition". Archived from the original on September 8, 2006. Retrieved August 21, 2010.
- ^ Patrick (December 14, 2006). "Palm PDA Cables". DeepWave. Patrick Khoo. Archived from the original on August 30, 2010. Retrieved August 21, 2010.
- ^ "MC55A0 Rugged Wi-Fi Enterprise Mobile Computer". Retrieved January 26, 2013.
- ^ For example: "HP LaserJet 5P and 5MP Printers — Product Specifications". HP Business Support Center. Hewlett-Packard. Archived from the original on April 25, 2005. Retrieved August 21, 2010.
- ^ "CommonTime - Cross-platform mobile app development tools". CommonTime. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
- ^ "Sync calendar, contacts, tasks and notes to Android, iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry - CompanionLink". Retrieved 9 June 2015.
- ^ "BlackBerry — Enterprise Server — BlackBerry BES Server". Research In Motion. Archived from the original on July 13, 2012. Retrieved August 21, 2010.
- ^ "BlackBerry — Business Software Features". Research In Motion. Archived from the original on 2012-04-16. Retrieved August 21, 2010.
- ^ "Ernest Khoo: Alternative operating systems on your PDA". Archived from the original on 2012-08-10.
- ^ "Highlights: Knowing the differences in PDA operating systems". Retrieved 9 June 2015.
- ^ "Palm Support: Palm GPS Navigator 3207NA". Archived from the original on July 14, 2012. Retrieved August 21, 2010.
- ^ "10 tips to save on college textbooks". Centre Daily Times. August 20, 2010. Archived from the original on August 23, 2010. Retrieved August 21, 2010.
- PMID 22240206.