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PDA usage spans ever-widening market

 

Things are starting to get interesting in the personal digital assistant (PDA) market.

Handheld computing has witnessed a batch of new entrants, new features and new capabilities that are making these portables more practical than ever before.

For years, busy business professionals have used handheld computers to organize their time, keep contact information and take notes without having to lug around a full-sized notebook computer. The PDA has effectively replaced the once ubiquitous DayTimer organizer as a key element in the road warrior’s arsenal. Now, with a wider range of prices and options, the PDA market has widened to include a more diverse user group.

If you’ve thought at all about getting one, the first question you may ask yourself is: Do I really need a PDA?

If you routinely keep a calendar or make to-do lists to organize your time, carry phone numbers around on scraps of paper or scratch notes on napkins, you could benefit from having an everything-in-one-place device that you can carry in your briefcase, purse or pocket. Along with these functions, many of today’s handheld computers have even more to offer. From mobile connectivity and mapping, to multimedia and gaming, these little devices aren’t just for business anymore.

Once you’ve made the decision to purchase a PDA, though, finding the one that’s right for you can be a daunting task.

To help narrow down your choices, there are a couple of questions you might ask, such as how will you use it and how much do you expect to spend. As you might imagine, these two questions are somewhat related to one another, so looking at what’s available in a general price range can be a useful place to start.

Another consideration, and one that is also related to price range, is which operating system the device will be using. The two most prominent choices are the popular Palm OS and Microsoft’s Pocket PC, a newer version of the Windows CE platform. Generally speaking, the Palm OS is designed for monochrome devices and will likely be the operating system of choice on budget (up to $200) and mid-range ($200 to $400) PDAs. The Pocket PC platform is made for color devices and, predictably, can be found in the mid to expensive (over $400) range. In addition, Pocket PC includes versions of such applications as Word, Excel, and Outlook, so if you need word processing capabilities or work with databases, consider a device using the Pocket PC platform.

Navigation in the Palm OS is task-driven and direct. Most applications can be opened in one step. The Pocket PC system, by contrast, is menu-driven. Much like its older sibling, MS Windows, opening an application may require two or three steps. If your primary requirement in a PDA is to function as an organizer and information manager, you’ll probably want to stick with one that uses the simpler Palm OS. For multimedia functions, such as the ability to display photos and videos, or listen to music files, a Pocket PC will likely be the better choice. Keep in mind that multimedia files can be rather large, so you’ll want to choose a device that can also handle some type of removable storage media, such as Compact Flash or Smart Media cards, or Sony’s Memory Stick.

Nearly all PDAs on the market today are Internet-capable, either through an internal modem, add-on modem, or connected to a compatible cellular phone. If mobile connectivity is an important consideration, though, look at those with internal modems to reduce additional hardware cost and added bulk.

Finally, some handheld devices, such as Handspring’s Visor line of PDAs, support add-on modules to extend their capabilities to include digital photography, MP3s or Windows Media Audio (WMA) formats, as well as games and other multimedia functions. The question is whether the cost of the individual modules justifies the convenience of an all-in-one solution compared to the higher quality afforded by a separate device.

Shopping in the budget range will get you all of the basic productivity functions: Calendar, date book, address book and task list. Devices in this range will generally use the Palm operating system, have monochrome screens, and support some type of handwriting recognition to allow inputting of notes and other information. Popular choices in this price range include the Palm m100, Handspring Visor, Casio Cassiopeia, and Royal daVinci DV3.

There are number of mid-range PDAs to choose from, including the 3Com Palm IIIe, IIIxe and Vx, Compaq’s Aero 1550, Visor Deluxe and Visor Platinum, Sony Cliè, and TGRpro. All are monochrome devices, with those on the high end boasting faster processors, increased memory, brighter screens, or sleeker designs. The Visor, Sony, and TGRpro models all offer some form of removable storage, as well.

If a color display is on your list of must-haves, you’ll find the Compaq iPac H3600, Visor Prism, HP Jornada 548, some Cassiopeia models, and the Palm IIIc in the expensive range. If an onboard modem is an absolute necessity, then have a look at the Palm VIIx and the iPaq Blackberry 1100, also in the over-$400 range.

When it comes to handheld organizers, there really is something for everyone. Knowing what you want in a PDA will make it easier to choose the one that’s right for you.

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