PDAs Offer Personal Organization, Professional Efficiency

Personal digital assistants (PDAs) have come a long way since their humble beginnings as electronic organizers. With more memory, wireless connectivity, and even cellular phone service, deciding which PDA is best for you can be intimidating. This article will explain the general advantages and disadvantages of these devices to ease your mission.

There are two main operating systems for PDAs: Palm OS and Windows Mobile OS. Symbian and Linux are used on some PDAs, but these devices are geared toward specialty markets and advanced users and are not popular among general users.

Palm OS devices tend to be easier to use and have a longer battery life. There are more medical and general software programs available for Palm OS than for Windows Mobile, but the balance between the two is improving. PalmOne is the major manufacturer of Palm OS PDAs, since Sony pulled out of the PDA market.

Windows Mobile OS used to be called Pocket PC OS until 2003, when Microsoft changed the name. Many users still refer to these devices as a Pocket PC. In general, these devices are better at multimedia due to more memory, faster processors, and a wide array of peripherals; however, Palm continues to improve these capabilities in its devices. There are many manufacturers of Windows Mobile devices, with different specifications designed for different needs.

If you are purchasing a PDA for the first time, be sure to play around with its buttons and see how well it fits in your hand. Figuring out what the buttons do should be fairly intuitive. Check to see how fast the device seems to run and whether the screen size is suitable for viewing. Determine if you want to use your PDA with various accessories such as a global positioning system (GPS), camera, keyboard, or video output (for making presentations) or even with EEG and EKG modules.

I recommend that first-time users purchase a basic device unless they know they need greater speed and memory.

With new devices appearing almost every six months, staying on the cutting edge of the technology is like chasing a rainbow. Upgrade only when necessary—for example, if you require more memory or faster speed. For myself, I consider upgrading once a year to be a good balance of getting more power without spending too much for the latest and greatest. When you upgrade, it makes sense to consider whether the new device will allow you to continue to use the accessories that you have purchased. It is frustrating when manufacturers modify their connectors in newer devices to have greater capabilities.