PDAs (Personal Data Assistants)

---

A PDA is a small, mobile, handheld computing device that includes features such as fax, phone, networking, and Internet. Most PDAs in use today can accept input through the use of a stylus (mentioned earlier in this chapter), a small keyboard, and possibly voice input through voice recognition technologies. A very interesting development for PDAs was the implementation of the Graffiti handwriting recognition system. This allows one to write text to the operating system directly through the PDAs display screen with a stylus. The information written on the display screen is actually converted from input to text. The text can then be manipulated, stored, or e-mailed.

Note 

The most popular operating systems installed on most PDAs today are Microsoft Windows CE, PalmOS, and EPOC.

Synchronization

After data is inputted into a PDA system, it is often necessary to transfer or synchronize this data to a desktop computer system, laptop, or another PDA on a regular basis. Most PDAs come with a cradle that conveniently connects to a desktop with a serial (most commonly USB) cable. When the laptop is in the cradle, information can be transmitted or synced to the desktop system. Most cradles also provide power recharge capabilities while the PDA rests in the cradle. Data can be transferred through the serial connection from the PDA to a connected system and vice versa. In simple terms, the PDA's cradle is to a PDA what a docking station is to a laptop computer. (Docking stations will be discussed later in this chapter.) The most common methods used today to transfer information from one PDA to another PDA are through IR/IRDA (Infrared/Infrared Data Association) or Bluetooth (wireless specification standard). It is very important to note that PDAs can easily connect with each other, home computers, business systems, and phones using today's popular wireless standards, such as Bluetooth. Infrared and wireless connectivity will be explained in greater detail in Chapter 8.

Note 

The A+ Core Hardware exam is likely to question you on how data is transferred from PDA to desktop and from PDA to PDA.

Technological advances, which allow most PDAs to do everything that a regular desktop can do, have made PDAs a ‘must have' in today's hectic mobile electronic business world. You can use a PDA to remotely work with such things as databases, spreadsheets, documents, e-mail, games, and calendars.

---