Personal Digital Assistants PDAs

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Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs)

• Technology Tools

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What are PDAs?

• Personal Digital Assistant
• Small device that allows you to carry digital
  information.
• Weigh less than 5 ounces and about the size of
  your hand.
• Carries calendars, contact lists, productivity
  software (Word Excel), songs, photos, games.
• Synchronize your PDA with your computer so
  schedule updates can be shared and files can be
  portable.

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Hardware Inside a PDA

• CPU
• Operating System Software
• Storage Capabilities
• Input Output Devices
• Ports
• ROM
• RAM

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Kinds of Input Devices in PDAs

• Touch-sensitive screens
• Stylus penlike device you use on the
  touch-sensitive screens to input data in the PDA.
• Graffiti Text System special strokes that
  represent each letter, number, punctuation mark,
  and service keys of a standard keyboard.
• Graffiti is what you use to write on the
  touch-sensitive screen to input data using a
  stylus.
• Onscreen Keyboard Use your stylus to type
  (tap out) data.

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Who Uses a PDA?

• Business Workers, Teachers, Any Working Adult
• Calendars, Contacts, To-Do List, Documents to Go
• Medical Field
• Make notes on patients
• Document medicine dosages
• Schedule Surgeries
• Students
• Calendars, Contacts, To-Do-List, Documents to Go,
  Music, Photos

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Special Features

• Some PDAs can take photos and record video.
• LCD screens come in a variety of resolutions.
• Grayscale
• Color
• Information inputted into a PDA can be Beamed
  to another person with a PDA.
• Added accessories can be purchased for the PDA
  like carrying cases, additional software,
  batteries, more memory, keyboards, etc.

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Uses of the PDA

• Manage your personal information
• Contacts
• Appointments
• To-do lists
• Connect to the Internet
• Global positioning system (GPS) devices
• Run multimedia software
• Combined PDAs with
• Cell phones
• Multimedia players
• Other electronic gadgetry

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Common Features

• Short-range wireless connectivity using Infrared
  (IR) or Bluetooth
• Used to sync with a notebook computer that has an
  IR port.
• Internet and corporate network connectivity
  through Wi-Fi and wireless access points
• Support for Wireless WAN providing Internet
  connectivity for smart phone devices
• A memory card slot that accepts flash media
• Media cards act as additional storage for files
  and applications.
• Audio support for MP3 files and a microphone,
  speaker jack and headphone jack.

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vs Bells Whistles

• A Secure Digital Input/Output (SDIO) card slot
  for add-on peripherals
• A Bluetooth card
• A Wi-Fi card
• A GPS (global positioning system) card
• A built-in digital camera for digital images and
  short videos
• Integrated security features such as a biometric
  fingerprint reader.
• Built-in GPS capabilities

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What does a Pocket PC have?

• Pocket versions of Microsoft applications such as
  Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook
• Synchronization with Microsoft Outlook on a
  Windows PC
• Synchronization with e-mail systems other than
  Outlook or with Macintosh computers.
• Three handwriting-recognition applications
• Transcriber, Letter Recognizer (similar to the
  new version of Graffiti), and Block Recognizer
  (similar to the original Graffiti)
• A virtual writing area, which maximizes display
  size
• Windows Media Player for multimedia content

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Parts of a PDA
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Inside the PDA

• No Hard Drive
• Stores all information in the ROM chip
• RAM chip holds any program you add to the PDA and
  will only work when the PDA is on.
• Look at the amount of RAM on the PDA before
  purchasing.
• Flash Memory -non-volatile, which means it
  preserves the data and applications it
  stores--even when all battery power is depleted.

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Here is an inside view of a PDA. The circuit
board folds away from the screen. In the middle
of the single-layer circuit board is the
microprocessor, and to the left and above are the
memory chips.
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Batteries for PDA

• Batteries
• Some models use alkaline (AAA) batteries, while
  others use rechargeable batteries.
• Things that can drain the battery
• Operating system
• More memory
• Wireless connections, such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
  
• Backlighting on the display

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Battery Life

• Varies from hours to months
• Power management systems in place to extend the
  battery life.
• Low battery warnings are displayed
• If the batteries do run completely out of juice
  or if you remove them, most devices have an
  internal backup battery that provides short-term
  power (typically 30 minutes or less) until you
  install a replacement.
• If all power sources are depleted, PDAs lose all
  of the data in RAM. This makes backing up or
  synchronizing your PDA extremely important.
• PDAs come with AC adapters and a car adapter is
  available as an accessory.

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PDA Related Web Links

• http//k12handhelds.com/101list
• 101 Great Educational Uses for Your Handheld
  Computer
• Makers of PDAs Pocket PC
• Palm
• Dell
• Hewlett-Packard
• Sony
• Toshiba
• Compaq

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Smart Phones

• Smart phones are either cell phones with PDA
  capabilities or a traditional PDA with added cell
  phone capabilities
• Come with a cellular service provider to handle
  phone service.
• 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)
• Makers of smart phones
• 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

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Synchronize With PCs

• PDAs are designed to complement your PC, they
  need to work with the same information in both
  places.
• Synchronization software on the PDA works with
  companion software that you install on your PC.
• Microsoft Pocket PC devices use ActiveSync
• Palm OS devices use HotSync synchronization
  software.
• Synchronization allows you always have a backup
  copy of your data, which can be a lifesaver if
  your PDA is broken, stolen, or completely out of
  power.

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Buying Guide

• "What will I be using this for
• of the time?
• For basic organization reasons, you probably
  don't need wireless connectivity.
• If you travel frequently and want to stay in
  touch via e-mail, you need Wi-Fi capability or a
  smart phone with cellular data service.

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Buying Guide, cont

• What method will you use to enter
• data how often will you enter it?
• Email messages and note taking consider built in
  keyboard or keyboard accessory.
• Is it compatible with my home computer for
  synchronizing?
• Are you interested in a multipurpose device that
  combines features such as GPS, an MP3 player, or
  digital camera ?

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PDA Guide

• Complete the Quick Tour with your neighbor
• Input your neighbor as a contact (switch and let
  them input you)
• Set world clocks