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Personal digital assistants (PDAs or palmtops) are handheld devices that were originally designed as personal organizers, but became much more versatile over the years. A basic PDA usually includes a clock, date book, address book, task list, memo pad and a simple calculator. One major advantage of using PDAs is their ability to synchronize data with desktop, notebook and desknote computers.
Overview
The term "personal digital assistant" was coined on 7 January 1992 by John Sculley at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, referring to the Apple Newton. Earlier devices like the Psion and Sharp Wizard have the functionality to be considered PDAs, however.
The currently major PDA operating systems are PalmSource's Palm OS, Pocket PC (Windows CE) from Microsoft, BlackBerry from Research In Motion, Linux, and Symbian OS (formerly EPOC)
Many PDAs run using a variation of the ARM architecture (usually referred to by the Intel Xscale brand name). This is a class of RISC microprocessors that is widely used in mobile devices and embedded systems, and its design was influenced strongly by a popular 1970s/1980s CPU, the MOS Technology 6502. In its classic instant-on, silent operation, restricted storage and space, and single-tasking UI approach, the PDA can be seen as a logical descendent of the low power consumption, compact, limited capacity home computer popular during the late 1970s and 1980s. This class of machines has been largely replaced by descendents of the IBM PC that generally feature long boot-up times, fast execution CPUs that require active, noisy cooling, and very large capacity hard drives that also produce noise and heat.
According to a Gartner market study, the overall market has shrunk by 5% in the first quarter (Q1) of 2004, compared to Q1 2003, and the shares are:
- Palm OS - 40.5% (stable)
- Pocket PC - 40.4% (slightly increasing)
- BlackBerry - 14.8% (strongly increasing)
- Linux - 1.9% (stable)
- Other - 2.4% (strongly decreasing)
The usually cited reason for this decline are the growing capabilities of smartphones — mobile phones with PDA-like communication functions.
Popular PDAs
Other Uses
See also
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