Personal Digital Assistant!

PERSONAL DIGITAL ASSISTANT (PDA)

If you don’t know what a PDA is all about, then you might be missing a lot because it is an electronic gadget that has the ability to perform most tasks that a laptop would be needed for. Recently in the Nigeria, the CEO of Zenith Bank Intl. distributed 200 PDAs to youths who attended their yearly I.T seminar and I believe this is a great pivilege when you look at the features and the price of purchasing one.Personal Digital Assistants(PDAs) are handheld devices that were originally designed as personal organisers, but became much more versatile over the years. PDAs have many uses: calculating, use as a clock and calendar, playing computer games, accessing the Internet, sending and receiving E-mails, use as a radio or stereo, video recording, recording notes, use as an address book, and use as a spreadsheet. Newer PDAs also have both color screens and audio capabilities, enabling them to be used as mobile phones (smartphone), web browsers or media players. Many PDAs can access the Internet, intranets or extranets via Wi-Fi, or Wireless Wide-Area Networks (WWANs). One of the most significant PDA characteristic is the presence of a touch screen.EVOLUTIONThe term "personal digital assistant" was a coined on January 7, 1992 by then Apple Computer CEO John Sculley at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, referring to the Apple Newton. In 1989, the Atari Portfolio, although technically classed a palmtop, was an early harbinger imitating the form of some of the more modern pocket devices. Earlier devices like the Psion and Sharp Wizard already had the functionality to be considered as PDAs. In fact, PDAs by other names were available as early as the mid-1970s -- first as very advanced calculators, then as electronic organizers, and later as palmtops.PDAs are some times referred to as "Palms" or "Palm Pilot" after an early PDA created by Palm, Inc. This usage is a case of genericized trademark . This evolution was extracted from the Winkepedia.Uses of PDA are enormous, so only its educational purpose would be discussed because of time constraint.THE USE OF PDA IN EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM PDAs and handheld devices have recently allowed for digital note taking. This has increased student’s productivity by allowing individuals to quickly spell-check, modify, and amend their class notes or e-notes. Educators are currently able to distribute course material through the use of the internet connectivity or infrared file sharing functions of the PDA. With concerns to class material, textbook publishers have begun to release e-books, electronic textbooks, which can be uploaded directly to your PDA. This eliminates the exhausting effort of carrying multiple textbooks at one time.To meet the instructive needs sought by educational institutes, software companies have developed programs with the learning aspects in mind. Simple programs such as dictionaries, thesauri, and word processing software are important to the digital note taking process. In addition to these simple programs, encyclopedias and digital planning lessons have created added functionality for users. Infact, it makes assimilation easier when compared to the ordeals you have to go through in order to read illegible handwritings.PDA terminologiesOperating system - Is a program that after being primarily installed, will administer all programs of a PDA.Processor - A processor is the logic circuitry that responds to and processes the primary instructions that drive a PDA.Memory/storage – This is a part of the PDA’s hardware that retains physical state or data, even when there is no source of electricity powering it.Bluetooth – This is radio technology built around a new chip that enables you to transmit signals over short distances between computers and hand-held devices without the use of wires.Wi-Fi – Also known as wireless fidelity. This type of wireless local area network (WLAN) uses certain specifications which conform to IEEE 802.11b.Infrared port – A function that enables you to accept and send data from any other IR-enabled PDA.Sync accessory – A cable that connects the PDA to another computing device through a USB or data port.USB drive mode - Enables you to access, copy and move files between your PDA and the computer with Drive Mode. To access this you turn on Drive Mode, plug your sync cable into the USB port of the host computer, and the files stored on your PDA will appear as if you were using a USB drive. The benefit of the drive mode is that you are able to edit files without physically transferring them to the host computer. The changes that you make to the files are automatically saved to your PDA—and not on the computer.Web browsing – This is a navigation tool running on your PDA, which enables users to access web servers within the Internet, browse information, view images, and download applications.Desktop sync – The ability to connect with a personal computer from your PDA and share information between the two units.Handwriting input – A function where you can physically handwrite on the PDA screen, where it will then be transcribed into a typed form.Stylus - A blunt, pencil-like instrument used for writing or making selections on a PDA's touch-sensitive screen.Remote Sensor- Some PDAs now come with remote sensors that can be used to contro TVs, DVDs etc.