What can PDAs Do

Act as an electronic organizer or day planner that is portable, easy to use is the purpose of the personal digital assistant or better known as the PDA. These little helpers are capable of sharing information with your computer and can be seen as an extension of the PC. They have other names like palmtops and handhelds and have evolved a lot over the years. They not only manage your to-do list but personal information also like contacts and appointments. Current devices can also connect to the Internet, run multimedia software and be a global positioning system for you. Cell phones are now combined with PDAs as well as electronic gadgetry and multimedia players. The Sharp Wizard and the Psion Organiser were both predecessors of the PDA that you see on the market today. They hit the market in the mid to late 1980s and had small keyboards, small display and features like calendars, alarm clock and calculator. More than half a million Psion Organiser II, released in 1986, were sold. Also included was support for specialized software such as games and spreadsheets. With a price of $700, Apple introduced the Newton MessagePad in 1993. A few of the Newton’s innovation are still seen on standard PDA features like a stylus, expansion slot and pressure-sensitive display.