Ready to get your life in order? Then maybe it’s time to get a personal digital assistant. These small, lightweight devices can keep track of your appointments, phone numbers, and to-do lists, usually syncing with Microsoft Outlook or other desktop organizer software. Today’s PDAs can also keep you amused with games, music, and video; a growing number have built-in cameras, and a few newer ones integrate GPS receivers as well.
Even entry-level PDAs now have color screens, and all but the most inexpensive models also let you track e-mail, browse the Web, and send instant or text messages via built-in wireless Internet connectivity–Bluetooth (for connecting via a Bluetooth cell phone), Wi-Fi, and/or (in the case of PDA-phone hybrids) cellular networks. At the high end, a couple of models support two or three modes of wireless connection, so you can enjoy broadband speeds at Wi-Fi hotspots and increasingly speedy cellular hookups almost anyplace else.
Key Features
Platform: Most PDAs run on one of two major operating systems, or platforms: the Palm OS from PalmSource (now a subsidiary of the Japanese firm Access) and Microsoft’s increasingly popular Windows Mobile OS. Some devices run on other platforms–most notably Research In Motion’s BlackBerry–but the Palm OS and Windows Mobile still dominate the market.
PDA CPUs: There was a time when nobody paid attention to PDA processors, in part because they were fairly low powered to conserve battery life, and also in part because they are embedded. In other words, you can’t upgrade or replace them the way you might be able to swap out a chip on a PC motherboard. But the mobile CPU business has become more competitive, thanks in no small part to Intel’s entry into the market (Intel sold its handheld chip business to Marvell several months ago). PDA vendors have begun to promote the chips that power their handhelds–and savvy buyers know that a powerful chip can make for snappy performance in a high-end device.
Internal memory (RAM): Basic organizer functions (appointments, alarms, contact lists, tasks, and memos) don’t require much memory. The 32MB amount that comes with the lowest-end current Palm–the $99 Z22–is adequate if these tasks are all you want to do. Third-party software such as utilities and games quickly eat up RAM, however, so look for a model with 64MB or more of RAM–or a model that accepts Secure Digital (SD) memory cards (see below)–if you plan to load lots of extra programs or you want to store lots of media for playback. Newer Palms include ROM for storing the OS and key vital data such as contacts, so that you don’t lose them if the battery runs down.
Battery power: Modern PDAs include built-in batteries that you recharge by either placing the PDA in a docking cradle or, increasingly, hooking it up to a combination syncing/recharging cable. The battery life depends largely on the size and brightness of the screen, the applications you run, and whether you’re using Wi-Fi (a big battery-life drain). Battery life can be anything from a couple of hours to 10 hours.
Cameras: Many current PDAs include built-in cameras similar to those found in camera phones. PDA cameras let you take a quick snapshot of something (or someone) in moderately bright light. Resolution ranges from VGA (640 by 480 pixels) to a growing number of 1- and even 2-megapixel models. But don’t expect beautiful, Annie Leibovitz-quality photos with a PDA camera. In some cases, you’ll be lucky if you can make out what you’ve snapped, even if the device includes an LED flash to illuminate the scene. But in a crunch, a PDA camera can be a useful feature.
GPS: With GPS-driven car navigation systems gaining in popularity, a couple of vendors (Garmin International, HP, and Pharos) have created PDAs with integrated GPS receivers and bundled navigation software, which provide voice-based turn-by-turn directions and maps. Typically you can’t yet get both integrated GPS and integrated Wi-Fi in the same unit, but a small and growing number of devices are bundling both technologies–and sometimes Bluetooth and cell phone radios as well. If you want to add Wi-Fi or GPS, you should be able to do so via third-party products that connect either via Bluetooth (in the case of GPS) or through the handheld’s expansion (SD) card slot.
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