Personal Digital Assistant or Palmtop (PDA)(पर्सनल डिजिटल असिस्टेंट किसे कहते हैं?

Personal Digital assistant  A personal digital assistant (PDA), also known as a handheld PC,is a versatile mobile device that acts as a personal information manager. Seeing a rapid decline in use after 2007, PDAs have been displaced by the widespread adoption of highly capable smartphones, particularly those based on iOS and Android.

special features

Touch Screen

 Many original PDAs, such as the Apple Newton and Palm Pilot, had a touchscreen for user interaction, with only a few buttons – usually reserved for shortcuts to frequently used programs. Some touchscreen PDAs, including Windows Mobile devices, had a detachable stylus to facilitate selection. The user interacts with the device by tapping the screen to select a button or issuing a command, or by dragging a finger (or stylus) on the screen to make a selection or scroll.

 memory cards

 Although many early PDAs did not have memory card slots, most now have either a Secure Digital (SD) slot, a CompactFlash slot, or a combination of the two. Although designed for memory, Secure Digital Input/Output (SDIO) and Compact Flash cards are available that provide peripherals such as Wi-Fi or digital cameras, if the device can support them. Some PDAs also have a USB port, primarily for USB flash drives. [ Questionable ] Some PDAs use microSD cards, which are electronically compatible with SD cards, but their physical size is much smaller.

wired connectivity

 

While early PDAs connected to the user's personal computer via serial port or other proprietary connections, [ specify ] many today connect via USB cable. Older PDAs were unable to connect to each other via USB, because the implementation of USB did not support acting as a "host". Some early PDAs were able to connect to the Internet indirectly through an external modem connected through the PDA's serial port or "sync" connector,Or directly by using an expansion card that provides an Ethernet port.

 Wireless connection

 Most PDAs use Bluetooth, a popular wireless protocol for mobile devices. Bluetooth can be used to connect keyboards, headsets, GPS receivers, and other nearby accessories. It is also possible to transfer files between PDAs that have Bluetooth. Many PDAs have Wi-Fi wireless network connectivity and can connect to a Wi-Fi hotspot.All smartphones and some other PDAs can connect to wireless wide area networks, such as those provided by cellular telecommunications companies. Older PDAs from 1990 to 2006 typically had an IrDA (infrared) port that allowed short-range, line-of-sight wireless communications. Few current models use this technology, as it has been replaced by Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. IrDA allows communication between two PDAs, or between a PDA and any device with an IrDA port or adapter. Some printers have IrDA receivers,Allows IrDA-equipped PDAs to print if the PDA's operating system supports it. Universal PDA keyboards designed for these older PDAs use infrared technology. [ citation needed ] Infrared technology is low cost and has the advantage of being allowed aboard. [ Please, specify ]

 identification

 Most PDAs can synchronize their data with applications on the user's computer. This allows the user to update contacts, schedules, or other information on their computer using software such as Microsoft Outlook or ACT!, and have the same data transferred to the PDA—or the updated information back from the PDA. be transferred to the computer. This eliminates the need for the user to update his data at two places. Synchronization also protects against loss of information stored on the device if it is lost, stolen, or destroyed. When the PDA is repaired or replaced, it can be "resynced" with the computer, restoring the user's data. Some users find that data input is quicker on their computer than on their PDA, as text input via a touchscreen or small-scale keyboard is slower than a full-size keyboard. Transferring data to the PDA via the computer is therefore much faster than manually inputting all the data on the handheld device. [citation needed]

 Wireless synchronization

 Some PDAs can synchronize some or all of their data using their wireless networking capabilities rather than being directly connected to a personal computer via a cable. Devices running Palm's webOS or Google's Android operating systems sync primarily with the cloud. For example, if Gmail is used, contact, email, and calendar information can be synchronized between the PDA and Google's servers. RIM sells BlackBerry Enterprise Server to corporations so that corporate BlackBerry users can wirelessly synchronize their PDAs with the company's Microsoft Exchange Server, IBM Lotus Domino or Novell GroupWise servers. [15] Emails, calendar entries, contacts, tasks, and memos held on the company's servers are automatically synchronized with the BlackBerry.

 PDA operating system

•  Microsoft Windows Mobile (Pocket PC) with Windows CE kernel
• EPOC, then Symbian OS (in Mobile Phone PDA Combo)
• Linux (e.g. VR3, iPAQ Sharp Zaurus PDA, OP, GPE, Familiar Linux Etcetera
• newton
• QNX (iPAQ

automobile navigation

 Some PDAs include Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers; This is especially true for smartphones. Other PDAs are compatible with external GPS-receiver add-ons that use the PDA's processor and screen to display location information. [19] PDAs with GPS functionality can be used for automotive navigation. PDAs are increasingly being fitted as standard on new cars. PDA-based GPS can also display traffic conditions, perform dynamic routing, and show known locations of roadside mobile radar guns. TomTom, Garmin and iGO offer GPS navigation software for PDAs.   

 ruggedized 

Some businesses and government organizations rely on rugged PDAs, sometimes known as enterprise digital assistants (EDAs) or mobile computers, for mobile data applications. These PDAs have features that make them more robust and able to handle inclement weather, shocks, and moisture. EDAs often have additional features for data capture, such as a barcode reader, radio-frequency identification (RFID) reader, magnetic stripe card reader or smart card reader. These features are designed to facilitate the use of these devices to scan product or item codes.

 Typical applications include:

• Access Control and Security
• maintenance of capital assets
• Facilities Maintenance and Management
• Infection Control Audit and Monitoring in the Health Care Environment
• Medical treatment and recordkeeping in hospitals
• meter reading by utilities
• Army (US Army, Pakistan Army)
• Package delivery
• Parks and Wildlife Ranger
• Parking enforcement

 History of Personal Digital Assistant or Palmtop (PDA)

 The first PDA, the Organizer, was released by Psion in 1984, followed by Psion's Series 3 in 1991. The latter began to resemble the more familiar PDA style, including a full keyboard The term PDA was first used by Apple Inc. on January 7, 1992. CEO John Sculley mentioned the Apple Newton at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada.In 1994, IBM introduced the first PDA with analog cellular phone functionality, the IBM Simon, which can also be considered the first smartphone. Then in 1996, Nokia introduced a PDA with digital cellphone functionality, the 9000 Communicator. Another early entrant into this market was Palm, with a line of PDA products launched in March 1996. Palm would eventually be the dominant vendor of PDAs until the increasing popularity of Pocket PC devices in the early 2000s.By the mid-2000s most PDAs had morphed into smartphones as classic PDAs without cellular radios were becoming increasingly uncommon.