The choice of operating system for a personal digital assisant (PDA) is effectively down to two— Palm OS or Pocket PC—but the variety of choices for the handheld itself is very impressive. We test three of the best, and see what’s coming up soon.
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Vertical PDAs:
Introduction 1. Palm or pocket? 2. Compaq iPAQ H3970 3. Palm Tungsten | T 4. Toshiba Pocket PC e740 5. PDA Comparison 6. New releases 7. Editor's Choice About RMIT Test Labs |
PDAs are definitely not just digital organisers. Some of the latest PDAs can run applications that you once thought could only run on your desktop PC. These days, one of the hardest decisions you have to make is deciding which OS (operating system) is going to best suit you.
Lately we have seen the two main players, Palm OS and Pocket PC, converging in many respects.
With the right software and peripherals you can extend your PDA’s capabilities. Having Bluetooth built into your PDA and a Bluetooth-enabled phone you will be able to send and receive e-mail and surf the Web wirelessly. WiFi (802.11b) allows you to stay connected across a wireless LAN.
Secure Digital or CompactFlash type cards allow you to extend the PDA’s memory capacity using flash memory cards. In the case of CompactFlash, microdrives can significantly extend your memory capacity, though with a corresponding toll on battery life.
The biggest drawback to these PDAs is price: although lower-priced options are available, these are mostly targeted at consumers and have limited features. The PDAs we received—which are targeted at business users—cost between AU$1099 and AU$1548, which is fairly standard.
Other than the initial cost, accessories also tend to be expensive. You can choose from a wide range of cases. There are also functional additions like docking stations, flash memory (as we mentioned previously), network adaptors, barcode readers, modems, keyboards, digital cameras, and GPS receivers.
