PDA Full Form: Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), often known as a handheld PC, is a portable computer that serves as a personal information organizer. The increasing adoption of highly powerful smartphones, particularly iOS and Android, has mostly superseded PDAs.
Almost all current PDAs are capable of connecting to the Internet. A web browser can be included on a PDA since it has an electronic visual display. The majority of devices also feature audio capabilities, allowing them to be used as portable media players as well as phones.
What is the PDA Full Form?
Table of Contents
Wi-Fi or Wireless WANs allow most PDAs to connect to the Internet, intranets, or extranets. Touchscreen technology is sometimes used instead of buttons on PDAs. The term “personal digital assistance” has lately been revived in the IT industry.
The phrase is more usually applied to software that recognizes a user’s speech in order to respond to questions.
Psion produced its first PDA, the Organiser, in 1984, followed by the Series 3 in 1991.
With a complete keyboard, the latter began to resemble the more recognized PDA form. Apple Inc. CEO John Sculley originally introduced the word PDA to refer to the Apple Newton on January 7, 1992, at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The IBM Simon, which can also be regarded as the first smartphone, was debuted in 1994 as the first PDA with analog cellular phone functionality.
The Nokia 9000 Communicator, a PDA with digital cellphone features, was released in 1996. Palm was another early entrant in this sector, launching a series of PDA gadgets in March 1996.
Palm will eventually become the most popular PDA full form (Personal Digital Assistant) and manufacturer until the early 2000s when Pocket PC devices became more popular. By the mid-2000s, most PDAs had evolved into smartphones, with classic PDAs without cellular radios becoming rarer.
Characteristics
A standard PDA includes a touchscreen for navigation, a memory card slot for data storage, and connectivity options such as IrDA, Bluetooth, and/or Wi-Fi.
Some PDAs, on the other hand, may lack a touchscreen and instead rely on softkeys, a directional pad, a numeric keypad, or a thumb keyboard for input.
A device’s software typically includes an appointment calendar, a to-do list, an address book for contacts, a calculator, and some sort of memo (or “note”) program to perform the activities expected of a PDA.
PDAs with wireless data connections often contain an email client and a Web browser, as well as telephony functionality, which may or may not be included.
Touchscreen
Many of the first PDAs, such as the Apple Newton and Palm Pilot, have only a few buttons for user interaction, usually allocated for shortcuts to frequently used programs.
A detachable stylus was included with several touchscreen PDAs, notably Windows Mobile devices, to make selections easier. Touching the screen to choose buttons or issue commands, or dragging a finger (or the stylus) across the screen to make selections or scroll, is how the user interacts with the device.
Text can be entered in a variety of ways on touchscreen PDAs, including:
- A virtual keyboard, which displays a keyboard on the touchscreen. Text is input using a finger or a stylus to tap the on-screen keyboard.
- A USB, Infrared, or Bluetooth-connected external keyboard. For one-handed use, some users may prefer a chorded keyboard.
- Handwriting recognition, which involves writing letters or words on the touchscreen with a stylus and having the PDA transform the input to text. Handwritten horizontal and vertical formulas, such as “1 + 2 =”, may also be recognized and computed.
- Stroke recognition allows the user to input characters by making a specified series of strokes on the touchscreen, sometimes in a dedicated input area. The strokes are frequently reduced character shapes to make them easier to recognize using the device. Palm Graffiti is a well-known stroke recognition system.
- Despite research and development efforts, end-user feedback on handwriting recognition systems is varied. Some people find it infuriating and inaccurate, while others are pleased with the recognition’s quality.
Business-oriented touchscreen PDAs, such as the BlackBerry and Palm Treo, typically include full keyboards, scroll wheels or thumbwheels to make data entry and navigation easier. Many touchscreen PDAs also allow for the use of an external keyboard.
Many models include specialized folding keyboards that provide a full-sized keyboard but collapse into a small size for carrying. External keyboards can connect to the PDA through cable or wireless technology such as infrared or Bluetooth.
Newer PDAs, such as the HTC HD2, Apple iPhone, Apple iPod Touch, Palm Pre, Palm Pre Plus, Palm Pixi Plus, Google Android (operating system), and Palm Pre Plus, Palm Pixi, Palm Pixi Plus, and Google Android (operating system), have more advanced touchscreens that can register multiple touches simultaneously.
These “multi-touch” displays enable more sophisticated interfaces that use one or more fingers to enter various movements.
Speicherkarten
Although many early PDAs lacked memory card slots, most now contain either an SD card slot, a CompactFlash card slot, or a combination of the two. Although designed for memory, Secure Digital Input/Output (SDIO) and CompactFlash cards can be used to add features such as Wi-Fi and digital cameras to devices that support them.
A USB port is available on several PDAs, which are mostly used for USB flash drives. [doubtful – debate] MicroSD cards, which are technologically compatible with SD cards but have a much smaller physical size, are used in some PDAs.
Connectivity by wire
While early PDAs used serial ports and other proprietary connections to connect to a user’s personal computer, many today use a USB cable.
Older PDAs couldn’t connect to each other through USB since their USB implementations didn’t allow them to operate as the host.
Some early PDAs could connect to the Internet either indirectly using an external modem linked via the PDA’s serial port or “sync” connector, or directly through an Ethernet expansion card.
Internet access through wireless
Bluetooth, a popular wireless technology for mobile devices, is found in most modern PDAs. Bluetooth allows keyboards, headphones, GPS receivers, and other adjacent peripherals to be connected.
Files can also be transferred across Bluetooth-enabled PDAs. Wi-Fi wireless network access is built into many current PDAs, and they can connect to Wi-Fi hotspots.
Wireless Wide Area Networks, such as those supplied by cellular telecommunications firms, are accessible to all smartphones and some other current PDAs.
IrDA (infrared) ports were common on older PDAs from the 1990s until 2006, enabling short-range, line-of-sight wireless communication.
Bluetooth and Wi-Fi have largely replaced this technology in contemporary versions. IRDA allows two PDAs to communicate or a PDA to communicate with any device that has an IRDA port or adaptor.
If the PDA’s operating system supports it, some printers feature IDA receivers, allowing IRDA-equipped PDAs to print to them. Infrared technology is used in universal PDA Full Form and PDA keyboards developed for these older PDAs.
[requires citation] Infrared technology is inexpensive and has the added benefit of being allowed on board. [specify]
Synchronization
The data on most PDAs can be synchronized with programs on a user’s computer. This enables the user to change contact, schedule, or other information on their computer using software like Microsoft Outlook or ACT!, and have that data downloaded to their PDA—or to transmit updated information from the PDA back to the computer.
The user will no longer have to update their info in two places. Synchronization also prevents the information from being lost, stolen, or destroyed if the device is lost, stolen, or destroyed. When the PDA is fixed or replaced, the user’s data can be restored by “re-syncing” it with the computer.
Because text input via a touchscreen or small-scale keyboard is slower than text input via a full-size keyboard, some users find that data entry on their PC is faster than data entry on their PDA.
Transferring data to a PDA via a computer is thus far faster than manually entering all of the data on the handheld device. [requires citation]
The ability to synchronize with a computer is built into most PDAs. This is accomplished using synchronization software included with the handheld or, on occasion, the operating system of the PC.
The following are some examples of synchronization software:
- For Palm OS PDAs, there’s a program called HotSync Manager.
- Microsoft ActiveSync, which allows Windows XP and earlier Windows operating systems to sync with Windows Mobile, Pocket PC, and Windows CE PDAs, as well as iOS, Palm OS, and Symbian-based PDAs.
- For Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Mobile Device Center, which supports Microsoft Windows Mobile and Pocket PC devices.
- Apple iTunes, which is used to sync iOS devices on Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows (such as the iPhone and iPod touch)
- Mac OS X has iSync, which can synchronize several SyncML-enabled PDAs.
- lackBerry Desktop Software, which allows BlackBerry devices to be synced.
These programs allow the PDA to be synchronized with a personal information manager, which may be included with the computer’s operating system, available separately, or included with the PDA.
The RIM BlackBerry, for example, comes with RIM’s Desktop Manager application, which can sync with Microsoft Outlook and ACT! Other PDAs are only available with proprietary software.
Some early Palm OS PDAs, for example, only came with Palm Desktop, whereas later Palm PDAs, such as the Treo 650, can sync to both Palm Desktop and Microsoft Outlook.
ActiveSync and Windows Mobile Device Center can only sync with Microsoft Outlook or a Microsoft Exchange server. [requires citation] Companies like CommonTime and CompanionLink offer third-party synchronization software for some PDAs.
PDAs can be synchronized with other personal information managers using third-party software that is not supported by the PDA manufacturers (for example, GoldMine and IBM Lotus Notes).
Synchronization across the air
Instead of being physically connected to a computer through a cable, certain PDAs can synchronize some or all of their data using their wireless networking capabilities.
The cloud is generally used by devices running Palm’s WebOS or Google’s Android operating systems. If Gmail is utilized, for example, information from the PDA’s contacts, email, and calendar can be synchronized with Google’s servers.
BlackBerry Enterprise Server is a server that RIM sells to businesses so that BlackBerry users can synchronize their PDAs with the company’s Microsoft Exchange Server, IBM Lotus Domino, or Novell GroupWise servers wirelessly.
Email, calendar entries, contacts, tasks, and memos stored on the company’s server are synchronized with BlackBerry automatically.
PDA Full Form Personal Digital Assistants run on a variety of operating systems.
The following are the most prevalent operating systems that are pre-installed on PDAs:
- Palm OS (Palm Operating System)
- Microsoft Windows Mobile (Pocket PC) with a kernel-based on Windows CE
- Other, less commonly used operating systems include:
- EPOC, followed by Symbian OS (in mobile phone/PDA combinations).
- Unix (Linux) (e.g. VR3, iPAQ,[16] Sharp Zaurus PDA, Opie, GPE, Familiar Linux etc.)
- Newton
- QNX (Quality Networking Exchange) (also on iPAQ)
Navigation in automobiles
Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers are found in several PDAs, especially smartphones. External GPS receiver add-ons that leverage the PDA’s processor and screen to display location information are compatible with other PDAs.
PDAs with GPS capabilities can be used for car navigation. New cars are increasingly coming equipped with PDAs as standard equipment. Traffic conditions, dynamic routing, and known locations of roadside mobile radar guns can all be displayed using a PDA-based GPS.
GPS navigation software for PDAs is available from TomTom, Garmin, and iGO.
Ruggedized
Rugged PDAs, also known as enterprise digital assistants (EDAs) or mobile computers, are used by some enterprises and government agencies for mobile data applications.
These PDA full form and contain features that make them more durable, allowing them to withstand bad weather, jolts, and wetness.
Barcode readers, radio-frequency identification (RFID) readers, magnetic stripe card readers, and smart card readers are all common data capture features on EDAs. These features are intended to make it easier to scan product or item codes with these devices.
The following are examples of typical applications:
- Security and access control
- Upkeep of capital assets
- Facility management and maintenance
- Surveillance and auditing of infection control in healthcare settings
- Hospital medical care and record-keeping
- Utilities reading meters
- Armed forces (U.S. Army, Pakistan Army)
- Shipment of packages
- Park rangers and wildlife biologists
- Parking citations
- Accounting for routes
- Warehouse supply chain management
- Allocation and routing of taxicabs
- Restaurant and hospitality applications for waiters and waitresses
- Biologists who specialize in wildlife
Uses in education
In many schools, PDAs and handheld devices are permitted for digital note-taking. On a PDA, students can spell-check, edit, and alter their class notes. Some educators[who?] use the Internet or the PDA’s infrared file-sharing functions to send course materials. Textbook publishers have begun to create e-books that may be downloaded directly to a PDA, allowing students to carry fewer textbooks.
The Brighton and Sussex Medical School in the United Kingdom was the first medical school in the world to allow undergraduate students to use PDAs on a large basis.
The learning opportunities given by PDAs equipped with a suite of major medical books were investigated, with findings indicating that learning happened in context with rapid access to key data and through knowledge consolidation through repetition. Rather than being a replacement, the PDA full form Personal Digital Assistant was a significant addition to the learning ecology.
Dictionary, thesaurus, word processing software, encyclopedias, webinars, and digital lesson planners are among the PDA products produced by software companies to fulfill the instructional demands of educational institutions.
Recreational applications
Music lovers can play a range of music file formats on their PDAs. An MP3 player is a feature found on many PDAs. PDAs can be used to calculate distance, speed, and time in road rallies. This information can be used for navigation, or the GPS functions on the PDA can be used. Underwater divers can utilize software like “V-Planner” on their PDAs to plan to breathe gas mixtures and decompression regimens.
Models
Consumer
- Acer N Series laptops
- AlphaSmart
- Amida Computer Amida Computer Amida Computer Amida Computer Amida Computer
- Android-based gadgets
- Zewton (Apple)
- Apple iPad/iPhone
- Portfolio of Atari
- Axim Dell
- E-TEN
- Pocket LOOX from Fujitsu Siemens Computers
- Do a handspring (company)
- IP from HP
- HTC’s (Dopod, Qtek) Windows Mobile PDAs and phones
- Huawei product line
- I-mate
- HP Jornada Pocket PC (HP Jornada Pocket PC) (HP Jornada Pocket
- LifeDrive
- MobilePro by NEC
- Oregon Scientific distributes Osiris, which runs EPOC OS.
- PDA Full Form Personal Digital Assistant
- Palm, Inc. cellphones, both with Palm OS and WebOS as the successor (Pre, and Pixi).
- Nino by Philips
- Casio Pocket Viewer (Casio Pocket Viewer)PocketMail (PocketMail) (email PDA with built-in acoustic coupler)
- Psion
- Roland PMA-5 (Personal Music Assistant)[21] (Personal Music Assistant)
- Royalty (ezVue 7, etc.)
- Sharp Zaurus and Sharp Wizard
- CLIÉ Sony
- Sony Magic Link operating system with Magic Cap
- Zodiac Tapwave
- Toshiba Satellite e310
- PDA Watch with Abacus
Ruggedized
- Industrial Systems of America (Mil-Spec, IP67)
- Bluebird (number 22)
- Catchwell
- Mobile Datalogic
- electronic commerce tools
- Getac
- Honeywell is a company that produces honey (Hand Held Products)
- Intermec
- Mobile M3
- Motorola, Inc. (Symbol Technologies)
- Teklogix Psion
- Skeye is a fictional character (Hoeft & Wessel AG)
- Trimble Navigation is a navigation system developed by Trimble.
- Two Technologies, Inc. (Two Technologies) (Ultra-Rugged Handheld Computers)
- Unitech
- Chainway
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