Hand Held PC (PDA)

When you’re shopping for a PDA it really helps to take a list of ways in which you plan to use the item. This not only helps you review the features of various PDA systems, but will help a salesperson better guide your options to purchase a PDA based on those needs.

The Hand Held PDA is a real plus for travelers

Here are a few of the features PDA’s may offer and why they could be important in your decision making:

- Keyboard: For touch typists this is a must (and the size of the keyboard matters a lot).
- Hand writing recognition (another way to input data)
- On board or external mouse? The external mouse increases the overall size of the PDA for carrying
- Portability: Is the system as portable as you need it to be? Will it fit easily in a purse or briefcase? Is it too heavy?
- Modem: if you need to get on the internet is the modem fast enough
- Flash or PC cards: for extra storage space
- Wireless capacity – regional or national?
- Battery life – how long will it last if you can’t recharge it (like during flights)
- Color screen – for ease of viewing especially for playing games (size of screen plays into this too). Note that color screens decrease battery life.
- Connectivity – will it connect to the computer system you currently use for exchanging information?
- Printing – can it be connected to a printer
- Software – does it allow for keynote programs like Word and Excel to be utilized onboard.
- Memory: does it have enough and is the memory expandable?
- Processing power: how fast is the system (note: the faster the system the lower the life expectancy of the battery)
- Cradle recharger: a way to keep your system fully charged (however, if you don’t have a charger there’s no way to re-energize this type of PDA)
- Digital camera: yes, really some PDAs have a built in imaging system so you can immediately transfer pictures from the PDA to your home computer using email, or you can store the images and upload them later.
- Data sharing: do you want to be able to communicate with specific other PDA users, if so the compatibility of data sharing programs should be examined.
- Data safety: can you lock your system using various passwords or passkeys?

THe HP IPAQ PDA system

Let me put some of this rather overwhelming data into an example for you. At one time I had a HP Jornada. It was a great PDA that was affordable and had all the software needed for writing on the road. One problem – the keyboard was too small for touch typing, and the expandable keyboard was too flexible for the way I type. This illustration is a very good example of why you need to get out and try various systems, especially the aspects of the system that are most important to you personally.

One of the final considerations in buying your PDA is whether parts and expansions will be readily available for several years. These aren’t cheap expenditures. You want to choose a manufacturer that isn’t going to disappear tomorrow, and one with a good consumer reputation for service and repair.

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