ISAS

Personal Digital Assistants (P.D.A)

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Group Members
Krishnan Naisargi Parmila S140010900047 S140010900117 S140010900xxx

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Contents

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TOPICS

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Introduction to the Project. Brief Overview of PDAs. Components of PDAs. Working Mechanism of PDAs. Uses of PDAs. Types of PDAs. Future Trends in PDA Development. Bibliography

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1. INTRODUCTION TO THE PROJECT

This project aims at the discussion of this advanced technology named PDA. Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) is one of an emerging technology now-a-days & most of us are familiar with its widespread use. PDAs are replacing the multiple reference books and ragged patient index cards that have fought for pocket space for so long. After their innovation in 1992, PDAs have gradually evolved as small wonder with multiple functions. PDAs are quite an innovative idea in terms of wireless communication features, networking, voice recording and telephone/fax integration. PDAs are used in different areas such as health, automobile navigation, educational and in scientific purposes. With a gradual advancement in the new-gen technologies, PDAs are also looking forth the future to betterment approach. This project on PDA helps define the scope, use and benefits of a PDA in a better way.

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2. OVERVIEW
A PDA is handheld computing device that allows I/O operations on data. A PDA normally contains at least one database with names and addresses book, to-do list, memo pad and notepad. It also holds a library of medical information and helps manage your patients and manipulate medical data. Additional features of a PDA usually include networking wireless communication features, voice recording and telephone/fax integration.

Birth Predecessors of the modern PDA include the Psion Organizer and the Sharp Wizard. These early devices, which were intended to be portable computers, came out in the mid- to late 1980s. They included small keyboards for input, a small display, and basic features such as an alarm clock, calendar, telephone pad and calculator. Support for specialized software such as games and spreadsheet was also included. The Psion Organizer II, released in 1986, was especially popular and more than half a million were sold. In 1993, Apple introduced the Newton Message Pad at a price of $700. It provided users with an electronic notepad, to-do list, calendar, telephone log and address file applications. Some of the Newton's innovations have become standard PDA features, including a pressure-sensitive display with stylus, handwriting recognition capabilities, an infrared port and an expansion slot. However, the Newton Message Pad was too big, expensive and complicated, and its handwriting recognition program was poor. Apple discontinued the Newton in 1998. The original Palm Pilot was introduced in March of 1996 by Palm Computing (owned by U.S. Robotics at the time). It cost less than $300, ran on its own Palm operating system, fit in a shirt pocket and synchronized with consumers' PCs. The Palm Pilot ran for weeks on AAA batteries, was easy to use, and could store thousands of contacts, appointments and notes. Part of its small size was due to the lack of a keyboard. Users used a stylus and the Graffiti language to input data. Not to be outdone, Microsoft had been working on various forms of portable computing, including PenWindows and tablet computers. In November 1996, Microsoft released Windows CE, its first operating system for mobile devices. A number of manufacturers, such as HP, Compaq and Casio, adopted it for what was dubbed the Handheld PC -- the first Windows-based competitor for the Palm Pilot.

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History

The first PDA is considered to be the CASIO PF-3000 released in May 1983. GO Corp. was also pioneering in the field. The term was first used on January 7, 1992 by Apple Computer CEO John Sculley at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, referring to the Apple Newton. PDAs are sometimes referred to as "Palms", "Palm Pilot", or "Palm Tops.

Operating System The operating system contains the pre-programmed instructions that tell the microprocessor what to do. The operating systems used by PDAs are not as complex as those used by PCs. They have fewer instructions, which require less memory. PDAs and smartphones typically have one of two types of operating systems: Palm OS or Windows Mobile. However, RIM makes a specific OS for its BlackBerry devices, and the Symbian OS operates some smartphones. Palm OS - 3.x, 4.x, 5.x - Works well and efficiently with small handheld devices. Pocket PC Windows CE - Resource and power hungry. Embedded LINUX OS - UNIX operating system. Typical features Currently, a typical PDA has a touch screen for entering data, a memory card slot for data storage and at least one of the following for connectivity: IrDA, Bluetooth and/or Wi-Fi. However, many PDAs (typically those used primarily as telephones) may not have a touch screen, using soft keys, a directional pad and either the numeric keypad or a thumb keyboard for input. Software typically required being a PDA includes an appointment calendar, a to-do list, an address book for contacts and some sort of note program. Connected PDAs also typically include E-mail and Web support.

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3. COMPONENTS
Communication PDAs offer many communication choices. You can develop a contact list that contains names, addresses, emails, phone numbers and special dates that link to the calendar (such as birthdays and anniversaries). From that contact list, you can make phone calls, send text messages or prepare emails. You also can place phone calls directly, either with a phone pad or voice commands. Cell phone providers also provide internet connectivity. This allows for web browsing and the continuous ("push email") receiving of emails from your email provider (see Reference 2). Organizers: Calendars, Task Lists, Notes & Memos PDAs provide different ways for organizing time. Calendars provide daily, week, monthly and specialized views and many can be synced with other PDAs or PCbased programs. Task lists provide due dates (which can appear on calendars), status checks, reminders and repeat indicators. You also can take notes on the go with general notes pages, which you can name and categorize. Input Functionality You can input information with a touch screen, stylus or your thumbs using a QWERTY style keyboard; some offer a combination of options. The keyboards can be physical (some may slide down for use) or virtual (accessed from a touch screen). Media & Storage Most PDAs provide internal digital cameras, video cameras and voice note recorders for taking and playing photos, video clips, voice notes and music. You can add to the internal memory with memory cards, and you can download your media files to your computer (for editing and storage) and to online websites for sharing. Functions & Programs Many PDAs offer pre-loaded functions, such as alarms, calculators or mobile versions of Microsoft Word, Excel or PowerPoint. You can activate navigation systems using GPS technology. Applications (or "apps") are popular, and PDAs can download apps that cover a variety of subjects and interests, from personal finance, gaming, education, business, entertainment, music, social networking, health and more.

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4. WORKING
The working mechanism of a PDA is explained in terms of networking and database management as described below. Wired connectivity While many earlier PDAs connected via serial ports or other proprietary format, many today connect via USB cable. This served primarily to connect to a computer, and few, if any PDAs were able to connect to each other out of the box using cables, as USB requires one machine to act as a host - functionality which was not often planned. Some PDAs were able to connect to the internet, either by means of one of these cables, or by using an extension card with an Ethernet port/RJ-45 adaptor. Wireless connectivity Most modern PDAs have Bluetooth wireless connectivity, an increasingly popular tool for mobile devices. It can be used to connect keyboards, headsets, GPS and many other accessories, as well as sending files between PDAs. Many mid-range and superior PDAs have Wi-Fi/WLAN/802.11-connectivity, used for connecting to WiFi hotspots or wireless networks. Older PDAs predominantly have an IrDA (infrared) port; however fewer current models have the technology, as it is slowly being phased out due to support for Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. IrDA allows communication between two PDAs: a PDA and any device with an IrDA port or adapter. Most universal PDA keyboards use infrared Technology because many older PDAs have it, and infrared technology is lowCost and has the advantage of being permitted aboard aircraft. Synchronization An important function of PDAs is synchronizing data with a PC. This allows Up-to-date contact information stored on software such as Microsoft Outlook or ACT! It is used to update the database on the PDA. The data synchronization ensures that the PDA has an accurate list of contacts, appointments and e-mail, allowing users to access the same information on the PDA as the host Computer. The synchronizing also prevents the loss of information stored on the device in case it is lost, stolen, or destroyed. Another advantage is that data input is usually a lot quicker on a PC, since text input via a touch screen is still not quite optimal. Transferring data to a PDA via the computer is therefore a lot quicker than having to manually input all data on the handheld device. Most PDAs come with the ability to synchronize to a PC. This is done through synchronization software provided with the handheld, such as HotSync Manager, which comes with Palm OS handhelds, Microsoft ActiveSync for older versions of Windows or Windows Mobile Device Center on Windows Vista, which comes with

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Windows Mobile handhelds. These programs allow the PDA to be synchronized with a Personal information manager. This personal information manager may be an outside program or a proprietary program. For example, the BlackBerry PDA comes with the Desktop Manager program which can synchronize to both Microsoft Outlook and ACT. Other PDAs come only with their own proprietary software. For example, some early Palm OS PDAs came only with Palm Desktop while later Palms such as the Treo 650 has the built-in ability to sync to Palm Desktop and/or Microsoft Outlook, while Microsoft's ActiveSync and Windows Mobile Device Center only synchronize with Microsoft Outlook or a Microsoft Exchange server. Third-party synchronization software is also available for many PDAs from companies like Intellisync and Companion Link. This software synchronizes these handhelds to other personal information managers which are not supported by the PDA manufacturers, such as GoldMine and Lotus Notes.

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5. USES
PDAs are used to store information that can be accessed at any time and anywhere. Automobile navigation

Many PDAs are used in car kits and are fitted with differential Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers to provide realtime automobile navigation. PDAs are increasingly being fitted as standard on new cars. Many systems can also display traffic conditions, dynamic routing and roadside mobile radar guns. Some popular softwares for this functionality in Europe and in America are TomTom, Garmin, iGO etc. they are used for showing road conditions and 2D or 3D environments. Ruggedized PDAs

For many years businesses and government organizations have relied upon rugged PDAs also known as Enterprise Digital Assistants (EDAs) for mobile data applications. Typical applications include supply chain management in warehouses, package delivery, route accounting, medical treatment and record keeping in hospitals, facilities maintenance and management, parking enforcement, access control and security, capital asset maintenance, meter reading by utilities, and "wireless waitress" applications in restaurants and hospitality venues. A common feature of EDAs is the integration of Data Capture devices like Bar Code, RFID and Smart Card Readers. Medical and scientific uses

In medicine, PDAs have been shown to aid diagnosis and drug selection and some studies have concluded that their use by patients to record symptoms improves the effectiveness of communication with hospitals during follow-up. A range of resources have been developed to cater for the demand from the medical profession which supply drug databases, treatment information and relevant news in formats specific to mobile devices and services such as AvantGo translate medical journals into readable formats and provide updates from journals. WardWatch organizes medical records to remind doctors making ward rounds of information such as the treatment regimens of patients and programs. Finally, Pendragon and Syware provide tools for conducting research with mobile devices, and connecting to a central server allowing the user to enter data into a centralized database using their PDA. Additionally, Microsoft Visual Studio and Sun Java provide programming tools for developing survey instruments on the handheld. These development tools allow for integration with SQL databases that are stored on the handheld and can be synchronized with a desktop/server based database.
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Recently the development of Sensor Web technology has led to discussion of using wearable bodily sensors to monitor ongoing conditions like diabetes and epilepsy and alerting medical staff or the patient themselves to the treatment required via communication between the web and PDAs. Educational uses As mobile technology has become very common, it is no surprise that personal computing has become a vital learning tool by this time. Educational institutes have commenced a trend of integrating PDAs into their teaching practices (mobile learning). With the capabilities of PDAs, teachers are now able to provide a collaborative learning experience for their students. They are also preparing their students for possible practical uses of mobile computing upon their graduation. PDAs and handheld devices have recently been allowed for digital note taking. This has increased students productivity by allowing individuals to quickly spell-check, modify, and amend their class notes or e-notes. Educators are currently able to distribute course material through the use of the internet connectivity or infrared file sharing functions of the PDA. With concerns to class material, textbook publishers have begun to release e-books, or electronic textbooks, which can be uploaded directly to a PDA. This then lessens the effort of carrying multiple textbooks at one time. To meet the instructive needs sought by educational institutes, software companies have developed programs with the learning aspects in mind. Simple programs such as dictionaries, thesauri, and word processing software are important to the digital note taking process. In addition to these simple programs, encyclopedias and digital planning lessons have created added functionality for users. With the increase in mobility of PDAs, school boards and educational institutes have now encountered issues with these devices. School boards are now concerned with students utilizing the internet connectivity to share test answers or to gossip during class time, which creates disruptions. Many school boards have modernized their computer policies to address these new concerns. Software companies such as Scantron Corp. have now created a program for distributing digital quizzes. The quiz software disables the infrared function on PDAs, which eliminates the element of information sharing among individuals during the examination. Many colleges encourage the use of PDAs. Sporting uses PDAs are used by glider pilots for pre-flight planning and to assist navigation in cross-country competitions. They are linked to a GPS to produce moving- map displays showing the tracks to turn-points, airspace hazards and other tactical information. PDA's may also be used by music enthusiasts. They can be used to play a variety of file formats (unlike most MP3 Players) during physical exercise (e.g. running), unlike certain larger devices such as laptops.
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PDAs can be used by road rally enthusiasts. PDAs can also be used for calculating distance, speed, time, and GPS navigation as well as unassisted navigation. PDA for people with disabilities PDAs offer varying degrees of accessibility for people with differing abilities, based on the particular device and service. People with vision, hearing, mobility, and speech impairments may be able to use PDAs on a limited basis, and this may be enhanced by the addition of accessibility software (e.g. speech recognition for verbal input instead of manual input). Universal design is relevant to PDAs as well as other technology, and a viable solution for many user-access issues, though it has yet to be consistently integrated into the design of popular consumer PDA devices. PDAs have recently become quite useful in the Traumatic Brain Injury/Posttraumatic Stress Disorder population, especially seen in troops returning home from Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF)/Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). PDAs address memory issues and help these men and women out with daily life organization and reminders. As of quite recently, the Department of Veterans' Affairs (VA) has begun issuing thousands of PDAs to troops who present the need for them. Occupational therapists have taken on a crucial role within this population helping these veterans return to the normalcy of life they once had.

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6. TYPES
Traditional PDAs Today's traditional PDAs are descendents of the original PalmPilot and Microsoft Handheld PC devices. Palm devices run the Palm OS (operating system), and Microsoft Pocket PCs run Windows Mobile. The differences between the two systems are fewer than in the past. Palm PDAs Most Palm devices are made by Palm One, which offers the Zire and Tungsten product lines. The company formed in 2003 when Palm Computing acquired Handspring, Inc. Sony, which produced the Palm-based CLIE, stopped producing PDAs in 2005. Known for their ease of use, Palm OS PDAs have: A vast library of third-party applications (more than 20,000) that you can add to the system (most devices come bundled with e-mail, productivity and multimedia software) An updated version of the Graffiti handwriting-recognition application Synchronization with both Windows and Macintosh computers using the Palm Desktop Smaller displays than Pocket PCs to accommodate a dedicated Graffiti area on the device (Some higher-end Palm devices now incorporate a virtual Graffiti area in the display, resulting in a larger display area.) Pocket PCs Pocket PC is the generic name for Windows Mobile PDAs. Their standard features include: Pocket versions of Microsoft applications such as Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook (note that some formatting is lost between Pocket and standard versions of documents) Synchronization with Microsoft Outlook on a Windows PC (synchronization with e-mail systems other than Outlook or with Macintosh computers requires additional software) Three handwriting-recognition applications: Transcriber, Letter Recognizer (similar to the new version of Graffiti), and Block Recognizer (similar to the original Graffiti) A virtual writing area, which maximizes the display size Windows Media Player for multimedia content

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Smartphones A smartphone is either a cell phone with PDA capabilities or a traditional PDA with added cell phone capabilities, depending on the form factor (style) and manufacturer. Characteristics of these devices include: A cellular service provider to handle phone service (As with cell phones, you typically purchase a cellular plan and smart phone from the service provider.) Internet access through cellular data networks Various combinations of cell phone and PDA features, depending on the device (for example, not all smart phones offer handwriting-recognition capabilities) A number of different operating systems, including Windows Mobile Pocket PC Phone Edition, the Palm OS, the Blackberry OS for Blackberry smart phones, and the Symbian OS for smart phones from Panasonic, Nokia, Samsung and others.

Well, it doesn't look like a PDA... Related devices include ultraportable computers, smart watches and multimedia players. Ultraportable computers range in weight from less than a pound to about three pounds, come with a full desktop operating system (such as Windows XP), and include a small keyboard. Smart watches offer some PDA functions in a wristwatch form factor. Microsoft's SPOT (Smart Personal Objects Technology)-based watches, for example, can receive MSN Direct information such as weather and news. They can also receive calendar information and personal messages. Some multimedia players can combine the functions of a PDA with multimedia features, such as a digital camera, an MP3 player and a video player.

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7. FUTURE
Future Trends In PDA Development With an overall progress of a round figure of 25 years of development, PDAs are still looking further to the next generation of development. Since the first PDA which is considered to be the CASIO PF-3000 released in May 1983, till now PDAs have come up with a lot of advancements in the new-age technology, yet they are a growing or better to say an emerging technology. Future Trends In PDA Development The future of PDA Traditional PDAs Appear To Be Less Popular Then They Have Been In The Past. Several manufacturers have exited the PDA market, including Sony and Toshiba. Sales of traditional PDAs have declined in years, according to IDC's Worldwide Handheld Q View press release dated February 2, 2005. For the future, PDAs need to continue to add to their core PIM functions in order to survive. The emergence and gaining popularity of smart phones and devices that combine other features such as wireless Internet, GPS and multimedia capabilities seem to back this trend. Today The Vast Majority of All PDAs Are Smart Phones, selling Over 150 Million Units Per Year. Future implication Future implication the use of handheld devices will be a valuable asset to students and teachers alike in future classrooms. These are just some of the assets: Paperless classroom EBooks instead of costly text books in classrooms .Further mobility increased engagement among teens Ease of taking work home.

8. CONCLUSION
Final thought PDAs are not the only hand-held device that we can use in schools and in classrooms. Whether its an iPad, or blackberry they are the wave of the future and a younger generation. To engage we must follow suit and adhere to this ever changing technological age. The PDAs make the life simpler for a human being, with its user friendly functions. It also is evident thats this makes human being valuable to dependency toward the technology.
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BIBLOGRAGHY

www.wikipedia.org www.yahooanswers.com www.ehow.com WWW.wikianswers.com

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