Overview of a PDA

What are PDAs, Palmtops and Handheld PCs?
They are Portable Computers, smaller than a paperback book, often described generically as a Personal Digital Assistant or PDA.

The name "Palmtop" comes from the fact most can be held in the palm of one's hand and due to the popular PDA operation system name 'Palm OS'.

The name "Handheld PC" comes from the use of a Windows like operation system called Win CE (newer versions being called Pocket PC).

The PDA market is ever-changing, more so, perhaps, than the desktop market. For the purpose of this research we only looked at those PDAs that were small enough to be held in the average hand and operated with ease, and were at the forefront of the current technology. These PDAs are differentiated by the operating systems, such as Palm OS, Pocket PC etc.

A little History

PDAs started out purely as PIM's (Personal Information Management) devices that held basic diary entries and contact details, an example of which is the Apple Newton. These PIM's evolved into the PDAs we see today such as the palmOne LifeDrive Mobile Manager or the HP iPAQ H5550 Pocket PC (Pocket PC 2003).

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Links within the section

Introduction
Generic Features
Accessibility and Generic Features
Disability and Generic Features