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1G
First Generation. Refers to early, analogue, circuit-switched voice systems on portable phones. 1G systems are no longer being developed
2.5G
Extensions of 2G systems to provide packet-switched connections (GPRS) and higher data rates using EDGE and HSCSD.
2G
Second Generation. Refers to digital protocols such as GSM, TDMA, and CDMA. on portable phones.
3Com
The former parent company of Palm, Inc., which makes a line of modems and networking peripherals.
3G
Third Generation. New protocols that support Mbps data rates on portable phones.
4G
The next generation of wireless, supposed to appear ~2011. Proposed features include ~100 Mbps speed, location sensing, self-tailoring to user needs.
802.11a
A wireless standard for device connectivity. Newer version of 802.11b that allows devices to exchange information at up to 54 mbs.
802.11b
A wireless standard for device connectivity. Mainly for LAN connections and not necessarily wireless Internet . This standard allows handhelds, desktops and other wireless devices to exchange information at up to 11 mbs at several hundred feet.
Accessibility
Accessibility can mean the ease with which a location is reached or
building is entered. For those with disabilities it also means providing equal access to information and the ability to complete a task with supporting tools or assistive technologies such as a screen reader or adapted keyboard when using a computer.
Active Matrix Display
An LCD technology used in flat panel computer displays; it produces a brighter and sharper display with a broader viewing angle than passive matrix screens. Active matrix technology uses a thin film transistor at each pixel and is often designated as a "TFT screen."
ActiveSync
Allows a user to synchronize the information on a computer with the information on a Pocket PC or Palm PDA. Synchronization compares the data on the PDA with the computer and updates both devices with the most recent information.
Address Book Application Button
The button used to instantly activate an Address Book Application. This button is typically located on the front of the PDA.
Address book
One of the most popular native applications on PDA devices.
Alarm/Charge Light
Serves as both a battery charge indicator and a visual alarm indicator.
Ambient Light Sensor
On the IPAQ this light sensor is at the top of the monitor which gauges ambient light in the work environment and automatically adjusts the brightness of the monitor for optimum viewing. This takes away the frequent and tedious task of manually adjusting brightness on the screen; it is particularly beneficial in environments where light in the office is subject to change throughout the day.
API
Application Programming Interface: Allows an external program to execute a products functionality.
Application
A program, such as a word processor or a spreadsheet, that performs one of the important tasks for which a desktop or handheld computer is used. This term is sometimes used in place of or in conjunction with "software."
Application Buttons Allows quick access to four applications. By default, the applications are Calendar, Contacts, QMenu, and QStart. You can change the functions of the application buttons to open different applications.
ARM Advanced Risc Machines: A company that designs RISC processors and other systems targeted for low power operation.
ASP Application Service Provider. An extension of the ISP (Internet Service Provider) business offering web-based applications as well as Internet access. Proposed for applications that are most useful when data is shared among a group of users, such as calendaring, or applications that are too expensive or infrequently used to be cost-effective for small companies, such as complex tax planning software.
Avant Go One of many PDA applications used to surf the web - It works as a type of filter to cut down pages so that they can be viewed on a PDA with low resources..
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Backlight An LCD screen that has its own light source from the back of the screen, making the background brighter and characters appear sharper.
Backup A copy of a file, directory, or volume on a separate storage device from the original, for the purpose of retrieval in case the original is accidentally erased, damaged, or destroyed.
Battery A battery is an electrochemical cell or enclosed and protected material that can be charged electrically and provide a static potential for power or released electrical charge when needed.
Beam To send software programs or data via an infrared- or radio-wave transmission from one PDA to another, or from a PDA to a desktop computer or printer.
BlackBerry Handheld device developed by RIM® which focuses on wireless email communications, but can also run other applications.
Bluetooth A specification for short-range (~30 feet) radio transmission of data between mobile and stationary devices such as PDAs, cell phones, PCs, and printers.
Brightness A measure of the overall intensity of the image. The lower the brightness value, the darker the image; the higher the value, the lighter the image will be.
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Cable modem An external modem that hooks up to the computer through a cable network. A cable modem Internet connection is faster than one via DSL, and much faster than an ordinary phone line connection.
Cache Memory Cache memory is random access memory (RAM) that a computer microprocessor can access more quickly than it can access regular RAM.
Calendar Application Button The button used to instantly activate the Calendar Application. This button is typically located on the front of the PDA.
CDMA Code Division Multiple Access. A 2G digital wireless standard developed by Qualcomm. Offers speeds of about 14.4K baud.
CE See Windows CE
CHTML See Compact HTML.
Circuit-Switching Creating a connection by opening a dedicated circuit between both parties to a call. The circuit remains open for the duration of the call. Compare with Packet-Switching.
CodeWarrior See MetroWerks.
COM Ports The connectors and accompanying circuitry that allow serial devices (usually serial printers, modems, or mice) to be connected to PC. Communication ports are also called serial ports. To keep track of the devices, The operating system assigns names that begin with the letters COM to communication ports (such as COM1 and COM2).
Communications Port Connects the PDA to the cradle (or to an optional USB or serial cable).
Compact flash A removable expansion which could be memory or other connectivity software. It usually comes in the form of a small PC type card.
Compact HTML A reduced HTML tag set used by i-mode instead of HDML or WML.
Conduit Conduits are software objects that exchange and synchronize data between an application running on a desktop computer and a handheld.
Connected Organizer How Palm, Inc refers to its line of Palm handheld computers.
Connectivity The ability to connect a PDA or computer electronically with other computers, printers, or fax machines. The connection can be achieved through an internal computer network, EDI, the Internet, or a combination of these methods. The transmission carrier can be electrical wires, phone lines, cable lines, infrared waves, or radio waves.
CPU (central processing unit) Also known as the processor, chip, or "brain" of a computer, a CPU controls the operation of a PDA.
Cradle The device in which a handheld or PDA is placed to synchronize data with a desktop computer. The cradle connects to the desktop via a serial cable or USB cable. Can also be used to recharge handheld computer batteries.
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Datebook An appointment diary application for the Palm OS
DC Jack
Allows you to connect to external power with the supplied AC adapter.
Dedicated connection
A phone line that's used exclusively to connect to the Internet. The same term is used to describe a phone line used to link one computer with another in a modem-to-modem connection.
Device Driver
A software routine that links a peripheral device to the operating system. It acts like a translator between a device and the applications that use it. Each device has its own set of specialised commands known only to its driver. In contrast, most applications access devices by using high-level, generic commands. The driver accepts these generic and translates them into the low-level specialised commands required by the device.
Digitizer
On Palm OS devices, the digitizer calibrates the display's sensitivity to the tip of the stylus for accurate pointing and writing.
Doc
Document. This term is usually used for electronic documents.
Doc Reader
A computer application designed to read Doc files on a Palm OS PDA.
Document reader
A program to read documents on the handheld computer.
DragonBall processor
Computer processor manufactured by Motorola on which Palm OS devices run.
DSL (digital subscriber line, also known as high-speed DSL or HDSL)
An accelerated means of connecting a PDA or desktop computer to the Internet over regular telephone lines. While DSL transfers data far more quickly than a conventional analogue modem, it isn't universally available.
Dual screen
To create a better picture than those on early passive-matrix, flat-panel displays, companies began splitting the screen into two parts and refreshing each simultaneously. These dual-scan displays are brighter and clearer than single-scan LCD screens. However, they are still not as bright as active-matrix displays.
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ECMA
European Computer Manufacturers Association.
E-commerce
Electronic Commerce. Selling and purchasing of products through an electronic service, such as the Internet.
EDGE
Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution. A GSM 3G enhancement designed to support baud rates up to 384K.
EDI (electronic data interchange)
A direct computer-to-computer file exchange. EDI messages usually travel over private networks using dedicated phone lines, but they can also be transmitted via the Internet on virtual private networks.
EPOC
The operating system of the Symbian platform, which works best with low-power, compact machines and long-running applications. It was developed and licensed by Symbian. See Symbian.
E-text
Text in an electronic text format that can be read by devices such as Palm or Pocket PC PDAs
Ethernet card
A matchbook-size adapter that enables a PDA to connect to an Ethernet, the most common type of local area network (LAN). The "card" is a printed circuit board that plugs into a slot found on many-but not all-PDAs. An Ethernet card may require a cable connection to the network, or it may connect wirelessly.
Expansion Card
A printed circuit card such as a video card that plugs into an expansion slot and adds functionality to the PC.
Expansion Slot
A physical slot found on some handheld PCs or available via an accessory that can accept certain types of media such as CompactFlash, MultiMedia Card, Sony's Memory Stick, and Handspring's Springboard modules. Depending on the manufacturer, these cards may be used for add-ons, including MP3 players, modems, pagers, games, digital cameras, removable storage, and global positioning systems.
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FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions - these are questions received from users that are the most frequently asked. They are accompanied by a corresponding set of answers.
Firewall
An electronic boundary that prevents unauthorized users, like hackers, from accessing confidential files on a private network, or a computer used to maintain such a boundary. If your group or hospital is networked, it most likely has firewall protection.
Flash Memory
Flash memory is a non-volatile memory device that retains its data when the power is removed.
Form Factor
General size and shape of a handheld computer.
FPLMTS
Future Public Land-Mobile Telephone Systems.
Freeware
Software offered free of charge by the developer to anyone wishing to use it.
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GNU
Free Software foundation development tools used to develop PDA applications. The GNU General Public License is intended to guarantee freedom to share and change free software--to make sure the software is free for all its users.
GPRS
General Packet Radio Service. A 2.5G radio-based enhancement to GSM that supports packet-switching, with baud rates averaging 20-30 Kbps and a maximum of ~170Kbps.
GPS (Global Positioning System)
GPS refers to satellite-based radio positioning systems that provide 24 hour three-dimensional position, velocity and time information to suitably equipped users anywhere on or near the surface of the Earth (and sometimes off the earth). GPS technology is used in a wide range of applications, including maritime, environmental, navigational, tracking and monitoring.
Graffiti
Graffiti is a the character recognition software used by PalmOS that enables users to input data into Palm devices via the touch screen using a stylus. It uses symbols that often resemble capital letters.
GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications)
GSM allows eight simultaneous calls on the same radio frequency. First introduced in 1991, by the end of 1997, GSM service was available in more than 100 countries and has become the de facto standard in Europe and Asia.
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Hack
Software designed to upgrade the existing usability of a handheld or add new features to the operating system, like language support.
Handheld computer
A handheld computer is a computer that can conveniently be stored in a pocket (of sufficient size) and used while you're holding it. Today's handheld computers, which are also called personal digital assistants (PDAs), can be divided into those that accept handwriting as input and those with small keyboards
Handspring
A company started by the co-founders of Palm Computing making handheld computers/PDAs using the Palm OS sometimes integrated with phones.
Hard drive (also hard disk drive)
A permanent data storage device built into all desktop PCs that permits you to save and retrieve information, and that stores the computer's operating system and other software. The size of a hard drive is usually expressed in gigabytes.
Hot Sync
Also called synchronization. The act of pressing the button on the cradle (USB or Serial) to copy data or load new applications onto a PDA. This is typically performed through a serial or USB connection from a Cradle to a PC.
Hot Sync Application Button
The button used to instantly activate a Hot Sync Application. This button is typically located on the cradle.
Hotsyncing
A way to exchange information between a desktop PC and a PDA. Old data on one device is replaced with new data from the other.
HSCSD
High-Speed Circuit-Switched Device. A circuit-switching technology for GSM that can boost speeds to ~58Kbps.
HTML HyperText Markup Language. The language used to format web pages.
Hypertext link (also hyperlink or link) A word, phrase, symbol, map, or any other item in a Web document that connects you to a different place in the same document or to another Internet resource. Hypertext links may be underlined, highlighted in colour, or appear as icons, to distinguish them from the surrounding text. The link must be "selected" by clicking on it with a mouse.
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I/O (Input/Output) refers to data transfer from input devices (keyboard, mouse, scanner, etc.) to output devices (printer, screen, etc.).
I/O Address Memory location for a particular device (disk drive, sound card, printer port, etc.). Two devices cannot share the same I/O address space.
ICON A pictorial graphic displayed on the LCD screen of a PDA which, when selected, opens the desired application.
IMT-2000 International Mobile Telecommunications-2000. International Telecommunications Union's title for the specification for projected 3G wireless services. Formerly called FPLMTS, Future Public Land-Mobile Telephone Systems.
Infrared Handheld devices can use this to transmit information to each other or to a printer without being physically connected.
Internet The global computer network, composed of thousands of WANs and LANs that uses TCP/IP to provide world-wide communications to homes, schools, businesses and governments. The WWW runs on the Internet.
Intranet Computers linked through a network, usually within a single company's premises.
iPAQ Expansion Pack System Allows the user to add extra functionality to the IPAQ. iPAQ Style Packs offer a range of styles to customize the iPAQ. Compaq iPAQ Expansion and Style Packs are designed to be slid on and off a Pocket PC without having to power off the Pocket PC first. For more info go to www.compaq.com/products/handhelds.
IR Port A protocol for infrared exchange of data between two devices.
ISP (Internet Service Provider) An ISP is a company that provides access to the Internet. For a monthly fee, subscribers are provided with the necessary software, a username, password and access phone number. Using a modem or ISDN terminal adaptor they can then log on to the Internet, browse and download from the WWW and send and receive e-mail. An amount of free Web space is generally provided, allowing the subscriber to create a Web site and thereby have a presence on the Web.
IT Information technology
ITU International Telecommunications Union.
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Jog Dial A dial usually located on the side of the PDA to facilitate navigation through text and menus.
Kbps Thousands of bits per second.
Kilobyte (K) A unit of measurement for computer file sizes. One thousand bytes equal one kilobyte; 1,000 kilobytes equal 1 megabyte, and 1,000 megabytes equal one gigabyte.
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LAN (local area network) A network in which computers that are in physical proximity, usually in the same building or complex, are linked via cables. See also: wireless LAN.
LCD Liquid Crystal Display: For PDAs, this is the visual display and input mechanism for the user.
l-Commerce Location-based e-commerce. E-Commerce that responds to a user's physical location, with the possibility of other criteria being factored in as well. For example, a car wash web site might call cell phone users who pass with a mile and offer a discount if they come in the next hour. Or a clothing store web site might call passing shoppers to invite them in for a dollar-off coupon on umbrellas when rain is in the forecast. L-Commerce is one of two terms for this technology - see m-Commerce.
Light Sensor A device that detects the ambient light level so that the back-light level adjusts to suit the environment.
Link See hypertext link.
Lithium polymer (Li-polymer) Battery technology of the future. Using lithium - the lightest metal on earth - this technology offers potentially greater energy densities than Li-Ion. Instead of using a liquid electrolyte - as is the case with conventional battery technologies - Li-polymer uses a solid or gel material impregnated with the electrolyte. This enables batteries to be made in almost any shape, allowing them to be placed in any of the many parts of a notebook case that would normally be filled with air.
Load To start a computer program. Load time may affect your assessment of software usefulness. Some PDA software loads almost instantly. Software that takes 10 to 15 seconds to load is considered slow.
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Mac OS Apple's Macintosh operating system.
Mbps Megabits per second.
m-Commerce Mobile e-commerce. E-Commerce that responds to a user's physical location, with the possibility of other criteria being factored in as well.
Megabyte 1000 kilobytes
Megabyte (MB) A unit for measuring computer memory or file size. One million bytes equal one megabyte (or 1,000 kilobytes).
Memo Application Button The button used to activate the Memo Application. This button is typically located on the front of the PDA.
Memo List Application Button The button used to activate a Calendar Application. This button is typically located on the front of the PDA.
Memo pad A native application on Palm OS devices that allows the user to jot down or type in notes on the handheld.
Memory The working space used by a PDA to hold and run a program and the data it needs, and to process the data. The amount of memory available determines the size of the programs run, and whether it is possible to run more than one program at once. Memory is also the means by which items are stored on the PDA.
Memory Stick Memory Stick designed by Sony for Sony products acts as an off-line connection transfer and exchange media for connecting many types of digital devices. It acts as a temporary storage space for pictures, music, words, sounds, movies, ideas, photographs, or anything else that can be converted into digital data. Memory Stick is currently available in 32 and 64MB sizes
MetroWerks CodeWarrior for Palm OS platform development tool allows creation of software programs that run directly on a Palm OS handheld from Windows 95/98/NT or Mac OS computer. It includes an integrated C/C++ compiler, source- and assembly-level debugger, assembler, and linker.
Microphone A device that allows a user to record voice messages. MIPS (Millions of Instructions Per Second) Refers to a computer processor's performance.
Modem A peripheral device that connects computers to each other via phone lines, allowing users to send and receive communications (such as e-mail) and to access the Internet. Handheld PCs have built-in modems. With palm-size PDAs, a modem is usually a separate expense, but all PDAs can accept one. Modems may be analogue or wireless. An analogue modem must be connected by a cable to a phone jack. A wireless modem requires no cable connection.
MP3 Standardised as ISO-MPEG Audio Layer-3 (IS 11172-3 and IS 138-3), MP3 employs a lossy compression technique, with bits of information being discarded to allow data to be compressed into files which are relatively small in comparison with .WAV files but which retain subjective CD quality.
Multitasking Running more than one program at a time. When a PDA has sufficient memory to allow this capability, it's easy to switch between programs to perform sequential tasks.
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Native Application An application that comes already installed in a new handheld computer.
Native Libraries Native Libraries are independently written routines which developers may include in addition to standard library called routines.
Network A group of interconnected computers.
OBEX Object Exchange (OBEX) protocol, OBEX is a session protocol and can best be described as a binary HTTP protocol. OBEX is optimized for ad-hoc wireless links and can be used to exchange all kind of objects like files, pictures, calendar entries (vCal) and business cards (vCard).
OEM Original Equipment Manufacturer. Refers to the software or hardware manufacturer before re-labelling or distribution.
Operating system (OS) The main control program that interacts between a PDAs internal machinery and the software programs run to ensure that everything works smoothly together.
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Packet-Switching Breaking voice or data into small units, or packets, transmitted over the network to the destination. Packet-switching is more efficient than circuit-switching because network resources are only used when packets are sent. This allows pricing based on the volume of data transmitted, rather than on the length of time that a circuit is open.
Palm The company that makes Palm PDAs and the Palm OS.
Palm OS Palm OS software is the operating system of Palm OS platform handhelds. Most software for these devices are called Palm OS applications.
Palm OS Emulator The Palm OS® Emulator is software that emulates the hardware of the various models of Palm OS platform devices. It is extremely valuable for writing, testing and debugging applications. Create "virtual" handhelds by running the Emulator on Windows, Mac OS, or UNIX computers.
Palm PDA Refers only to a PDA made by Palm.
Palm-size PDA A type of PDA that fits in the palm of your hand. It may or may not refer to a PDA made by Palm. PDAs made by Handspring, TRG, Sony, Casio, Hewlett-Packard, Compaq, and other companies are also palm-size.
PAN Personal Area Network. A group of devices within a 30 foot range linked wirelessly by low-power radio signals controlled by Bluetooth.
Passive Matrix Display A common LCD technology used in laptops. Passive matrix displays (DSTN, CSTN, etc.) are not quite as sharp and do not have as broad a viewing angle as active matrix (TFT) displays, but they have improved dramatically over the years. Looking head on into a passive matrix screen is not all that different than looking at an active matrix (TFT) screen. The difference is more noticeable with the viewing angle. A person looking from the side sees a dimmer image with passive matrix.
PC Card A PC Card is a credit card-size memory or I/O device that fits into a personal computer, usually a notebook or laptop computer. The PC Card is based on standards published by the Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA), an industry group organized in 1989 to promote standards for both memory and I/O integrated circuit cards.
PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association) The PCMCIA is an industry group organized in 1989 to promote standards for a credit card-size memory or I/O device that would fit into a personal computer, usually a notebook or laptop computer. The PCMCIA 2.1 Standard was published in 1993. As a result, PC users can be assured of standard attachments for any peripheral device that follows the standard. The initial standard and its subsequent releases describe a standard product, the PC Card.
PDA Personal digital assistant. A term coined by Apple when it released the Newton in the early 1990s. Refers to a wide variety of handheld and palm-size PCs, electronic organizers, Smartphones, and pagers.
PDB Palm Database: A PDB is a record database generally used to store data for an application.
PDB File Palm database software file that stores and organizes Palm data.
Personal digital assistant See PDA.
Personal Information Manager Refers to applications for computing devices that organize personal information, such as addresses, dates, and task lists. Frequently abbreviated as PIM.
PHS Personal Handyphone Service. A data communications service from NTT DoCoMo that lets subscribers connect PDAs and notebook PCs to a PHS network. PHS supports a baud rate of 32 Kbps, with 64 Kbps entering service.
Pick list A scrollable list of tasks presented to you by PDA software. Tap a choice with the stylus and the program automatically performs that task.
PIM See Personal Information Manager.
Pixels Units of resolution (or measurement) on a LCD display.
Platform Refers to the group of hardware, software, and accessories that revolve around a particular operating system. See operating system.
Pocket PC Handheld operating system developed by Microsoft, which runs on third party devices.
Port A PDA socket into which a cable can be inserted to connect the PDA to other devices.
POSE Palm Operating System Emulator, The Palm OS Emulator is a software tool that emulates handheld devices. It is valuable for writing, testing and debugging applications. These "virtual" devices run on Windows, Mac OS, and Unix computers.
Power Button Powers the PDA. Press and release the button to turn on or off the device. Press and hold the button for one second to toggle on or off the backlight if this is available.
PQA Palm Query Application software used on Palms with wireless or dial-up connection modems. This software connects to Web sites and displays selected information on your PDA.
PRC Palm Resource: A Palm resource file containing a resource list rather than a record list. Palm OS applications are resource databases. Palm OS application contains code resources a well as user interface resource elements.
PRC File Palm application software file that is uncompressed and can be installed directly from your PC to your Palm during synchronization.
PSION A British handheld computer company that makes its own hardware and operating system. Utilized by the Symbian device platform.
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Radio-wave transmission A means of using electromagnetic waves to transmit wireless signals. All PDA prescribing systems either offer or soon will offer radio-wave transmission capability. This enables you to beam scripts from your exam room or office to a desktop PC or a printer in another room. It also lets you access the Internet and send and receive e-mails from a remote location via a satellite network.
RAM (Random Access Memory) Temporary storage for computer files. The type of RAM used affects performance as the information stored here has to be refreshed many times per second by the processor.
Reset button Allows you to clear all data, and reset your system. Hard reset clears all data from the device, soft reset clears temporary data and works in the same way as using a Ctrl+Alt+delete button on a computer in that the system is reset as well.
RIM Stands for Research In Motion, which is the name of the company that produces the BlackBerry wireless device.
ROM (Read Only Memory) An integrated circuit chip containing programs and data that can be accessed and read but cannot be modified.
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Scroll To move through a document either up and down or sideways as if the document were being rolled like a scroll. With many PDA programs, arrows and bars at the right and bottom edges of the display enable scrolling.
Scroll Up/Down Buttons Buttons located between Address Book Application Button and To Do List Application Button on many Palm devices. Used to scroll up or down through the current application.
SD (Secure Digital) The SD (Secure Digital) Memory Card is a memory device about the size of postage stamp. SD Memory Cards are non-volatile, which means they do not require power to retain information stored on them. They are solid-state devices, so they have no moving parts to skip or break down. They will offer high storage capacity, fast data transfer, flexibility and security.
SDK (Standard Development Kit) A standard development kit (SDK) to develop Palm OS applications.
SDRAM (Synchronous DRAM) SDRAM is a type of DRAM designed to deliver bursts of data at very high speeds using automatic addressing, multiple page interleaving, and a synchronous (or clocked) interface. SDRAM can support bus speeds of up to 100MHz today and will probably support bus speeds of up to 200MHz in the future.
Search To locate information within a PDA program by using a search engine.
Serial Cradle With respect to PDAs, it is one method of communication between the PC and PDA used to synchronize data on both devices.
Server The central computer of a computer network, used mainly to store information.
Shareware Best described as "try before you buy" software. Either a consumer can use the program for a specific time period or has a "crippled" version of the product. In both cases, the customer must register (pay for) the product in order to utilize all of its features for an unlimited time.
SIM Subscriber Identity Module. A smart card inserted in GSM phones that authenticates the user to the network and can store basic user and network data.
Silkscreen This is name given to the touch sensitive area of the display with a fixed printed graphical user interface usually found on Palm PDAs for the home, calculator and find button area.
Skins When referring to PDAs, this is the colour of the outer layer of the device. It can also be a virtual skin which applies to the optional choices that can be made to the Graphical User interface.
Smart search (also known as auto fill) A feature of a search engine that saves typing time by automatically producing a keyword in a search box after you type only a couple of letters.
SMS Short Message Service. A paging system that lets GSM users send text messages up to 160 characters long.
Source Code Text used to create computer applications.
Speaker Sounds alarms and plays back sound recordings.
Springboard A Springboard is an additional snap in module specifically for Handspring PDAs that adds functionality. This is an open interface standard that is available for anyone to develop applications for Handspring PDAs.
SRAM Synchronous Random Access Memory: A volatile electronic storage device.
StrongARM A family of high-performance RISC-based microprocessors from Intel. StrongARM chips are used in handheld devices such as PDAs and palmtops. The StrongARM technology was jointly developed by Digital Equipment Corporation and Advanced RISC Machines (ARM). In 1997, Intel acquired Digital's chip manufacturing facilities and continues to make the Alpha and StrongARM chips.
Stylus A pen-like pointing and writing device for handheld computers. Writes directly on the touch screen.
Symbian Ltd. A joint venture between Psion, Motorola, Ericsson, and Nokia to develop and support the EPOC operating system. Formerly known as Psion Software.
Sync To synchronise the data between a handheld device and a laptop or desktop computer. See also HotSync.
Synchronization See Hot Sync
Synchronous Refers to events that are synchronised, or co-ordinated, in time. Communication within a computer is usually synchronous and is governed by the microprocessor clock. Signals along the bus, for example, can occur only at specific points in the clock cycle.
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T-1 line A telephone line connection for digital transmission typically employed by Ethernet and other local area networks. For connecting to the Internet, a T-1 line is far faster than a standard phone line and may also be considerably faster than DSL service.
TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol)
The communications protocol used by UNIX systems and the Internet. TCP checks for lost packets, puts the data from multiple packets into the correct order and requests that missing or damaged packets be resent.
TDMA Time Division Multiple Access. A digital wireless standard, developed primarily by AT&T, that allows each user a different time slot on a given frequency. Offers speeds of about 8K baud.
To Do List Application Button The button used to activate the To Do List Application. This button is usually located at the front of the PDA.
Touchscreen The touch-sensitive display on all PDAs. Tap a stylus to an appropriate spot on the PDAs screen, determined by the software used, a task is performed automatically.
Tucows One of many World Wide Web sources for PDA shareware applications.
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Usability
This is making user interfaces (the controls) of software applications, devices and equipment intuitive and user-friendly (easy to use).
UMTS Universal Mobile Telecommunications System. A 3G, broadband digital wireless standard due to be introduced in Japan in 2001 and offering a baud rate of up to 2 Mbps.
USB (Universal Serial Bus) Intel's standard for attaching peripherals to PCs. Designed for low to medium data throughput.
USB Cradle With respect to PDAs, it is one method of communication between the PC and PDA used to synchronize data on both devices.
User Group A group of people involved in discussion of their interests.
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VFS (Virtual Filing System) This is used by PDAs to access applications and their data on an external memory card by temporally copying the data into the PDAs main memory for processing then back to the memory card for storage.
WAN (wide area network) A computer network that spans a relatively large geographical area. The computers are usually connected to each other via telephone wires. See also wireless WAN.
WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) Wireless Application Protocol. The underlying standards for the wireless web. Based in part on IP, WAP is the wireless web's equivalent to TCP/IP on the Internet. Can operate on any wireless system.
WASP Wireless Application Service Provider. See ASP.
WAV A standard format for storing sound in computer files.
WCDMA Wideband Code Division Multiple Access. A CDMA enhancement supporting baud rates to 2Mbps.
Web Clipping Web clipping applications are HTML-based content designed specifically for small form factor and wireless devices.
WebRing A group of Internet Web sites related by subject matter and connected in network-like fashion where users may browse each site in a linear fashion.
WID (Wireless Information Device) A term used to describe any device that communicates via wireless connection.
WinCE, Pocket PC Microsoft operating system targeted for portable applications. Windows for Pocket PC The version of the Windows CE operating system designed specifically for pocket PCs.
Wireless WAN A wide area network-which could span a region, a nation, or the globe-that connects computers, including PDAs, by radio waves via a satellite system.
WML Wireless Markup Language. The current wireless markup language under WAP. An XML instance, and the next generation of HDML.
XHTML Extensible Hypertext Markup Language. HTML recast as an instance of XML.
XML Extensible Markup Language. A meta-language that allows developers to create custom tags and languages. XML is more powerful than HTML but less complex that SGML.
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