Just as the Internet sparked the popularity of home computing, according to many in the computer industry, so will wireless Internet access fuel the sales of portable handheld computers. So where do you start in deciding which is the most suitable device for you?
PDAs are generally smaller than notebooks and vary in size and weight, from being small enough to fit in your pocket to the size of an A5 filofax. Depending on which product you choose, handhelds could be used to provide anything from simple day-to-day data management of contact information, memos and reminders, to high level business-critical operations in a mobile environment.
The handheld market was first inspired by the Palm Pilot, manufactered by US Robotics. It was based on a compact operating system called Palm OS, and was basically a simple, portable information manager. The battery life was several weeks between charges and it could be synchronised with a desktop PC for exchange of contact and calendar information.
Over the years, Palm OS devices have matured into quite sophisticated information managers.
In more recent times, portable handheld computers based on a Microsoft operating system platform have emerged. These devices run a mobile version of Microsoft's Windows Operating System (a newer version of the former Windows CE), and offer an interface familiar to users of the desktop Windows OS.
These systems tend to be a bit more expensive, memory hungry and consume battery power more quickly than Palm OS devices, but they also pack more functionality and are more like mini-laptops. They run pocket versions of Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook and Internet Explorer. If you are looking for a device to integrate with your desktop Office documents, this may be the choice for you.
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