"Personal Digital Assistant - A Tech Tool Worth Possessing" -by Janani Gopalakrishnan

In this busy era, where managing home and work at the same time is becoming a norm and a necessity, some technology gadgets come to the rescue. A PDA is one such device. You may consider buying one for yourself, so you can be organised and make the most out of your time. Or perhaps you may consider buying this as a gift for a significant person in your life who is unable to spend much time with you because of their busy work load.

Know what? The days of having one personal secretary sitting across the desk and one across the globe (yes, Americans are known to have outsourced the job of a personal secretary to India so that they can have their letters typed out and presentations prepared overnight) are over. Today, all you need is a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA). A personal secretary you can carry in your pocket. That is a tough task even with a lithe fifty kilo femme, right?

A friend of mine recently bought a PDA and found it so useful to store her appointments, reminders, tasks-to-complete-on-the-way-back-home, and what not! She even used it to read cookery e-books, to stores photos of her kid, to listen to music while jogging in the morning, and more. What’s more, it was so easy to transfer files, contacts, appointments etc. from her PC to her PDA (and vice versa), so she could carry all quick-reference details in her handbag wherever she went. She could also take notes or jot down recipes anytime anywhere without hunting for paper and pen!

PDAs can be thought of as palm held computers. You can store contacts, make notes, schedule appointments and alarms, connect to the Internet to browse and check your mail, and so on. Some PDAs also come with advanced multimedia capabilities, so you can record voice, play music, store video and audio, and more. The current generation PDA can serve as your computer, mobile phone, digital camera, video camera, music player, and even television!

Two important features to look for when buying a PDA are synchronisation and wireless connectivity (with Blue Tooth or Wi-Fi). That is, you should be able to connect your laptop and your PDA and synchronise the appointments and files in them. Else, imagine having a different version of files in each device, and appointments showing different statuses in each. It would be maddening. When you are able to connect your computer and PDA using Blue Tooth, Wi-Fi or USB cable, then you just have to use the ‘sync’ functionality in your PDA to update both devices with the latest version of all data, whether it is notes or addresses or appointments.

Remember to ask if your PDA will let you open and view PDFs, so you can lie back in your couch and read e-books on it, instead of on your cumbersome laptop!

Some of the aspects you need to look at when buying a PDA are processor speed, memory, features and functionality, software loaded, and so on. Around 128 MB of memory (with the option to add more later if you want), 320 x 480 colour screen, 312 MHz speed, Wi-Fi or Blue Tooth capability, tools to handle email, calendar, contacts, appointments, simple documents and e-books, would be an ideal choice. If you want a savvier one, look for greater multimedia capabilities. And yes, battery life and weight of the gadget are important factors your must consider too.

Palm handhelds, Palm Treo, HP iPAQ and BlackBerry are popular choices today.
When used wisely, this device can make your day longer than 24 hours! You will be amazed at the amount of work you can get done in less time, thanks to being more organised.
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Dear Janani,

I have read all your articles in the technology series and am really impressed. To begin with, they are all informative and useful. And I have been able to take something from every column and use it in my daily life.

And I like the style in which you write. You make the articles precise and well-worded. Liked the latest one on PDA. Shall look forward to getting one. Bought a Cpen a couple of years back and was wowed by the ease of life after that.

Looking forward to more from you.

regards
Vidya

Thanks, Vidya! Hope to keep meeting you with more info every month!

Regards,
Janani