|
| |
|
Personal
Digital Assistance |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Personal
Digital Assistant
By Douglas R. Bowie
What is PDA technology and how does it work?
A personal digital assistant (PDA) is a handheld computing device
used to process, store and access data while away from one’s
desktop computer. PDAs are usually used to store personal information,
a calendar and contact information. Over time, their functionality
has expanded due to increasing on-board memory, more powerful
central processing units (CPU), and —most importantly—
wireless network access.
All PDAs use the same basic hardware and software concepts: screen,
RAM, CPU, OS and applications. They each have a small liquid crystal
display (LCD) screen; most rely on stylus/touch-screen technology
and handwriting recognition programs for data entry. Some small
amount of on-board RAM is used to store the operating system (OS),
applications and data. Data processing is done by a small microprocessor
that has been modified to utilize as little power as possible.
Newer PDAs possess the ability to read and write to additional
add-on socketed memory cards. Modern models offer wireless access
to local area networks (LANs) and the Internet. (See Image 1)
The PDA market is thought to be still in its infancy; therefore
it is a volatile place for consumers as well as manufacturers.
The
PDA’s background and who are its proponents
In
1993, Apple Computer Inc. introduced the world to the first
PDA, the Newton Message Pad. The term “personal digital
assistant” was coined on January 7, 1993 by John Sculley
at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, referring
to the Apple Newton. (Farlex 2004) Sculley predicted PDAs
would become ubiquitous tools that would hold telephone numbers,
keep your calendar, store notes, plus send and receive data
wirelessly. Unfortunately, the Apple Newton was not able to
deliver all of those features at the time it was released.
|
|
Image
1: Logical layout of PDA functions (Freudenrich 2004) |
Its handwriting recognition software failed to live up to the
marketing hype; PDA sales dwindled and almost fell off the charts.
(Sanford 2004)
 |
In
March 1996, Palm, Inc. delivered the industry's first truly
compelling handheld computer, the PalmPilot. Sculley's predictions
finally came true starting with the Palm VII, which had the
first wireless data transfer for a PDA. New PDAs continue
to arrive from Palm, IBM, Apple, HP, Motorola, Sony, and others.
In the near future, the world can expect the next step in
PDA performance in the smart phone, a device combining a wireless
phone will all of the functions of a PDA. (Handango 2004)
|
Image
2: Apple Newton Message Pad the original PDA (Farlex 2004) |
Software,
both application software and operating system, is used to differentiate
between competing models. Currently, there are two primary software
manufacturers creating the core operating systems for PDA devices:
Palm OS and Windows Pocket PC. (Farlex 2004) Both operating systems
offer similar basic functions: calendaring, wireless web browsing,
email (both sending and receiving) and contact management. Each
operating system offers other software packages over and above
the basics applications that the manufacturers use to lure consumers
away from the competition. In many cases the choice of operating
system, and therefore which PDA is right for a consumer, is more
a matter of taste than of technical specifications or capability.
What
can I do with a PDA?
The original function of the PDA was to replace a paper-based
organizer. It had the ability to hold telephone numbers, keep
one’s calendar and store notes. This might seem like a meager
goal considering the functionality of today’s PDAs. The
addition of wireless access to the Internet has significantly
influenced the use of PDAs. Not only can the PDA remotely sync
with a host Personal Computer (PC), the PDA can directly access
web sites. The newest generations of PDAs are powerful enough
to host specialized applications that normally could be run only
on PC’s. Specialized PDAs that store and listen to music
have become very popular with mainstream consumers.
How do PDAs interconnect with the network?
PDAs connect to other devices in two basic ways. The first way
uses a sync-cable to physically connect the PDA to a host PC.
The host PC provides connection to the LAN and to the Internet
as well as to additional storage of information for the PDA. The
second connection method is new to PDAs within the past four years.
A wireless network connection is made via a wireless access point
for connection to the LAN and Internet. The wireless connection
can be used to communicate with other nearby devices.
The wireless connectively breaks into four distinct categories.
Only the newest PDA devices have all four wireless connection
options. The first is an infrared connection (IR), using infrared
beams of light to communicate via line-of-sight at a very short
range. This type of connection was first developed to allow PDAs
to connect with printers and other PDAs. Software broadened the
use of IR to allow the PDA to replace the television remote control
or other appliance remotes.
Bluetooth is a frequency-reusing short-haul network protocol.
Originally touted as a sync cable replacement, it has had security
issues and lack of acceptance because its creator was a consortium
of industry manufacturers rather than an international standards
body. (Brooks 2004) Because Bluetooth’s use of a different
frequency than WiFi, it has gained limited popularity as a short
distance communication method for PDA peripherals. Global Positioning
System peripherals, wireless headphones for cell phones/PDAs and
PDA keyboards are among the most popular devices using Bluetooth.
 |
| Image
3: Bluetooth Frequency Hopping (Franklin 2004) |
The
third wireless connection technology used is the same wireless
protocol used by laptops. Created by the IEEE, an international
standards body, at the behest of engineers from NCR Corp. the
802.11x standard was born in the 1988. (Economist 2004) Using
space in the newly unlicensed spectrum, the IEEE created a standard
that is the accepted standard for wireless communication. The
IEEE is an open standards body incurring no licensing fees to
implement the technology as there are with Bluetooth. However,
802.11x was intended for short-haul communication within a building
or specific area. This can limit the mobility of devices using
it. 802.11x is by far the most widely implemented wireless technology
currently available.
The fourth is a relative newcomer to the wireless communication
arena. Commonly known as Global System for Mobile communications
(GSM), it is also an international standard.
Created
by The Conference of European Posts and Telegraphs (CEPT), GSM
was originally designed to be a cellular phone communication standard.
(Marshall et al. 2004) A subset of the GSM standard was created
with the idea that data also may need to be passed to and from
the phone. Handheld device manufacturers were quick to jump on
the implications of this idea.
| The
extended signal coverage of this technology allows users to
have a much larger range of movement. The most persuasive
device using GSM is Blackberry, which connects through AT&T’s
cellular network as the access point to the Internet. Blackberry
is a GSM enabled PDA device that is primarily used to send
and receive email. (See Image 4) The creators of the Blackberry,
Research in Motion, started with the idea that “It [email]
was the killer app for the wired Net, and it would be the
killer app for the wireless Net.“ (Maney 2002) GSM has
the range and capability to revolutionize the handheld industry
taking the consumer with it. GSM has the same potential to
change the mobile computing world that cell phones had 20
years ago. |
|
| Image
4: Blackberry 7100t (Research In Motion Limited 2004) |
PDA
Regulatory and Economic issues
The regulatory issues for PDA devices are fairly uncomplicated
on the surface. The most pertinent legislation for PDAs comes
in the form of wireless communication legislation.
In 1986, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) opened several
bands of wireless spectrum, allowing them to be used without the
need for a government license. The FCC opened up three blocks
of spectrum, 900 MHz, 2.4MHz and 5.8GHz (Federal Communications
Commission 1986). Several manufacturers made proprietary LAN products
utilizing the new spectrum. A few companies, like NCR Corp, realized
that equipment that could interconnect without being locked into
a specific vendor was more likely to be accepted by the consumer.
Thus NCR pursued an open standard with the IEEE. (Economist 2004)
As the need for more bandwidth for handheld devices increases
the need for more spectrum also will increase. The FCC is starting
to look into proposed standards such as WiMax. This emerging standard
will offer a maximum 70 megabit connection speed over a 50 km
area. (Economist 2004)
As the prevalence of technology in our lives continues to increase,
several issues have come up regarding their regulation. CNN has
reported that high school aged children are a rising demographic
using PDA technology. That fact has caused some schools to ban
PDAs and cell phones out of the fear of cheating and student distraction.
Teacher Joe Ambrosia said, "It shouldn't be so easy to have
all these other functions at their fingertips. It's hard enough
to keep a young teenager on task." (Associated Press, The
2003)
The PDA industry is a billion dollar business. After the tech
bubble burst, many consumers became more interested in a PDA rather
than purchasing a more expensive laptop computer. However, according
to a Gartner market study, the overall PDA market has shrunk by
5 percent in Q1 2004 compared to Q1 2003 and the shares are:
Palm OS - 40.7% (stable)
Pocket PC - 40.2% (slightly increasing)
Research In Motion - 14.8% (strongly increasing)
Linux - 1.9% (stable)
Other - 2.4% (strongly decreasing)
The usually cited reason for this decline is the growing capabilities
of communicators — mobile phones with PDA-like communication
functions. (Farlex 2004)
Real world applications of PDA technology
The possibilities continue to expand for PDA devices. As storage
options have increased, so have the applications for the PDA.
Specialized PDA devices have become available on the market. The
creation of high-capacity hard drives, currently at the 40 Gigabyte
level, have allowed MP3 players to become a fixture in many people’s
lives. A 40 Gigabyte hard drive has the capacity to hold an average
of 222 hours of music.
 |
Once
again, Apple Computer Corporation figures prominently in
this arena with the Apple iPod. The combination of a large
hard storage device and a simple-to- use interface has made
the iPod the de-facto standard in portable MP3 devices.
(Economist 2004)
Applications
in the medical field have begun to spring up as well. Mersey
Regional Ambulance Service in England is scheduled to rollout
PDAs to all paramedics in the field. The PDAs are connected
via a satellite link in the ambulance to the hospital. The
PDAs are used for communication to doctors and resources
that normally wouldn’t be available to medics in the
field. (Gomm 2004) |
| Image
5: Apple iPod (Apple Computer Corp 2004) |
Several
failures have plagued the industry. Apple Computer Corporation,
the creator of the original PDA, suffered from slow sales at the
start of the industry because of poor handwriting recognition
software. It was noted to be “notoriously difficult to use.”
(Sanford 2004) Many PDA devices have gone the way of the Do-Do
bird because of the complexity of the user interface. The big
winners in the PDA game, iPod and Blackberry, are winners because
the interface to the product is easy to use and to understand.
Bibliography
Apple Computer Corp. 2004. iPod The best just got better [online].
[cited 25 September 2004]. Available from World Wide Web:
(http://www.apple.com/ipod)
Associated Press, The. 2003. Schools tackle PDA problem [online].
CNN.com. [cited 25 September 2004]. Available from World Wide
Web:
(http://www.cnn.com/2003/EDUCATION/09/21/sprj.sch.classroom.gadgets.ap)
Brian, Marshall and Tyson, Jeff. 2004. How Cell Phones Work [online].
How Stuff Works. [cited 25 September 2004]. Available from World
Wide Web:
(http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/cell-phone.htm)
Brooks, Jason. Bluetooth update shows maturity.
eWeek 12 July 2004 Vol. 21 Issue 28
Economist. “A brief history of Wi-Fi.”
Economist 6 June 2004 Vol. 371 Issue 8379 special section
Economist. “The meaning of iPod.”
Economist 6 June 2004 Vol. 371 Issue 8379 special section
Farlex Inc. 2004. Personal Digital Assistant [online]. TheFreeDictionary.com.
[cited 25 September 2004]. Available from World Wide Web:
(http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/personal%20digital%20assistant)
Federal Communications Commission. 2004. 900 MHz SMR Service Areas
and Licensing Blocks[online].
Available from World Wide Web: (http://wireless.fcc.gov/smrs/900.html)
Franklin, Curt. How Bluetooth Works [online]. How Stuff Works.
[cited 25 September 2004]. Available from World Wide Web:
(http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/bluetooth.htm)
Freudenrich, Craig C. 2004. How PDAs Work [online].
How Stuff Works [cited 25 September 2004]. Available from World
Wide Web: (http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/pda.htm)
Gomm,
Karen. 2004. Mersey paramedics to improve patient care and speed
up response times with PDAs.
Computer Weekly 6 July 2004.
Handango 2004. History of the Personal Digital Assistant [online]
[cited 26 September 2004]. Available from World Wide Web:
(http://www.handango.com/PDAHistory.jsp?siteId=1)
Maney, Kevin. 2002. “So far, so good for tech start-up”
The Detroit News. 6 May 2002.
Maney, Kevin. 2004. BlackBerry: The 'Heroin of Mobile Computing'
[online]
[cited 26 September 2004]. Available from World Wide Web:
(http://www.flowgo.com/newsletters/xdrive/tech/stories_tech1_50801.html)
Research In Motion Limited. 2004. Blackberry 7100t [online].
[cited 25 September 2004]. Available from World Wide Web:
(http://www.blackberry.com/products/blackberry7100/blackberry7100t.shtml)
Sanford, Glen. 2004. Newton Message Pad (OMP) [online].
[cited 26 September 2004]. Available from World Wide Web:
(http://www.apple-istory.com/noframes/body.php?page=gallery&model=nmp)
|
