A personal digital assistant (PDA) has recently become a popular portable electronic device. Personal digital assistants are handheld devices which are capable of performing various functions of
personal computers and
cellular phones depending upon the model or style of PDA. A personal digital assistant provides personal and multimedia services which incorporate recent data communication technology. Personal digital assistants provide a user with the convenience to be able to store diaries, address books, meeting schedules etc in a compact, transportable form as well as to be able to instantly add new entries such as meeting notes, new addresses etc. The PDA enables a user to easily access a small and portable terminal using a pen or voice, instead of a conventional
keyboard, and provides a graphic user interface (GUI) environment. A PDA may be used for
wireless communication, like a cellular phone, to send and receive electronic mail. A PDA may also be used to store and display calendars, addresses and
telephone numbers, to-do lists, and other electronic information. Personal digital assistants provide a reminder feature for alerting a user of an upcoming appointment, event or task. The reminder feature usually causes a visual as well as an audio alert to be generated on the device. A light indicator that is strategically located on the device provides the visual alert. The PDA can store a substantial amount of data such as schedule data, address book data, to-do list data, and a note pad data, and further provides diversified functions as well. In addition to traditional functions of organizer assistant, e-mail addresses, phone numbers, data further call be downloaded from a computer. For example, the user can transfer e-mails that cannot be immediately read from a computer to the PDA, and treat these emails later. Information can also be downloaded into a PDA by way of a connection or coupling link between the PDA and a personal computer. Software applications such as
calculator, an electronic map, a document processing system, an electronic book, a palm game, and global positioning system (GPS) may be further installed in the PDA. Some PDAs have built-in wireless communication modules, they can also receive real-time information such as stock market news, traffic statuses, weather predictions, real-time news, and so on. In the future, it is hopefully that PDAs can be combined with mobile phones. A personal digital assistant typically consists of a
microprocessor or
microcontroller (i.e., a small,
processor that executes a program of stored instructions), a
memory defining a database, and an input/output device such as a
touchscreen or a
liquid crystal display and a keyboard. The general PDAs always have several connecting ports for electrically connecting to other
peripheral devices.
