PDA (personal digital assistant) devices are more useful than ever. What began as a convenient way to store contacts and calendars has evolved into a new conduit for information in the digital age. PDAs are now being used for many purposes beyond simple calendaring and phone number storage.
The latest wave of handheld personal computers blur the line between PDA and full fledged computer. This year saw the release of the OQO handheld computer. This small device is a little larger than a traditional PDA, but has a 60Gb hard drive and a 1Ghz processor, which gives it the power of a typical laptop computer. The OQO runs the Windows XP desktop operating system and features wireless connectivity though 802.11 (WiFi) and Bluetooth standards. This little handheld computer has the power to run your favorite desktop applications like Microsoft Office, Adobe Photoshop, and others right from the palm of your hand. Devices like the OQO are changing the way people look at mobile computing.
Also released this year was a software package by Orb Networks that allows consumers to share their cable television connection with any internet capable broadband device. In simple terms, this means that you can watch the contents of your home DVR (such as TiVo or DirectTV) on any device that you own that can connect to the internet at broadband speeds. This means you can watch your TiVo’ed programming on your 802.11b -enabled PDA at the local coffee shop or on your cell phone over the wireless broadband services that are being rolled out these past few years.
With the advent of completely wireless broadband, the PDA market will only continue to grow as people have the need and desire to have more and more information available at their fingertips at all times. As bandwidth increases and media becomes more rich and interactive, palmtop computing will become more and more viable as a vector for unlimited revenue potential through the content creation and advertising markets.
James Hunt has spent 15 years as a professional writer and researcher covering stories that cover a whole spectrum of interest.
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