PDA or a Personal Digital Assistant as it is otherwise known is a mobile device with internet connectivity. It also works as personal information manager. The present day PDAs have an electronic visual display with an integrated phone as these devices have audio functions. They also have multimedia applications. PDAs can access internet through Wi-Fi and have touch screen function.

The first PDA or a personal digital assistance was introduced to the market by Apple Computers in 1992. It was only in 1996 Nokia integrated PDA into the mobile phone which outsold all the mobile phones around the world. This series of Nokia 9000 communicator paved the way to new segment in mobile technology called the Smart phones which were actually PDA integrated into mobile phones. These integrated PDAs have become popular that they have been sold more than 5 million per year. While PDA without mobile phone or stand alone PDA’s sell about 3 million a year.

A classic PDA comes with a touch screen to navigate around the hardware application. The device comes with memory card slot for external storage, IrDA, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. PDAs that are integrated to a mobile phone come with thumb key board and some come without a touch screen with soft keys, directional pad and a numeric keyboard. Appointment calendar, to-do-list and an address book are a must feature in PDAs. Wireless data connection is the key feature of PDA to enable one to get notification from various social networks like face book, twitter, MySpace, Gmail, Yahoo and many more.

Many original formats of PDAs came with very few hardware application keys. Many PDAs like Apple Newton and Window Mobile used stylus to navigate through the applications or used a finger to select or drag the function which they needed to use. Most PDAs had virtual keypads which facilitated in entering text. One used either the finger or the stylus to select the text. Some users found using external keyboard connected to the device via USB, Bluetooth or cables more comfortable than the virtual keyboard. Many PDAs came with a facility to write on the screen which would recognise and convert them to text.

Most PDA come with an external keypad as other technologies had their own drawbacks which were not quite acceptable to the end user. Newer versions of virtual Keyboard have been introduced in PDA which can comprehend multiple touches. PDAs come with wireless connectivity, Bluetooth, synchronisation to the personal computers and many more applications which have made the lives of millions across the world much easier and simpler. There are many popular brands that have developed Smartphone which have integrated PDA in them. Every season one sees a better version or an up graded version of the previous model which come with multiple functions. Little research into website will help you to find the best PDA available in the market that will suit your requirements. Most authorised websites of various companies developing PDA give a complete list of the features and application found in their PDA integrated mobile phones which make the search easier.

Author Bio: Blackberry Pearl 8100 was one of the Best PDA Phone in 2010. Currently Samsung Galaxy S2 and iPhone 4 are the top Smartphones in the market.

Category: Computers and Technology
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