Thinking back to the days of the first personal computer (PC), only a few imagined how pervasive they would become in today’s society. We have become accustomed to having ready access to vast amounts of data and processing power by way of these devices. Portability became the impetus for the laptop. At the cost of lugging around a few pounds, we now carry tremendous amounts of data with us along with the ability to execute sophisticated applications on the bus, airplane, or in a remote workplace.
However, it is cumbersome to turn on or start up a conventional computer to just look up a phone number or appointment time. This notion led to the development of the predecessors of the personal digital assistant (PDA). These were small devices that could store hundreds of contact names, numbers and eventually more data. As technologies advanced, it became apparent that a device no larger than those providing only contact information could run numerous applications that allowed a person away from his or her desktop or laptop computer to access a vast quantity of data. The newer PDAs combine this rapid access with substantial memory and moderate processing power.
The handheld PDA is a wonderful tool, but we must understand what it does well and where it falls short. To do this, look first at how the PDA is used. It is carried unobtrusively by its owner, who can pull it out in a flash, turn it on and in an instant access an item of interest. The average PDA is off again in less than one minute, according to Palm, Inc., the industry’s leader. Conversely, most PCs are used in sessions lasting 15 to 20 minutes or longer. The PC is slow to start and cumbersome, but has the ability to maintain a tremendous number of complex applications, graphics and data files. The PDA is fast and easy to use, small and easily portable, great with text and simple applications, but has a hard time presenting graphics effectively or running complex applications such as photo editing.
Types of PDAs
Current PDAs fall into two predominant categories: Pocket PCs (those running the Windows CE operating system) and Palm Operating System (OS) devices. The Windows CE devices tend to be larger, have more memory and a brighter screen, and drain their batteries daily if frequently used. Palm OS is much more efficient, requiring little power and allowing for far superior battery life. The screens are generally less impressive than the Windows CE devices. However, the Palm OS devices themselves are slimmer and lighter.
Both types of devices store applications and data in RAM rather than on a hard drive. This enables rapid access and is less cumbersome. The obvious limitation is the amount of memory available. Some devices offer an expansion slot or digital media slot for extra memory. All of these devices come with an infrared (IR) port for local communications. On the horizon are devices that incorporate Bluetooth communications, a wireless protocol utilizing 2.4 GHz frequency band that will allow data transfer without requiring cables or line-of-sight connection.
Every user needs the device for something a little different. With all of the various configurations available, you should be able to find a PDA that fits your needs. There are numerous devices currently offered, with new models being introduced almost weekly. The following is a brief review of some of the features to be considered when choosing a Palm OS PDA. This is not an exhaustive review. For more information, CNET https://www.cnet.com and the devices’ sites provide excellent resources.
Choosing a PDA
Before choosing a PDA, you should think about how you want to use the device. Will it be simply an address book/phone book/memo pad? Or will you keep track of your patients, schedules, operations, billing, etc. How much data do you need to keep track of? Do you need wireless communication? Are you going to use the device primarily indoors or outdoors?? Do you have specific applications that you will need to run on the device? Do you want a color screen or black and white?
If you are simply interested in an organizer that you can synchronize with your desktop or laptop calendar/date book/ address book/e-mail, one of the less expensive devices should suffice. These should have 8 MB of RAM, although for the most limited users, 2 MB may be adequate. Palm OS devices in this category include the Palm m100, m105, the new m125 and the Handspring Visor Deluxe, among others. Also consider the Xircom Rex 6000, which has fewer bells and whistles, but is about the size of a credit card and thus is by far the most unobtrusively portable of the devices.
For the more aggressive user, the new Palm m500 and m505 provide a svelte package with expandable memory slot, and in the case of the m505, a color screen. If you need more RAM, the Visor Pro has 16 MB and leads the pack right now. If processor speed is an issue, the Visor Pro, Visor Platinum, Palm m500 and m505, and the Sony devices have a 33 MHz processor, while most other Palm OS PDAs have 20 MHz processors. If you want even faster processor speed, you can use Tornado V, software developed by IS/Complete that doubles the processor speed.
Handspring’s Visor devices come with a unique expansion slot. This allows the addition of many “Springboard” modules. These modules include telephone and wireless modem attachments, numerous global positioning system and sports attachments, cameras, voice recorders, universal remote control, e-books and productivity tools. Other devices have some of these types of modules available, but they must attach to the external port of the device and tend to be clunky and not as streamlined as the Visor Springboard modules. The Visor Edge is Handspring’s thin, stylish PDA. Because of its streamlined shell, it requires an attachment to use the Visor modules.
The Sony CLIE devices are packed with features. The PEG-S320 is Sony’s entry model with a black and white screen, 8 MB RAM, and a “jog dial7quot; for easy scrolling through the screen. The PEG-N610C adds a high resolution color screen, while the PEG-N710C also adds an MP3 player. The new Sony PEG N760C is similar to the 710, but adds the latest Palm OS, 4.1. All the CLIE devices have slots for Sony’s Memory Stick, allowing expanded storage.
Most of the Palm OS devices have backlit LCD screens. This makes them excellent indoors, but difficult to see outdoors in sunlight. Frontlit screens are much easier to view outdoors. The Sony CLIE PEG-N610C and N710C, for example, both have reflective, frontlit color LCD screens, while the Palm m505 has a backlit color screen. The Sony color screens are 320 x 320 pixels, rivaling the Windows CE devices.
The Kyocera Smartphone combines a Palm OS PDA and a cellular telephone into one compact device. The screen is somewhat smaller than that of most PDAs, while, as a cell phone, it is larger than most available today. However, if you need both, the Smartphone is hard to beat. Samsung has recently come out with the SPH-1300, a competitor for the Smartphone. While the Smartphone is a cell phone with a PDA in it, the Samsung is more a PDA with a cell phone in it.
If you need to present, edit, or review images, movies, or other graphics files, the Windows CE devices are head and shoulders above the Palm OS devices. Also, if most of the demands you place on a handheld include MS Excel spreadsheets, Word files or other Office documents, the CE units are probably a better choice. Applications are available to synchronize the Palm OS devices with your MS Office programs, but the native Windows environment that the CE units have still seems to work better.
The Windows CE devices also allow you to run PowerPoint slide shows or make other types of presentations directly from the PDA. Also available are wireless modems, dictation features, and expandable memory up to 5 GB or greater.
The Future
As technology advances, PDAs willl get more and more powerful, at the same time maintaining the slim format we enjoy. These devices may even supplant the laptop. Already, the Windows CE units allow the user to carry a tremendous amount of data, make presentations directly from the PDA and run complex applications. As the Palm OS technology advances, similar features will be available, while maintaining Palm’s tenet that the devices should be slim, easily portable and have long battery life. Bluetooth connectivity, technology which offers a wireless personal area network, will make information exchange much easier and faster.
Already, many healthcare professionals carry PDAs. Companies have developed mobile applications that allow physicians to access patient information on the fly, get updated appointment or operation schedules while out of the office, and code and bill at the point of service. Currently under development are applications that will allow physicians to access information about patients in real-time from the hospital information system, including demographic, chart, and laboratory data, write orders, and potentially even create or dictate chart notes directly from the PDA.
Harold Pikus, MD, practices neurosurgery at Mountain Neurological Center in Asheville, N.C.