pctechguide.com

  • Home
  • Guides
  • Tutorials
  • Articles
  • Reviews
  • Glossary
  • Contact

Handheld Applications

In the early days PDAs came with some variation on the set of familiar PIM applications, perhaps with a couple of games thrown in. The traditional PIM functionality has matured and grown in sophistication of the years, and continues to be present today. In addition to some form of handwriting recognition software, the following is a super-set of the PIM software to be found on the palm-size, stylus-based class of PDA device:

  • Diary/scheduler
  • To-do list
  • Phone/address book
  • Notepad
  • Drawing application
  • Finance software
  • Calculator
  • Organizer
  • Alarms
  • World time
  • File manager
  • Voice recorder
  • Data synchronization
  • Printer connection.

In addition, the following Web applications have become standard offerings. Thanks to the recent developments in communications technology this functionality is now possible via wireless connection to the Internet:

  • Email
  • Web browser.

In addition, keyboard-based designs may additionally come with cut-down versions of the following desktop applications:

  • Word processor
  • Spell checker
  • Custom dictionary
  • Spreadsheet.

The explosion in the PDA market in the late 1990s has resulted in the development of all manner of third-party applications aimed at both the consumer and corporate sectors. One of the most interesting new areas of development – both because of its inherent applicability to the mobile user and because it is an excellent example of the exploitation of converging technologies – are the various route planning and journey tracking systems now available.

Combining the power and convenience of PDA devices with the intelligence and precision of a Global Positioning System (GPS), these packages allow users to plan their trip, customise maps and directions, and track their progress, whether they’re traveling by land, sea or air, whatever their mode of transport.

The Route Planner application – developed by UK-based Palmtop Software and available for all three rival OS platforms – is a good example of what’s on offer. The user indicates the required journey, either by pointing and clicking on a map or by entering the names of the start and destination points. Particular places of interest – or places to be avoided – can be entered before the route is calculated.

Any section of the road map can be displayed at any scale, and at any level of detail. Location names, routes, legends, locators and scales can be displayed in a variety of ways. Similarly, driving instructions can be displayed in several natural language formats and at different levels of detail. When used in conjunction with a compatible GPS satellite receiver, the traveler’s position on the map will be updated as they move. A split view allows progress along the route to be viewed at the same time as displaying the driving instructions.

Route

Future mobile technologies are likely to have a major impact on lifestyles, both at work and play. Mobile banking and shopping can already be quite happily achieved on a small screen and, with an expected one billion mobile phone users by 2003, by then there may be as many people surfing the web via a mobile handset or mobile-enabled PDA as from their desktop – perhaps not for general-purpose Web surfing, but rather for accessing specialized Internet services like stock quotes, weather, maps and sports scores.

  • Handheld Organizer origins
  • Handheld Evolution
  • Palm Pilot
  • Handheld Operating Systems
  • Handwriting Recognition
  • Handheld Synchronization
  • Handheld Applications
  • Guide to UMPCs – Ultra Mobile Personal Computers

Filed Under: PDA's and Other Handhelds

Latest Articles

5 Pieces of Technology to Boost Your Business in 2021

Let’s face it; running a business is not usually easy. Whether you are self-employed and running your own one-person operation or employing many different staff members in your organization, there are usually so many different tasks that have to be carried out daily to keep your business running. … [Read More...]

A Guide to LED Screens

A Guide to LED Screens These days, there are countless different ways to grab a potential customer’s attention. Low prices, lots of advertising, an excellent product range are all traditional means of getting that possible client into your business, but are not enough. If you run a conference … [Read More...]

VCR to DVD – Video Digitisation and Compression Codecs

The transfer of a video cassette recording to DVD involves the capture and digitisation of the analogue video, editing the digitised video as necessary and compressing this prior to burning it to DVD. There are various methods of accomplishing this, varying in ease of operation, speed, … [Read More...]

Gaming Laptop Security Guide: Protecting Your High-End Hardware Investment in 2025

Since Jacob took over PC Tech Guide, we’ve looked at how tech intersects with personal well-being and digital safety. Gaming laptops are now … [Read More...]

20 Cool Creative Commons Photographs About the Future of AI

AI technology is starting to have a huge impact on our lives. The market value for AI is estimated to have been worth $279.22 billion in 2024 and it … [Read More...]

13 Impressive Stats on the Future of AI

AI technology is starting to become much more important in our everyday lives. Many businesses are using it as well. While he has created a lot of … [Read More...]

Graphic Designers on Reddit Share their Views of AI

There are clearly a lot of positive things about AI. However, it is not a good thing for everyone. One of the things that many people are worried … [Read More...]

Redditors Talk About the Impact of AI on Freelance Writers

AI technology has had a huge impact on our lives. A 2023 survey by Pew Research found that 56% of people use AI at least once a day or once a week. … [Read More...]

11 Most Popular Books on Perl Programming

Perl is not the most popular programming language. It has only one million users, compared to 12 million that use Python. However, it has a lot of … [Read More...]

Guides

  • Computer Communications
  • Mobile Computing
  • PC Components
  • PC Data Storage
  • PC Input-Output
  • PC Multimedia
  • Processors (CPUs)

Recent Posts

LP to CD Preperation

On the simple basis of the better the source material, the better the final result, the obvious first thing to do is ensure is that your records … [Read More...]

DAT Tape Storage

DAT stands for Digital Audio Tape and, as its name implies, was originally conceived as a CD-quality audio format. In … [Read More...]

Tweak the Power Button on Your PC

There are all kinds of button on the computer, especially laptops. But, there is one button that holds a lot of power both figuratively and literally … [Read More...]

[footer_backtotop]

Copyright © 2025 About | Privacy | Contact Information | Wrtie For Us | Disclaimer | Copyright License | Authors