WSG Newsletter: Have Handheld, Will Travel

Issue: March 23, 2001

Handhelds, also known as PDA’s (Personal Digital Assistant) or PIM’s (Personal Information Manager), have become ubiquitous. Profiled almost daily in the technology or business sections of national newspapers, utilized by techno geeks, students, and professionals alike, they seem to be almost everywhere. But what are they and what can they do for you?

This newsletter describes the appeal of the PDA for organizing one’s life and having on-the-spot Internet access, and recommends resources on the Web for buyer’s guides and services.

NOTE: All links will open in a new window.

What is a Handheld?

Weighing between four to eight ounces, the primary function of a handheld is information management. The simplest of these devices organize and manage telephone lists, date-books, memos, and “to-do” lists. If you are willing to spend a little more, your handheld can be a desktop alternative for email, productivity or conduit to the Internet. Information can be entered in several ways depending on the model:

• via your desktop computer using synchronization software
• a stylus which “writes” directly into your handheld using a shorthand known as Graffiti
• a built-in miniature keyboard (of varying sizes depending on the model)
• the add-on option of a portable, foldable keyboard.

The appeal of these electronic devices is their flexibility, portability and capacity for wireless connectivity. Most handhelds come with an infrared port enabling the beaming of business cards and PDA applications back and forth between users (among other things). Plus, many handhelds offer add-ons or built-in features that provide wireless access to the Internet and email. On top of this, a large amount of freeware, shareware and purchaseware is available to download or purchase for productivity or entertainment purposes.

Games such as Tai Pei, Chess, Cribbage, or Pac Man are pleasant distractions for time spent on public transit or waiting in the doctor’s office.

E-books are available for those who like to travel lightly, yet still keep reading. The Torah and the Bible are both available as free downloads at sites like ZDNet.

You can purchase productivity software allowing you to take your word-processing, spreadsheets and/or databases on the go. Not to mention the expansion possibilities in some handhelds which will turn your unit into a GPS remote tracking unit, a MP3 player, a wireless modem, a digital camera, or a cellular telephone.

Research In Motion’s (RIM.net) Blackberry PDA is an example of how companies making handhelds are pushing to the frontline of WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) by allowing users to be connected to their email at all times.

Until recently, PDA’s have been limited to managing personal information for individuals; however, many corporations and not-for profits are beginning to use the popular handhelds with specialized applications. A recent article in Canada’s Globe and Mail (Tuesday, March 20th) Business News section referred to Sunnybrook and Women’s College Health Sciences Centre use of PalmPilots in a study to track the mood variations of people with bipolar disorders. The possibilities are endless!

Handhelds, Handhelds: So Many Choices

There are many different PDA’s on the market. You can purchase one from a variety of companies that include Palm, Handspring, Casio, Hewlett Packard, Compaq or Sony. There are two basic types:

1. handhelds which use the Palm OS system
2. the Pocket PC which uses Microsoft’s Windows CE

Units using the Palm OS interface are available with monochrome and colour screens. You input data by the use of a stylus tapping on the screen or by a stylized shorthand called Graffiti. You can also download data you have keyed in from your desktop. It is possible to synchronize with a variety of email software programs and personal information management applications (calendar, contact/address information, memos, to-do lists) are included. Currently, handhelds using the Palm OS system hold 70% of the market with prices ranging from $150 to $450 US.

Pocket PC’s include all the features of Palm OS-based handhelds but using Microsoft products. They usually come bundled with software like PocketWord, Pocket Excel and Pocket Outlook. Most have colour screens and have included features like voice recorders and MP3 players. Pocket PCs tend to be more expensive than the Palm-type handhelds and range in price from $320 to upwards of $800 US.

It would be remiss not to acknowledge two other handhelds that do not exactly fit into the above categories. If being at the beck and call of a cellular telephone is not enough connectivity for you, consider RIM’s (Canada’s Research in Motion) Blackberry. It is a two-way wireless messaging device that is always on. You can retrieve and send email wherever you happen to be. Blackberrys retail for about $400 US for the smaller version and $500 US for the bigger model. One other consideration is the monthly connection fee which will set you back a minimum of $40 US depending on your choice of package.

Smaller is better seems to be the operating theme for companies like Xircom Rex (www.rex.net). Their PDA is the size of a credit card and the most recent version, the Rex 6000, sells for a reasonable $150 US (approximately). Due to its size, the Rex 6000 is not capable of Internet connectivity and is limited to personal information management functions.

How to decide which handheld is right for you.

There are numerous web portals and sites offering buyers’ guides and product reviews for the many different types of handhelds. Here are a few to get you started:

Buyer’s Guide: Handhelds: ZDNet’s buyer’s guide helps you decide which handheld is right for you, includes a features checklist and rates the various add-ons.

http://www.zdnet.com/special/stories/sc
/pda/reviews/0,12388,2585429,00.html

ZDNet Reviews: Expanding Possibilities (February 15, 2001) -- This review from PC Magazine looks at fifteen handhelds currently on the market.

http://www.zdnet.com/products/stories
/reviews/0,4161,2684563,00.html

Palm vs. Pocket PC (April 2001) PCWorld.com reviews the features, pros and cons of twelve PDA’s laid out in an easy to read chart.

http://www.pcworld.com/features/
article/0,aid,41466,pg,2,00.asp

What to Know Before You Buy a PDA: CNet.com has a one-page summary of Consumer Reports’ guide to PDA’s along with a link to the full report ($2.95) and a list of other reviews.

http://computers.cnet.com/electronics/
0-1087-8-3724071-1.html?tag=
st.co.1087.dir.1087-8-3724071-1

CNet’s Editors Top 5 Handhelds without Keyboards (December 2000) This review offers CNet’s Editor’s and user ratings of five handhelds, a link to a review of each product, as well as comparison shopping.

http://computers.cnet.com/hardware/
0-2645869-7-1480992.html?tag=st.co.2645869-7
-1480990.dir.2645869-7-1480992

Newsgroups are another invaluable source of information right from the horse’s mouth, or rather, you, the consumer. Google, who recently took over Dejanews.com, can be searched for postings about handhelds at http://groups.google.com. Two groups with postings about handhelds are comp.sys.handhelds and alt.comp.sys.palmtops.hp.

TIG has more resources for product research and comparison shopping in Smart Shopping.

Where to get Software for Your PDA

You can search ZDNet.com for freeware and shareware for your PDA by keyword or drilling down through ZDNet’s categories. Utilities, Games, Home & Hobby, and Internet are examples of searchable categories. Palm OS compatible software may be found at http://www.zdnet.com/downloads/pilotsoftware/ or Pocket PC compatible software at http://www.zdnet.com/downloads/ce/

Tucows.com (www.tucows.com) offers a wide range of downloadable software for your PDA. Just click on the link for PDA and Tucows will take you to its nearest mirror site where you can search by keyword or browse through categories that include Leisure, Productivity, or Games.

Jumbo.com (www.jumbo.com/pda) has a huge assortment of freeware available. The site is searchable by keyword or category.

Conclusion

PDAs might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but they do offer flexibility and portability, not to mention the bonus “geek” factor related to owning one. If you spend much of your time scribbling information on various scrap pieces of paper, shoveling them into your daytimer and promptly losing them, a handheld might just be the thing to keep all your information in one place.

Newsletter by Kirsten McKnight. Kirsten has recently acquired a Handspring Visor Deluxe and is currently trying to wean herself from her handheld cribbage game addiction. She can also be seen occasionally on Toronto’s transit system trading software via her infrared port with complete strangers!