What is… a Petey-A (PDA)?
I told my friends that I was doing the What is… articles for Witchy Tech. One of them said she had a question about a gadget:
“Witchy, one of my friends has this little thing that you use with a stylus. It had her phone numbers, calendar… it was like a mini-organizer! It wasn’t a phone, I know that. What was it?”
The short answer: It’s a PDA, which means “Personal Digital Assistant.” It is your address book, appointment calendar, note pad, and yes, sometimes phone, all on a little gadget that is about the size of a pocket calculator.
The long answer: Truly, the PDA is a marvelous thing. It’s a little mini-computer that fits in the palm of your hand.
And just like a computer, the price of a PDA varies by what kinds of features you want. If you just want a calendar, address book and notepad, you can find them for under a hundred dollars. Some have the capability to be true computers on the go, complete with a downsized version of Microsoft Office and internet capability. The more features, especially memory and versatility, the higher the price. PDA prices can go up into the $5-6,000 range.
You can purchase a PDA anywhere nowadays. Some drugstores carry low-end versions in their electronics sections and the discount stores sell them, too. Of course, your favorite computer or electronics store will have a wider selection.
Some high-end cell phones have PDA capabilities. These are called “smartphones” and you can get them from your cell phone provider. The price varies greatly.
If you are going to purchase a PDA for yourself or someone else, think about how much money you want to spend and do a little research on the features. As with any other purchase, try to get the most of the features you want for the money you want to spend.
And here’s a Witchy Tip: Definitely get an extra packet of styluses (those pen things that you use to tap the screen). They’re usually small and get misplaced easily. If you find you use your PDA a lot, you might want to look for a bigger one to keep clipped to your PDA’s case.
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