What is PDA technology and how does it work?
A personal digital assistant (PDA) is a handheld computing device used to process, store and access data while away from one’s desktop computer. PDAs are usually used to store personal information, a calendar and contact information. Over time, their functionality has expanded due to increasing on-board memory, more powerful central processing units (CPU), and —most importantly— wireless network access. All PDAs use the same basic hardware and software concepts: screen, RAM, CPU, OS and applications. They each have a small liquid crystal display (LCD) screen; most rely on stylus/touch-screen technology and handwriting recognition programs for data entry. Some small amount of on-board RAM is used to store the operating system (OS), applications and data. Data processing is done by a small microprocessor that has been modified to utilize as little power as possible. Newer PDAs possess the ability to read and write to additional add-on socketed memory cards. Modern models offer wireless a
