PDAs may never replace workstations, but for many people these handheld digital devices already provide all the computing power they really need. Katharine Miller examines the field and considers where it is going.
Call it technological evolution. As the desktop slowly goes the way of the typewriter and the abacus, other devices move forward a notch. The laptop becomes the new desktop, PDAs the new laptops, smartphones the new PDAs, and so forth. Thanks to affordable WiFi and incredible shrinking devices, we'll soon be immersed in a functional cyborg (fyborg) culture.
Before the market was seemingly saturated with smartphone combos, the PDA looked like it was finally coming of age. Twenty years after the first Psion Organizer, PDAs evolved into colorful multimedia devices that might give laptops some serious competition.
The laptop has long been the contender in portable technology with desktop capabilities in a compact package. Trudging along behind was the PDA. Now, PDAs are equipped with programs and user-friendly features, encouraging more users to leave their comparatively bulky laptops at home.
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