The Future in the Palm of Our Hands - Why PDAs?
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Why is the middle sister of portable devices a more practical option? The faster boot-up of the PDA is ideal for users to make quick notes, access contact information or a document in a hurry, or check email during the intermission of a concert. While digital cameras and cell phones cannot be added on to pre-2001 PDAs, they can be (and are) integrated into newer models.
People appear busier than ever before and require the technology to support and keep up with them. When purchasing and using handheld and mobile devices, three elements come into play: location awareness, personalization, and time sensitivity. Simply put, the users want to be able to find and research a good restaurant and invite a couple of friends within several minutes; wireless devices enable users to make instant decisions, schedule last minute plans, and settle bar bets.
For the average Internet user or someone who just wants to be able to access email and complete light data input tasks, the PDA may be enough of a computer. In an interview conducted with David Pearce Snyder, lifestyles editor of The Futurist and social forecaster, he says, "By 2010, PDAs will outnumber PCs, and will be many people's only computer. Too small to contain substantial memory or data processing internally, PDAs will rely upon the Internet for their computing power and data storage."
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