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A personal digital assistant (PDA) is a handheld computing device. They are also called palmtop computers since they are designed to fit into the palm of your hand when being used. PDAs are used as word processors, as a Global Positioning System (GPS) and even as mobile phones and media players. They can be used to make and store notes and calculations, check emails or addresses, create spreadsheets, play games, listen to music and watch videos. A PDA is like a pocket personal computer.

The British company Psion’s Psion Organiser was the first personal digital assistant though the Apple Newton was the first to be referred to as a PDA. At that time, the AT&T’s handheld computer called the AT&T EO Personal Communicator was a competitor to the Apple Newton.

Many PDAs have touch screens that can be used with a stylus or by touch and can connect to the Internet, Intranets, WI-Fi and other networks. The early PDAs used the touch-screen user interface with minimum buttons. In touch-screen PDAs data is transferred using a virtual keyboard or an external keyboard connected via USB or Bluetooth. PDAs also come with handwriting-recognition software to be used with the touch screen. Some PDAs also come with a stroke-recognition tool, which basically takes inputs in the form of short strokes on the screen, and this is then translated into letters, something akin to shorthand writing. The user in this case has to learn this “stroke writing”.

Current PDAs like the BlackBerry and the Treos also double-up as mobile phones and have full keyboards with scroll wheels for navigation and data entry, besides a touch screen. Newer PDA-like devices such as the Apple iPhone and the iPod touch have a new user interface called Multi-Touch. Apple doesn’t actually market these as PDAs though they sport all the capabilities of a PDA.

According to PC World’s Product Finder, the most popular PDAs are the Nokia N800, the Palm TX, the Nokia N810 Internet Tablet, the HP iPAQ 210 Enterprise PDA, the HP iPAQ 111 PDA, the Sony PRS-505/LC Reader Digital Book, the Palm Tungsten E2 Handheld, the HP iPAQ 211 PDA and the Palm Z22 Handheld PDA. These are just PDAs. Among PDA phones, the popular products are the Palm Treo 750, the i-mate Ultimate 6150, the BlackBerry 8700, the Nokia E61 and the HTC Touch. Like all computing devices, PDAs have evolved into all-in-one devices for users, packing in more functions and capabilities with every new release.