PDA stands for Personal Digital Assistant which may understate the current capabilities of these tools. The current advancement in software products and increases in PDA technology are rapidly turning each PDA into a mini-office. PDA software is available for almost any application originally used on PCs. Industry specific software products are also available.
Software applications available include PDA versions of:
- Word processing software
- Internet surfing tools
- Email access
- Spreadsheet software and interfaces
- Contact management software
- Database programs
- Limitless game programs
- Accounting interfaces and tools
- Expense tracking
- Time management software
- Scheduling programs
- MP3 capabilities
When PDAs include GPS add-ons, digital camera and video camera options, cell phone technology, voice recording capabilities, and other technologies, the software available includes standard software applying to those technologies.
These tools include:
- Image editing and forwarding
- Voice mail options
- Map programs
Sometimes when one tool tries to become too much, you end up sacrificing quality. For example, the digital camera and video tools built into specialized PDA add-ons rarely have the quality of a Digital camera or Digital video camera.
Some of the leading vendors in the software for PDA industry include:
- Palm
- PocketPC
- Doctors gadgets
- Handango
- PDA street
There are over 40,000 different software applications to choose from. When making your selection, first you need to decide what type of software you are looking for and what PDA device you are using. Many providers offer trial periods where you can test the software to determine if it meets your needs.
Other factors to consider include:
- Cost
- By application – look and need, cost, and functionality
- Memory requirements