PDAs, handheld computers, and smart phones. Do you know the differences and connections between them?

PDAs, handheld computers, and smart phones. Do you know the differences and connections between them?

I. Basic Concepts

PDA: it is called Personal Digital Assistant. It indicates "Personal Digital Assistant" on paper ". Originally used for Personal Information Management (PIM), PDA replaces paper and pens to help people perform routine Management, mainly including calendar, Address Book, Task Arrangement, and notes. With the development of science and technology, PDA gradually integrates computing, communication, network, storage, entertainment, e-commerce and other functions, and becomes an indispensable tool in people's mobile life.

Handheld computers: Because PDAs have some desktop functions and are small and easy to carry, some people call PDAs "handheld computers ". This name is very relevant, and you can understand the main functions of this device at a glance. However, as of today, "handheld computers", that is, PDAs, are just a simple system than ordinary computers, and do not really have all the functions of ordinary computers. It is mainly reflected in the portable convenience, that is, the "handheld", and cannot completely replace the computer.

Smart Phone: With the development of technology, the original PDA has added Mobile phone functions, such as the Palm, Windows Mobile, and Linux systems; or the Mobile phone has added the PDA function, such as the Symbian system. These phones are also collectively referred to as "Smartphones" to distinguish them from traditional mobile phones. It is called "smart". It is equivalent to a traditional mobile phone, and adds the PDA function.

In terms of the above definition, both the handheld computer and the smart phone are PDA, and the handheld computer covers smart phones, it is also regarded as a handheld computer.

However, we usually say that PDAs are handheld computers and smart phones for easy differentiation. The "handheld computer" mainly refers to the PDA that does not have the mobile phone function, that is, the traditional PDA.

The biggest feature of PDA is that the device has an open system. Just like a computer operating system, people can install different software based on their own needs to implement different functions.

This is also the root cause why "smart phones" and "smart devices" are called "smart.

The most basic function of a PDA is, of course, daily personal information management (PIM). Commonly used four kings: Calendar, contacts, tasks, and notes.

Calendar: schedule management. For example, you plan to hold a department manager meeting from nine o'clock A.M. to on January 1, September 10.

Contact: that is, the address book we are talking about. It contains detailed entries to record personnel information, a bit like a business card.

Task: literally, it is easy to understand. ci hai explained: what needs to be done

Note: It is a piece of paper that can be easily recorded

Install the corresponding synchronization software to synchronize with the PIM program on the PC. The most common pc pim program is the outlook in the Microsoft Office. The so-called "synchronization" means there are two databases, and the original data content is exactly the same. For example, the data content of these two databases has been modified, deleted, and processed in a series. To keep the data content of these two databases consistent, you must perform an operation to ensure consistency between the two parties. This operation is called "synchronization ". After the two databases are synchronized, the data content is consistent, which is called "synchronized" or "synchronization status ".

The biggest headache for people who often change their mobile phones is how to transfer the phone book. Generally, the SIM card can only store 200 numbers. However, if you are using a mobile phone with the PDA function, it does not matter if the mobile phone is lost, because the records including contacts have been saved to the PC during synchronization between the mobile phone and the PC, you just need to synchronize it to the new PDA mobile phone. This is also the minimum condition for choosing a mobile phone over the years: it must be synchronized with outlook.

However, it should be noted that although PDAs are often called handheld computers, they will be very disappointed if you think they can implement all the functions of the computer. It is just because of its portable nature that allows you to take advantage of time anytime, anywhere. To put it bluntly, it means that you can spend time in a car or in a queue. Therefore, under the current technical conditions, it is unrealistic to try to replace a PDA with a computer. PDA should be used as an auxiliary tool for computers. For PC and PPC versions of the same software, the PC version should be more powerful than PPC. The correct method of use is to do the relevant work on the PC as much as possible, and synchronize the work to the PDA when going out, in this way, we can get twice the result.