Personal Digital Assistant

• PDAs usually have email.Thomas Northcut/Photodisc/Getty Images
  
  Personal Digital Assistants, or PDAs, are mobile devices that operate as personal data managers. A PDA generally includes a Web browser and email client, as well as scheduling features, such as a calendar, task list, calculator, address book and notes program. The devices have visual electronic displays. It also contains such integrated features as Wi-Fi capability and touch-screen technology. With hundreds of applications, phone, Bluetooth technology, email, video and music capability, today's PDAs are loads of convenience in one device.
  
  

PDA History

• The smartphone has evolved from the PDA.Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images
  
  PDAs were first introduced in the early 1990s. Early models included the Apple Newton and the Sharp Wizard. As the cell-phone market grew and the technology became more sophisticated the demand for integrated products grew. Having the features of an organizer and cell phone in one device spawned a new category of mobile phones known as the "smartphone." Today, nearly all PDAs are smartphones. The average PDA memory is average is 64 MB to 128 MB. Most models also allow additional memory via SD cards.
  
  

Palm Handheld

• A Palm OS phone has a touch-screen user interface.Thomas Northcut/Photodisc/Getty Images
  
  Palm, also known as palmtop computers, are a brand of PDAs that run the Palm Operating System. The device was first introduced in 1996 as the Palm Pilot. Much like the Band-Aid, the Palm Pilot name has entered our lexicon when referencing PDAs, regardless of the brand. PalmOS is characterized by a user-friendly graphical user interface with a touch-screen. Other manufacturers have licensed the PalmOS to run its devices. Originally a very popular version of the modern PDA, Palm has evolved into smartphones. Palm devices run the Palm operating system, Web operating system and Windows Mobile.
  
  

Future of Palm

• Palm's newest offering is the Veer. The Veer is a smartphone that uses a webOS and is powered by a Snapdragon processor. It boasts HP Touchstone touch sharing technology, a feature that allows compatible devices to exchange data, media and information instantly via Bluetooth.