Let's face it: PDAs have become popular in the enterprise because they're very portable and very useful. But how usable are they, really?
The fact is, PDAs often present as many problems as they solve. Gallivanting with an encyclopedia's worth of data in the palm of your hand has a romantic ring, but in reality, all too often the PDA's inherent limitations can get between you and your data. Its miniature display can be difficult to read. Input options such as handwriting recognition can turn something as simple as entering contacts into an arduous task. Some PDAs don't even offer a way to swap out the battery should the primary one die. The sheer number of PDA configurations and peripherals makes it essential for you to know exactly how much functionality your users will need to perform their mobile tasks. But to know this, you need to know your hardware options.
Choosing a platform
The two main PDA platforms are Palm and Pocket PC. Various vendors offer divergent models, each of which has its own strengths and weaknesses. The first step is to match required tasks with available options--such as input options (text recognition or thumbpads), connectivity (Bluetooth and/or Wi-Fi), and display type (monochrome or color).
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Choosing a platform
The two main PDA platforms are Palm and Pocket PC. Various vendors offer divergent models, each of which has its own strengths and weaknesses. The first step is to match required tasks with available options--such as input options (text recognition or thumbpads), connectivity (Bluetooth and/or Wi-Fi), and display type (monochrome or color).
Processors
Most early Palm-based devices run admirably on a 16MHz Motorola DragonBall CPU, while newer models like the Tungsten T use a zippier, 200MHz OMAP processor from Texas Instruments to support a color display, advanced functions such as Wi-Fi, and so on.
The first Pocket PCs shipped with a 206MHz StrongArm processor, which capably handled the original Pocket PC OS. Newer PDAs running Microsoft's improved Pocket PC 2002 OS are built around new CPUs--Intel's XScale, running at 300MHz and 400MHz--that facilitate functionality such as built-in Bluetooth and wireless networking. Although XScale is certainly faster, you can only harness its full performance by running applications optimized specifically for the XScale processor line; otherwise the general consensus is that XScale's performance is similar to that of the original StrongArm processor.
In general, though, the faster the processor, the more your users will be able to do. A 200MHz processor is probably adequate for most--if not all-- needs. However, if you're considering an XScale-based PDA, you may want to do some research to see whether the applications you're interested in are--or will be--available in XScale-optimized versions.
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