Selecting a Personal Digital Assistant
Author : Deryck Richards
 
A Computer in Your Hand

Carrying around an address book and planner is becoming a thing of the past. With new PDA developments, you can manage your contacts and schedule, use e-mail, and even listen to music. Personal Digital Assistants, originally called "Palm Pilots," previously were used just for retrieving basic information. Today, using some of the more advanced models could possibly replace the need to carry a laptop computer. Modern PDAs can play music, games, videos, write documents, and connect to networks and databases -- nothing short of a desktop computer.

Although newer PDAs have the processing power of a computer, they still have some limitations. Inputting information is done by handwriting recognition or by a miniature keyboard. Skilled users can input 20 - 30 words per minute, less than half the speed of a good typist on a full-size keyboard. PDAs with a color screen tend to run through battery life faster. Finally, because the small screen size the number of prograqm options that can be displayed, the programs available aren’t as advanced because the user doesn’t have as much control over the program.

Despite these limitations, the market for PDAs is continuing to expand. Students, doctors, and business professionals are increasingly relying on PDAs for computing on the go. Common PDA applications include spreadsheet, word processing, database, financial management, and games. PDAs synchronize files with your computer so that you can take your important information with you and update it when needed.

What to Look For

The two basic types of PDAs are Palm and Windows Mobile devices. The Palm Pilot was the first PDA available and its operation is very intuitive; some compared it to the Macintosh. Windows Mobile devices run an operating system very similar to Windows on desktop computers. Although Windows Mobile offers advanced features, its interface is still somewhat difficult to navigate in comparison to the Palm.

When purchasing a PDA, make sure that the programs on the PDA are compatible with the programs on your computer. Test out different models, with keyboard and with handwriting recognition, to see which one fits your preferences best. Also consider which application you will be using most. If you plan on using your PDA primarily for e-mail, get a PDA with a good keyboard and good battery life. If you plan on taking digital photos, your main concern should be the quality of the digital camera and the screen.

About The Author

Deryck Richards is the founder and managing partner of Desktronix. With an extensive educational background in computer information systems, Deryck currently manages hosting and data center operations for Desktronix. He also provides system administration and technical support directly to small businesses as he has since 2000. His areas of expertise include networking, Windows, Linux, and Macintosh systems and he is the author of The Guide to Technology for Small Business. For more information on Desktronix, visit www.desktronix.com.

iPod users get the picture
Author : David Llennac
 
iPod users start to get the picture and it’s turning out to be colorful fun!!

The latest generation of hi tech gadget users are watching the different media they use start to converge as Apple launches its latest grab for the market with iPod Photo. Not only can you listen to all your music on the go, or organize your business and social life, but now your entire photo collection can be viewed at hand too. With the latest color screens iPod users can turn the favorite toy into a slideshow which is set to music. Watch this with friends hanging out at the beach or connect it to your TV and away you go.

Imagine putting your holiday photos to your own sound track and being able to view it wherever you want, well this is now possible to do, and with the 60GB version you can hold up to 25,000 photos. Of course, if you want to mix these up with music the storage would be shared but still with the longer lasting battery in the new generation of iPod you can get up to 5 hours of slideshow or 15 hours of music according to Apple.

All this is possible to use with your Apple Mac or PC using Autosync to make the synchronization of your music and pictures automatic. Visitors to http://www.auctions-andmore.com/articles2/3 are informed of many of the features of the latest iPods and the best deals around for purchasing these items. From their website you can access hundreds of online deals for the whole range of iPod products.

The latest iPods are set to rock the market once again with their latest visual addition. The only question is….where will all this convergence end up? Soon these multi function devices may move into the area of telecommunications with the prospect of watching digital TV or videos. Perhaps our mobile phone will become our MP3, video and still camera with 5 mega-pixel definition. Who knows? But for the time being Apple have once again moved ahead in the hard-drive, hand-held multi-media gadget race.

iPod is produced by Apple which can be found at: www.apple.com.

About The Author

David Llennac is working in the field of Education and is the owner of the website http://www.auctions-andmore.com.

10 Tips to make your4 computer fast!!

1. Let your PC boot up completely before opening any applications.

2. Refresh the desktop after closing any application. This will remove any unused files from the RAM.

3. Do not set very large file size images as your wallpaper. Do not keep a wallpaper at all if your PC is low on RAM (less than 64 MB).

4. Do not clutter your Desktop with a lot of shortcuts. Each shortcut on the desktop uses up to 500 bytes of RAM

5. Empty the recycle bin regularly. The files are not really deleted from your hard drive until you empty the recycle bin.

6. Delete the temporary internet files regularly.

7. Defragment your hard drive once every two months. This will free up a lot of space on your hard drive and rearrange the files so that your applications run faster.

8. Always make two partitions in your hard drive. Install all large Softwares (like PSP, Photoshop, 3DS Max etc) in the second partition. Windows uses all the available empty space in C drive as virtual memory when your Computer RAM is full. Keep the C Drive as empty as possible.

9. When installing new Softwares disable the option of having a tray icon. The tray icons use up available RAM, and also slow down the booting of your PC. Also disable the option of starting the application automatically when the PC boots. You can disable these options later on also from the Tools or preferences menu in your application.

10. Protect your PC from dust. Dust causes the CPU cooling fan to jam and slow down thereby gradually heating your CPU and affecting the processing speed. Use compressed air to blow out any dust from the CPU. Never use vacuum.

RAM IS THE WORKING AREA (DESKTOP) OF THE CPU, KEEP IT AS EMPTY AND UNCLUTTERED AS POSSIBLE!