Using Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs)

Great ways of using personal digital assistants (PDAs) in business

By J. Stoltzfus, writer/programmer LOCAL CITIZEN
From big corporate overlords to scrappy small business owners, many have touted the wonders of personal digital assistants (PDAs). But there are different ways to use these devices in different businesses, and operators, managers and owners have to find the right fit for outfitting their workers.

You can find various PDA models online for any kind of job. Choose from feature sets in classic PDAs for office, commute or field work, smart phone, GPS or other capabilities, or basic, easy to use models. Buyers might look for:

1. Heavy-duty models for workers in field jobs from utilities to municipal crews that need to combine new digital technology with a good old traditional hard day's work.

2. basic, stripped-down PDAs for getting information to staffers who just need to read and assimilate a lot of information while on the go.

3. more feature rich PDAs or handheld computers for executives who want more options on the road.

 

Use heavy duty personal data assistants to enable field staff

Workers out in the field can use PDAs for referencing critical documents such as instructions and regulation documents, or navigating via GPS. Find durable, rugged styles of PDAs appropriate for giving your remote workers the tools they need to keep track of projects and stay on task.
Try: Find durable PDA and smart phone units made for rugged environments at PDA providers like GoRoute, where models are visually displayed. Expansys has more for workers going out into a busy world.

Get simple reader personal digital organizer models for staff on the go

If your people need basic Internet download capability for getting more documents on the fly, you can get them PDA capabilities with basic models that showcase data on-screen. Skip the full smartphone models and save a bundle with PDAs that target your intended use.
Try: Get Palm products from the classic PDA Palm company, maker of the original Palm Pilot, with a range of features for easy use, including visual screens for information access. For another simple reading handheld, try the Nokia 770 Internet tablet available at low prices online from Original Accessory.

Look for executive style PDA models for top brass

If you're a small business owner or someone who needs to stay involved in every aspect of the business, a feature-rich PDA can be your window into managing client accounts, vendors, daily task sheets and more. Look for power PDA models as alternatives to smart phones and other daily tools that can get you results.
Try: Get the Palm Tungsten E, a feature-rich executive PDA for doing all of the stuff the top dog needs to do every day, at Camcor.com. For another great executive buy, the Dell 624 MHz Axim X50v which features a range of useful features from Gizmos2go.com.

 

  • Personal digital organizers and smart phones are quickly becoming integrated and somewhat interchangeable. For executive tools, look for models that give you online buying and selling, GPS and all of your other features at affordable prices. That generally means going with a blend of the smart phone/PDA technology, where a cell phone vendor can get you set up efficiently with the wireless services that power your device.

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