Students looking to organize their hectic schedules would be well advised to consider purchasing a Personal Digital Assistant.
PDAs function in a variety of different ways, including as organizers, date books and note takers, and all PDAs by definition have the capability to exchange information with personal computers.
“The three main things people are going to look for are going to be battery life — whether it has a rechargeable battery or uses standard AA or AAA batteries — the amount of memory it has and whether or not it is a color display or monochrome display,” said Dave Hudler, an employee in the wireless department of Best Buy.
Many students use PDAs to keep track of their grades, classes and other to-do chores in their lives.
“I originally bought it to keep track of appointments, and now I have definitely become quite dependent on it. It’s got to the point that I don’t like writing things down and having random pieces of paper everywhere. I just always pull that thing out to write down assignments, dates and phone numbers that I need,” said David Mann, a senior in international business.
Software is available specifically for the particular needs of students.
“There is software out there that allows you to track your classes so you have an idea of what to do when, how you are doing; you can plug your grades in it so you have an idea of where you’re at as the semester or quarter goes on,” Hudler said.
Anything that has a program can be put into a PDA, said Josh Griffis, Staples electronic specialist.
Another advantage of a PDA is its wireless ability to connect to the Internet or other PDAs through infrared technology such as Bluetooth, Griffis said.
“The main things you need to think about when you’re getting one is the price of the unit, and you’re always going to add on a certain amount for the extras for it: keyboards, cases, stylus, screen protectors, software; looking at $75-$150 for the extras,” Hudler said.
PDAs range from $100-$600 depending on the features such as MP3 players, digital voice recorder and media players, Hudler said.
“A unit with a rechargeable battery, with a monochrome screen you will be looking anywhere from $50-$200. Color screens, you’re looking at $250 and up, and with the add-ons you’re looking for more,” Hudler said.
For people looking for basic applications for names, addresses and appointments, pocket organizers that range from $20-$60 will work just fine. PDAs add features like expandability, extra software, added capability, note-taking, and extra applications that a basic pocket organizer cannot do, Hudler said.
“If you just want a straight organizer, you’re looking for a Palm. You really don’t need much more than that because even the Palms have expandability,” Griffis said.
PDAs can be used for much more than just organizers, however.
“For papers, editing and things like that the Palms are going to be adequate for that type of use,” Hudler said.
PDAs are especially popular among students in majors that require lots of note-taking and specialized information.
“We get a lot of pre-med students and pharmacy students that want to put drug reference guides and different guides like that on the PDA, so it’s always right there,” Hudler said.
A student can take notes using a PDA through a keyboard or through Graffiti alphabet, a type of shorthand used on a little touch pad at the bottom of the PDA, Griffis said.
“A fold-out keyboard is about the size of a regular keyboard when it folds out. When it is folded up it looks about the actual size of a PDA,” Griffis said.
Another option students face when choosing a PDA is deciding between a color and a monochrome screen.
“Color screens are easier to see because there is more contrast and makes it easier on the eyes. However, for your basic-operation address book, contact management, Excel documents and spreadsheets, the color screen is not going to make that much difference,” Hudler said.
Miriam Dick is a senior in journalism. She can be reached for comment at [email protected].
