The Return of the PDA?

For a while, they were a must-have for all those needed to work on the move. And then the smartphone wave came and swept them into history. We are talking about the personal digital assistant (PDA), that small handheld device that allowed users to do basic computing tasks on the move such as editing documents, checking contacts and even the odd sport of web surfing and e-mailing (provided a wi-fi hotspot was handy).
In the decade spanning the mid nineties till around 2005, they were considered the bridge between notebooks and cellphones. However, once phones got smarter, the PDA got pretty much wiped out, with most people preferring to do everything on one device. In fact, some even christened touchscreen phones as PDAphones. No one seemed to want a stand-alone handheld computing device that could not make phone calls. Convergence was the new mantra. Or so it seemed.
Coming back under a different name…
The past couple of years have seen the PDA make a return of sorts, although not under its original name. People who had sworn not to carry multiple devices seem to have changed their minds, at least as far as personal media players and portable consoles are concerned. Gaming on cellphones might have improved considerably and larger storage spaces might allow one to store a goodish part of one’s music library on a cell, but people still prefer to lug around a console like the PSP or the DS and a media player like the iPod or Walkman, for personal entertainment. Some even carry ebook readers and digital camera around.
And it is through these devices that the PDA is returning, if not in form, then in function. If that sounds a tad difficult to digest then just consider the iPod touch, which is perhaps the closest thing to a PDA today. Yes, its primary function is to play music and videos, but thanks to Apple’s App Store, that allows users to download thousand of applications on to the device. For instance, I have a word processor and ebook reader on it, besides using it to store my contacts and back up my important documents. And when wi-fi is available, I use its Safari browser to catch up with news online and the email client to send a few mails back and forth. Now, that sounds like a PDA.
The iPod touch is not the only gadget that is showing symptions of PDAitis. Sony’s PlayStation Portable comes with wi-fi connectivity. Nintendo’s DS too has wi-fi, a calendar application and a very handy version of the Opera browser. Most GPS devices have basic computing functions like address books and in some cases, even office suites and internet browsers, built into them. In fact, even Amazon’s Kindle ebook reader comes with a browser. Top it off with the fact that Sony’s DSCG3 digital camera comes with Wi-Fi and a browser, and it is hard to escape the conclusion that PDAs are steadily coming back.
A continuing trend?
Facts seem to indicate that until the perfect single device comes along, users will continue lugging multiple gadgets and manufacturers will keep adding basic computing functions and connectivity options to all manner of devices. All indications are that the number of gadget categories is going to increase, not decrease.
In fact, what seems to be converging are not devices but a set of features.