The Palm corporation produces a number of Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) which run the Palm operating system. This page describes the range of Palm devices, from the first generation of Palm machines known as the Pilot through to the latest models.
Palm OS
Palm OS is a compact operating system developed and licensed by PalmSource, Inc. for personal digital assistants (PDAs) manufactured by various licensees. It is designed to be easy-to-use and similar to desktop operating systems such as Microsoft Windows. Palm OS is combined with a suite of basic applications including an address book, clock, note pad, sync, memo viewer and security software. Palm OS was originally released in 1996.
PDA
ersonal data assistants (PDAs) are handheld computers that were originally designed as personal organizers, but became much more versatile over the years. PDAs are also known as pocket computers or palmtop computers. PDAs have many uses: calculation, use as a clock and calendar, playing computer games, accessing the Internet, sending and receiving E-mails, video recording, typewriting and word processing, use as an address book, making and writing on spreadsheets, use as a radio or stereo, and Global Positioning System (GPS). Newer PDAs also have both color screens and audio capabilities, enabling them to be used as mobile phones (smartphones), web browsers, or portable media players. Many PDAs can access the Internet, intranets or extranets via Wi-Fi, or Wireless Wide-Area Networks (WWANs). One of the most significant PDA characteristics is the presence of a touch screen.
Personal Communicator
The term personal communicator has been used with several meanings. Around 1990 the next generation digital mobile phones were called personal communicators. Another definition is for a category of handheld devices that provide personal information manager functions and packet switched wireless data communications capabilities over wireless wide area networks such as cellular networks.
Personal Digital Assistant
ersonal data assistants (PDAs) are handheld computers that were originally designed as personal organizers, but became much more versatile over the years. PDAs are also known as pocket computers or palmtop computers. PDAs have many uses: calculation, use as a clock and calendar, playing computer games, accessing the Internet, sending and receiving E-mails, video recording, typewriting and word processing, use as an address book, making and writing on spreadsheets, use as a radio or stereo, and Global Positioning System (GPS). Newer PDAs also have both color screens and audio capabilities, enabling them to be used as mobile phones (smartphones), web browsers, or portable media players. Many PDAs can access the Internet, intranets or extranets via Wi-Fi, or Wireless Wide-Area Networks (WWANs). One of the most significant PDA characteristics is the presence of a touch screen.
Personal Information Manager
A personal information manager (PIM) is a type of application software that functions as a personal organizer. As an information management tool, a PIM's purpose is to facilitate the recording, tracking, and management of certain types of "personal information". Personal information can include any of the following:
-Personal notes/journal
-Address books
-Lists (including task lists)
-Significant calendar dates
-Birthdays
-Anniversaries
-Appointments and meeting.
-Email, instant message archives
-Fax communications, voicemail
-Project management features
-RSS/Atom feeds
Some PIM software products are capable of synchronizing data with another PIM over a computer network (including mobile ad-hoc networks, or MANETs). This feature usually does not allow for continuous, concurrent data updates, but rather enables point-in-time updating between different computers, including desktop computers, laptop computers, and personal digital assistants.
Prior to the introduction of the term “PDA” (Personal digital assistant) by Apple in 1992, handheld personal organizers such as the Sharp Wizard and the Psion were also referred to as "PIM’s".
Phonebook
Phonebook also referred to as an address book or a name and address book (NAB) is a book or a database used for storing entries called contacts. In cellphones each contact entry usually consists of a few standard fields (for example: Name, Mobile Number, Home Number, Work Number, E-mail address and Fax number). Most such systems store the details in alphabetical order of people's names, although in paper-based address books entries can easily end up out of order as the owner inserts details of more individuals or as people move.
PIM
A personal information manager (PIM) is a type of application software that functions as a personal organizer. As an information management tool, a PIM's purpose is to facilitate the recording, tracking, and management of certain types of "personal information". Personal information can include any of the following:
-Personal notes/journal
-Address books
-Lists (including task lists)
-Significant calendar dates
-Birthdays
-Anniversaries
-Appointments and meeting.
-Email, instant message archives
-Fax communications, voicemail
-Project management features
-RSS/Atom feeds
Some PIM software products are capable of synchronizing data with another PIM over a computer network (including mobile ad-hoc networks, or MANETs). This feature usually does not allow for continuous, concurrent data updates, but rather enables point-in-time updating between different computers, including desktop computers, laptop computers, and personal digital assistants.
Prior to the introduction of the term “PDA” (Personal digital assistant) by Apple in 1992, handheld personal organizers such as the Sharp Wizard and the Psion were also referred to as "PIM’s".
Pocket PC
A Pocket PC, abbreviated P/PC or PPC, is a specification for a handheld-sized computer (Personal digital assistant) that runs a specific version of the Windows CE operating system. It may have the capability to run an alternative operating system like NetBSD or Linux. It has many of the capabilities of modern desktop PCs.
Currently there are thousands of applications for handhelds adhering to the Microsoft Pocket PC specification, many of which are freeware. Some of these devices also include mobile phone features. Microsoft compliant Pocket PCs can also be used with many other add-ons like GPS receivers, barcode readers, RFID readers, and cameras.
Predictive Text
T9, which stands for Text on 9 keys, is a predictive text technology for mobile phones, developed by Tegic Communications. It is used on phones from LG, Samsung, Nokia, Siemens, Sony Ericsson, Sanyo, Sagem and others. Its main competitors are iTap, created by Motorola, and LetterWise, created by Eatoni.
T9's objective is to make it easier to type text messages on small mobile devices. The technology allows words to be entered by a single keypress for each letter, as opposed to the approach used in the older generation of mobile phones in which several letters are associated with each key, and selecting one letter often requires multiple keypresses.
The software combines the groups of letters found on each phone key with a fast-access dictionary of words. It looks up all the possible words corresponding to the sequence of keypresses in the dictionary.
As the predictive software gains familiarity with the words and phrases the user commonly uses, it speeds the process by offering the most frequently used words first and then lets the user access other choices with one or more presses of a predefined NEXT key.
The Tegic Communications website offers training tools and web games such as this crossword puzzle [1] that are designed to help users become proficient with this interface.
The dictionary can be expanded by adding missing words, enabling software to recognize them in the future. After introducing a new word, the next time the user tries to produce that word T9 will add it to the predictive dictionary.
Preferred Roaming List
The Preferred Roaming List (PRL) is a database residing in a wireless (primarily CDMA) device that contains information used during the system selection and acquisition process. In the case of RUIM-based CDMA devices, the PRL resides on the RUIM. The PRL indicates which bands, sub bands and service provider identifiers will be scanned and in what priority order. Without a PRL, the device may not be able to roam, i.e. obtain service outside of the home area. There may be cases where missing or corrupt PRL's can lead to a customer not having service at all.
On many networks, regularly updating the PRL is advised if the subscriber uses the device outside the home area frequently, particularly if they do so in multiple different areas. This allows the phone to choose the best roaming carriers, particularly "roaming partners" that the home carrier has a cost-saving roaming agreement with, rather than using non-affiliated carriers. PRL files can also be used to identify home networks along with roaming partners, thus making the PRL an actual list that determines the total coverage of the subscriber, both home and roaming coverage.
The PRL is built by an operator and is normally not accessible to the user. Many operators provide the ability for the user to download the latest PRL to their device by dialing the Over-the-air (OTA) feature code *228.
PRL
The Preferred Roaming List (PRL) is a database residing in a wireless (primarily CDMA) device that contains information used during the system selection and acquisition process. In the case of RUIM-based CDMA devices, the PRL resides on the RUIM. The PRL indicates which bands, sub bands and service provider identifiers will be scanned and in what priority order. Without a PRL, the device may not be able to roam, i.e. obtain service outside of the home area. There may be cases where missing or corrupt PRL's can lead to a customer not having service at all.
On many networks, regularly updating the PRL is advised if the subscriber uses the device outside the home area frequently, particularly if they do so in multiple different areas. This allows the phone to choose the best roaming carriers, particularly "roaming partners" that the home carrier has a cost-saving roaming agreement with, rather than using non-affiliated carriers. PRL files can also be used to identify home networks along with roaming partners, thus making the PRL an actual list that determines the total coverage of the subscriber, both home and roaming coverage.
The PRL is built by an operator and is normally not accessible to the user. Many operators provide the ability for the user to download the latest PRL to their device by dialing the Over-the-air (OTA) feature code *228.
PTT
Push-to-Talk (PTT), also known as "Press-to-Transmit", is a method of conversing on half-duplex communication lines, including two-way radio, using a momentary button to switch from voice reception mode to transmit mode.
Push e-mail
Push e-mail is used to describe e-mail systems that provide an "always-on" capability, in which new e-mail is instantly and actively transferred (pushed) as it arrives by the mail delivery agent (MDA) (commonly called mail server) to the mail user agent (MUA), also called the e-mail client. Most of today's clients are smartphones.
Push to talk
Push-to-Talk (PTT), also known as "Press-to-Transmit", is a method of conversing on half-duplex communication lines, including two-way radio, using a momentary button to switch from voice reception mode to transmit mode.
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