Title: Identify common handheld portable digital devices
Course: Module 1, Concepts of Information and Communication Technology (ICT)

Portable digital devices

These days there are numerous handheld and portable digital devices.
Some have been available for many years, others are newer.
Many are multi-function in nature - performing more than one task.

Let's have a look at some of the different types of portable digital devices...

Personal Digital Assistant (PDA)

- Personal Digital Assistants, or PDAs as they are more commonly called, are handheld PCs designed to manage one’s day to day tasks. This can include keeping contact details, or organising appointments. The size of a PDA can vary but most are designed to be able to fit into your pocket. There are different types of PDAs:

- The first type are Pocket Personal Computers or PPCs. Manufacturers of PPCs include companies like Compaq and HP. PPCs have a cut down version of Microsoft Windows called Microsoft Windows CE (Compact Edition).

- Unlike PCs these do not have a mouse and keyboard so commands are sent to the device using a touch sensitive screen. This means that the user physically clicks on the icon on the screen to run programs. When the user needs to input text such as details of an appointment then they have to write on the screen and the PC will recognise the characters using hand writing recognition and input them to the screen.

- A second type of PDAs are those similar to Palm Pilots. These are exclusively made by Psion, and are based on a proprietary operating system.

Mobile phone

- The mobile phone is a long-range, electronic device used for mobile voice or data communication over a network of specialised base stations known as cell sites.

- In addition to the standard voice function of a mobile phone, current mobile phones may support many additional services such as SMS for text messaging, email, Internet access, gaming, Bluetooth, camera with video recorder, music player (usually mp3), radio and even GPS.

Smart Phone

- A smartphone is a mobile phone offering advanced capabilities, often with PC-like functionality.

- There is no industry standard definition of a smartphone.

- For some, a smartphone is a phone that runs complete operating system software providing a standardised interface and platform for application developers.

- For others, a smartphone is simply a phone with advanced features like e-mail, Internet and e-book reader capabilities, and/or a built-in full keyboard or external USB keyboard and VGA connector.

In other words, it is a miniature computer that has phone capability.

Multimedia player

- A portable multimedia player is an electronic device that is capable of storing and playing digital media.

- A portable multimedia player is sometimes called a PMP, and if capable of playing video as well as sound sometimes referred to as a portable video player, or PVP.

Digital audio players (DAP) that can also display images and play videos are PMPs.

- With all of these portable multimedia players the data is typically stored on a small hard drive, a microdrive, or flash / SD memory.

- Other types of electronic devices like cellphones are sometimes referred as PMPs because of their playback capabilities - and many cellphones now feature integrated music players and video players.

Question

Which of the following is not a portable digital device?

- A DVD writer.
Feedback: Yes, correct.
- A Personal Digital Assistant.
Feedback: A PDA is a portable digital device.
- An mini mp3 player.
Feedback: It is a mobile digital device.
- An iPhone.
Feedback: The Apple iPhone is a portable digital device.