Beam: A method of sending data such as business
cards, programs, or phone numbers between two PDAs via
infrared transmission.
Cradle: A stand that your PDA
fits into that allows you to exchange information.
Graffiti: Is the method of writing characters
(letters or numbers) to input data into a PDA. Be careful,
letters and numbers need to be written a certain way to be recognized.
Graffiti Writing Area: This is the writing
area at the bottom of a PDA. It is divided into two sections.
The left side is for writing letters with the stylus.
The right side is for writing numbers with the stylus.
Hotsync: Is a method of exchanging data or backing
up data between your PDA and desktop computer through a
serial port or USB connection.
Kilobyte: Approximately 1000 printed or non-printed
characters.
Megabyte: 1000 Kilobytes.
Operating System (OS): The operating system facilitates
communication between the hardware (the PDA) and the software.
Palm OS: This is the most popular operating
system. The majority of programs are written for this OS.
There are four PDAs that are made to use this operating
system Palm Pilot, Handspring Visor, TRG, and Sony. This operating system
now comes in gray scale and color.
PDA: This stands for personal digital assistant.
It is a hand held computer that is about the size of half a sandwich. Other
names that may signify the same thing are palmtop, palm, or palm pilot.
Pocket PC: This PDA operates
on the Windows for Pocket PC operating system. These are
generally larger than most PDAs and have a color screen.
Serial Port: Sends information from a desktop
computer to a PDA, printer, camera, etc one character at
a time.
Stylus: A pen-like writing instrument used to
write on a PDA or hand held computer to input information.
USB Connection: Sends information from a desktop
computer to a PDA, printer, etc., but it compresses the
information so it sends the information faster than a serial
port.
Windows CE OS (Win CE): This operating
system was designed by Microsoft to work like other Windows programs on
a PDA. This results in a more complicated system requiring
more memory and consequently wears down batteries more quickly. These PDAs
built by Compaq, HP, Dell, etc have color screens. There are also significantly
fewer programs that run this operating system.