Personal Digital Assistants
Palm Sized PDA

© Brooke Clarke


Background

These are palm size computers that run applications to help you like: Apple computer was the first that I know of to define this device. Although I think it was a hand held unit.  The newer palm sized units that do not have a keyboard are the interesting ones.

The now obsolete HP 41CV calculator was in this class. It fits into a shirt pocket and is very powerful.  I had purchased one and later won one at an opening raffle.  I have most of the accessories, bar code reader, printer and the third party machine language ROM.  I now have an HP 48GX and it has an RS-232 serial port.  It is fast enough to decode the Motorola binary data coming from my Encore GPS receiver.  I have not looked into the new HP 49 yet.

Palm Operating System

3COM sold off the successful Palm  series that runs a proprietary operating system, used to have NASDAQ symbol PALM.
July 2004 update.
Palm has purchased Handspring (HAND) and only the Treo name survives for phones.
Palm has split into PalmSource, Inc., (PSRC) maker of the Palm OS platform software and PalmOne (PLMO) selling the combined Palm and handspring hardware lines.
Palm III -
III (2MB upgradeable),
IIIx (III +                       Microsoft Outlook)
IIIe (fixed 2 MD)
PalmV -
Palm VII (wireless) - $10/mo to $25/mo service accoount with 3COM required
OSPro - by Oregon Scientific - Palm Pilot Compatible ( $199, $249)

Psion - Series 5mx - has keyboard

Sharp - SE500
Quo Vadis Handy GPS - built upon Navicom's GPCore34 GPS -

Sony Clie

 

Other Operating Systems (Not WIN CE)

Franklin - REX3-3DS - REX PRO5-DS -

WIN CE based PDAs - Spreadsheet -

Casio - Cassiopia Series -

Compaq - Aero 2100 -

Everex - Freestyle Series -

Hitachi - HPW600ET - Touch Screen designed for use in cars

HP - Journada - 420 - $400@Staples -

Philips - Nino - 200 - 500 -

Uniden - PC100 - PC100A -

Vendors - Dealers

MobilePlanet -

GPS and PDAs

GPS technology on your Palm -
Pocket Systems -  PocketGIS - GIS for WIN CE systems + some Laser Range Finders -

DeLorme - Earthmate Road Warrior for Windows CE -

Dale DePriest - web page with GPS and palm pilot info

Teletype - based on Compaq

External hardware and PDAs

Handspring (stock symbol hand) has information describing their truly plug and play external hardware interface.  The external component has it's own driver and software on board so no drivers need to beloaded on the handspring.  When the external device is removed it leaves the handspring clean.  This would make a great interface specification for normal PC operation to avoid the hassles with drivers.

I hope this will now (2004) show up in new models from PalmOne.

B&B Electronics - Palm to J1708 Converter - Palm PDA to RS-485/422 Converter - Teach Yourself Palm Programming -

Software for the Palm OS

Pumatech, Inc. - software tools for the Palm
Pendragon - software tools for the Palm
CodeWarrior - C programming software tools that run on  the Mac
HotPaw Basic (formerly cbasPad) -
Ron Nicholson's Palm Computing(tm) Information Page -
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