Personal digital assistants (PDAs)

This is really a generic name given to small computing devices that offer more facilities than a mobile phone. Many different varieties are available on the market.

Some run very simple operating systems which are designed to allow the user to store memos, read and write emails, keep phone details and have calculator functions. The Palm Pilot and current Psion ranges are good examples of this type of product. The new versions of the Psion range now contain the Opera web browser application.

The other more versatile, and therefore more expensive, option is the miniature PC which runs the Microsoft CE operating system. These machines have very few differences to the average desktop PC. They have lower levels of RAM and smaller hard disks but run many of the common software programs used by Microsoft operating systems. They have versions of Microsoft Word, Outlook and Internet Explorer as well as many others and can therefore handle CSS, cookies, etc.

When hooked up to a modem these pocket PCs can browse the web as well as any other PC. They have a smaller viewable area and limited capabilities to run plug-ins, but other than that they are very good at what they do.

There are no special considerations for these machines as they either have no online capabilities, they use a CE version of the Microsoft Internet Explore, which deals with data in the same way as any other browser, or they use the WAP communication protocol. This is covered in the next section.

Information on best practice issues with PDAs