Although PDAs started life in the mid-1980s, it wasn't until the Psion 3 was launched in 1991 that they developed into the new essential management accessory. They became functional and good-looking. Today's PDAs are more like a mobile office than an address book. They allow you to store all your important information in one place. While the screens can't compete with laptops for space, a personal organiser is a mite cheaper, less bulky and quicker to power up (the amount of time between switching the machine on and being able to use it). And information swapped between the site and the office is less likely to be duplicated. There is no need for it to be faxed or phoned through, which reduces the risk of it being lost or altered.
There is also no need to carry around cumbersome diaries and address books. The average PDA has over 1MB of memory with the more advanced models going up to 770MB, complete with an external floppy disk drive. Other features include world clocks, games and navigational systems. Organisers take small batteries, though some can be plugged into the mains, and others such as the Psion Revo run on rechargeable batteries. On some models you can type using a scaled-down keyboard. Others supply a special pen to write on the screen with and software, such as Graffiti on the Palm Pilot, which converts your writing into type.
To access the Internet, some PDAs have built-in modems such as the Toshiba Libretto 50 CT, though most require you to plug in a modem or an Internet-enabled WAP phone. Prices range from around £100 for basic models, up to £800 for Internet-ready machines with print and fax capabilities.
Models are available from computer equipment manufacturers such as Hewlett-Packard and IBM, mobile phone makers such as Nokia and Ericsson as well as specialists like Psion and Palm. This means there is no common software, but the leading manufacturers are working together to develop shared standards. This will work in a similar way to HTML, the language of the Internet.
So how essential is a digital organiser? Is it another executive toy, or part of the fabric of working life? Three Construction Manager readers tell us why they couldn't live without their pocket desktops.
The three models under consideration are: the Psion Revo; the Handspring Visor Deluxe; and the Palm 3x. Each user gives their view on how essential their organiser is to them, ease of use and favourite/least favourite features.
The Psion Revo was launched in October 1999. Features include e-mail and Internet access and connectivity with PCs. You can also swap telephone numbers stored in your Revo with those in certain mobile phones, such as the Siemens S25 and Motorola Timeport.
The Handspring Visor Deluxe is based on the Palm Pilot, which is not surprising as the same person designed it. Jeff Hawkins left Palm in 1998 to set up Handspring and came up with the Handspring Visor series. The Deluxe model has an external expansion slot so you can add on a pager, modem or MP3 player, for example.
The Palm 3x is one of the older Palm models, and is likely to be phased out soon. It provides a handy address book and diary though, and includes e-mail and Internet access.
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Construction Manager
