BUZZ WORDS

PDA

by Roger Barnette

PDA is a fancy acronym that stands for Personal Digital Assistant (it also stands for Public Display of Affection, but that is another story).   The description didn’t help me much but it really does make sense when you break it down.

These devices are the Palm Pilot, Pocket PC, Visor or even Blackberry that you may have seen or even purchased.   These gadgets are everywhere and for good reason.

They are labeled “personal” as they are small and portable much like your wallet or pocketbook.   They are appliances that become deeply yours and the information enshrined therein is often your most personal of assets; your money and your identity; such as your passwords and personal notes.

It is properly “digital” in that it is in fact, a computer.   Information is really stored as ‘0’s and ‘1’s, and that is what technically makes it digital.   The average owner would also appreciate that is able to process information and upload to and download from your full-size computer.   These features also brand it “digital”.

The “assistant” moniker is dedicated to those personal and administrative assistants that so few companies actually employ anymore.   These tools can store your entire address book, your current calendar, any notes you have recorded lately and some even have live access to the Internet via email.   With the exception of the human-touch, that is everything my experience with administrative assistants have led me to expect; but then again, if that were the case, I suppose we would need a different name.

If your business finds these pieces of science-fiction wizardry necessary, and you want assistance researching your purchase, we would be glad to help