| The
success of the Palm series of PDAs was, and still is,
phenomenal. However, their success brought substantial
interest from competition. In recent years technology
has leaped forward to the point where palm sized computers
can run a special ‘stripped down’ version
of Microsoft’s ‘Windows’ Operating System
and ‘Office’ packages. Given Microsoft’s
vast dominance on desktop computers it may be that users
find it easier to stick with the familiar and Palm’s
time at the top could be short lived.
Regardless
of the manufacturer, it seems clear that in the future
PDAs will do far more than simply replace diaries and
calendars. Rather than carry a PDA, a mobile phone,
an MP3 player and a digital camera, a palm-sized device
will be able to do all these things and more. In fact
Nokia produced a combination device based on the Psion
some years ago. In the long term it may even be that
Hawkins was wrong, and eventually all our computing
needs will be in the palm of our hands…
For
more information on the history of PDAs, take a look
at the portability section on our timeline.
|
