Choosing Handhelds - Slides 1pp

Choosing Handhelds

A comparison of computing platforms for Personal Digital Assistant applications April 18, 2002

Sasmito Adibowo Arcle Technologies http://www.arcle.com

Agenda

P Introduction P Importance of the subject P Platform alternatives P PIM functions compared

Introduction What is a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) ?

P A PDA is a general-purpose handheld computer geared toward providing assistance services for an individual. P A PDA is personalized; it may be customized to fit an individual’s specific needs. P Superset of electronic organizers. P Typically pen-operated with a touch screen user interface – to simplify its operations.

Introduction Who needs a PDA? P A student or professional with a lot of tasks to juggle. P A field operative/supervisor who needs to closely coordinate the work of their subordinates. P A service professional (such as consultants, doctors, insurance salespersons) who require to carry a lot of data with them – clients, patients, contact people, etc.

Introduction Why a PDA? P A PDA can hold much more information than paper at its equivalent size. P Able to function as a data-processing tool to some extent; e.g., calculator, spreadsheet. P Boots faster, and more convenient than a notebook computer. P More flexible, reliable, and require less maintenance cost than a human assistant.

Importance P Selecting a PDA may be tricky, as there are several platforms available; each with its own tradeoffs. Not to mention the hardware associated with each platform. P Different users have their own requirements and constraints, and each accommodated differently by the competing platforms. This results in the segmentation of users according to the platforms. P Software developers will need to understand this, in order to target the development of their PDA applications to the appropriate segment.

Platform Alternatives The (now) major players

P PalmOS™ < The established platform P PocketPC™ < The challenger P Linux PDA < The newcomer

Alternatives PalmOS™

P Built and maintained by Palm, Inc., now a subsidiary of 3Com. P Specifically engineered for use in a PDA. P Optimized for low-power, low-performance processor. P Architecturally bound to the Motorola 68K processor family.

Alternatives PalmOS™

P Control about 70% of the PDA market share* (2001) P Manufactures its own devices, yet licences the OS for other hardware vendors (e.g. Handspring, Sony, IBM).

* Rick Goetter, Kyocera

Alternatives PocketPC™

P Built and maintained by Microsoft. P Formerly named Windows CE. P Some components were taken from Windows, its desktop counterpart. P Requires a high-performance processor. P Independent from any specific machine architecture.

Alternatives PocketPC™

P More geared toward multimedia applications, instead of the bare-bone PDA functions. P Currently does not manufacture its own hardware, but licences the OS to other vendors (e.g. Compaq, HP, Casio).

Alternatives Linux PDA

P Build and maintained by the Open Source Community. P Ported from the Linux kernel commonly used in desktop and server computers. P Not controlled by any single company nor individual, but there are major companies that contributes resources in its development (e.g. Compaq – handheld.org).

Alternatives Linux PDA

P Does not manufacture its own devices (naturally). But some vendors are committing exclusive use in their products (e.g. G.Mate, Agenda, Sharp). P Requires a high-performance processor. P Independent to any specific machine architecture. P Some PocketPC devices may be customized to use Linux instead.

Criteria for Judging Alternatives Aspects employed to compare the platforms

P Available features, especially for PersonalInformation Management (PIM) use. P Usablility < Easy to learn < Easy to operate P Extensibility P Special features P Hardware retail price.

PalmOS™ What to expect P Simple, intuitive, and consistent user interface.

P Small but effective software – most programs are sized 50K – 200K. P Only one application may run at a time – other applications are suspended. P Usually feature grayscale displays; some are in color. P Longer battery life – some models uses two AAA batteries and lasts about two weeks under intensive use. P More affordable – an entry level device costs about $150 (year 2002).

PalmOS™ Sample Device: Handspring Visor Pro

P Capacity: 16 Megabytes RAM P Connectivity: USB/IrDA (optional serial cradle P Screen: 160x160 pixels, 16 grayscale with backlight P Springboard expansion (mobile phone, GPS, bluetooth, voice recording etc) P Battery: 65 hours (Lithium-Ion rechargeable) P Processor: Motorola DragonBall 33Mhz P Retail price: $179

PocketPC™ What to expect

P Fancy, colorful, sophisticated user interface. P More featured software – at the expense of a larger footprint. P Multitasking of applications P Most devices display high resolution in color. P Voice recording is common among devices. P Typically uses a high performance, high-powered processor. P The entry level costs about $200.

PocketPC™ Sample Device: HP Jornada 545

P Capacity: 16 Megabytes RAM. P Connectivity: USB/IrDA P Screen: 240x320, 4K colors. P Expansion: CompactFlash Card Type I (usually additional memory) P Built-in voice recording. P Battery: 8 hours (Lithium-Ion rechargeable) P Processor: Hitachi SH3, 133Mhz P Retail price: $215

Linux PDA What to expect P A wide variety of GUIs and distributions – no single standard. P PIM applications are not yet mature, so are the accompanying desktop applications (if any). P Multitasking of applications. P Able to run standard Linux commands and shells. P Color and monochrome displays available. P Voice recording is common among devices. P Also uses high performance processors. P Developer versions costs $200-$600. P No licence fee to pay for OS.

Linux PDA Sample Device: Agenda VR3

P Capacity: 8 Megabytes RAM P Connectivity: Serial/IrDA P Screen: 160x240, 64K grayscale. P Expansion: none. P Built-in voice recording. P Consumer IR port. P Processor: NEC VR4181, 66Mhz P Battery: 2 AAA. P Retail price: $249

PIM Functions PalmOS™ Scheduler

Daily View

Weekly View

PIM Functions PalmOS™ Scheduler

Monthly View

Yearly View

PIM Functions PocketPC™ Scheduler

Daily View

Weekly View

PIM Functions PocketPC™ Scheduler

Monthly View

Yearly View

Read Daily News & Jokes AvantGO™ Offline Web Browser

For PalmOS™

For PocketPC™

Linux Screenshots Agenda™ VR3 - Tk GUI on X Windows

Launchpad

To-Do

Terminal

Linux Screenshots YOPY - W Windows

Calendar

Paint Program

Summary The platforms at-a-glance

P PalmOS™ < Fast, low-cost, intuitive, but limited. P PocketPC™ < Sophisticated, feature-packed but not “snappy”. P Linux PDA < Nice for those who like to use the newest technology.

Thank You for Coming! Any questions?