Choosing a handheld computer: PDAs, MDAs, and the alphabet soup of handheld computers

We sincerely hope that this chapter has helped you to understand the alphabet soup of handheld computers. By now, you should realize that PDA doesn't stand for "public displays of affection," and if you've been thinking about buying your first handheld computer or upgrading the old Newton, this chapter should help you do that. Our discussion of batteries, memory, synchronizing, beaming, and handwriting recognition should give you a general idea of the features available on today's powerful handheld computers and should show you why they have become so popular and useful in the medical field. Finally, the review of native software applications (i.e., address book, calendar, memo pad, to do list, calculator, and password protection) can help you make use of all these great features as soon as you start using your new handheld computer.