This page serves as a comparison between PDA fantasy
and PDA reality. Undoubtedly, people who know more about the history of PDA's
than I will provide information and insights to improve this page (and by all
means, contribute via the information at the bottom of this page).
Background |
PADD Facts |
Comparison | Contact
The first place I remember seeing a PDA was on the
television show Star Trek, The Next Generation (STTNG). Crew members could be
seen toting them around. In later episodes, they became so common that some of
the extras on the show began to refer to them as "hall passes" (Perhaps as
PDA's become more popular in every day life, this term may catch on within
major corporations). I even remember one scene where Captain Picard had a pile
of PADD's on his desk.
I think that the first device I owned in this
form-factor was a Nintendo Game
Boy. Mine did not have PIM capabilities (though I recall seeing a
keyboard and PIM cartridge that may have seen the market in Japan), nor the
ability to synchronize with a desktop computer - but this did not matter to me
because I was 14 years old and had no PIM data. I also had no computer.
After graduating from high school, I got a job at
CompUSA and was exposed for the first time to the
Apple Newton. This was truly an ingenious device - a half-decade ahead
of it's time. Unfortunately, despite many rumors to the contrary, Apple has not
announced plans to compete again in this space.
At the moment, the device that comes closest to
matching the funcationality of a PADD from STTNG is the
Pocket PC. Pocket PC's are made by a number of different manufacturers.
For the purposes of this demonstration, I have compared the PADD to a Casio
E-125 Pocket PC. As devices better suited to this comparison surface, I may
replace the Casio, but until then, I think it comes closest to the parameters
set forth in the STTNG Technical Manual
(Some say that the father of the modern PDA was Jeff
Hawkins. They are wrong. More on this later.)
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In STTNG, the PADD was designed to allow crewmembers
to do two things:
-
execute hardware functions in a variety of locations
-
manipulate visual information and communicate that information to others aboard
ship
In a PADD, there are three replacable parts:
-
the sarium power loop - we'd call this a battery
-
isolinear memory chip - or for us, a memory card
-
and subspace transciever assembly (STA) - a cellular modem
In STTNG, the PADD's are recharged via "induction
charging", though I must recharge my Pocket PC via the synchronization cradle
or some other cable based power adaptor. User security is implemented on the
main computer system, and this carries over to the device.
Interestingly, with a properly configured PADD, a
crewmember could pilot a starship while walking down a hallway on the
Enterprise. Admittedly, it would probably be difficult on a small screen, but
this gives you an idea of the flexibility of the device.
This can be accomplished because the computer
systems in STTNG are viewed as an integrated organizm where each component is
seen as a cell in a body directed by a central brain. Much as in our own human
brains, the processing capabilities are spread throughout the network. Because
of this, information can be shared and transferred between devices with ease.
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| |
PADD |
Tricorder |
Casio E-125 |
| CPU: |
Unknown |
Unknown |
VR4122 (150MHz) |
| OS: |
Unknown |
Unknown |
Microsoft® Windows® for Pocket PC |
| ROM: |
Unknown |
Unknown |
16MB |
| RAM: |
4.3 kiloquads |
Unknown |
32MB |
| |
| Display: |
4.25 times larger than Tricorder |
2.4 x 3.6 cm |
6 x 8 cm LCD (240x320 dots), Hyper Amorphous Silicon TFT color
liquid crystal, 65,536-color, touch-panel display |
| Display area: |
36.72 cm² |
8.64 cm² |
48 cm² |
| |
| Expansion: |
Isolinear Chip |
Unknown |
Card slot - CF Card Type II x 1 |
| Interfaces: |
STA |
Unknown (STA?) |
Serial port -RS-232C, USB (Client), Infrared - IrDA 1.2 |
| Communications speed: |
4.3 Kqs maximum |
Unknown |
115.2 Kbps maximum |
| |
| Power source life: |
16 hours |
18 hours |
Main battery - approx. 8 hours (when repeatedly operated 1 min.
and displayed 10 min.) Battery backup - approx. 5 years (when main battery is
recharged soon after charge warning message) |
| Operating Temperature: |
Unknown |
Unknown |
0-40°C |
| |
| Size: |
10 (W) x 15 (L) x 1 (H) cm |
8.5 (W) x 12 (L) x 3 (H) cm |
8.36 (W) x 13.12 (L) x 2.00 (H) cm |
| Weight: |
130.02 g |
353 g |
250g (including battery) |
| Volume: |
150 cm³ |
306 cm³ |
219.37 cm³ |
| Density: |
0.87 g/cm³ (est.) |
0.87 g/cm³ |
0.88 g/cm³ |
| |
| Case: |
Boronite whisker epoxy |
Unknown |
Plastic |
| Max Drop Height: |
35 m |
Unknown |
Unknown |
| Sound: |
Input - Audio pickup sensor |
Unknown |
Input - Internal microphone (mono), Output - Internal speaker
(mono), headphone jack (stereo) |
SOURCE: Star Trek The Next Generation Technical
Manual by Rick Sternbach and Michael Okuda.
ISBN: 0-671-70427-3
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This page is maintained by:
Mark Noble
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