Let's face it - many of us can't leave home without our trusty PDAs or personal digital assistants. They have been so incorporated into our everyday lives, so much so that we feel incomplete without them. This is because we heavily rely on the many features packed into these gadgets that can aid in our business and personal dealings. And with the latest and more advanced technology, the devices of today can offer even more features than what they were originally designed to do.So what new trends and developments can you expect with PDAs over the next year? Although there's no certainty as to how they will turn out over the next year, the future looks bright for smartphones. This trend will seemingly continue onwards to the next year. A lot of people are beginning to realize the value and importance of connecting to the Internet via their mobile devices to check email or surf the net. Manufacturers will also gear towards electronic devices that can play video clips to cater to the needs of the YouTube generation.
Perhaps the best example of a media-based mobile device is the iPhone. A growing market of consumers is concerned with being able to listen to music or watch videos and thumb through photographs via their handheld devices. The popularity of social networking also makes consumers prefer smartphones that allow them to instantly update their profiles in these social networking sites. And if the demand today is any indication of trends for the future, third party applications will also become popular.
So what's left for those who simply want to utilize the basic features of a PDA? There will still be devices for no-frills consumers that only need the calendar, the contact list, or other essential features of the non-connected personal digital assistant, but options will grow slimmer.
Not only are smartphones appealing to consumers, but also to the telecom companies. This is because it provides them with more revenue-generating opportunities such as charging you for the phone plan, the bandwidth for video and audio downloads, and even on ads via mobile marketing.
Nevertheless, manufacturers will still produce PDAs equipped with only the essential and basic features. Firstly, not everyone will have a need for connectivity, and another reason is that not everyone can afford a media-based smartphone.
In fact, handheld devices are gearing towards specialized functions as opposed to the "jack-of-all-trades" type. Some models are designed to be wholly dedicated to office and business functions, while others focus on connectivity or on media. This is good news for all of us, regardless of our needs and preferences, because this means that there's a model for everyone's varying needs.
Overall, the future for PDAs looks bright and it does not seem as if they will soon be replaced in our lives. Whether the future models will integrate connectivity, entertainment and media, or retain its basic features, these devices will still be a trusty gadget that will aid us in our everyday lives.
By Justin Mann
