| In recent years, PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) | | | | Secure Digital removable media. It comes with a very |
| have become increasingly available and more popular. | | | | full bundle of Microsoft mobile software, and runs the |
| There is now a wide range of products that come | | | | Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 (Phone Edition) |
| under this category, including devices that serve as little | | | | Operating System. Weighing in at 5 ounces, it will set |
| more than a glorified calendar and organizer, to top of | | | | you back a little under $700. |
| the range tablets and "Palm PC's". Miniaturization has | | | | If you are more interested in the camera capabilities |
| taken leaps and bounds as developments have | | | | themselves, then you will want to consider external |
| progressed, and PDAs continue to grow more | | | | cameras designed to be used in conjunction with an |
| powerful. For some people, a PDA is something of a | | | | existing PDA. These offer much better camera quality, |
| hobby, and the features, gimmicks, and novelties, | | | | resulting in better image reproduction. Another 1.3MP |
| whether they use them or not, are the most important | | | | PDA camera is the Lifeview Flycam. This small digital |
| part of the fun. More often, however, they are put to | | | | camera plugs into your existing PDA by way of the |
| use in business, across almost every modern industry, | | | | CF card attached to it. This is inserted directly into the |
| at nearly every level, to varying degrees. PDAs now | | | | CF slot of your tablet or PDA, and you have almost |
| feature massive amounts of storage space, whether | | | | immediate camera functionality. It offers a few more |
| on-board, or via flash cards which keep growing in | | | | features as a camera, and it is the camera aspect |
| size, wireless networking, web browsing facilities, | | | | itself that is important to you, it makes a lot more |
| telephone-PDA hybrids, and ever more advanced | | | | sense to buy your PDA camera and PDA separately. |
| software. One other feature that has raised some | | | | As better PDA cameras are developed, you will be |
| attention is the integration of digital cameras into Palm | | | | able to upgrade the camera without having to replace |
| PCs. | | | | the whole PDA, which - as can be seen by the above |
| Digital camera PDAs are not really intended for | | | | example - can be quite an investment. The Flycam |
| photography enthusiasts. They are intended more for | | | | retails for as little as $130, making it a very appealing |
| people who depend upon and always carry their PDA. | | | | way to retrofit a camera to your PDA. |
| Integrating a camera into these versatile systems has | | | | The HP Jornada is another retro-fitted PDA camera, |
| so far been a matter of convenience and | | | | also installed by way of an attached CF card. At a |
| entertainment. The digital cameras combined with | | | | maximum resolution of only 640x480 (0.3MP), this |
| modern PDAs do not have particularly advanced | | | | camera retails for about $60. If you have an existing |
| camera features, and tend to be relatively poor in | | | | PDA, and have no desire to upgrade it yet, and you |
| quality compared to a separately purchased digital | | | | only need a simple camera, then this could well be the |
| camera. While a $200 digital camera may produce | | | | option for you. With an auto-focusing lens, this is a very |
| photographs at as high a resolution as 5, 6, or 7 | | | | easy camera to use, however, it will not appeal to |
| "mega-pixels", the cameras found aboard a similarly | | | | more astute photographers. If all you want is to be |
| priced PDA will be less than half a mega-pixel, and | | | | able to take pictures of your friends whenever you |
| even more expensive PDAs rarely boast a camera | | | | want, then this is a great purchase. |
| with a resolution as high as 2MP. Digital camera PDAs | | | | Choosing a PDA camera is a matter of weighing up |
| are not just a trivial toy, though, and have many useful | | | | what you need. If you mostly just need a good |
| applications. And of course, no-one ever knows just | | | | camera, you are best off buying a normal digital |
| when they might need a camera. | | | | camera, completely independent of your PDA. If it's a |
| The Hewlett Packard HW6515 iPAQ is a fully featured | | | | PDA-camera hybrid you need, along with all the other |
| PDA featuring a 1.3MP camera, with an LED flash. | | | | functionality of a top shelf palmtop, and you can afford |
| PDA cameras often use a high powered LED rather | | | | the considerable outlay, but you don't need absolutely |
| than a conventional strobe because they use | | | | top notch photography, then consider an integrated |
| significantly less power. Unfortunately the intensity of | | | | option. If the idea of being able to swap the camera |
| the flash is also much lower, but using an LED is the | | | | between different PDAs, and you like having the option |
| most efficient tool for the job. In addition to its camera, | | | | of progressively upgrading as newer and better |
| the 6515 has a 312MHz Intel CPU, 320x240 TFT | | | | technology comes out, then you may wish to consider |
| display, and 128 MB of on-board memory, of which, | | | | one of the retro-fitting options. They're an ingenious |
| 55MB is available for to the user. It is Bluetooth enabled | | | | solution that promises to stay within budget, and allows |
| and has all common digital cell network compatibility | | | | you to upgrade at will. |
| (GPRS, GSM, EDGE.) Data cable is USB, and it uses | | | | |