Up close and personal

PDAs have progressed from their original clunky format to being considered essential personal items. But they still have a long way to go before they replace laptops.

Not more than a few years ago, personal digital assistants (PDAs)onsidered essential personal items. But they still have a long way to go before they replace laptops. were considered awkward and bulky.

As they transformed into today's streamlined devices, they ousted the Filofax as the personal organiser of choice. PDAs are used widely in markets such as retail, transportation, distribution, manufacturing, logistics, parcel delivery and healthcare, but they are still waiting to fulfil their potential as business tools or vertical market components.

But analysts say there is no limit on the number of applications, and with the second release of Microsoft's Windows CE operation system now shipping, surely it is only a matter of time before this changes.

But this is not to say that Windows CE is going to become the industry standard for PDAs. Few users are convinced of its ability to deliver the required functionality, at least in the foreseeable future. But Microsoft's effect is likely to improve the image of these products and increase their acceptability within a business system.

Windows CE devices have limited appeal for business buyers, according to industry watchdogs in the US. Leading hardware vendors have dropped the prices of models by as much as 35 per cent. But the products are doing a sterling job of pioneering the handheld market and showing business managers what smart lateral thinking can achieve. Customers are no longer surprised when resellers suggest that their managers use PDAs, but they do demand that they are integrated into complete systems.

The factors which have taken PDAs from consumer toy to business tool are wireless technology and the ability to link to company Lans and email via the internet. Craig Mundie, senior VP of Microsoft's consumer platforms division, says: 'Windows CE 2 offers customers sign-on authentication when connecting to a Lan, allowing communication as secure as on a desktop.' This, he says, 'really moves the handheld personal computer platform up a notch'.

Some might say that Microsoft is jumping the gun. John Gardner of Hand Held Solutions says PDAs will not storm the market until resellers start selling them with embedded applications and users can get full scheduling, diary and applications linked to the office system. 'Links to the central office are key. For example, we have been providing local councils with PDAs for on-site surveyors inspecting council properties, and it has been an easy sell so far. The cost benefits are immediately apparent,' says Gardner.

He further explains that 'without PDAs, users have a more complex job' and errors can creep in. 'We provide software called HMIS, which has all the property and fitting details, so all of the maintenance scheduling and parts ordering can be handled automatically. Not only is the surveyor's job made easier, but the tenants benefit from a more simple procedure.

'In the immediate future, we will see a dramatic expansion in the use of PDAs for a wide range of applications. All the technology is now in place and, more importantly, business managers are familiar with the products. There is virtually no user resistance - in fact, users are expecting PDAs.'

David Harris Evans, a director of internet product vendor Spyglass, believes that internet access is critical to PDA sales. Spyglass has a three-product strategy called Internet Connectivity - a range of software products that allow internet access from a variety of PDAs.

'Not all PDAs were created equal, but we can allow them all to access and publish information on the internet,' Harris Evans says. 'We have embedded applications which can be used by low-resource PDAs, and we have device-independent browser and server software that can be embedded in a variety of devices, offering resellers, Vars and developers a wide range of scalability and flexibility.

'Spyglass has long believed that the Web is the trigger which will enable PDAs to be truly useful, and we have developed Web connectivity for virtually any device.

'By regarding the PDA as a thin client, it can be integrated into a variety of environments for a full range of possible applications and uses.'

Harris Evans explains that 'the biggest immediate growth in the PDA market is likely to come from companies that already own chunky portables and want to update them'. The tablet-sized computers previously used for applications like parcel delivery and inventory management are now being replaced by lighter, smaller devices which fall under the PDA umbrella.

The PalmPilot from 3Com is attempting to make waves in this area, not least because IBM has just rebadged it and called it the IBM WorkPad.

IBM plans to add extensions to Lotus Notes and other products to exploit the WorkPad fully. It says the PalmPilot's power and versatility are irresistible when combined with IBM's services.

According to IBM officials, Lotus also plans to offer more Organiser and Notes synchronisation applications via its Website over the next three months.

The WorkPad can be used as a mobile electronic calendar, address book and notepad, and can transfer data to and from a desktop or mobile PC.

An optional modem lets users send email. The Palm-Pilot does not use Windows CE and analysts say that its sales in the US have been outstripping any system based on Windows CE.

Symbol Technologies is also working with PalmPilots, adapting them for barcode scanning appli-cations and to send data via radio links. A weather-proof and shock-resistant version is in development.

Texas Instruments, long-established in the handheld market, is developing PDAs for practical applications, which it will promote with vertical market resellers.

Bernhard Krautscheid, Texas Instruments European marketing manager, says: 'We are investing heavily in the pen-based PDA market and have just launched the Avigo product. It is a rich technological solution for those wanting a schedule and project management system with PC synchronisation and all the benefits of Lotus Organiser compatibility.

'It is important for the PDA market that there is no compromise in screen size, the intuitive response of the software or the friendliness of the interface. We can assume that most PDA users do not have, and do not want, to be particularly IT-literate. They just want small powerful units which fulfil their purpose with a minimal learning curve.'

Other respected products with developed business applications are Hewlett Packard's HP300 series, the Newton MessagePad and the US Robotics Pilot. Most software vendors are developing versions of their established applications to exploit the PDA potential.

Analysts such as the Yankee Group expect the PDA market to grow five-fold in the next three year. Customer awareness is no longer a problem and the technology is now in place to allow small handhelds to perform powerful functions.

At a glance, it seems the big players in the long term are Psion, Microsoft and IBM, and systems integrators are recommended to start talking to at least one of them.

PDAs are no longer just devices for personal use, and handhelds are no longer for professionals who work on their feet.

Resellers and systems integrators would be well advised to take them on board - they can be integrated into a number of business systems and can be tailored to suit just about any business need.

CONTACTS

Hand Held Solutions

0113 234 0300

Microsoft

01734 270001

Mobile Software

0181 906 0002

Spyglass

01753 705003

Texas Instruments

01604 663000

TWO OF A KIND

PDA users fall mainly into two categories - consumer who bought a PDA on impulse and only really use five per cent of its potential power, and business users who bought a machine for personal use and extended it to business and office use.

The second category is growing rapidly. The sheer number of personal users within organisations are forcing IT managers to consider how to integrate PDAs into the office infrastructure. For once, there is no need to sell the idea to business managers because they are already PDA users.

The challenge facing IT managers and resellers is how to integrate the machines already in use into the office network so that they can be automatically updated and linked with the office scheduling and diary system.

Psion of the times

The PDA market for business applications is a major one, according to Stuart Ballan of Mobile Software, a company which provides products for Psion handhelds. Ballan sees two groups of people driving this growth. 'There is an increasing need for mobile workers and business users to have links with their company.'

Mobile Software chose to specialise in the Psion range three years ago when there was little competition, but Ballan believes it is still ahead of other products. 'Many others are not standards-based. They are not compatible with a lot of business software,' he says.

'Psion is the best option, and with the latest Series 5 machine, the company is not allowing the grass to grow under its feet,' says Ballan.

Mobile Software takes Psion business applications from a variety of programming sources and markets them under its own brand. It recently announced an agreement with Prudential Assurance to provide mobile salespeople with customer information while in transit. Prudential national sales research manager Martin Symonds says: 'We issued all our sales staff with Psion to deliver quotations at the point of sales. That reduces support costs.'

Mobile Software has also clinched deals with CNN, Harper Collins and Expotel. But Ballan agrees that PDA technology is still largely in its infancy. 'The world is still not ready for high-volume information products and it is still best used in specific applications.

'Microsoft is helping to grow the market with its CE operating system, but the machines based on that technology are still dramatically inferior to that based on Psions.'