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The evolution and history of PDAs

It’s almost embarrassing if I think about the number of PDAs and similar gadgets I’ve owned over the years. And sadly, I’m still looking for the perfect one. My BlackBerry comes close, but still not quite there.

Evan Koblentz has a great article chronicling the evolution and history of PDAs starting with pre-PDA devices and moving to current devices like the Palm Treo. The majority of the article details (with pictures) the earlier late 70’s and early 80’s PDA versions.

About Me

Tom Markiewicz
Tom Markiewicz

Tom currently works in developer relations for IBM Watson. A serial entrepreneur, he's been the founder of numerous startups including Investify and StatsMix, a Techstars alumni company. Tom lives outside Boulder, Colorado and in his free time he's an avid rock climber, skier, and trail runner.

2 Comments

  1. RE: iphone being a PDA replacement:

    First: I’ve used all of the progressions of hand held technology.
    Starting with a hand held calculator. Yes. a long time ago.

    I watched them evolve. From calculator to PDA…

    and they started to DEVOLVE with APPLE. 
    who made the Newton (I had to return it, useless thing it was.)
    then Apple, instead of continuing to evolve the current technology as in the PDA, turned it into a toy. 
    something to distract kids, and the rest of us fell for it. “OH, look at this cute little iphone!!! I gotta HAVE one!”

    PDA’s, all of them, Except internet access and cell phone, could do much more much better than the iphone. 
    (for instance: iphone & ipad can only search backwards ONE rolling year in Calendar; or, do a global search in iOS and it will only bring you to the Document the search string is IN, but will not show it to you IN the document.) 
    APPLE has shifted our focus from useful tool, to much more useless distraction.

    I’ve formed this opinion of APPLE from being a loyal follower of APPLE since the Apple II. 
    So you don’t think I’m biased for or agains just Apple, I have similar opinions of Microsoft, who has totally diverted from a natural progression of it’s software that would benefit society, to the path that mainly benefits Microsoft.

    This single focus: of profit for Corporations, is universal. They have changed laws so that they now have all the legal rights of a person, but NONE of the humanity, none of the responsibility, nothing but a Need for Greed. 
    Well, I say: FU Apple, and Microsoft, and Corporations in general.

    We could more appropriately shift our “Occupy Wall Street” angst to “Rebel against Corporations”

    Corporations are the enemy and the cause of the state of the Economy today.