Blackberry vs PDA

A Personal Digital Assistant is an antiquated device that was prominently used by people to keep track of their contacts, appointments, tasks, and any important days that needs special attention. This device was the replacement of the notebooks that stood as personal organizers as it automates a lot of the actions making it easier for the user. Blackberry is the common name of a group of devices from Research In Motion or RIM. Blackberries fall under the category of Smart phones as they have the capability of a mobile phone and that of a PDA in a single compact package.

Prior to the integration of PDAs and mobile phones, people needed to carry both and look-up data in one to transfer it to the other. With Smart phones like the Blackberry, contact details like phone numbers, email accounts, and addresses can directly be copied from the call log or from a message to the contact list.

A Blackberry has a lot of features that cannot be found on a standard PDA aside from the usual call and text messaging that a mobile phone features. The most notable feature of the Blackberry is corporate email support. This feature alone has propelled the Blackberry to widespread acceptance in big corporations where communication is essential. But this service is provided by RIM on a subscription basis and monthly fees are necessary. This fee is apart from the fees that are charged by the telecoms for calls and messages.

Despite the clear superiority of a blackberry compared to stand alone PDAs, there are still some applications of PDAs that cannot be performed by a Blackberry. An example of which is data gathering on locations where the conditions are less than ideal like in rainforests or in deserts. The design of a Blackberry is centered on maximizing features while minimizing its size and it is not meant to absorb shock or moisture. For these applications, there are ruggedized PDAs that are waterproof and can tolerate drops from a certain height. These PDAs are often equipped with much larger batteries to extend the life of the PDA.

Summary:

1. A PDA is the electronic equivalent of a personal organizer while a Blackberry is a smartphone.

2. The Blackberry is both a phone and a PDA at the same time.

3. A Blackberry requires a monthly fee to use its advanced features while PDAs do not require any fees.

4. There are still some PDA uses that cannot be done by a Blackberry.

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