Managing by Computer
In the beginning, the business entrepreneur was ruled by day planners, calender
books, clipboards and sticky notes. These wire-bound, paper-filled monsters
were our necessary evils to keep our lives and businesses in some sort of
order. Many of us even practiced the art of scribbling on scrap paper, writing
on the backs of envelopes and filing these notes in our pants and jacket
pockets.
Then as the computer age dawned on us, PIMs (Personal Information Managers) came into play. These are programs that run on your desktop. Some examples of these are the Lotus Organizer and Microsoft Outlook.
Although these programs did the basics for us, and relieved us of many daily planner routines, they lacked one important feature: they weren't easily transportable. You certainly can't carry your desktop to a meeting with a client, take it on a tent survey or stick it in a vehicle and be productive.
As time passed, the PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) developed. Many also refer to this device as a pocket PC. These devices combined the power of PIM software with hand-held convenience.
In 1993, when the first Apple Newton arrived, nobody really thought much of this new device. While researching this article, I personally forgot that the Newton even existed. It wasn't until 1995 that a device called the Palm Pilot came out, and this technology took off.
Today PDAs are the latest craze. PDAs are built by more than 20 different manufacturing companies and run on a variety of popular platforms. They come in all shapes and sizes, but most important: most will fit in your pocket and they are extremely easy to use.
It seems anywhere I go people are carrying and accessing their PDAs. This activity is commonly called "palming." Everyone, from shoppers in the supermarket to business execs in airports, students, managers - everyone is "palming."
It's no wonder: today's PDAs do much more than keep your schedule up to date. They track expenses, take notes, compose and send e-mail - they are good for many purposes, and each device has its own unique bag of tricks.
The newest feat these devices have conquered is the ability to connect to the Web with built-in or add-on modems. This allows the PDA to become a mobile communicator, much like something we all saw Captain Kirk carry on the Enterprise.
With this two-way communication device, we can send and receive data that can help us run our businesses more efficiently. Instantly you can send valuable information to your office computers, such as a profile of a new customer, problems about a piece of equipment on a job site, pictures (using the new add-on digital camera attachment) or notes on what you are seeing at a trade show. Add a GPS device and your palm computer becomes an instant navigator - you may never get lost again.
Planning on attending the next A.R.A. convention? Then listen to this! A.R.A. is now working on a project that will allow you to go to the A.R.A. Web site and download a self-executing program that you can run on your PDA to list all the vendors and their booth numbers.
The PDA has become a business tool, much like a cell phone and a fax machine. It's not like a laptop, which is portable but not efficient when you wish to take notes or jot something down quickly. Today's PDAs can even record voice through very sophisticated voice-recognition systems.
Those of you who don't like typing will appreciate the handwriting recognition built into the PDAs, but if you prefer to write, you may scribble notes with an instrument called a stylus, which looks like a pen.
For those of you who don't like to write or record, you can type: just plug in the foldable keyboard, which is small enough to fit in your pocket.
Many of the software programs you run on your office computer are now available for the PDAs. Spreadsheets, word-processing, stock trading, drawing and mapping are all popular downloads or purchases.
Another new term you will learn is called "hot synch," which is the ability to transfer the information from your desktop to the PDA and vice versa. This way you can work with either device without duplicated effort or losing data. This hot synch operation can take place either away or at your desktop - but you must have a modem to do this remotely. Everything from your address book to your stock portfolio is synchronized automatically.
What will a PDA cost you? Depending on the features, anywhere from $130 to $1,000. Add-on features such as modems, memory and size all add to the cost. The type of PDA you buy should be determined by your needs.
Palm-sized PDAs, which run on batteries, are perfect for small amounts of information such as calendars, contacts, schedules and notes. They have simple buttons for most functions. Hand-held PDAs, which are rechargeable, are great for connecting to the Internet and working on text documents and spreadsheets. They can come with colored screens, and many desktop applications you are familiar with.
The top 10 features to look for are:
1. An address book and agenda to keep all your appointments and daily tasks in a multi-view calendar.
2. Extended battery life. Don't miss a meeting because of dead batteries.
3. Handwriting recognition. Most PDAs translate handwriting into computerized fonts with a stylus pen.
4. An infrared port. This will allow synchronization of data with other PDAs, PCs or even printers that also have infrared ports or adapters.
5. Web access. A modem enables a PDA to send and receive data such as e-mail over telephone lines. The speed will be slower than your desktop, but it gets the job done.
6. Recording ability. This is convenient way to record your thoughts on the go.
7. Screen type and resolution. PDAs come with color or black and white monitors. The higher the screen resolution, the sharper the image.
8. Software (pre-installed) including spreadsheet, calculator, spell-check and word-processing.
9. Voice recognition. The PDA can process commands at the sound of your voice. Just dictate what you want to appear on screen.
10. Finally, buy from a well-known manufacturer with a proven track record. If equipping your sales team with PDAs, stick with the same brand to allow for sharing of information and software.
A few buying tips:
A PDA is a great fit for you and your rental business. The benefits of owning these devices are immense and I personally recommend them. I saw many rental store people using their PDAs at the A.R.A. convention in Anaheim in February. As folks were visiting booths they were writing down vendor information, pricing and terms - a perfect task for a PDA.
What else can you think of?
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