| Palm-top computers or Personal Digital | | | | in 2003. The whole idea of Palm Pilot had |
| Assistants (PDA) have found their way into | | | | developed from Palm Computing's original |
| innumerable coat pockets across the country, | | | | ambition to create a handwriting recognition |
| having replaced the revered authority of the | | | | software for other devices; a process which |
| paper based agendas and index cards. The Palm | | | | convinced them that they could create better |
| Corporation produces a number of Personal | | | | hardware as well. Toy Robots Initiative and |
| Digital Assistants, which run the Palm | | | | Manipulative Lab created the design of the |
| operating system. Palm pilot was the name | | | | Palm Pilot with the purpose of enabling just |
| given to the first two generations of PDA | | | | about anyone to start building and |
| manufactured by Palm Computing in 1996; which | | | | programming mobile robot at a modest cost. |
| was then a division of US Robotics, then of | | | | |
| 3Com and finally a standalone corporation. | | | | In 1998, when Pilot Pen Corporation brought |
| | | | on a trademark infringement lawsuit, handheld |
| Palm Pilot was the brainchild of Jeff | | | | devices from Palm venue as Palm Connected |
| Hawkins, Donna Dubinsky and Ed Colligan who | | | | Organizers officially and as 'Palms' more |
| were the founders of Palm Computing. The | | | | commonly. However palm pilot had entered the |
| first machines were Palm Pilot 1000 (RAM size | | | | vernacular as a synonym for PDA. The Palm |
| 128 K) and Palm Pilot 5000 (RAM size 512 K). | | | | Pilot is bestowed with many advantages. It is |
| Though provided with a serial port, they did | | | | small enough to be carried during just about |
| not have infrared ports, backlights or flash | | | | every waking moment, so that useful bits of |
| memory. After the first two attempts, Palm | | | | information may have no need to find place in |
| Pilot Personal (RAM size 512 K) and Palm | | | | your already cluttered brain. Also, it is a |
| Pilot Professional (RAM size 1024 K) were | | | | fully functioning computer where the contents |
| introduced which had a backlight but no | | | | can be searched, as you want. Turn it into |
| infrared ports or flash memory as yet. | | | | what you like - patient-tracking device, |
| Meanwhile, Palm Computing, which was a | | | | calculator, repository of information, |
| subsidiary of 3Com, became upset on not | | | | built-in calendar, address book, to-do list, |
| having enough control over the palm pilot and | | | | memo pad or almost anything else. What's |
| founded Handspring in June 1998, which due to | | | | more? This five inches, six ounces Palm Pilot |
| the efforts of Hawkins became the first Palm | | | | is an easy fit in any shirt pocket and runs |
| OS licensee. | | | | for weeks on two AAA batteries. |
| | | | |
| Handspring later produced 'Handspring Visor', | | | | However, theoretical drawbacks like "the Palm |
| a clone of the Palm Pilot that included a | | | | Pilot traces you wherever you are" has not |
| hardware expansion slot. A standard feature | | | | stopped it from being an enormous success. |
| of all Palm Pilots is to have 8 megabytes of | | | | The latest entry, the Palm VII brings us a |
| memory and internal rechargeable batteries. | | | | step closer to the 'Total Connectedness' |
| Handspring merged with Palm to form palmOne | | | | scenario of the future. |