INFORMATION #1 08-20-2001 - Laserfiche WebLink

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We'd all like to cut down on the time we spend fumbling for phone numbers, missing appointments or just leav- ing a quick message for someone. Personal digital assistants (PDAs) and smart phones, miniature high-tech com- munications devices in a rainbow of colors, are in the hands of business executives everywhere -- on the train, in cars, in every sort of public place possible. While law enforcement officers in general do not use PDAs or cell phones for their jobs, many Americans do. More than 5 million people in the U.S. own a PDA, according to the market research firm IDC, up from 2 million just two years ago. The number is expected to more than triple to reach nearly 17 million by 2005. Police officers already use plenty of high-tech computing power -- note- books, pen tablets and more. Do they really need another piece of equip- 108 Law Enforcement Technology · July 2001 ment? It really boils down to this ques-~ don: Are these simply souped-up toys, glitzy gizmos that are just more techno- logical hype, or are they vital tools that can save an officer's life? Functions of PDAs Let's take a look at the functions of PDAs. At their most basic, these elec- tronic gadgets serve as appointment books, address books, to-do lists, wrist- watches and calculators. While calen- daring and organizing thousands of phone numbers can be of great assis- tance, is it really worth spending up to $649 for the privilege? Possibly. Those basic features only skim the surface. Users also can do a whole lot more with these tinY devices -- some of which are very specific to law enforcement. Mobile professionals were actually first to get hooked on the devices and still make up the core users. PDAs pack enough computer power to handle tasks for which users otherwise would nee~ to lug around a laptop -- readin~ e-mail, composing memos, connectin[ to the Web and looking up client con. tact information in a database. All ar~ able to transfer information by cable o: cradle, in a process called synching from personal information managers o~ your PC. Most of them have expansio~ slots for peripherals. For example Handspring Visors have a slot calle~ the Springboard, and Palm device have a serial port in the bottom. Thes ports allow them to attach accessorie such as barcode readers, magneti stripe devices, wireless modems, eve digital cameras and digital voic recorders. "There's an awful lot of ways c tracking and collecting information, says Bill Dyszel, author of "Pah Computing for Dummies" an "Handspring Visor for Dummies. Both publications are available I www.amazon, com.