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  1. #1
    Junior Member ColmO's Avatar
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    What would the Army use a PDA for??

    pleas help need to know for assignment

  2. #2
    Junior Member theroamingknome's Avatar
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    Actually several things...

    I was a 2LT and deployed in the the early part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. A friend of mine had, had a Palm PDA and loved it and talked me into buying one before I got deployed. Here is what I learned of it's use:

    1. Generally speaking, a PDA is an extension of a laptop or desktop computer. Depending upon the software, it can do everything from keeping soldier's records to writing the outline of memo to keeping a spreadsheet. It has a phone book that can be organized any number of ways so that you can have a quick reference, it has a calendar with an alarm feature, it has memo pad feature and many other things can be added to expand it's capabilities...in short it can be as flexible as the leader wants it to be (and someone is willing to spend!). It is also capable of carrying around a brief case sized amount of information in the palm of you hand...or your cargo pocket.

    2. For the leader...as I said above it can be a mobile computer for imputing certain kinds of data. What it is not good at is long form entries. For example, lets say you are keeping a drivers list...vehicle number...Primary and Assistant Drivers..etc. You can use that like a check list and keep track of who is where on a given day. BUT..the data should be entered on a laptop first and synced to the PDA due to the entry limitations of the PDA (i.e. grafitti is not perfect and the virtual keyboard, while good, is not perfect either). Making notes in a meeting, or de-breifing some one is a good use for this device. Once you are done, you need only to sync the PDA...get the data into the computer where you can manipulate the data into your report for higher headquarters.

    3. Custom programs like Warrior Solutions' "Leader's E-book" is a handy tool (info avail at http://www.warriorsolutions.com/news.html). It takes awhile to upload (enter the data)..and works best if most of the leadership has it, but it can give you all of you soldiers info at the tap of a stylus. Like wise, Documents To Go connects directly to Microsoft Office so you can deal with Word, Excel and Power Point Documents (in fact, depending upon the device you can review and make notes on a Power Point presentation, it can help you practice and prepare without having a laptop open all the time.). It can also handle Adobe .pdf documents...and most Army Memo's are forwarded out that way.

    4. Inventory and Medical Uses. The Army has been using PDA, as described above, for inventory checks and for doing medical intakes at clinics. If the PDA is wireless, then a medic in a clinic can move around, talking to a patient away from their desk (i.e. their desktop computer), press a button...and their notes and data are synced back to the main computer. In the civilian world, PDA's have been used by doctors and nurses in hospitals like this for years. Additionally, current databases like recent drugs, diagnostic flowcharts and other handy to have quick reference things can be available on the PDA. In inventory, a palm can replace or augment paper documents that need to be protected.

    5. There are other uses depending upon make and model. Really, it is a matter of looking at the task at hand and deciding what technology is a help or a hinderance in a given situation. Technology, in any endeavor, should be leveraged to aid the success of the task. Sometimes, people try to apply hi-tech solutions and make a mess of it. Plan, reason and utilize what you need...but remember technology can not do your work or take responsibility for decisions...only a human being can do that.

    Now I have given some of the good things about PDA's in the Army...let's talk the down side.

    1. Batteries, the bane of most e-warrior's existance. A battery on a PDA will run down. While in many cases you can get a full day out of the device. However, depending upon the brand and model, these battery lives vary widely. It is a pain to get ready to brief the Battalion Commander, briefing all written out on the palm...and it dies! No PDA in the last 6 years has been made where it takes AAA batteries, they are all rechargable...and require a power source to recharge. In the field you need a generator...or a car charger and a car battery (and someway to make a cigarette lighter plug for it which can be done with a trip to the auto parts store (and cheaply), but it takes time and fore-thought).

    2. The screen and buttons. The screen is the weakest part of the PDA...followed by any frequently used button. If the screen goesout or is damaged the PDA is toast, no replacement is really possible and replacment of the PDA is the only good option. I say this to explain that the Army will put you and your equipment in every imaginable environment..hot, cold, wet, sandy, etc. A PDA will not hold up well if not protected. I carried mine in a pocket sized notebook that zipped up...and I cleaned it every other day at a minimum. Using screen protectors can extend the life of the screen...


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