Mailing the story:

If this is the end, PDAs are going out in style

PDAs started out as a nerd craze in the mid-1990s and then gained mainstream acceptance for their ability to hold thousands of addresses and appointments in a pocket-sized gadget. But they have been declining recently, with sales down 20 percent last year to 2.7 million units, according to NPD Group, a market-research company. In vogue now are smart phones that integrate PDA functions into a multimedia cellphone, including Palm's own Treo. Meanwhile, several companies that made PDAs, including Sony, have quit the business altogether.

[Ed.- I always felt the biggest bottleneck was data entry. Writing on those tiny little screens, or connecting to a keyboard just don't do the job.]

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