Handheld devices (also known as handhelds) are pocket-sized computing devices that are rapidly gaining popularity as the access to information in every walk of life becomes more and more mission critical. Along with mobile computing devices such as laptops and smartphones, personal digital assistants (PDAs) represent the new frontier of computing as desktop computers find less and less favour among everyday users.

The following are typical handhelds:

• Information appliance
• Smartphone
• Personal digital assistant
• Mobile phone
• Personal Communicator
• Handheld game console

Categories of mobile devices

Due to the varying levels of functionality associated with mobile devices, in 2005 T38 and the DuPont Global Mobility Innovation Team proposed the following standardized definition of mobile devices:

• Limited Data Mobile Device: devices that have a small, primarily text-based screen, with data services usually limited to SMS (Short Message Service) and WAP access. Typical examples of these devices are cellular phones.
• Basic Data Mobile Device: devices that have a medium-size screen (typically between 120 x 120 and 240 x 240 pixels), menu or icon-based navigation via a thumb-wheel or cursor, and which offer access to e-mail, address book, SMS, and a basic web browser. Typical examples of these devices are BlackBerry and Smartphone.
• Enhanced Data Mobile Device: devices that have medium to large screens (typically above 240 x 120 pixels), stylus-based navigation, and which offer the same features as the "Basic Data Mobile Devices" plus native applications such as Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and custom corporate applications such as mobilized versions of SAP, intranet portals, etc. Typical devices include those running Windows Mobile 2003 or version 5, such as Pocket PCs.

Internet faxing with handhelds

• Most handhelds can be used to send and receive faxes by email using an Internet fax service. Internet faxing also enables handheld users to print documents by sending them to a nearby fax machine. This service is available through most internet fax providers.

See also

• Mobile web
• Mobile games
• Multiplayer Mobile games

PDAs

Handheld | Handheld | Handheld computer | Urządzenie mobilne | Handheld | 手持设备