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What is a Palmtop?
Home » Handheld Electronics » Palmtops » What is a Palmtop?A Palmtop is another word used for the Handheld PC. A Handheld PC is a Microsoft term for a computer that is smaller than a standard notebook or laptop. A true Handheld PC uses a Platform Release of the Microsoft Windows CE operating system. The Handheld PC, or Palmtop, was the original hardware for PDA devices that ran Windows CE. The Palmtop was first introduced in 1996 as a "PC companion device". It was marketed as being able to provide familiar PC applications in a portable format.
A palmtops touch-sensitive screen is as easy to read as a memo pad, but is much more practical. With a palmtop, you can store thousands of contacts, create and update your calendar, and keep detailed lists of things to do. Palmtops also have optional software that enables users to send and receive e-mail, connect to the Internet, read books, listen to music, play games, and more. Palmtops are compatible with PCs, so it's easy to transfer information from one to the other. Palmtops are usually very thin and have a large LCD screen that either displays color, or generic black on green.
Although some palmtops are similar to personal digital assistants in that they accept handwritten or touch screen input, they differ in that the palmtop has more memory, a keyboard, and a greater variety of available programs. For a device to be classified as a palmtop, it must:
• Run Microsoft Windows CE (Handheld PC Platform Release)
• Be bundled with an application suite found only through an OEM Platform Release and not in Windows CE itself
• Use ROM
• Have a screen supporting a resolution of greater than 480x240
• Include a keyboard
• Include a CompactFlash Slot
• Include a PCMCIA Slot
• Include an infrared (IrDA) port
• Provide wired serial and/or USB connectivity
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