A new era in personal communication.

Palm-held computers allow executives to communicate on the spot.

Personal digital assistants have launched a new era in communication for association executives. PDAs, as these units have come to be known, are primarily composed of a surface that you can write on with a specially designed pen. You can "tap" the pen on the screen to start a number of different applications including a personal scheduler, electronic spreadsheet, fax, address book, notepad, calculator, and other office tools on the go.

PDAs have received a bad rap of late. Various computer journals suggest they are underpowered, do an inadequate job of recognizing handwriting, and have too few applications to make them a worthwhile information management tool. Yet many of these criticisms miss the central point of PDAs: the ability to communicate in a new and different way.

You don't buy a PDA because you want to replace a much less expensive day planner or calculator. You buy a PDA to broaden and enhance your ability to communicate with others.

Enhancing your reach

For example, say you're attending a hearing on Capitol Hill and come across a name you want to remember or realize you want to send an urgent message to someone on your staff. You could try to find a telephone or use your cellular telephone.

But what if you are in the middle of the hearing? What if your message is somewhat detailed? What if you want to send the message to more than one location?

PDAs offer a solution for busy association executives. Most will allow you to write a simple memo or message and fax that message to one or more people. By subscribing to a wireless electronic mail service or using a cellular modern that can be ordered as an attachment, you can contact anyone in your association or beyond for a relatively modest cost. A quick PDA-generated memorandum can save you time and effort back at the office, especially when time is at a premium.

Of course, you can still jot down an idea or a thought for later reference on paper. The advantage of a PDA, however, is that the item call be saved, referenced later, combined with other items, printed out, or faxed. For those executives who did not learn to type, PDAs offer an alternative to writing a note or memo and then having a secretary retype or retran-scribe that memo.

A PDA will never replace your desktop computer or your notebook computer. A PDA is an enhancement to both devices. There are meetings and other situations, such as those discussed above, where it is not convenient to whip out your computer and begin keying in information.

Weighing some drawbacks

Because PDAs are in their first generation, the current technology has some drawbacks. First, the cost is still high--$800-$2,000 for basic to more advanced models. Second, the issue of "digital ink" is still a problem.

Software developers will soon introduce a software package called Jot 1.0 that will enable the user to share PDA images with a wide variety of computers. Currently, you either have to communicate as a fax or reenter the information that you want communicated to another computer.

Third, PDAs do not yet have a great deal of software available and some of the handwriting recognition software is slow. As greater amounts of random access memory (RAM) and read-only memory (ROM) are added in future generations of PDAs, they will become even more useful for association management applications.

It is interesting to note that the Pentagon recently gave Apple Computer a $1 million contract to investigate uses for the Newton Message Pad. NASA is also exploring the use of PDAs as communication and data recording devices for the shuttle program.

Do some research

Before you visit the store to try out a PDA, do some additional reading. Most computer journals are devoting a considerable amount of article space to PDAs these days.

Some major brands of PDAs you may want to consider include the

* Newton Message Pad by Apple Computer;

* PI-7000 Expert Pad by Sharp;

* AT&T EO 440/880 units;

* Casio Z-7000 system;

* Tandy Z-550;

* GridPad 2390 from AST Research; and

* 325Point from Fujitsu.

Remember to try before you buy, and make sure you fully understand the unit you're considering. Take time in your evaluation of PDAs. Remember, they are the beginning of a new era in personal communication.

Maynard H. Benjamin, CAE, is executive vice president of the Envelope Manufacturers Association, Alexandria, Virginia.