Transcript
An Electronic Gadgets Primer
H
ave electronic gadget acronyms made you dizzy? What exactly are all of those gadgets students use and refer to? While not utilized by every student, these popular gadgets are commonly found on college campuses across the country. Whether for academic or personal use, technology plays a significant role in many college students’ daily lives. Here’s a quick cheat sheet to help you stay connected: Blackberry—A device that combines a cell phone, Personal Data Assistant (PDA), and web browsing. It is wireless and can handle other wireless information services. This device makes email accessible anywhere. Bluetooth— Short-range radio technology designed to simplify communication among Internet devices and between devices and the Internet. It also aims to shorten data synchronization between Internet devices and other computers.
Firewire—A piece of hardware made up of two components: (1.) the plug in the back of your computer and (2.) a wire that connects devices working with lots more data – things like camcorders, DVD players, and digital audio equipment.
Personal Data Assistant—PDAs are handheld computers that were originally designed as personal organizers. Gaining in versatility over the years, they are now considered pocket computers. PDAs can include many features such as calendars, calculators, address books, and GPS capability. Many PDAs can be programmed for computer game play, access to the Internet, sending and receiving emails, word processing, and more. They “sync” with your computer, allowing you to download and upload files. Some PDAs can also be utilized as mobile phones and portable media players.
Thumb/Jump Drive—A portable, stable memory storage device, it’s about the size of a human thumb. It is a plug-and-play portable storage device that uses flash memory and is lightweight enough to attach to a key chain. Depending on the device’s memory capacity, you can save files, music, and pictures on the drive. When you plug it into a USB port on your computer, you can transfer everything from the device onto your computer.
MP3 Player—A type of portable media player. You might be most familiar with an “iPod,” which is mar-
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Wii—The latest games console from Nintendo. Released in late 2006, this unit features “virtual console” software and a wireless remote (which features motion-sensing technology), allowing you to play games from previous consoles such as Sega Genesis, the original NES, and more.
Apple has taken the multimedia cell phone concept to a whole new level with the iPhone. This gadget is a cell phone, music player, video player, Internet device, and camera (complete with a photo management system) all in one. This widescreen iPod features touch screen controls that allow you to enjoy audio books, music, TV shows, and movies —on the go.
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Multimedia Cell Phone—Who knew cell phones were no longer just for talking? These cell phones play downloaded music, show video clips, or serve as Personal Data Assistants (PDAs).
Sidekick—Similar to a Blackberry, the T-Mobile Sidekick has a small keyboard that pivots out for a different style of typing.
GPS Navigational Products—Global Positioning System products let travelers figure out where they are electronically by calculating the geographic location of the GPS device. Some are designed for use in cars, while others are hand-held (for travelers such as hikers or boaters).
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keted by Apple Computer. This player stores music and other media into a built-in hard drive. It’s small and compact and allows you to carry around songs, videos, pictures, and more. Plugging it into your computer allows you to upload and download media as you like.
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Prepared for our institution by PaperClip Communications. Reproduced or retransmitted under license with PaperClip Communications.
