Case Study 2:Hand-held Computers

          A computer is a device that computes, especially a programmable electronic machine that performs high-speed mathematical or logical operations or that assembles, stores, correlates, or otherwise processes information. If we trace the history of computers, we could see that one of the first computers that were used had a size that we could not imagine possible for a computer. As the time pass by, along with the growing knowledge of the human mind, major breakthroughs in the digital world were also made. Discoveries were made known and different devices were created. Computers evolved from what we called the mainframes, these are computers that are made up of thousands of vacuum tubes. Then the 1970’s mini computers which are smaller and are composed only of hundreds of vacuum tubes. After that there was a wide spread use of microprocessors in the 1980’s. And in the 1990’s, hand held devices were widely used throughout the world. What is a hand held computer? Base on the definition from searchmobilecomputing.com, a handheld computer is a computer that can conveniently be stored in a pocket and used while you're holding it. Today's handheld computers, which are also called personal digital assistants (PDAs), can be divided into those that accept handwriting as input and those with small keyboards.

          In communication Arts, Journalism, and Publishing, a newspaper reporter is a person who reports, especially one employed to gather news for a newspaper, news agency, or broadcasting organization. In their type of work, the use of handheld computer would be a really great help to them. One way that a hand held computer can help them is in recording. Newspaper reporters are always on the go to search for any event or happening that would be reporting. They would need to record everything that has happened in that event, and that record would later be edited. A traditional newspaper reporter would use a piece of paper and a pen to write down every detail of the event. It would be a disadvantage because it would take quite a lot of their time and their effort. And there is a tendency that they would miss a part of that event while they are writing. They would also need a place where they could write properly and it would be a disadvantage if they are in a fight scene or a scene that does not have that kind of place. By using hand held computers, newspaper reporters would have an efficient use of their time and effort. Hand held, from the word itself, you can use it with just a hand. They can use a hand held computer to record every detail of the event without even having the need to look at what they are typing on the computer. They would be confident that whatever they typed would still be legible. And unlike the use of pen and paper, they can use the hand held computer without having a proper place to write or record. So they can use it even if they are in a war. Another way that a hand held computer could help a newspaper reporter is in doing research. Their job also requires research. They would need a lot of reference materials just like books and of course, the web. Nowadays, people would say that the web is more reliable than the books. Their reason was because they have seen too many errors in the books, especially in text books which are used by students as a reference material. So, in doing their research, newspaper reporters would need an internet connection. Today, with the use of mobile phones, we can have an internet access. So internet connection is also made handy. Even if a newspaper reporter does not have a personal computer at home, he would not have the need to go to an internet café or a library to use a desktop computer. The only thing that he needs is his mobile phone, of course the modern mobile phones and not those with antennas. So anytime, anywhere ha can do his research.
          A general practitioner doctor is a physician whose practice is not oriented to a specific medical specialty but instead covers a variety of medical problems in patients of all ages. In their type of work, they would be meeting different people with different character. And for some purposes, a doctor would need a record of each of his patient. Every record is written in a piece of paper and is stored in a certain place. The problem with this is that there is a tendency that the record of a patient would get lost. The doctor meets quite a large number of patients so it also means a large number of records. It would be time consuming if the doctor would look for a certain record and go through a huge stack of papers. By using hand held computers, doctors would not go through this problem looking for a single record. They can use hand held computer for their patient’s record. The record of each patient will be stored in a file and will be saved in the computer. So the doctor would not have to worry about loosing a record of his patient. And in searching a record, the doctor would not have the need to go through each of the saved record; all he needs to do is to type the name of his patient and in just an instant, the record would show up. It is what modern technology can do—a handy record book. And just like newspaper reporters, doctors still have the need to do a research. So with the use of a hand held computer, they can do their research in any place they want and in any time.
           In conclusion, hand held computer would be a great help to newspaper reporters and a general practitioner doctor. When used properly, it would make a really great change to the world but when not properly utilized would cause a great destruction to human kind. We must remember that everything has its own advantage and disadvantages.