PDAs are well on the way to becoming indispensable devices for many people so finding the best pda for your needs is important. Their size and versatility make them attractive because of the convenience of having critical information right at hand in a small package. As people become busier, keeping track of their lives can get quite complicated and relying on your own memory or a bulky agenda just doesn't cut it anymore. Keeping calendars, schedules and contact lists on a notebook computer - or even worse, a desktop, rarely is as serviceable an alternative as the smaller PDA. With the integration of cellular telephone capabilities, email and web browsing, the PDA is turning into an all-in-one device in a convenient size - and it's changing people's lives as well as reducing the sheer number of devices they need to lug around.

But, if you are a newcomer to the PDA market, it can be an overwhelming, upsetting, anxiety provoking experience to walk into a store and stare at all those PDAs while you're being stalked by commission hungry sales people dying to sell you the model they get the highest commission on. As a side note here, that model with the big commission is rarely the best PDA or the most reliable, but it almost always is the one with the biggest difference between the store's cost and your cost. What all this means is that it's time to do some sitting in a quiet place and a bit of work and then some research before you actually go out on a buying spree.

First off. Never buy on impulse. This is a serious device not a weird t-shirt to freak out your d weight, check how well it seems to be built, what the keyboard (if any) is like and how easyfriends or a new beer that sounds tasty. If you purchase wisely you will be using that PDA and storing critical data on it, perhaps using it in activities that involve your livelihood. So no goofing around, OK?

Take a pad and a pencil and sit down in that quiet place and list out all the things you think you might want to do with the PDA. Go ahead and list all of them, even if they're far out. This is brainstorming. Put it away for a day or so, assuming you don't actually need that PDA this moment. Go back to the list and see if anything else has occurred to you. Your next step is to evaluate that list realistically. Which of these things would you actually do on a regular basis with your PDA. Which ones are the most important. Which ones might be nice but aren't really required. And which ones can you deep six. You also need to identify your budget. Just how much are you willing and able to spend including any accessories you may need?

Since you now have a much more focused idea of what you're looking for, it's time to do some online research. I'll usually start at Amazon.com to see the best selling models, get a feel for the prices, check out the technical specs (this is important, you want to be sure it will do what you need), look at what kinds of accessories people buy. Then I'll look for reviews, though you need to be careful and consider the source and the motives of the source. By now you should be starting to get a feel for which models may represent the best PDA for you.

Before you settle on a model, visit an offline store if you can find one nearby so you can actually see the device life-size, handle it, get a feel for it's dimensions an or hard it may be to use. If you happen to find a knowledgeable sales person ask the questions that come to your mind but remember that sales people are there to sell.

By this time you should be down to at most 3 different models. Identify what accessories each will require, the cost of additional batteries, the type of memory and if it is expandable and how much that will cost. If your best PDA includes web and phone capability, be sure to find out if there are any limitations on the cellular services it will work with.

Now go shopping. Look for any discount offers or promotional offers either online or at an local store. Check prices through Amazon and other online sellers. Stay within your budget and don't forget to add in any accessories you require. This process may seem sort of tedious when you read about it, but it will work for almost any significant purchase. The sorting, selecting and eliminating is nearly automatic and it should lead you pretty painlessly to just one or two of the best PDAs which not only do the job, but do it within your budget and are products that you will be comfortable using and able to rely on. And now - finally - you get to indulge yourself in impulse and pick the one that simply appeals most to you for any reason.