Personal digital devices

Uses of digital devices

• Digital devices allow people to communicate at any time and wherever they are through:
• Text messages
• Instant messaging
• Voice calls
• Video calls
• Emails
• Media messages
• Social networking sites
• People use digital devices on the move to:
• Find the route using sat nav and Global Positioning System
• Track the location of cars/vans
• Geotag images
• Leisure
• Displaying photos with digital photo frames
• Watching HD films on blu-ray players
• Watching more channels on digital TV
• Streaming films
• Downloading music
• Listening to music and watching films with personal media players
• Keeping in touch through social networking sites
• Playing games with consoles/computers
• Reading with ebook readers
• Taking photos and videos with digital cameras and camcorders

Using digital devices

• When companies design a digital device they have to think about who will be using the device and how they will use it.
• Mobile phones for example:
• A teenager might want Internet access for accessing social networking sites.
• A business person might want a qwerty keyboard so they can easily

Using digital devices

• When companies design a digital device they have to think about who will be using the device and how they will use it
• Mobile phones as an example:
• A teenager might want to Internet access for accessing social networking sites
• A business person might want a qwerty keyboard so they easily send emails
• An older person might want a large screen and an easy-to-use interface.
• Factors to consider when choosing a device:
• Compatibility with other devices
• Convenience
• Storage capacity
• Reliability
• Security
• Connectivity
• User interface
• Battery life
• Cost
• Purpose
• Speed of internet

Common features

• There is a processor in all digital devices, from desktop computers to mobile phones. It controls all the functions of the devices. There are specialist microprocessors for different devices.
• While the microprocessor is working it needs to store the program instructions and data in its internal memory. Different devices have different amounts of internal memory which is measured in bytes.
• Digital devices are storage devices. In addition to their internal memory, digital devices contain components that can store data. For example, computers contain high capacity hard disk drives to store terabytes of data. Hard disk drives tend not to be used in portable devices because they contain moving parts and can be easily damaged.
• Flash memory is a type of peripheral that is ideal for portable devices because:
• It doesn't lose data when turned off
• It has no moving parts so cannot be easily damaged
• It is removable and can be used to transfer data between devices
• Types of flash memory
• Micro SD cards- for smaller devices
• SDXC- stores up to 2TB
• USB- plug into the USB port; stores up to 256 GB
• SDHC card- stores up to 32 GB
• Secure digital card- stores up to 4GB