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The Palm Pilot was a type of personal digital assistant (PDA) that became popular in the late 1990s. PDAs were handheld electronic organizers designed to store personal information like contacts and calendars, and often communicate with a personal computer.1

The first Palm Pilot, released in 1996, was notable for its ability to organize and carry information, synchronize data with a PC, and its unique "graffiti" handwriting recognition system. It was not intended to replace a computer but to complement it. The success of the Palm Pilot led to many software applications being developed for it.1

While PDAs like the Palm Pilot were dominant for a time, they were eventually supplanted by smartphones, such as the BlackBerry and iPhone, in the 2000s.12

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2 Britannica Sources
  1. PDA
  2. Palm OS

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