PDAs, or personal digital assistants, are similar to computers in many ways. One way they are different is that you typically use a touch screen to input data to your PDA. On a computer, you would type on a keyboard or point and click with a mouse. With a PDA, you simply tap the screen with a stylus.

The touch screen is used in various ways. One is the virtual keyboard. The letters, numerals, and other characters are displayed on the screen just as they are situated on an actual keyboard. It is only a picture, but if you tap the characters with the stylus you can create documents on your PDA. This is also good for setting up appointments on a calendar or writing a to-do list.

You can also tap some of the touch screen figures to activate buttons or select from a menu. You can tap and drag the stylus to highlight the information that is the most important to you. The touch screen is very versatile.

Another use of the touch screen and stylus is letter or word recognition. In this mode, letters or words are actually written with the stylus onto the screen. The PDA takes this data and converts it into computer text characters. This technology has been met with mixed reviews. Some like the way it works while others find it inadequate.

In stroke recognition, certain strokes are set up to correspond to the different characters on the keyboard. The strokes are easy to learn because they are similar to the letters. They are also easier for the PDA to recognize and so work better than letter or word recognition.

One thing to remember when using a PDA touch screen is that you only have to tap it lightly to get the effect you want. If you have to jab hard at the touch screen, it means there is something wrong. You may, for example, need to clean it.

When you clean your touch screen, be sure to use an electronic cleaner. Dust and other foreign material can get on the touch screen of your PDA. A daily cleaning will keep it working at its peak performance.

It may be tempting to use a pen or other pointed object to tap on the touch screen. This can damage the touch screen so much that you will not be able to use the PDA at all. Make sure that you keep track of the stylus so that you can always use it.

You can protect the touch screen with screen covers that are available in any department store. They come in multi-packs so that you can get several at one time. They will keep dust and dirt out when you are not using the PDA. They can be used for a period of time so that you do not have to have a new one every time you take out your PDA.

Using a touch screen on a PDA is easy. Whether you are using a virtual keyboard, tapping menu choices, or using one of the letter or stroke recognition systems, you will find that the touch screen offers ways to input data into your PDA.