Project PDA

System of networking of two or more computers, all linked to a main computer called server. All communications are built on top of the standard TCP/IP stack enabling a wide variety of connections including Cradle, Wireless CDMA, Wireless GPRS, Smartphone or wireless LAN. Modern handheld devices / PDAs with their relatively fast processors are capable of wireless operations, be it bluetooth or 802.11. There are three options of the network access: by a conventional ActiveSync/cradle connection, by using a network card, and, finally, a wireless access to LAN via mobile phone or modem using RAS (Remote Access Service) or DUN (Dial-Up Networking). Combined with your network card LAN can transfer data really swiftly, comfortably and efficiently, adding more value to your network card. For example, to transfer a 700KB file the ASUS A620/620BT/716 and HP iPAQ hx4700 PocketPC with FIR through EthIR LAN takes less than 10 seconds. It takes up to 90 seconds to transfer the same file on a SIR-equipped PDA.

local area network (LAN) is a computer network covering a local area, like a home, office, or group of buildings. (For more - http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/L/local_area_network_LAN.html ). Current LANs are most likely to be based on switched IEEE 802.3 Ethernet technology, running at 10, 100 or 1,000 Mbit/s, or on Wi-Fi technology.

The defining characteristics of LANs in contrast to WANs (wide area networks) are: their much higher data rates, smaller geographic range, and that they do not require leased telecommunication lines.

Although switched Ethernet is now most common at the physical and data link layers, and TCP/IP as a protocol, historically many different options have been used (see below), and some continue to be popular in niche areas. Larger LANs may have redundant links, and routers or switches capable of using spanning tree protocol and similar techniques to recover from failed links. LANs may have connections to other LANs via routers and leased lines to create a WAN (Wide Area Network). Most will also have connections to the large public network known as the Internet, and links to other LANs can be 'tunnelled' across this using VPN technologies.

The first LANs were created in the late 1970s and used to create high-speed links between several large central computers at one site. Of many competing systems created at this time, Ethernet and ARCNET were the most popular.

Unix computer workstations from vendors such as Sun Microsystems, Hewlett-Packard, Silicon Graphics, Intergraph, NeXT and Apollo were using TCP/IP based networking. Although this market segment is now much reduced, the technologies developed in this area continue to be influential on the Internet and in both Linux and Apple Mac OS X networking, and the TCP/IP protocol has now almost completely replaced IPX, AppleTalk, NETBEUI and other protocols used by the early PC LANs.