OrthoGraph - Why PDA?

The PDA is tiny and still convinient

If we compare the notebook with a desktop, and take how much it is lighter and smaller than a desktop computer: in case of on-site work a desktop is out of scope. The PDA is the same way better choice for on-site surveying compared to a notebook. This brings up the question: "Will I see that small screen at all? A laptop has a much bigger display than a PDA!". The answer is simple: you will see exactly so much that is necessary and enough for the surveying and data entry. You do not have to carry the big screen of which you will use only a small part during your work as you will concentrate only a small piece of the drawing the same time: a wall detail, a closure or a distance. How does it look in your hand? Lets see it on this photo!

Size

The PDA is massive

Usually where you take a survey, there is dust, no place to put your device on, at least if you want to take advantage on the portability of your notebook, you have to carry it in hand. You can get a "clean" enviroment by using a cart, but no matter how you try to protect your notebook, if it will falling it is still a sword of Damocles over you. On one side you might loose your data, but also you have to count on a relevant service cost and time. Not with a PDA, being a small, light device without moving components. Even it is not healthy to drop them, they are tolerant towards mechanical influences. They are just like your cell phone: dropping it will leave its trace on it, but still it will serve you for a long time. In addition there are industrial PDA-s with really high durability, but the practical experience is that a normal PDA is a perfect tool for a long time work.

Durability

A PDA is really lightweight

The PDA is also known as handheld or pocket PC. You can put them in your pocket, and they can fit in your hand. Therefore the weight of such a device is really small, some hundreds of gramms, or even below. This weight allows whole day work with this gadget without any stress. You can do it even more easily: there are such straps with which you can wear your PDA like a watch.. Using this accessory both your hands are free, and sketching, drawing or measuring will be simple.

Weight

A PDA can work more days with one charge

Battery running time is a complex question, with an advance on PDA at each component. First of all, with the direct data entry and OrthoGraph's sketching and measuring functionality, the floor-plan surveying takes much less time with a PDA than with a PC or laptop. In addition, with continuous use the battery lasts much longer in a PDA, providing 4-12 hours operation time. Considering the power saving methods of a PDA (they can be switched off for waiting time like walking between rooms etc. without any shutdown and reboot time) it is obvious, that with one charge they can be used for days. Most of the PDAs are equipped with car charger, which besides enabling to use them e.g. as navigation assistant, provides a quasi unlimited running time by recharging them during driving. Of course you need a car for this, but it is usually available.

Running time

Easy to use: sketch and draw like you'd do it on paper!

With running the OrthoGraph Survey on PDA, we simply transferred the paperwork to electronic media. Just like on paper use a pencil for sketching and drawing. The most important difference is, that you can draw a "real" straight line, you can assign real measures to drawing elements, you can resize or morph the floorplan immediately diplayed by the handheld. A paper must be big for a floorplan survey, as you have to put the whole drawing on it with distances, and of course you need place for the corrections... With the OrthoGraph software it is much simplier, and therefore you need only that small part of the drawing you are just working on, and this is why that small screen is perfectly fits this usage. Moreover, unlike the paper, the OrthoGraph need no external lighting, as the PDA provides the good visibility either in dark or bright environment.

In contrast to notebooks, while drawing with a notebook you must use mouse, trackball, mousepad or other "strange" pointing devices, with a PDA you can do it with the stylus: a pencil-like device.

Usability

A PDA is quick, really quick

We said that a PDA is small and light. This brings forth the question if the size detracts the performance? We have again a double answer to this. A PDA can be extremly slower compared to a laptop in making complex calculations, and you have yet no 3D action games on it, but this is not the purpose we want to use it for. For using it as a note, as an audio player, a navigation device or as a surveyor with OrthoGraph it shows much better performance than a PC, as there is no boot and shutdown time, you can use it instantly after switching it on. There is no wonder: as a PDA has no moving components, has a small screen and it is prepared to be used with those special applications, it can be quick, and it brings the feeling like drawing on a paper and not with a computer.

Performance

A PDA is not expensive, and it well worths its price

Although PC and laptop prices are going down constatly and drastically, a PDA is still significantly less expensive than these equipments. Comparing the price of a PDA with a tablet PC (a laptop with a touch screen) a PDA can be 10 times cheaper, meanwhile competing (and winning) in usability and speed performance during on-site work. Considering the price a PDA can be bought from $150 to $1200, where the highest price range is not meaning higher performance, but special design (like industrial high durability) or apparatus (like built in camera, distance meter, GPS, cell phone, barcode scanner etc.). For using OrthoGraph a basic device can be good enough, but we advise using devices with high memory capacity, good performance and in first place with big and clearly visible screen. It worths to check the devices in our offered packages.

Price