Wireless PDA's to Make Shopping Easier

There has been an explosion in wireless PDA's (Personal Digital Assistants) from iPhones to Blackberries. Now there is an explosion of software for wireless pda's.

The PDA is moving beyond using software to run touch screen calculators or games to play for fun. PDA's are truly making our lives simpler. If that is actually possible.

A few years ago there was a very limited selection of software for PDA's. The growth in applications available for PDA's has been tremendous now that the iPhone has become such a huge hit with consumers. Do a quick Google search and you will get a long list of shareware and freeware downloads whereas it wasn't all that long ago there was only "payware" software for wireless PDA's.

What got me thinking about the use of wireless PDA software was when I was shopping the other day and the price tags on the appliance were digital price tags. The price tags appeared to use infrared wireless messaging as the method for changing the small LCD display.

I had my wireless PDA/cell phone with me and thought it would have been great to be able to make wireless connection to the appliances I was looking at in order to look up and download information on each item as I was shopping.

In addition to downloading information, I thought it would be great if I could not only get information on the product, but use my digital assistant to make the purchase and skip the long line at the checkout. I know that this type of shopping is just around the corner and that there are all sorts of software being developed for the mobile devices we use. In just a few years we will radically change how we purchase products from our favorite stores.

In the not too distant future there will be no checkout stations in grocery stores. Wireless information management systems will be created that will read bar codes or magnetic labels on grocery items that will automatically adjust inventories as we remove items from shelves and charge our credit cards. Purchase receipts will be sent to our emails that we will be able to access on our Blackberries, iPhones, or other mobile devices as we walk out the front door of the store.

No more waiting in lines. I can't wait.