Handheld Computers as Tools for Writing and Managing Field Data

Pocket-size handheld computers are powerful, versatile, and rugged tools for taking down and managing ethnographic information. They can increase the speed of writing field data, allowing an ethnographer to take more detailed notes and retain information that might otherwise be lost. They also facilitate new, specifically electronic styles of data collection and management. As nonlinear inscription technologies, they can search, cross-reference, and crunch large data sets quickly in the field. Furthermore, they allow cultural data to be conceptualized and represented in many different configurations. This article specifically reviews the Sharp Wizard, Palm Pilot, Handspring Visor, and Psion.