E-Applications on PDAs : A Case of Thailand

摘要

As Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) are playing more important roles in modem electronic activities performed by general computer users, it is of interest, then, that various practical applications on PDAs among the users working in distinguished business areas in Bangkok are focused in this study. In relation to PDA usage and applications, PDA devices and OS accompanied by some additional equipments, various practical applications concerning personal data -management, academic and business works including social and entertainment, all of which is taken into consideration. In addition to this, users' preferences for PDA types, their satisfactions and attitudes toward PDA usage are, also, investigated. Firstly, descriptive analyses are reasonably made on interesting variables considered in the study. The variables are plausibly accounted as popular PDA devices and the OS preferred including their main properties and practically attached equipments chosen. Then, the applications on PDAs relating personal data management and the users' works involving educational and business activities including communications and social performances are all noticeable issues that the descriptions are, also, made for. Extendedly, the mentioned descriptions are comparatively considered by taking account of sex, age, educational levels, users' career paths and income. The data for the study are primarily collected by basing on quota sampling coincidingly with stratification and proportional allocation. The sample size is, then, estimated by taking account of the proportion of PDA users that can be practically observed and is generally known at the present time, as well. Subsequently, interviewings with questionnaires are performed proportionally according to the size of the distinguished business- districts stratified in the in-bound Bangkok areas. Further, inferential analyses are plausibly made as to make inferences about the true means and proportions by appropriate parametric and nonparametric methods (Daniel, 1990). As for making inferences for the true characteristics of some interesting variables, point and interval estimations are made followed by hypotheses testings. In connection with the hypotheses testings, the inferences are comparatively made in both cases of two populations and three-or-more populations. Distinctively, the comparative inferences are considered between two groups of the PDA users whose academic backgrounds or experiences can be differentiated and categorized by basing on their educational attainment levels and working career. Additionally, the inferences are alternatively made by considering a comparison of different groups categorized as PDA- OS and some other interesting properties of PDAs including various groups of the applications performed on PDAs, as all mentioned earlier. Further, the inferences are made comparatively among alternative usage of some distinctive functions available on PDAs. In case of two independent variables which are dichotomous, the conclusions about the true different proportions can be made by hypotheses testings basing on nonparametric procedure. Then, the association strength between the two variables is determined by Phi Coefficient and the Cram'er Statistic followed by testing for significance (Daniel, 1990). However, for ordinal and nominal interesting variables, the Goodman-Kruskal G Coefficient or Somer's d Statistic may be employed as to examine the association level.