a PDA is a personal organizer and PocketPC is a small handheld computer. There are so many ways u can maximize the use for a college student.
1. Usual PDA functions such as contacts, notes, tasks, calendar
2. Office functions: u can use it for wordprocessing, database, spreadsheet and presentation, like a pocket Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Access, or use Documents to Go, and other third party programs, that u can import ur documents from ur PC or laptop to ur PDA or Pocket PC, u can view, and even edit in real time, in ur hands.
3. Entertainment functions: MP3, Video, MPEG movie, DIV-X, QuickTime, Windows Media Player, u can download songs, music, movies, and anything in the net, for ur viewing and hearing pleasure, it is a nice alternative to an ipod video, being a convergent device, just have a bigger sized memory card to store them.
4. Navigation Tools: GPS tracking device
5. Games: u can put all sorts of games, what u can put in ur cellphone, or in ur PC or even console games can be emulated in ur PDA, Pocket PC
6. u can pimp ur organizer with nice screensavers, wallpapers, lay out, etc.. tweak it like a PC
7. u can store all ur pictures and view them or even edit them, thru paint, picture viewer, adobe photoshop etc,
8. u can take pictures in lieu of a digicam, and take videos with a built in camera if installed
9. some PDA? Pocket PC also has fone funtions for calls, MMS, SMS texting, and even 3G
10. Utilities: u can use ur fone as remote control device if it has IR or Bluetooth, like NEVO to control appliances like tv, even computers
11. Internet Surfing and Networking: if the PDA has bluetooth or WIFI u can surf or network wirelessly.
12. Email: read, store, create and send and receive Email in ur PocketPC or PDA
13. E-Books and Adobe Acrobat files: u can read them in ur PDa or PocketPC
14. u can use special tools: like voice recognition software or those for handicap to read, etc.
15. u can record voice or music with NOTES in ur PocketPC, so it doubles as ur recorder also
16. u can use it to scribble ur handwriting, with a good handwriting recognition it can make life easier for u to write, using it like a tablet, or just wirte and save.
there are so many possiblities for ur PDA or PocketPC