A greatly overlooked element of owning a PDA is that you actually need to take care of them if you want them to last. For most people this will mean two things - getting some software protection for your PDA and getting it a physical case to stop it getting knocked around.

As everyone knows, desktop and laptop computers need to be protected with firewalls and antivirus software. With so much malware, spyware and adware around it is pretty much a necessity. Unfortunately the same thing has to be done for your PDA. A good money saving tip is to search for software that can be used on both your computer and your PDA. There are tons of options available with Avast4 PDA Edition and Airscanner software both being very popular choices for protecting PDAs. Installing this software should be very high on your agenda when getting a new PDA as an unsecured device is just as vulnerable to attack as an unsecured PC.

The other thing you will need to consider is some physical protection for your PDA. The fact is that PDAs will get knocked around a lot in general use (even more if you are a PDA addict!). For this there are luckily an incredible amount of choices. You can go with a soft case or a hard case. The choice should really depend on how heavily you use the PDA - with heavier users perhaps being well-advised to stick with hard cases. Soft cases are fine for general users, but obviously they will not stand up to the same level of abuse as a hard case. Of course having a cool looking case is important too! Luckily there are no shortage of funky cases either!

By protecting your PDA both physically and from a software point of view you will extend its effective life significantly. As with any investment it is wise to protect it and get your money's worth!

Rob Wood runs a PDA Accessory website at http://pda-assistant.info