PDAs, according to University of Wisconsin-Madison assistant professor Kurt Squire, have several benefits over traditional computers. They offer improved social interactivity since they are mobile and can be networked with each other, and they possess context sensitivity, thanks to GPS and Internet connections, providing information based on geography.

That context sensitivity is especially important, Squire says, because it can create an "augmented reality" where the real world is combined with a digital one. A combination of films, maps and audio recordings place users in their own role-playing games, where they can interact with other PDA users playing different roles.

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