by Frank Bowlin

PDAs or personal digital assistants have become an all but indispensable business tool and, inevitably, they’ve found their way into the cockpit. The list of PDA software seems boundless; one popular Web site (www.palmflying.com) lists no less than 40 different E6B calculator programs alone. Clearly, there’s a program out there for every purpose, some of which aren’t especially practical, whether you’re PDA savvy or not.

In general, PDA software is a cottage industry sprinkled with a few major commercial providers. As you would expect in an evolving market, there are winners and losers, both in the shareware and commercial segment. So if you’re interested in a PDA for flying,…