In computing, the desktop metaphor refers to the interface metaphor which is a set of unifying concepts used by graphical user interfaces to help users more easily interact with the computer. The desktop metaphor treats the computer monitor as if it is the user's desktop, upon which objects such as documents and folders of documents can be placed. A document can be opened into a window, which represents a paper copy of the document placed on the desktop. Small applications called desk accessories are also available, such as a desktop calculator, sticky notes, notepad, clock, etc.

The Palm III was a personal digital assistant made by the Palm Computing division of 3Com.
It went on sale in 1998 as a replacement for the PalmPilot handheld. It was the first Palm handheld to support infrared file transfer and a Flash ROM-capable operating system.
At release, the Palm III was priced at US $400. The Palm IIIc was the first color PDA made by Palm, Inc. It ran Palm OS 3.5, the first Palm OS version to have native color support and supported paletted 8-bit color modes. The machine has a TFT LCD that is bright indoors, but almost unusable outdoors. The Palm IIIc featured the classic III-series connector, 8MB of RAM and a 20MHz Dragon Ball EZI CPU. The unit also had a lithium ion rechargeable battery and a slightly modified version of the original Palm III chassis.
It offered a date book, address book, mail, to-do list, memo pad, expense, calculator, and security applications. Its built-in 8 MB of memory offered high storage capacity. To quantify what 8 MB capacity means, the Palm IIIc could hold 10,000 addresses, five years of appointments, 3,000 to-do items, 3,000 memos, and 400 e-mail messages. There would have even been leftover storage space for databases, books, image viewers, and games, making the Palm IIIc an ally to any serious PDA user.
The Palm IIIc was reported to run for about two weeks on a fully charged lithium battery. Compare that to your modern-day cell phone.
Manufacturer:3Com
Date: March 1998
Source: computinghistory.org.uk
It went on sale in 1998 as a replacement for the PalmPilot handheld. It was the first Palm handheld to support infrared file transfer and a Flash ROM-capable operating system.
At release, the Palm III was priced at US $400. The Palm IIIc was the first color PDA made by Palm, Inc. It ran Palm OS 3.5, the first Palm OS version to have native color support and supported paletted 8-bit color modes. The machine has a TFT LCD that is bright indoors, but almost unusable outdoors. The Palm IIIc featured the classic III-series connector, 8MB of RAM and a 20MHz Dragon Ball EZI CPU. The unit also had a lithium ion rechargeable battery and a slightly modified version of the original Palm III chassis.
It offered a date book, address book, mail, to-do list, memo pad, expense, calculator, and security applications. Its built-in 8 MB of memory offered high storage capacity. To quantify what 8 MB capacity means, the Palm IIIc could hold 10,000 addresses, five years of appointments, 3,000 to-do items, 3,000 memos, and 400 e-mail messages. There would have even been leftover storage space for databases, books, image viewers, and games, making the Palm IIIc an ally to any serious PDA user.
The Palm IIIc was reported to run for about two weeks on a fully charged lithium battery. Compare that to your modern-day cell phone.
Manufacturer:3Com
Date: March 1998
Source: computinghistory.org.uk