A personal information manager (often referred to as a PIM tool or, more simply, a PIM) is a type of application software that functions as a personal organizer. The acronym PIM is now, more commonly, used in reference to personal information management as a field of study.
As an information management tool, a PIM tool's purpose is to facilitate the recording, tracking, and management of certain types of "personal information".
Scope
Personal information can include any of the following:
*
Address books
*
Alerts
* A
digital calendar with
calendar dates, such as:
**
Anniversaries
**
Appointments
**
Birthday
A birthday is the anniversary of the birth of a person or figuratively of an institution. Birthdays of people are celebrated in numerous cultures, often with birthday gifts, birthday cards, a birthday party, or a rite of passage.
Many religion ...
s
** Events
**
Meetings
* Education records
*
Email
Electronic mail (usually shortened to email; alternatively hyphenated e-mail) is a method of transmitting and receiving Digital media, digital messages using electronics, electronic devices over a computer network. It was conceived in the ...
addresses
*
Fax communications
* Itineraries
*
Instant message archives
* Legal documents
* Lists (such as reading lists,
task lists)
* Medical information, such as healthcare provider contact information, medical history, prescriptions
*
Passwords and login credentials
* Personal file collections (digital and physical): documents, music, photos, videos and similar
* Personal
diary
A diary is a written or audiovisual memorable record, with discrete entries arranged by date reporting on what has happened over the course of a day or other period. Diaries have traditionally been handwritten but are now also often digita ...
/journal/memos/notes
*
Project management
Project management is the process of supervising the work of a Project team, team to achieve all project goals within the given constraints. This information is usually described in project initiation documentation, project documentation, crea ...
features
*
Recipes
* Reference materials (including scientific references, websites of interest)
*
RSS/
Atom
Atoms are the basic particles of the chemical elements. An atom consists of a atomic nucleus, nucleus of protons and generally neutrons, surrounded by an electromagnetically bound swarm of electrons. The chemical elements are distinguished fr ...
feeds
*
Reminders
*
Voicemail communications
Synchronization
Some PIM/
PDM software products are capable of synchronizing data over a
computer network
A computer network is a collection of communicating computers and other devices, such as printers and smart phones. In order to communicate, the computers and devices must be connected by wired media like copper cables, optical fibers, or b ...
, including
mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs). This feature typically stores the personal data on
cloud drives allowing for continuous concurrent data updates/access, on the user's computers, including
desktop computer
A desktop computer, often abbreviated as desktop, is a personal computer designed for regular use at a stationary location on or near a desk (as opposed to a portable computer) due to its size and power requirements. The most common configuratio ...
s,
laptop computers, and mobile devices, such a
personal digital assistants or
smartphone
A smartphone is a mobile phone with advanced computing capabilities. It typically has a touchscreen interface, allowing users to access a wide range of applications and services, such as web browsing, email, and social media, as well as multi ...
s.)
History
Prior to the introduction of the term "
Personal digital assistant" ("PDA") by Apple in 1992, handheld personal organizers such as the
Psion Organiser and the
Sharp Wizard were also referred to as "PIMs".
The time management and communications functions of PIMs largely migrated from PDAs to smartphones, with Apple, RIM (Research In Motion, now
BlackBerry), and others all manufacturing smartphones that offer most of the functions of earlier PDAs.
See also
*
Calendar
A calendar is a system of organizing days. This is done by giving names to periods of time, typically days, weeks, months and years. A calendar date, date is the designation of a single and specific day within such a system. A calendar is ...
*
Calendaring software
*
Comparison of note-taking software
*
Information management
Information management (IM) is the appropriate and optimized capture, storage, retrieval, and use of information. It may be personal information management or organizational. Information management for organizations concerns a cycle of organiz ...
*
Information system
An information system (IS) is a formal, sociotechnical, organizational system designed to collect, process, Information Processing and Management, store, and information distribution, distribute information. From a sociotechnical perspective, info ...
*
List of personal information managers
*
List of wiki software
*
Password manager
A password manager is a software program to prevent password fatigue by Random password generator, automatically generating, Autofill, autofilling and storing Password, passwords. It can do this for Application software, local applications or web ...
*
Personal information management
*
Personal knowledge base
*
Personal organizer
*
Personal wiki
*
Semantic desktop
References
External links
* A list of research Personal information managers.
ISO 27701:2019 Personal information management system and GDPR documentation requirements
{{DEFAULTSORT:Personal Information Manager
Personal information manager