A personal information manager (PIM) is a type of application software that functions as a personal organizer. As an information management tool, a PIM's purpose is to facilitate the recording, tracking, and management of certain types of "personal information". Personal information can include any of the following:
Some PIM software products are capable of synchronizing data with another PIM over a computer network (including mobile ad-hoc networks, or MANETs). This feature usually does not allow for continuous, concurrent data updates, but rather enables point-in-time updating between different computers, including desktop computers, laptop computers, and personal digital assistants.
Prior to the introduction of the term “PDA” (Personal digital assistant) by Apple in 1992, handheld personal organizers such as the Sharp Wizard and the Psion Organiser were also referred to as "PIMs".
