Tablet PCs » Jerry Fahrni

Different tablets for different tastes

Apr 032011

The Digital Reader: “Due to weight I had to pick between my a Win7 tablet convertible or (as a pair) my iPad and Viewsonic gTablet. I’m taking the Inspiron Duo.

I can get more work done with it than the other 2 combined. I can run all the same apps on my Win7 laptop and on my Duo. I can start a project on one, email it to myself, and continue it on the other. I also know that no matter what I download I’ll be able to open it. Neither mobile OS has any real support for Office formats, not even basics like RTF, ODT, or others.

The same goes for all my other data. Just a few minutes ago I copied 70GB of work files onto the Duo. I didn’t need more than about 100MB, but copying the files over was so easy that I went ahead and grabbed them all. I know that I will be able to open whatever I happen to need, so why not?”

While I don’t completely agree with everything the author says I’m slowly coming to the same conclusion myself, i.e. that a Windows tablet is the way to go. I experimented with an iPad last year, but it didn’t meet my needs. I’ve been seriously considering an Android tablet, but just can’t seem to pull the trigger; can’t really say why. One thing I do know is that I use Windows 7 for a majority of my computing needs, including on my current tablet of choice, the Lenovo X201 Tablet PC.

The Inspiron duo is an interesting machine. I’ve played with it at the Microsoft Store in Bellevue, WA and wasn’t all that impressed with it. But I must say it’s a refreshing change from the standard slate and convertible designs I’ve seen over the past couple of years.

It just goes to show you that one size definitely doesn’t fit all. Different strokes and all that jazz.

Lenovo continues to impress

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Mar 092011

Electronista: “Lenovo gave its ThinkPad X series a major refresh on Tuesday with a generational leap. The X220 notebook and X220t tablet both use a newer 12.5-inch, IPS-based rich color display but thrive with a new external ThinkPad battery pack. They can last up to nine and eight hours respectively on extended internal batteries, but the battery pack pushes them up to 15 hours on the X220t and a full 24 hours on the X220.

X220t owners also get their own touches with a much brighter 300-nit touchscreen that uses Gorilla Glass to improve their resistance to shattering or just casual scratching. The X220 notebook is the lighter of the two at under three pounds, where the swiveling display adds an extra 0.9 pounds to the X220t.”

I purchased a Lenovo X201 tablet back in November 2010. It’s a fantastic machine and I haven’t regretted the purchase for a moment. I consistently get about six hours of battery life out of the extended battery pack. The idea of getting more than double that with the new X220t is mind boggling. Throw in an extra 0.4-inches of brighter touchscreen and the strength of Gorilla Glass and I think Lenovo has another winner on its hand.

Is the tablet PC dead?

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Mar 052011

Mashable: “Microsoft will release a tablet-oriented version of Windows no sooner than 2012, Bloomberg reports, citing sources familiar with the matter.

Despite Steve Ballmer’s bombastic statements in July last year, when he said Microsoft is “hardcore” about tablets and that we can expect “a lot” of Windows-based tablets by the end of 2010, none of the tablets that actually did hit the stores made any significant impact on the market.

The reasons for this are quite clear: Windows 7 simply isn’t optimized for use with modern tablets with finger-based input. Remember the long, painful transition from Windows Mobile 6 to Windows Phone 7? Once again, it will take time for Microsoft to deliver the user experience it needs to be able to compete with Apple’s iOS and Google’s Honeycomb.”

While the tablet PC may not be dead, it’s certainly on life support. The lack of a significant “Windows” presence in the new tablet market is troubling to say the least. I use a tablet PC nearly every day and for the life of me can’t figure out why Microsoft hasn’t taken a different approach to this market. Apple is kicking the crap out of them, as are Android tablet makers Motorola and Samsung. Why? Because Microsoft isn’t making tablets that people are interested in using.
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The evolution of tablets for pharmacy

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Mar 032011

Everywhere I look these days someone is showing off a new tablet; in the media anyway. Out in public I typically see mostly iPads with the Galaxy tablet coming in a distant second. I’m not sure that this will change anytime soon, but it’s clear to me that tablets will become mainstream devices for many people over time. The technology is simply too good to ignore. No one knows if the tablet will ever replace desktop machines, but I have an idea that they will for many, especially as the tablet market matures and hardware vendors begin to meet the needs of consumers. Case in point is the growing number of iPad keyboard cases you can find floating around on the internet. People want the iPad experience, but they also want a solid keyboard to work with so vendors obliged consumers by creating things like the ClamCase.

To the best of my knowledge the next twelve months will bring tablets of all shapes, sizes and OS flavors to the market. I’ve seen information on tablets with screen sizes ranging from 7-inches to just over 10-inches, and operating systems including Android, Windows 7 (8?), WebOS, BlackBerry, and of course iOS. Did I miss any? It’s possible that I did as I’ve seen a few others thrown in the mix over the past several months, but I believe these constitute the bulk of what we’ll see.

With that said, what impact do I think these devices will have on pharmacy practice? That’s a good question. Because I’m a tablet enthusiast I’d like to think they will revolutionize pharmacy practice as we know it, but in reality it probably won’t make much difference at all. Why? Site back and I’ll tell you.
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Disinfect your tablet PC without the chemical mess

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Feb 252011

Check out the video below from HIMSS 2011 demonstrating a product by Advanced Technical Support, Inc (ATS) called ReadyDock:UV. It’s really quite neat.

ATS makes a host of ReadyDock products for the entire range of Motion tablet PCs including the LE, C5, F5 and J3400. According to the company website:

“ReadyDock:UV – Chemical-Free disinfection for the Motion C5 Tablet in 105 seconds Flat! The world’s first and only product offering automated general purpose disinfection for TabletPCs. Disinfect without the mess.

ReadyDock™ products are used around the globe to support workflow and the overall management of tablet PC applications in hospitals, field service, and other applications that require charging, storage, and security of tablet PCs.”

“What’d I miss?” – Week of January 9, 2011

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Jan 152011

As usual there were a lot of things that happened during the week, and not all of it was pharmacy or technology related. Here’s a quick look at some of the stuff I found interesting.
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Year end thoughts for 2010

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Dec 312010

2010 brought many new and exciting changes not only in my personal life, but in the world of pharmacy and technology as well. I’ve learned many new things, gained some new skills, made some new friends, explored the world of social media more deeply, traveled more than ever before and discovered that I once again know nothing. I am more excited about next year than I ever thought possible.

Below is a list of opinions I’ve gathered over the past 12 months. Some are pharmacy related, some are technology related, some are personal, and some are just random thoughts.

And here we go…
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“What’d I miss?” – The week of December 5

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Dec 112010

It’s been a busy week, and pretty much all my attention was focused on the ASHP Midyear event in Anaheim, California. Of course as a pharmacist that’s where my focus should have been, but that doesn’t mean that the rest of the world stopped moving. Here are some of the things I found interesting this week:
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First Impressions – Lenovo X201 Tablet PC

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Nov 282010

My Lenovo X201 Tablet finally arrived and I couldn’t be happier. It’s a nice tablet PC, and I’m more convinced than ever before that I made the right decision by going with Lenovo.

I’ve used several different laptops and tablet PCs and can honestly say that I’ve never been more impressed with a machine, not HP, not Dell. I’m sure there are fans of both manufacturers, but that’s my personal opinion. Take it for what it’s worth.
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“What’d I miss?” – Week of November 14, 2010

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Nov 202010

It’s been a weird week for me, people. I haven’t had much time to blog as things have been whirling past me at lightning speed. As with all things in this life some of it is good, while some of it is bad. The short of it is that I’ve left my post as IT Pharmacist at the hospital and am trying something a little bit new. Wish me luck.

On with the things that I found interesting this week.
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