I’m a relatively inexperienced traveler. I’ve only flown approximately tens times in my entire life, and most of those have been in the past 18 months. It’s been great, however I always find it difficult to decide what mobile devices to carry with me. I always carry my DROID and iPhone, but can never seem to pick between laptop, tablet PC or both. Yes I’ve thought about the iPad, but I really need a physical keyboard and more robust applications for what I do. My needs may change in the future, but for now that’s my take on the issue.
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Category: Mobile Computing
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Tougher mobile technology – laptops and tablet PCs
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PracticeRx by Doctor’s Digest for the iPhone
I saw this application in the new issue of Hospital Pharmacy. PracticeRx is an application from Doctor’s Digest that provides informational practice tips and various alerts on health care related topics
The registration process is quick, easy and requires that you identify your profession and specialty practice area. There are some screen shots below that show the process. I’m not clear why they want to know your specialty area, but assume the application attempts to tailor the information to your area of interest.
I haven’t had a lot of time to explore PracticeRx, but the overall layout is nice and I found some of the small articles interesting. One annoyance is the pop-up screen that appears when you first log in. I understand the need to advertise, but a little more discretion would be appreciated.
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The rise of the tablet, the cloud and ubiquitous computing
There’s a great article in the April 2010 issue of Wired that spends a lot of time talking about the Apple iPad and the paradigm shift created by the development of new technologies like it. The author does a nice job of not only looking at the fantasy like love affair everyone has with the iPad, but also the reality of what’s not perfect about it and where other aggressive competitors can take advantage and drive the tablet market even further.
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Medscape Mobile for the BlackBerry
Medscape has been around for quite some time. In fact it was one of the first online communities offering specific information for pharmacists. I started using it sometime around 1997. It hadn’t been around for long at that time, but the content was well done.I received an email last week introducing the availability of Mobile Medscape for the BlackBerry; it was previously available for the iPhone and iPod touch.
According to the email:
> FASTER & LARGER Drug Reference
Look up info in seconds for 7,000+ prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) brands and generics, including herbals and supplements.> FASTER Interaction Checker
Quickly check interactions between drugs, herbals, and supplements – input as many drug combinations as you want.> IN-DEPTH Medical News
Review the latest medical news in your specialty right in the app – news updated daily across 30 specialty areas.> EASIER Navigation
Our app is designed to make it easier to look up and save drug information, read medical news, and access features.The application is completely free and can be found at www.medscape.com/blackberry.
I think it’s great that Medscape Mobile is available for the BlackBerry now, but I have to wonder what the demand for such an application will be with so many physicians, nurses and pharmacists going to the iPhone. It would be interesting to see the download numbers for Medscape Mobile for each platform.
More information on the general content of Medscape Mobile can be found here.
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Quick update: Pharmacy iPad use
I’ve been running around the pharmacy with a new iPad for the last couple of days. Actually, I’ve been handing it off to pharmacist after pharmacist for the last couple of days. After seeing the device, they all of a sudden have some interest in it. Go figure.
My hope is to use the iPad as a tool for the pharmacists on the floor to access patient data, drug information resources, etc. The advantages of the devices are its size and weight – the iPad actually fits in the outside pocket of the pharmacists lab coat – along with its 10-plus hour battery life.
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The web is overflowing with iPad love and attention
I’ve been sitting here this morning while on vacation reading over a couple of iPad reviews (kids are still in bed from a late night at a theme park). One review is from Walt Mossberg at the Wall St Journal and the other is from David Pogue at the New York Times. I found both reviews via a GottaBeMobile post discussing the battery life on the iPad.
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One pharmacist’s opinion: iPhone vs. DROID
I’ve been carrying a Motorola DROID since Verizon made it available back in November 2009. I’ve enjoyed many of its features and consider it a great mobile device. Recently I came into possession of an iPhone. I’ve wanted an iPhone for quite some time, but have been quite outspoken about not switching to AT&T because of poor coverage in our area; Central Valley of California.
Having both devices in my possession has given me the perfect opportunity to test them head-to-head to see which setup I prefer. My original plan was to carry the iPhone exclusively for a month or so to see if I could completely replace my DROID. Unfortunately number forwarding only works with calls. Text messages would continue going to my DROID which would create a problem for me as I receive text messages several fold more than I do direct calls. So I have been carrying both devices for the past few weeks.
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Windows 7 install on Dell XT2 tablet PC
I finally got around to installing Windows 7 Ultimate on my Dell Latitude XT2 Tablet PC. I’ve been hesitant to do it because of the well publicized issues with the Dell tablet digitizer and Windows 7. You can get the gist of the issue at GottaBeMobile.
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Motion C5 tablet gets a ride
Motion Computing makes several Mobile Clinical Assistants (MCA), including the popular Motion C5 tablet. Don’t be confused by the MCA moniker, a MCA is simply a rugged tablet PC with some additional features like a barcode or RFID scanner and a digital camera. You can get more information on MCAs at the Intel website.I’ve been fairly critical of this class of device in the past for several reasons. After using the Motion C5 for several weeks last year I found the 10.4 inch screen much too small for everyday use. In addition the design of the placement for the barcode scanner in the handle made the MCA too cumbersome to be really effective in patient care areas; it required too much manipulation to scan patient wrist bands. The nurses I’ve worked with tend to agree.
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Motorola DROID getting some attention in the pharmacy literature
The February 2010 issue of Hospital Pharmacy (PDF) contains a review of the Motorola DROID, and the authors overall impression of the device is positive. I’ve had a DROID since its release in early November 2009. My initial impressions of the device can be found here.
As mentioned by the authors in the article the currently available pharmacy-related applications are limited when compared to devices like the iPhone, but the numbers are growing. Drug information resources like Lexi-Comp, Skyscape and ePocrates are now available for use on the DROID as well as some medical references like Merck Medicus, Unboud Medicine and UpToDate (via mobile browser). Unfortunately I don’t have a list of available medical applications for the Android operating system nor do I know of a site that does, but the popularity of the Android operating system is growing and it’s only a matter of time before other medical references start popping up.
One piece of advice in the article that I found interesting was to “begin by selecting the telecommunication service that is most reliable and has the best connectivity coverage for voice and data in the community where you live.” Imagine that, selecting a mobile phone that first and foremost keeps you connected. I’ll make sure to keep that in mind the next time I feel the need to purchase another smartphone. Then again maybe I won’t. I guess that depends on how badly I want the device.
