Jerry Fahrni

Tag: Tablet PCs

  • Tougher mobile technology – laptops and tablet PCs

    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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  • 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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  • What’s the lifespan of a tablet PC in use by pharmacists?

    In early September last year (2009) our hospital purchased some Dell XT2 tablets for me to roll out to the pharmacists; I got mine at the same time. My XT2 has performed pretty well for the most part with only an occasional glitch here or there. Unfortunately I can’t say the same for the tablets in use by the pharmacists on the nursing units.

    Over the past couple of weeks I’ve had several complaints from the pharmacists; blue screens, lost wireless configuration, loss of bezel button functions, inability to rotate the screen when in slate mode, etc. Today the ICU pharmacist dropped off his tablet in my office because none of the buttons along the outer bezel would work (CTRL, rotation and tools buttons). It turned out to be an issue with the drivers, but what caught my attention was the condition the poor tablet was in. It’s only been in use for just over 6 months and it looks pretty beat up. Apparently the XT2 isn’t designed to take the rigors of a pharmacists daily routine.

    With all the iPads we have running around our hospital now it got me wondering how they’re going to hold up once we start pounding on them day in and day out. I’m guessing not well. I suppose no device is perfect as is so eloquently described by James Kendrik at jkOnTheRun, but I don’t mind saying that I’m more than a little concerned. Oh well, I guess we’ll find out soon enough.

    Just in case you were wondering, the Motion J3400 used by the pediatric pharmacist has held up much better and is still in good shape. That’s something to keep in the back of my mind for the future.

  • 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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  • What’d I miss? – Week of March 21, 2010

    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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  • Windows 7 install on Dell XT2 tablet PC

    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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  • “What’d I miss?” – Week of February 28th, 2010

    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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  • Notion Ink’s slate tablet shouldn’t be ignored

    The Notion Ink Adam tablet was a popular item for bloggers during the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) earlier this year. The device runs the Android operating system and offers some very interesting technology for the end user like a touchpad on the back of the device and a 10.1” 1024×600 Pixel Qi display.

    The Pixel Qi screen offers the quick refresh of an LCD screen with the low power consumption and direct sunlight readability of e-ink. I’m excited about the Pixel Qi technology and have been waiting for their screens to appear in consumer devices for quite some time. In fact, I’m holding off my purchase of a Kindle DX until I see a Pixel Qi screen for myself. I’m just not a fan of reading PDF files on a backlit LCD display, and reading them on a Nook or Kindle isn’t a great experience either.

    The addition of the touchpad on the back of the Adam tablet is interesting. It gives the user the ability to move around the screen while holding the device in its natural slate configuration. It may take some getting used to, but overall the rear touchpad is a novel concept that I think offers value. Other nice features include a camera, the ability to multi-task and an SD card slot.

    The Adam could rival the iPad if given a fair comparison. The one major downside to the Notion tablet will be the same disadvantage I’m finding with my DROID; a lack of software available for healthcare. Then again, if your software is delivered over the web and accessed via the device browser it won’t make any difference.

    Some great photos of the Notion Ink’s Adam tablet can be found at Flickr.

  • Lenovo has been busy

    Tablet PC
    CNet    : “Lenovo updated its x series tablet with a new x201 model that packs Intel’s newest low-power Core i5 and i7 processors. In addition to the performance improvement that comes with the faster Core i series chips, the x201 also boasts better battery life over previous models, according to Mika Majapuro, senior worldwide product marketing manager at Lenovo.” – Lenovo currently makes one of the premiere tablet PCs on the market; the ThinkPad X200. I’m thrilled that they are continuing their great tradition of convertible tablets despite the popularity of slate devices so far this year; the iPad, the windows based HP Slate and the Notion Ink Adam, an android based tablet device. According to the article Lenovo continues to make convertible tablets secondary to feedback from customers. Hey, I think the convertible tablet is the way to go.

    Dual Screen laptop
    The same CNet article mentions that “Lenovo also announced 17-inch ThinkPad models, including the W701 and W701ds (dual screen) ThinkPad. These also come with new Intel Core i series processors.” – My opinions regarding dual screen laptops can be found here. Overall I like the concept and think they’re pretty cool now that I’ve had some time to get used to the idea. I will definitely give one a try if and when I can.