Choosing a PDA and/or Smartphone for medical school

Medical students are often asking: how should I select a PDA and/or smartphone?

I currently use an XV6800 with Verizon, but if I were on AT&T, I'd probably switch to the Treo Pro.

When you look for a PDA and/or smartphone:

1. Always get a touch screen device so that you can effectively run important applications such as epocrates.

2. Go for Windows Mobile. the Palm OS has been dying a slow death.

3. Get a device that has Wi-Fi. This way, even if you don't purchase a data plan, you can still use your PDA/phone in the hospital during your rotations.

4. Get a built-in hardware keyboard. Here is where the iPhone falls short. When you're using certain applications, it really helps to have an actual keyboard.

5. Get something where you can easily remove the battery. Once again, here is where the iPhone falls short. During some of your overnight rotations, you may want to have a spare battery with you - since you may never get the chance to plug your phone in and charge it.

Everyone's loving the Palm Treo Pro

Everyone seems to be loving the Palm Treo Pro. All the different reviews are raving about this phone that's made by HTC.

I see more and more physicians and medical students using the Treo these days. Traditionally, the Palm OS has been more popular among doctors. Younger medical students are using the iPhone, Windows Mobile, or RIM/Blackberry. Will the traditional docs make the switch to Windows Mobile?

Since medical students are often required to run applications that are only built for either the Palm OS or Windows Mobile, they're more likely than ever to go with the Treo Pro over the iPhone.

Treo Pro and the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 both made by HTC

The Treo Pro and the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 are both made by HTC. Did you know that? I'm glad that I have a phone made by HTC too - the XV6800. I've been very happy with the quality of the phones made by HTC.

Skyfire

So far, Skyfire seems to be the best mobile browser for my Verizon XV6800. Since Skyfire isn't publicly available for anyone to download, you have to sign up for their private beta testing program. One of the best features of Skyfire is that you can easily select your zooming area. You can just tap and drag the edge of the zoom box to fit your screen. The other great feature is the built-in Flash player.

Still testing and comparing with the other mobile browsers, but so far Skyfire seems to be the best one.

Official Treo Pro - the Slimmest Treo

The official Treo Pro is the thinnest, slimmest Treo to come out of Palm. Unlike other Treo phones out there, this new phone will run Windows Mobile 6.1 and have built-in GPS + Wi-Fi. Since the phone is so thin, people may think it resembles other Windows Mobile devices that lack a touch screen. This device will have a high resolution touch screenand use the universal micro USB connector.

Will Palm also release a CDMA version for Verizon/Sprint? Or will the GSM version be the only one? Also, what type of battery life will this phone have? Form factor always needs to be balanced with functionality. I think I'd prefer a slightly bulkier phone that has robust battery life. Otherwise, make sure you offer an extended battery option.

Best Mobile Browser for Windows Mobile?

What is the best mobile browser for the XV6800 running Windows Mobile? I've been testing a few different ones, including Skyfire, Opera, and Minimo. My experience so far is that Skyfire is the best one. However, I plan to do some more testing, so stay tuned...

Palm Treo Pro 850 Windows Mobile

The latest Palm Treo looks like it's going to be a very popular phone. Take a look at the Treo Pro 850 running Windows Mobile! I used to have a Treo 700wx on Verizon Wireless. I liked the phone, but it was big, slow, and didn't have enough memory. Plus, that old phone lacked a built-in GPS.

Well, the new Treo 850 may be one of the best Windows Mobile phones for those who want a hardware keyboard but don't want a slider.Can't wait to see it!

Windows Mobile 6.1 and Internet Sharing

One of the best features of Windows Mobile 6.1 is the "Internet Sharing" capability. This turns your smartphone/pocket PC into a wireless modem for your laptop/notebook/tablet/UMPC. No need for a separate wireless card.

It's so great to stay connected so easily. You can connect via Bluetooth or through a USB connection. Some call this tethering, but Windows Mobile calls it Internet Sharing.

Make sure to keep a spare battery handy. Or, use the USB connection to keep your phone charged up.

Opera Mini vs. Opera Mobile

I've been testing both Opera Mobile and Opera Mini on my XV6800. Both are currently free and they represent some of the best mobile web browsers that are currently available. In fact, I would even say that they are the best browsers.

Opera Mobile consumes too much memory. I often get "out of memory" messages when viewing web pages.

Opera Mini is much faster and more efficient. Hence, I've been mainly using this as my main browser. You'll need a Java Virtual Machine (JVM) to run Opera Mini on the XV6800 or on any other Pocket PC / Windows Mobile device.