Get a Free Palm Pre as a Reviewer

Want to review the Palm Pre and get a free phone plus service for 6 months? Then go and apply to be a reviewer (by going over to the Palm Blog). They will announce reviewers on May 8th.

I was a beta tester for the Dash GPS service and I got a free GPS out of that experience. I hope to get the chance to test the Palm Pre through this reviewer program. It's an ingenious idea to market their product. I had a Palm Treo, but now I use the XV6800. Image source: Slashphone

Do You Love or Hate Your Smartphone?

My friend hates his smartphone. I can't say that I love mine, but I also don't hate it. It does its job and every time I get a new smartphone, I think about which features I liked and disliked about my old one. This way, I can almost imagine what my next one "should" be like.

For instance, I started with a Treo 700wx (Windows Mobile). It was a "candybar" design. Nothing slides in or out. No flips. It was a nice phone, but it was bulky. It had a small screen and the buttons were small, but I could use it with one hand. No Wi-Fi, slow EV-DO speeds. No GPS.

Now, I have a slider phone (the Verizon XV6800, AKA Sprint Mogul or HTC Titan or PPC6800). This phone is roughly the same size. It has a larger screen and since the keyboard slides out, the buttons are larger. This one has Wi-Fi (which I hardly use), fast EV-DO speeds (great for tethering), and has a built-in GPS (if you load a custom ROM and radio).

I'm hoping that my next phone will be more like the Treo in terms of design/form/function. I hope it's thinner than the Treo, but it will need an internal aGPS (I've grown to depend on this so much, especially when I travel and drive in a new city). Fortunately, there are currently several phones that I can select that would meet my "requirements." However, I'm not in the market to purchase a new phone, so I'll wait patiently.

When is the Palm Pre Coming?

When is the highly-anticipated Palm Pre coming? I want to get my hands on this device and see what all the fuss is about. Is WebOS really that great? Cloud computing on a smartphone. Are you excited about the Palm Pre? I like the hardware keyboard buttons. However, I'm bummed that it's only going to be available through Sprint. Image source: Palm Info Center

Is the iPhone Coming to Verizon?

There's been a bit of buzz around this topic out there. Will the Apple iPhone make it to Verizon Wireless (in our lifetime)? What do you think?

Samsung i7500 Running Google Android

According to multiple sources (including Samsung), the Samsung i7500 will be running the Google Android operating system. Let's hope that Samsung releases a version for North America. Right now, the only smartphone that I'm aware of that currently runs Android is the G1 on T-Mobile. Image from PC Advisor in the UK.

Epocrates Essentials Now Available for the iPhone and iPod Touch

Epocrates has released Epocrates Essentials for the iPhone and iPod touch. This is more than the standard free version of Epocrates. Essentials includes features such as:
• Peer-reviewed disease content with evidence-based treatment
• options and high-resolution disease images
• Infectious disease treatment guide
• 600+ alternative (herbal) medications with drug interactions
• Hundreds of diagnostic and laboratory tests

A one-year subscription costs $149 and a two-year plan is $249. I've been using Epocrates since day 1 when Epocrates started as a company in 1998. It's amazing how mobile technology has evolved over the years. The vast majority of medical students use PDAs and smartphones and Epocrates (the free version) is almost always on their device.

16 GB Apple iPhone 3G for Half Price

Thanks to the folks at Brighthand for this tip. Get a refurbished 16 GB Apple iPhone 3G for half price! Many people don't like purchasing refurbished merchandise, but I've had my share of good (and bad) luck with refurbished gadgets. Would I buy a refurbished iPhone for half price? Sure! After all, you don't expect that phone to last forever, do you?

Free iPhone?

Many wireless carriers provide free phones. In fact, you can even get a free BlackBerry on Verizon Wireless. I realize that you may need to sign a 2-year agreement and pay for a data plan, but I'm wondering when AT&T will offer the iPhone for free. If you had to sign a longer agreement to get a free iPhone, would you do it? I'm inclined to think that many people would. What do you think?

Smartphones and Swine Flu

The potential swine flu epidemic has everyone scared. Everyone's talking about swine flu. There are interesting discussion on Sermo. It's almost like SARS all over again, but this time it's on our continent. It's not thousands of miles away in Asia. How will smartphones and other mobile devices impact how healthcare professionals communicate regarding outbreaks? My guess is that if this really turns into an epidemic, then it will be imperative for healthcare professionals to remain constantly connected via smartphones and other Internet-connected mobile devices.

Thank You PalmDoc Chronicles

Thank you PalmDoc Chronicles for adding this site to your blog list. I've done the same here at MedicalSmartphones.com and I hope you'll help me spread the word about how smartphones are changing the landscape of medicine. I remember when the Palm OS was the dominant operating system among medical students and physicians. I'm talking about the days before the ubiquitous Palm Treo even came out. We had devices running the Palm OS made by Palm, Handspring, Sony, and a few other companies. They were called PDAs or handhelds because they weren't phones at the time. How technology has changed things! We now have one less item to carry in our pocket.

More EHRs Compatible with Smartphones

Does your EHR (Electronic Health Record) run on your smartphone? More EHR providers are creating either a special web-based interface or an application for their platform. Some examples include Nextgen and Allscripts for the iPhone. Undoubtedly, the Apple iPhone has one of the best mobile browsers built into the operating system. As soon as other platforms like Windows Mobile and BlackBerry include more powerful browsers into the standard operating system, the iPhone will continue to dominate the mobile EHR space.

Android G1: Over One Million Sold in the USA

In my earlier post about the "perfect medical smartphone for physicians," I completely forgot to mention Google's operating system Android. The G1 (currently on the T-Mobile network) is gaining momentum and according to Engadget, T-Mobile has sold over one million of these phones in this country. I currently know several physicians who use the G1. They seem to love it. Unlike the Apple iPhone, the G1 has a hardware keyboard for those of you who can't type by pressing on the screen. What else does Google have up its sleeve? Perhaps Android will be the next dominant smartphone OS for healthcare professionals.

What's the Best Smartphone for Physicians?

This is one of those topics that gets debated endlessly (unless you're in a room full of Apple lovers). What's the best smartphone for a medical student, resident, or attending physician?

Several years ago, the answer would have been simple: Palm Treo. Then, the answer may have evolved to: Treo (either Palm OS or Windows Mobile). After the Apple iPhone came out, the resounding consensus among young physicians was: iPhone. Now, we see doctors carrying the BlackBerry Storm (among other BlackBerry devices). There's a newer version of the BlackBerry Storm that's coming out. The Palm Pre running Web OS is a hot new phone that has many people excited, but will it beat out the iPhone? The Palm Pre has a hardware button keyboard, so that may be a very attractive feature for people who want to type quickly. What about all those Windows Mobile users out there? I admit that I'm still one of them and I use an older HTC Windows Mobile device (the xv6800 which is also known as the Sprint Mogul and HTC Titan).

So which phone is the best? It's so difficult to answer because technology evolves too quickly. We can't keep up with the advances and as soon as you buy what you think is the "best" phone, a new mobile device pops up that's faster, cooler, and better.

Apple Store to Reach One Billion Downloads

Can you believe that the Apple Store has gained that much traction? Since Apple products are popular all over the world, it's not a surprise. Well, they're about to celebrate 1,000,000,000 downloads! I have an iPod Touch and I love how it's easy to download applications directly through Wi-Fi.

Earth Day Tip for the Mobile Warrior

Today (April 22) is Earth Day and I have a tip for you if you use a mobile phone or a smartphone. Never throw your rechargeable batteries away in the regular trash. Make sure to recycle your old devices and unplug your power adapter when you're not using it to charge your phone. I know many people who leave all their power transformers plugged into the wall and they leave them plugged in. One easy way to disconnect them from your power source is to plug all your adapters into a single power strip that has a switch. This way, you can easily flip that switch when you're not using it.

Ultrasound with a Smartphone and a USB Probe

What if you could plug an adapter into your smartphone and use it as an ultrasound machine? Engineers at Washington University are working on this thanks to a $100,000 grant provided by Microsoft.

Windows Mobile 6.5 on May 11

I can't believe that May is around the corner. Windows Mobile 6.5 will be released on May 11.

I've been a Windows Mobile user since the days of the old Windows CE platform which evolved to Pocket PC and then to Windows Mobile. Soon, it will be called "Windows Phone." Won't that be confusing? I still want an iPhone, but I'm locked into Verizon Wireless, so I'll just stick with my XV6800 for now.

Do You Twitter on Your Phone?

There was an interesting story about the scientific dangers of Twitter. Titled, "Scientists Warn of Twitter Dangers," this story suggests that "the streams of information provided by social networking sites are too fast for the brain's "moral compass" to process and could harm young people's emotional development." Do you think that CNN released this story because Twitter was getting overloaded with volume and they needed to give their servers a break?

Top 10 Keywords in the Last 30 Days

According to Google Analytics, here are the top 10 keywords that are bringing people to my website through search engines:

1. medical smartphones
2. medical smartphones joe kim
3. best smartphone for physicians
4. cardiosource iphone
5. epocrate for n810
6. epocrates omnia
7. himss 2009 panasonic
8. how are ob/gyn and other healthcare professionals related?
9. ipod touch for physicians
10. med student windows mobile

So what is the best smartphone for physicians? Although I would vote for the Apple iPhone, I am a Windows Mobile user. Someday, I hope to be an iPhone user...

Do you SMS?

Short Message Service (SMS) or "texting" has gotten so popular that I wonder how people survived before they had mobile phones. How will kids learn to spell if they're being bombarded with funny acronyms like 2L8, DYJHIW, JMO, KWIM, and L8R G8R? These make great trivia questions when you're relaxing on a cruise ship.

I think I'll stick with e-mail. I'd rather type out sentences, capitalize, and use proper grammar. I admit: I used to type all my e-mails in small letters. No CAPS. Then, I stopped that habit several years ago when I decided that I needed to grow up.

You'll See Something New and Exciting this Week!

I'm anticipating some new and exciting changes to this site later this week (as long as everything goes as scheduled). I can't go into many details, but please stay tuned! If you follow me on Twitter, you'll be one of the first people to find out when it happens.

Mobile Manager for Netflix

If you enjoy watching movies and you have a Netflix subscription, make sure to try the Mobile Manager for Windows Mobile. If you're a medical student or a resident, then you probably don't have time to watch many movies. However, things get better after you complete your medical training.

SkyFire 0.9 Now Available for Windows Mobile

I've been using SkyFire for several months now and it's a solid browser for my XV6800. Version 0.9 is now available as a free download. It's still not mobile Safari on an iPhone, but it's one of the better mobile browsers for Windows Mobile. It's not as fast as Opera Mini running on a Java Virtual Machine, but it's capable of displaying Flash content.

To get it, type: http://get.skyfire.com into your mobile browser and download the CAB file.

Twitter from your Mobile Device

Do you Twitter? You probably know that you can use your mobile phone to update your tweets. If you carry your phone everywhere you go, then it becomes easy to use it to send updates. More and more medical students and healthcare professionals are using smartphones in their daily practice. They are becoming ubiquitous and essential to the regular work flow and more clinicians are using them for social networking. Smartphones such as the iPhone and BlackBerry are playing a huge role in the world of Web 2.0.

Epocrates and the iPhone: A Perfect Match

If you have an iPhone, wait to hear about some exciting developments from Epocrates. I've been a long-time Epocrates user and I'm glad to see that they're keeping up with all the different smartphone platforms ranging from Palm to Pocket PC/Windows Mobile, to iPhone and BlackBerry.

iPhone Application for OB/GYN

If you're on your OB/GYN rotation and you have an iPhone, then you should take a look at this application if your hospital has the Airstrip application. AirStrip Technologies has developed an iPhone application called AirStrip OB. Looks like a great application for those sleepless nights on the OB floor.

Sensei Launches iPhone Application for Diabetes

If you have diabetes, you're probably used to gadgets. If you have type 1 diabetes, you probably wear an insulin pump and you're really familiar with gadgets. In the world of diabetes, you have glucose monitors (from companies like Accu-Check. LifeScan, and others), insulin pens, insulin pumps that look like pagers, and even continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems (from companies like Medtronic, Abbott, and DexCom). It's great to see advances in healthcare technology and medical devices. I always had a passion for the medical device industry and as a kid, I thought that I would be a biomedical engineer.

The iPhone is a great medical smartphone and there is now a new diabetes application for diabetes. Sensei (a subsidiary of Humana) has released My Diabetes Guide. Looks pretty cool! LifeScan is also coming out with a diabetes application for the iPhone that may sync glucose readings from blood glucose monitors (glucometers). Hopefully, all these gadgets for diabetes will ultimately help patients improve glucose control.

Smartphone Use Increasing Among Physicians

According to a recent study by Manhattan Research, the use of smartphones among physicians is now at 64%. The study is titled, "Taking the Pulse v9.0." The use of mobile devices like the iPhone and BlackBerry increased by 20% in one year. It's not a surprise that the number of physicians who use the iPhone more than doubled in the past year. Now with the availability of the touch screen BlackBerry Storm, I anticipate that more doctors will be using the BlackBerry. Overall, physicians are spending more time online and are using both computers and smartphones to stay current and access medical information. They are also using mobile devices to access CME activities. So smartphones have a bright future ahead in the medical industry. As these devices become more powerful and ubiquitous, they will permeate the healthcare space and play an even larger role in the daily workflow of medical students, residents, physicians, nurses, and pharmacists.

I currently use a Windows Mobile device (the Verizon Wireless XV6800, also known as the Sprint Mogul and the HTC Titan). If I were on the AT&T network, I'd be an iPhone user. If I had to buy a new phone on Verizon, I'd probably get the new BlackBerry Storm that will have Wi-Fi. If I were on T-Mobile, I would get the G1 running Google Android.

Google Android 1.5

Google has an operating system for smartphones called Android. The latest announcement on their developer site includes information about Android 1.5. Some of the most exciting features include:

• On-screen keyboards
• More widgets
  
• Video recording
• Stereo Bluetooth (so you can practice your cardiac auscultation skills with both ears)
  

The most popular smartphone that runs Android is the T-Mobile G1. Will Google Android offer features that are unique enough to set it apart from the iPhone?

Upgrade Your Treo 700wx to Windows Mobile 6.1

You may have heard that some developers have gotten their hands on Windows Mobile 6.1 for the Palm Treo 700wx. If you want to learn more, then take a look at this forum on XDA-Developers:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=397134

Flashing a phone's ROM is not for beginners. This is true especially when you're loading a custom ROM. If you make a mistake, then your phone may turn into a permanent brick that you can use as a paperweight. I always advise people to ask for assistance or to hand the phone over to an expert who can do the flashing correctly.

In my opinion, there are significant advantages to running Windows Mobile 6.1 over Windows Mobile 6.0. That change from ".0" to ".1" at the end of 6 makes a big difference. Now we have Windows Mobile 6.5 but that's not available for the Treo (at least not now). Not sure about the version differences? Take a look at this chart that provides an overview of Windows Mobile 5.0, 6.0, and 6.1:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/en-us/meet/version-compare.mspx

MedicalSmartphones.com

I've registered a new URL: MedicalSmartphones.com

I've been an avid PDA/smartphone user for many years. During medical school and residency, I used to provide advice about these devices. I've been blogging about it for a while, but now I want to keep a dedicated blog about this topic. I hope you'll visit and find some useful information.

FREE Epocrates Cardiology through Cardiosource

Are you a member of the ACC (American College of Cardiology)? Do you use Cardiosource? You may be happy to know that Epocrates and Cardiosource have joined forces up to provide a FREE one-year, one-time subscription to Essentials for Cardiology. Visit Cardiosource and look for the information about Epocrates by clicking here. More and more physicians are abandoning Palm and Pocket PC/Windows Mobile and moving to the iPhone and BlackBerry, so it's great to have Epocrates for these mobile devices.

HTC Touch Diamond Now on Verizon Wireless

The HTC Touch Pro has been available through Verizon Wireless for a while now. Well, they're moving backwards and they're now offering the HTC Touch Diamond (the slim version without the slideout keyboard). It still has TouchFLO™ 3D, so it's touch-friendly and it looks like a great phone for medical students, residents, and physicians who want something small, thin, and light. It's a shame that Verizon Wireless doesn't offer the Apple iPhone, but I suppose this allows other companies like HTC and RIM to market phones like the Touch Diamond and the BlackBerry Storm.

The BlackBerry Storm 2 will have Wi-Fi

Yes, the rumors seem to be true. There will be a newer version of the BlackBerry Storm that will have Wi-Fi. Why the big deal? Because most hospitals have Wi-Fi and you won't be relying on a slow data plan to access the Internet. Also, what if you could use Skype or some other Voice Over IP (VoIP) solution to make free calls? Do you think Verizon will allow that? If so, sounds like some great perks for medical students and residents. So what other cool new features will the updated Storm include?

Old iPod Chargers and new iPods

So I have several older iPods and a few new ones (yes, I admit that I'm a gadget freak, but most of these were not purchased). I've had the opportunity to win some iPods through drawings, Sermo, and a few others sources. I love iPods because they are great travel companions. However, I've recently noticed that my older iPod chargers don't charge my new iPod nano (4th generation) and iPod touch (2nd generation). If you have no idea what models I'm referring to, then take a look at this Apple Support page on different iPod generation models.

So I'm very disappointed that my Firewire charger, my Kensington Universal Charger (tip J3), and several other old iPod chargers do not work on my newer iPods. What's going on Apple?

Using the iPhone or iPod Touch in Healthcare

The Apple iPhone and iPod Touch are versatile devices that can be used in the healthcare setting. Can you think of more than 15 ways they can be used? If you're a medical student or a resident, maybe you can empty your white coat and replace some of your tools with this single device. Here's my list of 15 ways:

1. Epocrates (drug reference)
2. Web browsing (research)
3. Record patient data
4. 2-way communication with others (get rid of those pagers!)
5. Neuro/rehab tests and exercises (use the built-in accelerometer and improve your gait)
6. Visual acuity tests and exercises
7. Vibratory stimulation test (no need for that bulky tuning fork)
8. Auditory test (can you hear that high-pitched sound?)
9. Reflex hammer? Maybe, if you're really talented.
10. Take a photo of that rash or wound (great for surgery and dermatology)
11. Flash cards
12. Anatomy reference (try ADAM)
13. As a phone to answer your pages (if you still carry a pager)
14. As a flashlight in your call room
15. To watch Scrubs, ER, or other educational medical TV shows.
16. Medical podcasts, earn CME/CE credits.

I could go on and on, but I was thinking about these things as I played around with my iPod. Can you add to this list?

Opera Mobile 9.7

I'm waiting to try Opera Mobile 9.7 on my HTC Titan XV6800 (Sprint Mogul). I've been using Opera Mobile 9.5 and it's been working quite well so far. However, it's slow compared to Opera Mini, and Opera Mobile 9.7 is supposed to have Opera Turbo. So, when is Opera Mobile 9.7 going to be available?