Congratulations Epocrates for 10 great years!

It's hard to believe that Epocrates is now 10 years old! I still remember downloading and installing the early version of Epocrates on my original Palm Pilot. Remember those? Grayscale screens. No memory card expansion. Simple fonts. No Wi-Fi, 3 G, or Bluetooth. Serial port connectors. AAA batteries. I could go on...

How PDAs and smartphones have evolved in 10 years! I was also a user of the Apple Newton Messagepad. I still have my Newton and miss using it, but I'm so glad that these devices have gotten smaller and more powerful.

To celebrate 10 years of Epocrates and to enjoy some great offers, visit: http://www.epocrates.com/10year

HTC Droid Eris

I've owned several HTC smartphones and I've also owned several Motorola phones. The Motorola Droid may be the first Google Android-powered smartphone to appear on Verizon's network, but some are reporting that the HTC Droid Eris will also appear on November 6th (the same day the Motorola Droid will launch).

Will medical professionals switch to Android? I think that will ultimately depend on how quickly medical software providers develop apps for Android.

Smartphones for less than $100?

As smartphone prices continue to drop, will we see new smartphones appearing that are under $100? Some Google Android powered smartphones may be priced at less than $100. Wouldn't that be nice?

You can still get older smartphones, refurbished smartphones, etc. for less than $100. I still see some older BlackBerry devices that are less than $100. For instance, have you noticed the low smartphone prices on Verizon Wireless?

The BlackBerry Storm 2 (9550) now on Verizon Wireless

The BlackBerry Storm 2 (9550) is now on sale at Verizon Wireless. You can get one for $179.99! That's not a bad price, but if you're really looking for a bargain, the original Storm is only $49.99.

The Storm 2 includes some new features that you won't find on the original Storm, such as:

• V CAST Videos
• WiFi
• More internal Flash RAM for applications
  

Why only 256 MB of Flash Memory? If you're going to have 2 GB of on–board storage memory, why didn't they allocate more memory for apps (applications)? The original Storm only had 128 MB of FlashRAM and I filled that up very quickly with a few medical apps.

Health care professionals are getting drawn to BlackBerry. The Apple iPhone continues to dominate in health care. Many physicians abandoned the Palm OS and didn't want to switch to Sprint to get the Palm Pre running webOS. Others didn't want to switch to Windows Mobile and they didn't want to wait for an Android-powered smartphone.

My prediction is that the Storm 2 will be a hit among medical students and professionals who don't need to load too many medical apps. I'm disappointed that the Storm 2 only has 256 MB of RAM, but maybe that will be enough storage space for the average user.

Google Android and Star Wars

I'm a big Star Wars fan. I plan to build a real R2-D2 when I retire. There's an amusing article on PC Magazine titled, "10 Star Wars Features for the Motorola Droid." If you're a Star Wars fan, you need to read this article (even if you don't ever plan to use an Android-powered smartphone)

Click here for the article.

Google Android 2.0 is now official

Google Android 2.0 is now official. According to some rumors, Verizon Wireless will call their line of Android-powered smartphones "Droid." So, the Droid may not refer to a single phone. It may refer to an entire line of smartphones. So far, HTC has been the manufacturing leader for Android, but we're about to see some Android phones from Motorola and several other companies.

Google has a tremendous opportunity to make Android a dominant smartphone operating system. Will they leverage their global resources to make that happen? Will Google develop a strategy to beat Apple's iPhone?

The HTC Imagio gets reviewed by Brighthand

The HTC Imagio has received its review by the folks over at Brighthand. What's the verdict? It's probably the best iPhone imitator (they didn't say "killer"). If you're stuck on the Verizon network and you're dying for an Apple iPhone, the HTC Imagio may be the best thing you can find until Verizon actually gets the iPhone. Of course, you'll have to use Windows Mobile 6.5 if you get the Imagio, so if you're an "anti-Microsoft" fanatic out there, then you should simply wait for the iPhone.

Here's the summary:

Pros:

* Large, high-resolution screen
* Solid build quality
* Well stocked with software

Cons:

* Inconsistent speed
* Less memory than it should have

Reviews reflect real opinions, but your opinion may be quite different. I enjoy reading reviews, but I find that I generally only agree with about 50-75% of what editors publish in their reviews. To read the full review of the HTC Imagio on Brighthand, click here.

Official BlackBerry OS 5.0 now available for the Storm

The official version of BlackBerry OS 5.0 is now available for the original Storm (9530). The Storm 2 will come with OS 5.0, so you don't have to worry about looking for some leaked versions floating around on the Internet.

The upgrade (or update) to OS 5.0 is free and you'll get some major improvements in web browsing (with tabs), e-mails (flags), word completion, and mapping options. Of course, there are other improvements with OS 5.0 so you'll have to give it a try.

BlackBerry OS 5.0 is also available for other devices, such as the Curve, Bold, Tour, etc. You'll have to visit the BlackBerry website to see if your device will also get the upgrade.

Visit: http://www.blackberry.com/update

Verizon HTC Touch Pro2 reviewed by CNET

Here is the CNET review on the Verizon Wireless HTC Touch Pro2 (embedded video):
Here's the summary:
The good: The HTC Touch Pro2 for Verizon offers world roaming capabilities as well as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, and EV-DO Rev. A support. The smartphone features an extra-large touch screen and one of the best QWERTY keyboards we've seen to date. Verizon will also provide an Windows Mobile 6.5 upgrade later this year.

The bad: The smartphone is bulky. Callers complained of tinny call quality, and the camera took poor pictures.

The bottom line: For Verizon's business customers who need more than just a messaging smartphone, the HTC Touch Pro2 delivers with more robust productivity tools and good performance.

T-Mobile: no annual contracts required

T-Mobile USA is now allowing U.S. customers to use their service without any annual contracts. You'll get some better deals if you sign a contract, but if you don't want to be tied to T-Mobile, you now have that option.

Several years ago, it seemed that several wireless carriers were trying the "no annual contract" tactic. I guess it either caused too many problems or they lost too many customers. I'm surprised to see that T-Mobile is jumping back on this wagon, but maybe it's a recession-special that's only going to last a few years.

If you're a medical student and you're not sure about your financial stability as a student, then maybe you may want to leverage this "no contract" option. After all, you don't want to spend all your money on mobile phone bills.

Smartphone security threats

Many of us smartphone users probably don't think about potential smartphone security threats. CNN is reminding us that smartphone security threats are likely to rise in the near future. Viruses and spyware will likely start infecting smartphones and causing serious problems to corporate infrastructures if users are not protecting themselves from these threats.

Considering that many physicians and other health care professionals keep highly confidential information on their smartphones, I hope they will be ultra cautious with their data by using secure passwords to protect their information. People lose their smartphones all the time. This happens quite frequently in the hospital setting. What type of sensitive information would get compromised if you lost your smartphone? I hope you don't have any patient information on your device.

Pediatrics Central Dx

Take a look at Pediatrics Central Dx for iPhone:

Pediatrics Central™ is the all-in-one solution that puts valuable medical information in the hands of clinicians treating infants, children, and adolescents.

Delayed release of the BlackBerry Storm 2

Well, the BlackBerry Storm 2 was supposed to get released yesterday on Verizon Wireless. I'm not entirely sure what happened. There were some circulating rumors about possible delays due to some bugs (not sure if these are software bugs or hardware bugs). In any case, I'm sure the Storm 2 will appear very soon. PC World gave it a "very good" rating of 80 and other reviews have been quite positive.

Lexi-Comp for the Palm Pre (webOS) - coming soon

If you want to get a preview ("sneek peak") of Lexi-Comp medical and dental software for the Palm Pre running webOS, then take a look at this link: http://www.lexi.com/pda/palm-pre/

The software is still in development, but you can get a sense of how the medical app will run on webOS. They have screen shots and a short video. The software interface reminds me of the iPhone, and I think that's the direction we'll see things move as more smartphones rely on finger-touch input and navigation.

Motorola Droid smartphone running Google Android

The Motorola Droid is a new emerging smartphone that will run Google Android. It will be Verizon's first Android smartphone. So, if you thought that T-Mobile was the only mobile provider for Android smartphones, think again. We're soon going to see Android devices on AT&T as well (I almost typed Cingulair - remember them?)

There are additional Android smartphones that are coming down the pipeline. I'm eager to see how quickly medical software providers will start releasing medical apps for Android. It's been disappointing to see the slow release of software titles for webOS (maybe they assume that everyone will still use the original Palm OS). I'd like to see Google releasing some medical software for Android.

To BlackBerry Storm 2 or not to Storm 2

There are too many to's (2's) in the title, right?
"To BlackBerry Storm 2 or not to Storm 2." That's the question.

I've been following the Storm 2 for several months and I'm quite excited about this device, but I'm also cautiously optimistic.

• Will the Storm 2 have enough internal RAM for medical apps? (2 GB of storage, but how much RAM for apps?) The original Storm only had 128 MB of RAM, even though it had 1 GB of storage.
  
• Will it be capable of MiFi (Wi-Fi router) capabilities?
• How will the new SurePress touch screen compare to the original SurePress?

In my mind, the original BlackBerry Storm is an excellent smartphone, but it's not very suitable for health care professionals who wish to run many medical apps because of its limited internal RAM. Will the Storm 2 be a great medical smartphone? Many physicians already use a BlackBerry. Will they switch to a touch-screen device and abandon the hardware QWERTY keyboard?

BlackBerry Storm 2 will launch tomorrow (Oct 21)

The rumors are true. The BlackBerry Storm 2 will launch tomorrow (Oct 21) on Verizon Wireless. Are you excited? The Storm 2 will have Wi-Fi capabilities, and it may also serve as a Wi-Fi router (similar to the MiFi).

AT&T Tilt2 (HTC Touch Pro2)

If you're on the AT&T network, you may be excited about the new Tilt2 (which is actually a rebranded HTC Touch Pro2). I currently use an HTC Touch Pro2 (the Verizon version) and I've been very happy with this smartphone. So, if you're looking for a nice Windows Phone that has a big screen, a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, and excellent features, then you will be pleased with the Tilt2.

I really like the TouchFLO 3D interface for finger-friendly input and navigation. My smartphone is also my primary GPS navigation device.

Since the Tilt2 runs Windows Mobile 6.5, you won't have any problems finding medical applications for it (the same is true for the Touch Pro2, which currently may run Windows Mobile 6.1 but will soon receive an official upgrade to Windows Mobile 6.5).

OsiriX Mobile

Carry digital radiology images using OsiriX Mobile on your Apple iPhone. Have you tried it yet? Take a look at this embedded video:

How long have you had your smartphone?

Have you noticed that physicians and other health care professionals seem to be upgrading to new smartphones every year or two? As the price for the average smartphone continues to drop, it's not surprising to see more physicians upgrading to newer models.

My wife (who is a family physician) still uses a relatively old smartphone. A few years ago, we both had the same smartphone: a Palm Treo 700wx (remember those?)

Now, she uses a Samsung and I use an HTC. I've had a few different HTC smartphones and I find them to have some of the best features, but I also think that Samsung makes some really nice phones. I like the fact that all my HTC smartphones have used a mini USB connector. I'm a bit surprised to see that they haven't adopted the micro USB connector yet, but I'm not complaining because I can still use all my old chargers.

So how long have you had your smartphone? Do you even remember your first smartphone? Planning on upgrading this fall? Maybe you'll get a new phone for the holidays. Or, perhaps you'll make a New Year's resolution to use a new smartphone? (did I just talk about New Year's Day?)

Smartphones as a "second brain" or "peripheral brain"

Back in the "old days," medical students and residents often relied on a pocket book and they referred to this as their "second brain" or "peripheral brain." This little book contained all the vital formulas, charts, tables, and clinical pearls that would help you survive the wards (and outpatient care as well).

Now, students and physicians rely on their smartphone as a second brain. The medical smartphone often contains critical medical apps such as drug references, medical database, medical calculators, conversion tools, algorithms, and much more. Plus, with a smartphone, you can easily get online. Once you have access to the Internet, then your brain is almost infinitely smarter (well, as least mine is).

So many healthcare professionals now depend on their smartphones. They couldn't live without their phone. They would feel naked - almost as if they're missing half their brain.

PC Magazine smartphone survey

Have you seen the PC Magazine smartphone survey? It's titled the "Cell Phones Service and Reliability Survey 2009." It's no surprise, but the Apple iPhone is the reader's choice. BlackBerry devices were also rated quite well. The inherent bias in this survey is that there were very few responses for many of the other phone manufacturers. Hence, the survey must be interpreted carefully. It's also a shame that we can't really examine HTC devices since they often get rebranded as Verizon phones or AT&T phones.

Click here to access the summary article.

Epocrates H1N1 Flu resource page

Many healthcare professionals and students rely on Epocrates for drug information and other medical resources. I'm very grateful that Epocrates offers a free solution for those in the health care field. Their paid solutions are obviously more robust, but some people (like medical students) simply have a very difficult time paying for medical software, so I hope to see more medical schools investing resources to provide these invaluable smartphone medical apps for their students.

The folks at Epocrates have created a nice H1N1 Flu Resource page to help clinicians stay current with the latest recommendations from the CDC and other important sources. Read about the different flu drugs and vaccines on this page. To access the H1N1 Flu Resource page, visit http://www.epocrates.com/h1n1flu

BlackBerry Storm2 (9550) coming very soon

Are you excited about the BlackBerry Storm2 (9550)? It's launching soon and you can catch a preview by reading the review published by PC Magazine (click here for the full review).

I really hope the new BlackBerry Storm2 has more internal RAM storage. The original BlackBerry Storm confused many people because it was advertised as having 1 GB of internal storage space. That's fine if you want to store files, but it only had 128 MB of RAM for applications. That simply doesn't make sense for anyone who wishes to load medical apps on a smartphone.

So, how much RAM (for applications, not for storage) will the new BlackBerry Storm2 have? I haven't found this information yet because everyone seems to focus on the 2 GB of internal storage. Does this mean you now have 2 GB of RAM for apps? I really like the Storm, but I wish it had more RAM for apps.

The Merck Manual Home Health Handbook for iPhone and iPod touch

The Merck Manual Home Health Handbook is now available for the Apple iPhone and iPod touch. You can find them using iTunes. The Home Edition is only $9.99 but the Professional Edition of the Merck Manual is $29.99. It's great to see more medical apps (software) on the iPhone, but what about BlackBerry, webOS, and Android?

For more information, visit: http://agilepartners.com/apps/merckmanuals/

2009 J.D. Power and Associates smartphone survey

Have you seen the results of the 2009 J.D. Power and Associates smartphone survey? I always read these types of surveys with a grain of salt, because many of these factors (such as design, features, etc.) are quite subjective. What one person likes, another may hate.

Here are some of their key findings:

These three studies measure customer satisfaction with traditional wireless handsets and smartphones across several key factors. In order of importance, key factors of overall satisfaction with traditional wireless handsets are operation (30%); physical design (30%); features (20%); and battery function (20%). For consumer smartphones, key factors are ease of operation (30%); operating system (22%); features (21%); physical design (18%); and battery function (9%). For business smartphones, key factors include ease of operation (29%); operating system (23%); physical design (21%); features (16%); and battery function (11%).

Apple ranks highest among manufacturers of smartphones used primarily for personal reasons, with a score of 811, and performs particularly well in ease of operation, operating system, features and physical design. LG (776) and RIM BlackBerry (759) follow Apple in the rankings.

Among customers who use their smartphones primarily for business purposes, Apple ranks highest with a score of 803, followed by RIM BlackBerry (724).

To view the entire summary of their survey results, click here.

HTC Touch Pro2 upgrade to Windows Mobile 6.5

HTC has released one of its first upgrades to Windows Mobile 6.5 for its Touch Pro2.

ROM Upgrade (WM6.5) for HTC Touch Pro2 (WWE)
ROM version 1.86.401.0

However, this ROM upgrade is for GSM smartphones in Europe and NOT for the CDMA smartphones on the Verizon Wireless or Sprint networks. I don't know if this ROM will fry your phone if you're on AT&T or another GSM network.

Never load a GSM ROM on a CDMA phone (or vice versa). You will end up with serious problems if you do this.

If you live in North America, I strongly suggest that you wait until your carrier has released its official ROM upgrade before you go out and risk damaging your smartphone. Patience is a virtue.

GSM Palm Pre launches in Europe

The GSM version of the Palm Pre has launched in Europe. This means that we may start seeing some of these GSM versions migrate to North America and appear on GSM networks such as AT&T and T-Mobile.

According to the folks at Brighthand, the official launch schedule is Germany on Oct 13, Spain on Oct. 14, and the U.K. and Ireland on Oct. 16. The Palm Pre is a very popular phone among medical professionals who are loyal to Palm. Let's see how webOS competes against Android, iPhone, BlackBerry, and Windows Mobile.

Free Epocrates® Online Premium through the Wyeth HCP portal

Wyeth has an online portal for health care professionals (HCP). Through this portal, you can gain free access to resources such as:

• Epocrates® Online Premium
• The 5-Minute Clinical Consult 2009
• A-Z Drug Facts (a nice place to find drug pronunciation guides)

You have to be a health care professional to register and gain access to this site. To learn more, visit:
http://www.wyeth.com/healthcareprofessional

I don't know what's going to happen to this portal once Wyeth merges with Pfizer, so stay tuned...

BlackBerry Storm 2 to be released this month

According to several rumors and reports, Verizon Wireless will be releasing the BlackBerry Storm 2 later this month. The month of October should be an exciting month in the world of smartphones. We saw Windows Mobile 6.5 released earlier this month, but that wasn't too exciting. I'm eager to see other new smartphones coming out this month.

Are you waiting in line to get the updated BlackBerry Storm? I hope they increase the internal RAM so that you can install more apps. Medical apps are often quite big and you'll run out of space very quickly on the current BlackBerry Storm that only has 128 MB of Flash RAM.

New mobilePDR coming soon

Have you placed your order for the free mobilePDR? For many years, the Physicians' Desk Reference (PDR) has been considered an essential drug reference resource for every physician who wrote prescriptions (What? Some doctors don't write prescriptions? radiologists, pathologists, physician executives, public health physicians, etc.)

To register so that you can download mobilePDR in the first quarter of 2010, sign up here:
http://choice.mobilepdr.com/

Medical students at UMDNJ required to have an Apple iPhone or iPod touch

Entering medical students at the UMDNJ (University of Medicine and Dentistry, New Jersey) Robert Wood Johnson Medical School are required to have an Apple iPhone or iPod touch. They should just build the cost into the tuition and issue devices for their students.

Here's are a few quotes from their news release:

This fall all entering medical school students at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School were required to have an iPod Touch or iPhone as well as a laptop computer...

“What mobility really means is total access to course material for our students anywhere in the world at any time of the day,” remarks Alex Izaguirre, director of information technology at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. “The introduction of the mobility initiative empowers the school to move in directions previously not possible. For example, students will have access to a repertoire of new applications, both commercially available and internally developed, affording them with state-of-the-art medical training.”

“This initiative complements many other technological advances at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School including the implementation of the electronic medical record and e-prescribing within our physician practice,” explains Dr. Amenta. “We continually strive to remain at the forefront of modern healthcare in research, education, community health and patient care.”

So, it may be the Apple iPhone this year, but what about in 5 or 10 years? What will be the dominant smartphone in the future?

Sprint HTC Hero running Google Android is now on sale

If you're new to the Sprint network, should you get a Palm Pre running webOS or the HTC Hero running Google's Android?

There aren't many medical apps for either webOS or Android, so you won't gain much in terms of medical software. On webOS, you could run an emulator and still use some older original Palm OS apps.

Let's take a step back for a minute. If you had to rate your level of confidence in Google vs. Palm, how would you rate them? I think Palm used to be a major smartphone player in the medical community, but they lost so much ground that it's going to be a difficult battle to compete against the Apple iPhone, BlackBerry, and Android. I don't think they'll have too much trouble beating Windows Mobile. 

I think Google has the infrastructure and resources to make Android a dominant smartphone operating system. If you believe that too, then you may want to get a taste of the future by selecting an Android smartphone. That's what I would do if I were on the Sprint network. But, since I'm on Verizon Wireless, I'll stick with Windows Mobile for now.

Refreshed Internet Explorer Mobile (Pocket Internet Explorer)

Pocket Internet Explorer (Pocket IE) should really be called Internet Explorer Mobile or IE Mobile. I'm still in the habit of calling it Pocket IE (that's how long I've been using Windows Mobile)

The refreshed version of IE Mobile in Windows Mobile 6.5 is a considerable improvement than the browser found in 6.1, but I still prefer using either Skyfire or Opera Mobile. I'm eager to see Firefox Mobile (Fennec) when the final release gets out there. The refreshed version of IE Mobile allows you to zoom in and out of web pages much more effectively. Since the majority of Windows Phones use resistive touch screens (passive) as opposed to capacitive touch screens, we won't see any multi-touch gestures that allow you to zoom in and out by pinching or spreading your fingers in the current generation of Windows Phones.

So, if the one major benefit of upgrading from Windows Mobile 6.1 to 6.5 is to get the newer, more functional IE Mobile. Is that a real benefit if you're already using Skyfire or Opera Mobile?

Will Google Android beat iPhone?

Google Android is still a relatively new smartphone operating system, but some people seem to think that Android may beat Apple iPhone in a few years. Do you believe it?

Does Google have the resources to beat Apple? Smartphones are evolving rapidly and more physicians and healthcare professionals will be using smartphones in the future. Will Apple dominate the marketplace? Or, will Google win the smartphone war?

HTC Touch Pro2 vs. HTC Imagio

If you're on the Verizon Wireless network and you're debating between the HTC Touch Pro2 vs. the HTC Imagio, let me offer you my 2 cents.

I'll start with the features that are common to both smartphones:

• They both will eventually run Windows Mobile 6.5 (the Imagio comes with 6.5 now while the Touch Pro2 comes with 6.1 but you'll get an upgrade to 6.5). 
• They both have a nice large 3.6" screen at 480x800 pixels.
  
• They are both fast and have a nice amount of RAM.
• The both come with a 1500 mAh battery.
• You can tether using either device (Mobile Broadband Connect)
  
• They both have a micro SD card slot.
• They are both world phones with CDMA and GSM capabilities.
• They both have internal GPS so they can be used as a GPS navigator.
  
• They are both made by HTC, so you're getting a high-quality phone.
  

Now, let's talk about the pros/cons (+/-)

HTC Touch Pro2

• + You'll get a nice slide-out QWERTY keyboard.
• - You'll end up with a thicker device
• - no V Cast TV
  

HTC Imagio

• + Thinner and narrower (not by much)
  
• - No hardware QWERTY keyboard 
• + V Cast TV (great for those slow nights when you're on call)
• + better camera (5 MP vs. 3.2 MP on the Touch Pro2)
  

So, the verdict? In my opinion, it's worth having a slightly thicker device if you do a fair bit of texting, e-mail, or any other form of text entry. So, the HTC Touch Pro2 wins. Maybe I'm biased because I've always had a smartphone that's had a hardware keyboard. After trying the BlackBerry Storm for a week, I realized that I am much more productive when I have a physical QWERTY keyboard (or thumb board to be more precise).

However, if you want something that closely resembles an Apple iPhone, go with the thin and sleek HTC Imagio. I don't think you'll be disappointed because the on-screen keyboard is very easy to use and it comes with large on-screen buttons.

Apple iPhone OS updated to 3.1.2

Apple released an update to the iPhone operating system. With version 3.1.2, you should see fewer problems with your iPhone (or iPod touch) not waking up from sleep. Also, you should experience fewer network problems and crashes during video streaming. Sounds like some much-needed fixes. Time to update my iPod touch.

Which Windows Mobile smartphones will get the 6.5 update?

Are you interested in updating your Windows Mobile smartphone from 6.1 to 6.5? I encourage you to review this Microsoft chart: Updating your phone to Windows Mobile 6.5 to see if your smartphone will be getting the update. The update comes from the manufacturer but it's also up to your wireless provider to release the update. Of course, you can probably find a custom ROM that's built on Windows Mobile 6.5, but it may not run very well if your hardware isn't able to support it.

Here's the link to the chart:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/en-us/meet/wm65-upgrade.mspx

Samsung Moment on Sprint running Google Android

Sprint is about to get a Samsung smartphone running Google's Android operating system. The phone is called the Sprint Moment and it's a slider that has a full QWERTY keyboard. The device has a nice large 3.2" AMOLED screen (so it should be quite energy efficient).

One of the nice aspects of Android is that you gain easy access to Google's core services: Search, Maps, Gmail and YouTube. The major drawback for medical students, residents, physicians, and other healthcare professionals is the limited selection of medical apps for the Android operating system.

I have no doubts that Google's Android will be a successful smartphone OS. The major question is: where will it fall among Apple's iPhone, RIM's BlackBerry, Microsoft's Windows Mobile, and Palm's webOS?

The HTC HD2 has a huge multi-touch screen!

The HTC HD2 will be the first Windows Mobile 6.5 smartphone that has a multi-touch screen. On this smartphones, you'll get to use multi-touch gestures and the HTC Sense user interface that was first seen on the Android-based HTC Hero. The HD2 also has the largest screen of any Windows Mobile smartphone (or just about any smartphone for that matter). A 4.3" screen will look HUGE compared to the old 2.8" screens found on most older Windows Mobile smartphones. Even the 3.6" screens found on the new HTC Touch Pro2 and the HTC Touch Diamond2 will look small compared to 4.3 inches.



The HTC HD2 also has the fastest processor of any Windows Mobile smartphone. The Qualcomm 1 GHz Snapdragon mobile processor will blaze, but will it also drain the battery? The HD2 is slim, but maybe the battery is slim and wide. The HD2 is so slim that it lacks a hardware QWERTY keyboard, but who needs buttons when the screen is this big?


This may be the ideal medical smartphone for older healthcare providers who have difficulty reading small text. Will a large screen = larger text size? Let's hope so.

Verizon HTC Imagio to replace iPhone?

The Verizon HTC Imagio is an exciting addition to the list of Verizon smartphones. This device runs Windows Mobile 6.5, so it won't replace the Apple iPhone. However, I wonder if this will be the phone of choice for current Verizon customers who don't want to wait for an iPhone.

The Imagio has a nice large screen and it is the first Verizon smartphone to support V CAST Mobile TV. So, if you hope to stay current on all your favorite television shows while you're on call at the hospital, this may be the perfect phone for you. It even has a kickstand so that you can prop it up.

Samsung Intrepid reminds me of a thin Palm Treo

Is that a BlackBerry? No. It's a Samsung running Windows Mobile.

The Samsung Intrepid on the Sprint network is a Windows Mobile 6.5 powered smartphone that has a touch screen. It may look like a BlackBerry to some, but the hardware QWERTY keyboard combined with a touch screen is a feature that you won't find on any BlackBerry devices right now.

The Intrepid is like a thin version of the Palm Treo. Samsung has a slightly similar phone on the Verizon Wireless network called the Samsung Saga. This world phone never seemed to gain much popularity because of its limited battery life.

So, if you're stuck on the Sprint network, should you go with the Palm Pre (and have limited medical apps due to the fact that there are few medical apps for the new webOS), or the Samsung Intrepid (where you'll have a greater selection of medical software thanks to Windows Mobile)?

Epocrates Essentials for BlackBerry

Epocrates Essentials is now available for the BlackBerry operating system.

Here's what you'll need: BlackBerry OS 4.1 and a data plan. You better have a memory card for all the software. You can purchase Epocrates Essentials for $159 (1 year) or $269 (2 years). To learn more, visit Epocrates.

AT&T Pure (HTC Touch Diamond2) and Tilt (HTC Touch Pro2)

AT&T likes to rebrand phones as their own. Verizon does the same and this often confuses consumers because they fail to recognize key smartphone manufacturers like HTC. They may recognize names like Samsung and Motorola, but they don't know HTC.

The AT&T Pure is really an HTC Touch Diamond2 that's been rebranded. The Touch Diamond2 is a great smartphone for people who don't mind the Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system and who also don't need a hardware keyboard. If you can live with an on-screen keyboard (similar to the one found on the Apple iPhone), then you should be quite content with this device - as long as you're familiar with Windows Mobile.

The AT&T Tilt2 is a rebranded HTC Touch Pro2. This is a thicker smartphone that has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. I love my Verizon Touch Pro2 and I welcome the thicker device for the hardware keyboard.

One of the biggest benefits of Windows Mobile right now is the fact that there's a plethora of medical software for Windows Mobile 6.5, 6.1, 6.0, and even older versions of Windows Mobile/Pocket PC/etc.

Windows Mobile 6.5 disappoints PC World

According to this blog post on PC World, Windows Mobile 6.5 mostly disappoints. I've been running Windows Mobile 6.5 on several smartphones and I admit that it's not a huge improvement over Windows Mobile 6.1. So, will we see major changes in Windows Mobile 7 or are people giving up on Microsoft? For now, I'll just run whatever I can on my HTC Touch Pro2. As long as I'm able to run key medical apps, I'm happy.

Have you tried Medscape Mobile for iPhone or iPod touch?

Medscape Mobile is an app for the Apple iPhone or iPod touch and here's what it offers:

• DRUG DATABASE with over 6,000 generics and brands, browse by drug class or search by drug name
• DRUG INTERACTION CHECKER - check interactions between drugs, herbals and/or supplements
• MEDICAL NEWS and mobile CME in 30+ specialty areas
• DIRECTORIES with physicians, pharmacy, and hospital listings
• AVAILABLE FREE - no cost to download application

To learn more about Medscape Mobile, click here.

Now, you may feel left out if you don't own an iPhone or iPod touch. You can still access important content by pointing your mobile web browser here: http://mobile.medscape.com

BlackBerry Desktop Manager for Mac OS X

If you're a Mac user and you also happen to have a BlackBerry, then I'm sure you'll be excited to know that the BlackBerry Desktop Manager for Mac OS X has finally been released by RIM! Sync your mobile music with iTunes. Sync contacts and calendar with iCal and Address Book (who needs Outlook?).

HTC Imagio: the next Windows Phone on Verizon Wireless

The HTC Imagio is coming to Verizon later this month (October 6). I'm definitely looking forward to seeing other Windows Mobile phones on Verizon. This one will be the first one to be released with Windows Mobile 6.5. We should also see Windows Mobile 6.5 upgrades for the Touch Pro2.

Speaking of the Touch Pro2, could I live without the hardware keyboard on my HTC Touch Pro2? Probably. However, the keyboard really typing much more efficient when I'm doing a lot of typing.

When will we see the next version of the Samsung Omnia on Verizon? It should also be interesting to also see some Google Android based smartphones later this fall. 

Touch Pro2 allows cell tower location triangulation

Google Maps has a nice featured called "My Location" and it can either determine your location based on a GPS signal or via cell phone tower triangulation. In the past, when Verizon used to disable the internal GPS on smartphones, this feature did not work on most older smartphones. I was pleased to find that the cell phone triangulation works on the new HTC Touch Pro2. I tend to use the built-in GPS, so it may not be very relevant. However, I'm inclined to think that I'm getting a faster GPS lock thanks to this cell tower triangulation.