Soon, smartphones like the Droid X or iPhone 4 will seem really obsolete. Here are my predictions regarding smartphone features that will be found on most smartphones by the end of 2011:
4G capability (HTC won't be the only one producing 4G smartphones)
Dual-core processor (my Droid X running a 1 GHz is very fast, but imagine what you could do with a dual-core processor!)
Superior voice recognition and voice command (who needs a keyboard?)
Dual cameras on the front and the back (this will become a standard feature soon)
More cloud computing features and capabilities (so get ready to use Google Docs on a regular basis)
What else?
3D display? (I don't think so)
Superior battery life? (probably not much better than current Lithium Ion batteries)
Smaller vs. larger? (we'll probably have more options for smaller and larger devices)
Will it replace my PC? (not quite yet, but we're getting closer each year)
More integration with the car (as a GPS, as an Internet radio, and as digital concierge)
I'm happy with my current Droid X and I don't think I'll be upgrading to a new smartphone in 2011. However, I predict that I'll either get an iPad 2 or some other slate tablet (probably running Android) in 2011.
People aren't calling it the Apple iPhone. It's the "Verizon" iPhone. Big Red has finally announced that they will be offering an iPhone in the early part of 2011 and reports are predicting that millions of people will get in line to buy the Verizon iPhone. Will you be one of them?
Given that I recently upgraded to the Motorola Droid X, I won't be making the switch. However, I'm willing to keep an open mind so that I can reassess the situation in 2012. Perhaps by then the vast majority of devices will be 4G. Maybe your smartphone OS won't be a critical factor. After all, I'm predicting that future smartphone apps will be cloud-based and they will run off the mobile web browser. So, it really won't matter which OS you're running if you're truly computing off the "cloud."
Have you heard of the term "virtualization software" used in the context of health IT? I'm sure you've heard of cloud computing. Some experts have said that virtualization unlocks cloud computing. Many people still have misconceptions about cloud computing and may even confuse this phrase with virtualization. Grid computing (a form of distributed computing and parallel computing, whereby a 'super and virtual computer' is composed of a cluster of networked, loosely coupled computers acting in concert to perform very large tasks) deals with virtual machines.
The Samsung Moment is now available from Sprint. It's Sprint's second smartphone to run Google's Android smartphone operating system (the HTC Hero was the first). It's great to see a smartphone that has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard and an AM-OLED screen.
Although this device comes with Android 1.6, let's hope that it will soon get the upgrade to Android 2.0.
As we see more Android smartphones emerge, let's hope that all those medical application providers are quickly cranking out software that will be compatible for Android. At the end of the day, everything may turn into web-based software services and we may no longer need standalone apps that reside on a handheld. Once that becomes the norm, we won't worry about smartphone operating systems. You'll simply need a mobile web browser to access your medical references, calculators, etc. It will be cloud computing on a mini (or nano) scale: on your smartphone.
Is the Nokia N97 a good option for medical students, residents, physicians, and other healthcare professionals? Unfortunately, I'll have to say no. Why? Because it runs the Symbian S60v5 operating system. You will have a very difficult time finding any medical software for Symbian. So, unless you plan to carry a separate PDA (who does that these days?), you're much better choosing another smartphone that runs a different OS.
I really like Nokia and their products. It's a shame for the medical community to see that Nokia has been slow to adopt operating systems that are more appropriate for healthcare professionals.
Perhaps if we eventually embrace Cloud Computing and run apps on the cloud, then we won't be dependent on native apps and we won't really care that much about the operating system. Until then, we (as healthcare professionals) must use smartphones that will allow us to run critical medical apps.
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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
