Microsoft acquiring Nokia

It's all over the news. Microsoft is acquiring Nokia's handset business for $7.2 billion. Is this the move that will propel the Windows Phone operating system to be competitive against Apple iOS and Google Android? There used to be a time when Nokia dominated the mobile phone market.

Nokia Lumia 900 Windows Phone on AT&T won't appeal to medical professionals

Several years ago, I used to be an avid Windows Mobile user. In fact, I knew many physicians, medical students, and other health care professionals who preferred the Windows Mobile interface over the Palm OS. It's hard to imagine those days when the Palm Treo was the dominant device in the health care sector.

Fast forward to 2012 where the overwhelming majority of medical professionals use the iPhone, an Android smartphone, or a BlackBerry. Palm is out of the picture and some people are wondering what Microsoft is going to do.

Nokia and Microsoft have teamed together to reveal the Lumia 900. This smartphone runs the Windows Phone OS and is going to be available on AT&T. Will this be a smartphone that's going to capture the attention of medical professionals?

The Lumia 900 appears to be a great smartphone for your average consumer, but I doubt that medical professionals will embrace this new device. This new smartphone won't appeal to medical professionals because of the lack of medical apps in the Windows Phone "App Store." Android apps are quickly catching up to iOS. BlackBerry is losing traction in the medical apps space. Windows Phone has a very long way to catch up.

MyGlucoHealth Wireless Mobile App

MyGlucoHealth Wireless Mobile App Leading Download Application From Ovi Store by Nokia

Worldwide Downloads of Diabetes Management Application Exceed One Quarter Million and Growing Daily

SAN DIEGO, Nov. 8, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The MyGlucoHealth Wireless Mobile App is downloaded every 29 seconds somewhere in the world from the Ovi Store by Nokia. Since its introduction this spring, more than one quarter of a million users in 170 countries have downloaded and installed the MyGlucoHealth diabetes management application.

MyGlucoHealth, in conjunction with Nokia, the world's leading maker of mobile handsets, are teaming to market this unique wireless diabetes management technology to persons with diabetes from around the world. MyGlucoHealth works with a real-time online data collection network to securely upload and manage blood glucose readings using a mobile phone. MyGlucoHealth gives the patient more direct control over their care while providing clear lines of communication with clinicians and caregivers.

World's thinnest smartphone is not ideal for medical professionals

The Nokia E71x is currently the world's thinnest smartphone and it's available on the AT&T network. However, it's not an ideal smartphone for medical professionals because this device runs Symbian S60 3.2 and you'll have a very difficult time finding medical apps for Symbian. Nokia has a loyalty to Symbian, but I have to predict that Nokia will have to branch out into Android if they plan to survive in the smartphone space.

So, although the E71x looks great, it's really not an ideal for health care professionals and students who want to leverage the smartphone in the clinical setting.

Nokia N900 now available (but not suitable medical community)

The Nokia N900 is now available, but I'm not sure that you'll want this device if you're a health care professional. Now, if the N900 ran Android, then I would recommend it. However, since it runs Maemo 5 (Nokia's own Linux-based OS), you'll hardly find any medical apps for it. That can be a huge problem if you're trying to use your smartphone as your peripheral brain. No medical calculators. No medical references. No drug guides. No patient tracking software. No EMR/EHR apps. (well, maybe "no" is a strong word, but you'll hardly find anything medical out there for Maemo).

So, although the N900 looks like an incredible Internet Tablet, I would not recommend this device for anyone who wants to use it as a smartphone/PDA. If you want a gadget purely for web browsing, then the N900 makes a great (but expensive) toy. Maybe we should not call it a toy. It's an MID (mobile internet device). No, it's an Internet Tablet. OK, fine. It's just a big kid's toy.

Nokia N900 Internet Tablet

The Nokia N900 is an "Internet Tablet" and a GSM smartphone. However, you'll have a really difficult time finding medical apps for this device since it does not run your "typical" smartphone operating system. You just won't find much medical software that will run on Linux Maemo. However, if you're content researching and accessing all your health content via a mobile web browser, then the N900 may end up working out for you.

I wouldn't recommend the N900 to medical students or residents because you'll be much more productive if you can load medical apps directly on your device to boost your productivity. If you're looking purely for a recreational device, then the N900 is a great little gadget "toy" for your bag or purse.

Nokia recalling cell phone chargers

If you're using a mobile phone made by Nokia, you should check to see if your charger needs to be exchanged (for free). Here's why they're being recalled:

We have determined that the plastic covers of the affected chargers could come loose and separate, exposing the charger’s internal components and potentially posing an electric shock hazard if certain internal components are touched while the charger is plugged into a live socket.

Click here for more information about the charger recall

Smartphone capabilities in 5 years

I'm not a fortune teller, but I can tell you fairly confidently that smartphones will have some incredible capabilities in 5 years. Here are my predictions:

• Much larger internal storage capacity that exceeds current Flash memory cards. I think we'll see many smartphones that have over 100 GB of storage space. They will rival current laptops in terms of storage.
  
• Much faster processors that are fuel-efficient. (battery fuel). Current smartphones are still running in the MHz range. We'll see smartphones that rival current notebook processor speeds in the GHz range.
• WiMax instead of Wi-Fi. Forget coffeshop hotspots. The entire city will be a hotspot.
  
• Much faster data connections. 3G speed will be like 14.4 K modem speeds compared to modern broadband speeds.
  
• Large touch screens. All of them will have touch screens. Smartphones that lack a touch screens will be considered "antiques."
• Built-in GPS. They will all have internal GPS chips. This is becoming quite standard right now, but in 5 years, we'll see this as the norm.
• Superior voice command and voice recognition. Who needs a keyboard if you can "say it?"
  

In essence, future smartphones will have the capabilities of current laptops (not the fastest laptop, but an "average" laptop). They won't have spinning hard drives, but they will be much more capable of multimedia and high-speed data connections. Just follow the history of the Apple iPod to see changes in Flash storage space, processor speed, battery life, and more. I believe Apple will continue to set the trend that others will follow. Samsung, HTC, RIM, Sony, Motorola, Palm, Nokia, and all the others will follow Apple's lead.

Nokia N97

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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Is a Smartphone an MID?

MID = Mobile Internet Device. Some ultra-mobile PCs are inappropriately called an MID (even though a tiny PC is a mobile device that can get you on the Internet). As smartphone browsers become more powerful, smartphones are essentially turning into MIDs. Many smartphones now have built-in Wi-Fi. The days of the Nokia MID (such as the N810 and N850) may be numbered.

• If smartphones can do everything an MID can do, then why purchase an MID?

Here's something else to consider. Smartphones that have a built-in GPS are starting to replace standalong GPS devices.

• If a smartphone can do everything a standalone GPS navigation can do, then why purchase a standalone GPS navigation device?

The smartphone is starting to become many different devices. Will we see a convergence of all the different smartphone features out there? Will future smartphones all have very similar capabilities and specs?

Hottest New Phones

According to infoSync, the hottest new phones are currently:

• Palm Pre
• Nokia N97
• LG Arena
• Samsung S8300 UltraTouch
• RIM BlackBerry Curve 8900
• Pharos Traveler 137
• Sony Ericsson C901
• Sony Ericsson W508

Want to read more about each of these? Go here for the infoSync story