PC World rates Epocrates for Android 5 out of 5 stars!

PC World recently reviewed Epocrates for Android and they gave it 5 out of 5 stars.  It doesn't get better than that!

This free app, used by thousands of health-care professionals, is a valuable source of information about prescription drugs and their interactions.

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Get it with this QR code:

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Get quick access to reliable drug information with the #1 mobile drug reference, Epocrates Rx! You can tap into multiple clinical tools in one easy-to-use application. Join more than 1.1M healthcare professionals who rely on Epocrates’ innovative clinical products to make more confident decisions at the point of care.

Is Palm dying (or almost dead)?

Some experts are reporting (and blogging) that Palm is dying. Is this true? How many people still use a device running the original Palm OS? I think the number is quite substantial in the health care industry. Perhaps the critical question is: what device will these individuals get when it's time to upgrade smartphones?

Many doctors still use a Palm Treo (or even the Palm Centro). OK, maybe it's not really that many, but there are some. If you're still using a Palm Treo (or even a Palm PDA), then you're not alone. Doctors generally tend to be late adopters of technology because they're so busy saving lives and keeping up with the high volume of patient care (although this trend is changing. see: Docs cut work hours)

In any case, is Palm dying? What about all the excitement around the Palm Pre and webOS? Has Android, iPhone, and BlackBerry swept webOS into the ocean? Will Windows Phone 7 Series add some additional pressure on a dying Palm? webOS was built as an entirely new OS and it doesn't represent the original Palm OS (which is both good and bad). For many doctors, if they're going to learn a brand new smartphone OS anyways, why not get the iPhone, BlackBerry, or Android? Why choose webOS?

Authors at PC World and the Wall Street Journal seem to think that Palm is dying. What do you think?

3G Wireless Performance Tests by PC World

PC World has released their "3G Wireless Performance Tests" and they've given AT&T the highest ranking. I find that rather ironic given all the recent complaints about the reliability of the AT&T network. Maybe PC World ran their tests before the Apple iPhone spread across the 13 different cities tested by PC World. Or, maybe the editors (and testers) at PC World have a bias. Maybe these test results are very representative of the 13 cities tested. Who knows. I haven't performed 3G head-to-head studies, so I have no data.

In any case, it's an interesting study and you can read about it here. Since PC World isn't a peer-reviewed journal, I doubt that we'll see many editorials or comments regarding the study design, methodology, data collection, possibilities of bias, etc. 

10 Free BlackBerry Apps You Must Have (PC World)

PC World recently published this slideshow that lists "10 Free BlackBerry Apps You Must Have"

Here's the list:

1. Foursquare 
2. UPS Mobile
3. Navita Translator 
4. Tvider 
5. Urbanspoon 
6. Movies 
7. NBA Game Time Lite
8. Poynt 
9. Buzzd 
10. Speedtest

So, what do you think? Click here to view the slideshow on PC World. Are these apps really that great?

Top 10 smartphones according to PC World (and my thoughts)

According to PC World, the Motorola Droid running Google's Android OS is the #1 "top smartphone." Surprised? The Apple iPhone 3GS is #2 and the Google Nexus One (Android OS) is #3.

• There are no Windows Mobile phones on that "top 10" list.
  
• Also, the BlackBerry Storm2 didn't make that list.
• 5 out of the 10 run Android
• 2 out of the 10 run webOS
• 2 out of the 10 are BlackBerries
• There's only one Apple iPhone
  

Speaking of the iPhone, many people will argue that the iPhone 3GS should be #1. For 2010, I could make a very compelling argument that the iPhone is the #1 medical smartphone. However, I'm also a strong believer that this could (and probably will) change over the next few years. Having said that, let me say that I still highly recommend the Apple iPhone to physicians who are interested in getting a new smartphone. Many physicians still use older devices like the Palm Treo and they're accustomed to the original Palm OS. They have a Mac at home and all their colleagues in the hospital have an iPhone. Should they get an iPhone? Yes! Should they get an Android smartphone? Not unless they're willing to wait for the release of additional medical software like Epocrates or PEPID.

If you're planning on getting a new smartphone in 2010, go with the iPhone (unless you can't switch to AT&T). If you can wait, then wait and see what happens with Android. You may also be fairly happy with webOS as long as you can wait for software, but why would you want to choose webOS over Android?

To view the PC World list of the "Top 10 smartphones," click here.

The Best Windows Mobile Phone Yet

According to PC World, the HTC HD2 may be the "best" Windows Mobile smartphone yet. Wow! That's quite a statement. In fact, the editors at PC World include the HTC HD2 as part of the "Best of CES 2010." This is how they describe the HTC HD2:

superslim design, a 4.3-inch display, and a powerful 1GHz Snapdragon processor.

With a screen size of 4.3" and a slim form factor, this is almost like an Apple iPhone that has been stretched a bit. So, if you don't need a physical QWERTY keyboard and you really like the Windows Mobile platform, then you may want to get your hands on an HTC HD2. Make sure you have large pockets because this phone may be thin, but it's bulky in a different way because the device is so tall and wide.

Engadget describes the phone like this:

The massive, full touchscreen device boasts impressive specs: a 1GHz Snapdragon CPU, a generous 4.3-inch, 800 x 480 capacitive WVGA touchscreen display, a 5 megapixel camera, GPS, and lots of other bells and whistles.

We're not used to seeing large smartphones like the HD2, but maybe 2010 is the year where we'll see a wide range of sizes so that each user can choose his/her optimal size. Some may prefer the smaller form factor, while others may prefer larger font and larger screens.

Pros and Cons of jailbreaking your iPhone

You've probably heard the term: jailbreak

People are hacking their iPhones to install custom apps, modify the user interface, or to enable certain features such as tethering. Why not just call it hacking? After all, it's a hacked phone. Well, the term jailbreak has stuck and PC World (or Mac World if you prefer) has released a short, but simple article titled, "Jailbreaking your iPhone: The pros and cons."

In my opinion, the main benefit of jailbreaking your iPhone is to access more third-party apps. After all, does it make sense for Apple to filter and approve only certain apps? Shouldn't anyone be able to create an app for the iPhone?

The biggest con is this: stability and security. Those two things really go together. I understand that for some people, "bricking" the device so that it's completely cold and dead may be the biggest con. However, people who are doing the jailbreaking are often experienced enough that they have confidence in their jailbreaking abilities. Now, if you have a jailbroken iPhone, then you could be at serious risk.

So, should you entertain the possibility of jailbreaking your iPhone? Make sure to read this article before you decide.

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.

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.

PC World reviews the Palm Pre

How did the editors at PC World rate the Palm Pre? They gave it an 82 (very good). They say: "A responsive touchscreen, an engaging interface, and a few flaws." Now, I'm referring to the PC World magazine. The website (PCWorld.com) reviewed the Palm Pre back in June and gave it an 87 (very good).

Pros:

• Pre's webOS is gorgeous and easy to use
• Highly responsive multitouch display

Cons:

• Keyboard feels cramped and flimsy
• Lacks removable memory

Going back to the magazine, the key components they highlighted included:

• Hardware
• WebOS
• Social Networking Features
• Multimedia

I really like the form factor of the Palm Pre. You get a nice large capacitive touch-screen device. The phone is a slider, but instead of a wide keyboard that requires both hands, you get a narrow one that could be managed using one hand. I was spoiled when I had my old Palm Treo. I used to type on that device using only one hand. It was very efficient when my other hand was tied up.

Although the Palm Pre has a really nice design, it lacks medical software right now. Unless you use an emulator that mimics the old original Palm OS, you really won't find much out there for webOS. Let's hope that quickly changes.