Confusion regarding Epocrates: support for Palm OS vs. webOS (Palm Pre)

Update: I'm copying/pasting this directly from the Epocrates FAQ page:

Question:
Will Epocrates products work Palm's webOS devices such as the Pre and the Pixi?

Answer:
Epocrates will be discontinuing support for Palm webOS devices. There will be one more update to the existing static, non-updating version. Should you need to install the product, please do so by 1 February 2011 at the latest.

The end of life for this version of Epocrates will be May 2011.

Here's how you can install Epocrates for Palm webOS.

1. Open your Launcher (the icon with the arrow) and select the App Catalog.
2. Within the App Catalog, do a search for Epocrates.
3. Tap on the line that displays Epocrates and then select Install to install the free App.
4. Once Epocrates has installed, tap on it to open the application.
5. Enter your Epocrates username and password.
6. Accept the License Agreement.

Your device must have webOS version 1.35 or higher to install Epocrates. Here's how you can find your webOS version.

1. Open the Launcher on your device.
2. Select Device Info (you might need to scroll sideways to find this icon).
3. Next "Version" will be the Palm webOS version number. If it is less than 1.35, please see your carrier for updates.

Doctors are still using Windows Mobile and the original Palm OS

I think that many of us know that doctors are generally late adopters of technology. So, those who got a PDA or smartphone running Windows Mobile or the original Palm OS are probably still using that same device.

Over the weekend, I got together with several physicians for lunch and dinner. During each meal, we talked about the evolving smartphone market and I saw a few physicians show me that they're still using a Windows Mobile or Palm OS smartphone (like the Treo). Most have switched to the Apple iPhone, RIM BlackBerry, or Google Android. However, some still tend to keep what's familiar and comfortable.

Speaking of smartphones, there are still plenty of physicians out there who are using standalone PDAs. You may still remember those devices (maybe you even had one). When will these doctors switch to a smartphone? Maybe these people are the same ones who are still using paper charts instead of electronic health records (EHRs) in their clinical practice. Doctors are creatures of habit. Plus, they're really busy, so they don't have time to play around with the latest gadgets at Best Buy or the mall. I still meet doctors who tell me that they've never seen or touched an Apple iPad.

Do you miss the simplicity of the original Palm OS?

Did you have a Palm Treo running Palm OS? Maybe you had a PDA like the Palm V or a Sony Clie. Do you miss the simplicity of the original Palm OS?

As a I use different smartphones, I find myself often remembering how the original Palm OS was simple and elegant - perfect for low-tech physicians who tend to be late adopters of technology. I was mainly a Windows Mobile (Pocket PC) user because I didn't care about the simplicity of Palm OS. I needed a PDA that functioned like a PC. I was multitasking all the time.

As I test and use iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, and webOS, I find myself thinking back to those Palm OS days. Those old Palm OS devices were meant to be used with a stylus. Today's smartphones are being built around finger touch input/navigation. The simplicity is returning because we need large icons that we can tap with our fingers. There was no multitouch concept when we were using a passive stylus on our small digital screens. Now, our finger tips act as capacitors, allowing us to input text, navigate on a web page, and control the device through creative two-finger gestures.

What will future smartphones be like? They will incorporate touch-screens, but they will also heavily rely on voice recognition and voice commands. I wonder how long we'll need to wait before that type of voice input becomes the "standard."

Do you remember your first smartphone?

What was your first smartphone? Some of you were early adopters and you may have purchased a Palm Treo 180 back in 2002. Maybe you waited until 2002 so that you could have a color screen and you bought the Palm Treo 270 or 300.  Do you remember the name of the company that made these devices? Handspring.

If you were a true early adopter, then maybe you had the Nokia 9000 Communicator.  The Nokia 9000 Communicator was used by Val Kilmer when he played Simon Templar in the 1997 remake of The Saint

My first smartphone was a Palm Treo 700wx. I had been a long-time Pocket PC user and I was migrating from an HP iPaq. Your first smartphone was probably running Palm OS, right?

There are so many young people who will remember the Apple iPhone 3GS as their first smartphone. What a difference to compare that device to some of these old devices! Wow, I used a smartphone back in the dark ages.

When will you be replacing your current smartphone or PDA?

Physicians tend to get so busy that they can't keep up with modern technology. So many doctors still use old Palm OS PDAs and carry a separate cell phone! I doubt you'll see many U.S. physicians carrying old analog cell phones, but a few of them may still have some really old devices.

How often do you replace your smartphone? If you're an early adopter like me, then you're probably constantly scanning the Internet to learn about the latest and greatest gadget. If that's the case, then you'll never be satisfied. A newer, better device will always be out before your current device "dies." Some of you still using first-generation iPhones are probably waiting for an excuse to upgrade to the iPhone 3GS. Others may be waiting for the iPhone 4G (will it just be 4G, or will it be called 4GS?).

To review old and new cell phones, you may want to search sites like CNET, TestFreaks, Engadget,  iGadgetLife, or PC Magazine. However, don't base your entire decision on professional reviews since most of these reviews are written by tech-savvy users.

Remember when Sony used to make a Palm? (it was called a Clie)

Now that HP has purchased Palm, I wonder what that does to all those Sony Clie PDAs out there running the original Palm OS. Do these go into a museum?  My wife had an old Sony Clie. It had a color screen and it was a really nice PDA. 

I'm eager to see what HP will do now that they've acquired webOS and all of Palm's patents. Just when I thought that webOS was dead, a new twist occurs. Now, I'm thinking that webOS has a bright future in the hands of HP and we'll continue to see innovation coming out of Google, Apple, and HP/Palm.

Doctors are still using PDAs instead of smartphones

I know it's hard to believe, but so many doctors are falling behind on the use of mobile technology. They're still using PDAs that are over 5 years old and they aren't using modern smartphones. I recently attended an educational meeting where over 300 physicians had gathered. Although many were using modern smartphones, quite a few still had PDAs running the original Palm OS or Pocket PC. I'm surprised the batteries on these devices still provide enough battery life on these devices that are over 5 years old.

My wife (a family physician in private practice) and I have both gone through a few different smartphones. Our old PDAs are in our personal museum collection. What type of PDA or smartphone does your doctor use?

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.

Reviewing medical apps

I've had the opportunity to review many different types of medical apps (applications) for the Apple iPhone, iPod touch; RIM BlackBerry; Palm OS; Google Android; and Microsoft Windows Mobile. I enjoy testing devices, apps, etc. It's fun to play around with different devices and apps because I find myself thinking like a software developer. In other words, I'm constantly asking myself: "What would I do differently?" "Where would I place these buttons?" "How should the navigation function?" "Is the interface confusing?"

Do you ask those questions? What may seem intuitive to one person may not be intuitive to someone else.

If you like to test and review medical apps, then perhaps you'll want to join me as I recruit people to test medical apps. You may wish to have an opportunity to test and evaluate a current app so that it could be better. Or, perhaps you'll want to provide feedback to the development team before an app is released. If you're interested, then I encourage you to join my "non-clinical healthcare professionals" network to learn more about possible future opportunities to test and evaluate smartphone medical apps.

Mobile MerckMedicus

Looking for some free medical software for your smartphone? Have you tried Mobile MerckMedicus? It's free and it's easy to use (thanks to Unbound Medicine). It's currently available for the following smartphone operating systems:

• BlackBerry®
• Windows Mobile®
• Palm OS® (v.5 or later)
• Android™

Yes, that's right: Android. That's Google Android. So, if you have an HTC Hero or a Motorola Droid, you're in luck!

Now, what's missing from this list? Where's the Apple iPhone? Where's webOS for the Palm Pre?

What type of content will you get? Here's the current list:

• The Merck Manual, Professional Edition [ 10 MB PDA Memory]
• Harrison's Practice - Answers on Demand [ 16 MB PDA Memory]
• Pocket Guide to Diagnostic Tests, 5/e [ 4 MB PDA Memory]
• MEDLINE Journals, Selected [ 15k PDA Memory]
• Reuters Medical News [ 15 KB PDA Memory]
• RSS News Feeds [ 5 KB PDA Memory]

You can pick and choose your content based on how much storage space you have on your device. I suggest that you use a memory card for all these large medical apps. You may quickly run out of internal RAM if you try to store these large books on your handheld.

To access Mobile MerckMedicus, visit: http://www.merckmedicus.com/pp/us/hcp/hcp_mobile_medicus.jsp

Palm to focus only on webOS

Palm has announced that they will focus on a single operating system for all their smartphones: Palm webOS

• Gone are the days of grayscale screens (did you have one of those?)
  
• Gone are the days of the classic Palm OS. 
• Gone are the days when Palm would make a Treo that ran Windows Mobile
• Gone are the days of standalone PDAs since all the focus is now on smartphones
  

The Treo was a great smartphone. My wife and I both had the Treo 700wx running Windows Mobile. The latest version called the Treo Pro is a really nice device, but it didn't get around very much (and it won't last long at this point). I doubt that we'll see the name "Treo" associated with any new Palm devices. Remember who made the first Treo? Handspring (180, 90, etc). Did you have one of those?

Smartphones are here to stay. Standalone PDAs are disappearing (unless you count the iPod touch as a standalone PDA). Now, let's see who ends up winning the battle of the smartphone operating systems.

Epocrates phasing out support for older devices

Who still uses these types of old devices? I suppose if you're a hungry medical student and you can get a cheap PDA on eBay for $20, then maybe you're in this category.

Epocrates has announced that they will be phasing out support for older Palm OS and Windows Mobile/Pocket PC devices. Specifically, older devices, including those with Palm OS less than 5 and Pocket PC 2002 OS, will lose support.

If you have a Pocket PC, go into Settings, and then click on "About" to see what version you're running. Some older devices (like some of the HP iPaq models) run Pocket PC 2002.

Speaking of Windows Mobile, the Epocrates interface isn't very "touch-friendly" in its current build. You really need a stylus to effectively navigate around. Let's hope that the developers at Epocrates updates and refreshes the Windows Mobile software so that it becomes more touch-friendly for those of us who are stuck with the Microsoft operating system. Why don't we all just switch to the Apple iPhone? If I weren't married to Verizon, would I still be running Windows Mobile? Maybe... (but probably not)

Palm OS no longer supported on Mac OS X

According to some circulating rumors, the next version of Mac's OS X (Snow Leopard) may be dropping Palm OS support. Not surprising since the original Palm OS is a dead operating system. Plus, I'm sure Apple would prefer that people switch to the iPhone.

Among medical professionals, the Palm OS was the dominant PDA operating system several years ago. Why? Because it was simple to use and there were so many medical applications built for the Palm OS. Now, Apple iPhone, RIM BlackBerry, and Microsoft Windows Mobile are the most popular operating systems found on smartphones used by medical professionals. However, Palm webOS and Google Android are starting to catch up quickly.

You can upgrade your Mac to Snow Leopard for $29. You're upgrading from OS X 10.5 to 10.6, so I don't think you're going to see significant changes (you're going from Leopard to Snow Leopard). However, I'm willing to pay $30 for a system upgrade.

MotionApps Classic Palm OS Emulator

The folks over at Brighthand have reviewed the MotionApps Classic Palm OS Emulator for the Palm Pre running webOS. Their conclusion?

MotionApps Classic is a transitional aid. It will help long-time Palm OS users switch to the webOS, and help Palm, Inc. get the webOS off the ground.

Will this emulator keep the original Palm OS alive? I doubt it. We're already seeing very sophisticated medical software for other devices and the original Palm OS is simply dead. Remember that the Palm Pre doesn't include a stylus pen so you have to rely on your finger for touch input.

Another drug reference application for the BlackBerry

I've written about this in the past, but since I get so many questions regarding the BlackBerry, I thought I'd point this out again. Here's another drug reference application for the BlackBerry: Mobile MPR (Monthly Prescribing Reference)

Currently, they have this available for:

• BlackBerry OS 4.1 or higher
  
• Windows Mobile/ Pocket PC
  
• Palm OS
  

What's missing? Apple iPhone, Google Android, and webOS for the Palm Pre.

This application will only take 3-5 MB of space, so to download it and try it out, visit: http://www.empr.com/

The mobilePDR is coming back

The PDR or the Physicians' Desk Reference is a huge drug reference book. Several years ago, I remember using an application called the mobilePDR. Then, things changed and Thomson released the Clinical Xpert for the PDA/Smartphone (which included drug info). Now, it appears that Thomson Reuters is bringing the mobilePDR back.

The mobilePDR will be supported on:

• Apple iPhone and iPod touch
• BlackBerry OS 4.1 or higher
• Palm OS (original)
• Windows Mobile
• Symbian S60, 3rd edition (Nokia)
• Google Android

Hmm, I don't see WebOS for the Palm Pre on that list right now. Maybe they forgot to include it. Or, perhaps they simply think that everyone who owns a Palm Pre will end up running MotionApp Classic emulator.

It's about time we start seeing some medical applications for Google Android. According to Thomson, mobilePDR will require about 100 MB of space and will be available to purchase on a memory card for $14.95. Of course, you can also download the application and install it yourself if you have already have a memory card.

Epocrates MedTools

Here's a list of Epocrates MedTools that are available for both Palm OS (original OS, not webOS) and Windows Mobile. Which one do you find to be most useful?

• MedMath
• Adult ADHD Screener Tool
• BMI Tool
• Corticosteroid Converter
• Drip Rate Calculator
• Essentials for Cardiology
• Essentials for Oncology
• Gail Breast Cancer Risk Calc
• GFR Calculator
• Heparin Dosing Protocol
• INR Calc
• Opioid Analgesic Converter
• STAT Cholesterol Tool
• Tarceva Rash Management Guide Tool
• Temperature Converter
• Topical Corticosteroids

If you're using the Apple iPhone or a BlackBerry, then you're probably waiting for some of these tools for your device. If you're on webOS or Android, I don't know what to tell you. Let's hope that we start seeing more of these tools on other smartphone operating systems.

Free Skyscape Medical Software

Here are a few examples of free Skyscape medical software:

• MedStream ™ - Skyscape's dynamic medical information channels
• MedAlert: Tailored Medical Specialty Information Right To Your PDA
• Archimedes™ - Free Medical Calculator
• CheckRx™: Patient Drug Interactions Guide
• MedWatch - Drug Alerts for your Mobile Device - FREE MedStream Channel
• .911™ - FREE Emergency Management Resource
• Skyscape Food Guide
• Skyscape CME STAT ™

Most of these titles work on the original Palm OS and Windows Mobile. Skyscape is still working on developing software for the Apple iPhone and BlackBerry. They currently have several titles for these devices, but more should be coming soon.

Skyscape also has some free ACC (American College of Cardiology) Pocket Guides that are great for medical students, residents, and even cardiology fellows:

• ACC Pocket Guide - Perioperative Cardiovascular Evaluation for Noncardiac Surgery
• ACC Pocket Guide - Ventricular Arrhythmias and the Prevention of Sudden Cardiac Death
• ACC Pocket Guide - Management of Patients With Unstable Angina and Non-ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction
• ACC Pocket Guide - Implantation of Cardiac Pacemakers and Antiarrhythmia Devices
• ACC Pocket Guide - Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery
• ACC Pocket Guide - Management of Patients With Valvular Heart Disease
• ACC Pocket Guide - Evaluation and Management of Chronic Heart Failure in the Adult
• ACC Pocket Guide - Management of Patients With Chronic Stable Angina
• ACC Pocket Guide - Management of Patients With ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction
• ACC Pocket Guide - Peripheral Arterial Disease
• ACC Pocket Guide - Clinical Application of Echocardiography
• ACC Pocket Guide - Management of Patients With Atrial Fibrillation

Palm OS - survival of the fittest?

Do I believe in "survival of the fittest?" Well, if you're talking about evolution and the idea that we came from a single-celled organism, then no. However, if you're talking about general concepts regarding the continued survival of the "best," then sure. We see this happening all the time.

The Palm OS (Operating System) has gone through some evolution, but not enough to keep it alive over the past few years. WebOS is an entirely different OS, so when I refer to the Palm OS, I am NOT referring to WebOS.

I have old Palm Pilots that ran the Palm OS 1.0. Remember the "Pilot 1000?" Then we saw the "Palm Pilot" and then we saw leaps in hardware technology when then Palm V came out. We started seeing backlit screens (who uses these things in the dark?) and even color screens. Devices started to use rechargeable batteries instead of AAA. However, the OS had only evolved to Palm OS 3.0 and it was still not capable of multitasking. Meanwhile, Pocket PC was starting to gain market share.

The latest devices run Palm OS 5 (which came out in 2002) and these devices have nice color screens and fast processors. But, they are also incapable of multitasking. That's probably what killed the Palm OS. The Palm OS simply wasn't fit to survive. As a result, people saw the writing on the wall and knew that Palm (the OS, not the hardware) was soon going to be dead.

Fortunately, we now have a new OS in town. WebOS is built on Linux and it has the ability to multitask, but it still has significant room for improvement.

Thomson Clinical Xpert

Do you use Thomson Clinical Xpert? I used this back in the days when it was called Micromedex. Remember those days? Currently, Clinical Xpert is only available for the original Palm OS and for Pocket PC (Windows Mobile). It's more than a simple drug database or drug reference guide. To get an idea about different types of databases, here's the list of what you can download:

Name (check ALL databases you want on your handheld PDA)	Approximate Size		Expires
	Palm	Pocket PC
Alternative Medicine Information	461 KB	461 KB	12/14/2010
Calculators	27 KB	27 KB	12/14/2010
Disease Information	4230 KB	4230 KB	12/14/2010
Drug Information	13769 KB	13769 KB	12/14/2010
Drug Interaction Tool	1400 KB	1400 KB	12/14/2010
Supplemental Info	2291 KB	2291 KB
Mobile Lab Advisor	2548 KB	2548 KB	12/14/2010
Toxicology Information	1013 KB	1013 KB	12/14/2010
Xpert Alerts™	5 KB	5 KB	12/31/2020
Auto-View Alerts	0 KB	0

It's great to have resources like this for the PDA/smartphone. Will we see a version of the Apple iPhone? What about Google Android or WebOS?