2010: Android vs. iPhone

In 2010, I think the Apple iPhone will face some serious competition against Google's Android smartphones. HTC and Motorola have come out with some really nice Android smartphones. Google has the Nexus One. HTC has some nice new models launching in 2010.

As a result, you have many hardware options if you choose Android. If you want a thin touch-screen phone, you've got that in the HTC Droid Eris, the T-Mobile myTouch, or the HTC Hero. If you want a hardware QWERTY keyboard, you can get that with the Motorola Droid or some of the newer HTC smartphones. 

Apple will always have a loyal base of users, but many non-Mac users will easily make the switch from iPhone to Android if they don't need to switch wireless carriers and if they have Windows-based PCs at home and at work. I know that many physicians love their Macs, but they're stuck with Windows-based PCs at work to run their Electronic Health Records (EHRs) or Electronic Medical Records (EMRs). Right now, several EHR vendors have developed iPhone apps for their system, but it's only a matter of time before we see some Android solutions as well.

Android will be used on mobile devices beyond the smartphone, so it will quickly become a ubiquitous mobile operating system. Apple may come out with a tablet running the iPhone OS, but that won't compete against all the laptops and mini computers that may be running Android as a complimentary OS. 2010 should be a very interesting year for Android and iPhone.

Mobile EHRs for the Apple iPhone

I was having an online discussion today and the question came up: which Electronic Health Records (EHRs) have an application for the Apple iPhone? I know of two major EHR companies that are developing iPhone apps:

1. Nextgen EHR Mobile
   
2. eClinicalWorks and eClinicalMobile

I'm sure there are others out there, but I thought I'd start the discussion with these two. These two are currently in development (unless I'm mistaken) and should be available sometime this year.

Lock Your Phone

If you carry a smartphone, do you keep it locked? I don't mean the simple "slide to unlock" feature found on the Apple iPhone. I'm talking about a security feature that includes a password so that others can't access your phone.

Many clinicians keep very confidential data on their smartphones (even patient information) and this may become a liability if you accidentally lose your device. Data security breaches are occurring all over the country and it's becoming increasingly important to ensure that we're doing everything possible to secure and protect patient data. Even if you don't have any important patient data on your phone, make sure to always lock it so that you protect yourself.

Top Posts in April 2009

Top posts for April 2009:

1. What's the Best Smartphone for Physicians?

2. More EHRs Compatible with Smartphones

3. iPhone Application for OB/GYN

4. Smartphone Use Increasing Among Physicians

5. Get a Free Palm Pre as a Reviewer

More EHRs Compatible with Smartphones

Does your EHR (Electronic Health Record) run on your smartphone? More EHR providers are creating either a special web-based interface or an application for their platform. Some examples include Nextgen and Allscripts for the iPhone. Undoubtedly, the Apple iPhone has one of the best mobile browsers built into the operating system. As soon as other platforms like Windows Mobile and BlackBerry include more powerful browsers into the standard operating system, the iPhone will continue to dominate the mobile EHR space.