Which handheld should I buy for my clinic?
I am often asked for advice about the best handheld to buy for a practice. Of course with the rate of new devices hitting the shelves my preferences change rapidly.
As of the 1st of April 2006, my picks are the Palm Tx for those people that want a traditional handheld or the Treo 650.
The Palm Tx is an excellent device and a major improvement over previous Palm handhelds. The built in WiFi works beautifully and is far superior to the WiFi on the LifeDrive. While the Tx has reduced memory compared to the T5, with 128Mb it is more than enough for 95% of users.
The Treo 650 is a very nice combination device. I have used the Treo 650 since it was first announced and overall it is the best phone I have ever owned. It does have some significant drawbacks and no doubt future Treo's will overcome many of these issues. Memory in the Treo 650 is the biggest problem with it limited to only 22Mb. This makes it impossible to have much more than BluefishRx and ePocrates installed on your device. The Treo 650 also lacks WiFi. While the carrier data service will allow you to send Rx's and 'Charges' wirelessly from anywhere with cellular coverage, it is not as fast as WiFi and it is far more difficult to enable wireless printing within the clinic.
Lifedrive Handheld and Reuters News
You have likely seen the press and if you are lucky have held this new device from palmOne. The LifeDrive is part of a new category and direction that I believe, will lead to a resurgence in handhelds.
With a 4Gb hard disk, WiFi /Bluetooth and a screen that is a pleasure to view, this handheld is ideal for healthcare professionals.
Bluefish Wireless worked closely with palmOne on the development of the LifeDrive. The Addit application built on Bluefish Wireless's mobile content publishing software ships on the ROM of the Lifedrive. The Addit desktop conduit is installed at the same time the Palm Desktop and Hot Sync Manager are installed. This is the first device from palmOne that fully integrates Bluefish's software 'out of the box'.
In a deal done just weeks before the official LifeDrive launch, Reuters provides free news on the LifeDrive in multiple categories. Premium services will be available within the next few months. Weather, stock quotes, exchange rates and mapping information will be added to the free service shortly. Current handheld owners will be able to install this service on their own handhelds from June 10 by downloading and installing Addit from www.palmOne.com/addit. If you are already an Addit user the service will be automatically installed.
Where is the future going? I believe that within the next 7 years, the successors to the LifeDrive will completely replace your laptop and cell phone. Services like Skype will allow free VOIP phone calls from your handheld. The LifeDrive will have a 100GB+ hard disk. The device will wirelessly connect to peripherals like keyboards, printers and monitors. The operating system will offer both a Palm like experience when used in handheld mode and a desktop windows experience when operated through a keyboard and monitor. You will carry everything on your LifeDrive and laptops will disappear.
This new device from palmOne is just the beginning. It won't be long before your whole life is truly carried in your LifeDrive!
September User Meeting
I received a strong response from BluefishRx users to my proposal for a user meeting in San Francisco. I now plan to move forward with this idea and hope to finalize dates in the coming weeks.
Sessions will include:
-detailed training on all aspects of BluefishRx and its use in various settings
-basic and advanced use of handhelds
-training on other important handheld medical software
While the meeting will be focussed on the end user, we will include sessions specifically for IT managers and administrators looking to implement BluefishRx and other handheld technology within their facility.
