Hey iPad fans!

Check out this article http://www.stanforddaily.com/2011/01...ol-classrooms/! What do you think of the tablet's role in med school? Love it, hate it? Either way, we'll be following up with a chance to win soon!

I really wanted one. It seems so cool. But it doesn't have flash so its limited. No USB port. But I really want one. I don't even know if you can annotate textbooks with it.

If I end up not doing well in school, I'll lament a purchase like that.

The guy who is using it for netflix should send his to me.

Only 91 students in the first year class that's pretty small.

I have one. There's a spectacular app called GoodReader that lets you read and annotate PDF's (and many other files) on the iPad. It also syncs to your Dropbox (and many other servers) so you can transfer files easily. I can highlight (various colors), markup, freehand draw, type notes, and manipulate the PDFs in a variety of ways. It's really very, very useful, and certainly blows the pants off my daughter's Kindle. Very readable in normal daylight, although the Kindle might have a very slight edge here. It is FAR better to read in bed (which I do a lot) or on a couch, or pretty much anywhere, than the print version of any book, especially large ones like Harrison's or Robbin's. I was a very early adopter and enjoyed listening to goljan Step 1 audio while reading the goljan transcripts along with the audio. Similar things could be done with Kaplan videos and Kaplan notes, etc.

As a 3rd year, it's been pretty useful, as I have many PDF's of various review books, Harrison's, UpToDate access, internet access, epocrates and various other apps.

The big advantage over the iPhone is the screen size and the blazing speed, which blows my 3gs out of the water, but is probably about the same as the 4. Still, the large screen is the best thing ever for reading, and I have all my books in an easily portably, long battery, NO HEAT package.

Other awesome apps I use daily include AirVideo (streams videos from my home PC to wherever I am, any format), AudioGalaxy (streams music from my home PC to wherever I am), and various medical apps like Epocrates, etc. I only have the WiFi one, but pretty much everywhere I've been on rotations has had WiFi. It's not like I need to check UpToDate in my car. If there is an emergency like that, my phone will (slowly) suffice.

You can do so many things in "the cloud" now that you don't need much storage space. I don't think I've ever filled mine more than halfway. I keep some music stored locally (mostly my favorite songs, and maybe a couple of medical lectures or podcasts, etc), but everything else is accessed remotely. I can stream any song from my large music collection, or any TV show or movie from my PC at home. I store all my books and documents on DropBox (or on my computer at home) so I can access them if needed.

The lack of Flash is much talked about, but I've never had a problem with it. There are plenty of game apps, so not being able to Flash game isn't an issue for me. If I really, really need to, I can access my Windows 7 Desktop via a great app called JumpDesktop which allows me to view flash sites...and more importantly, use USMLE World on my iPad (which otherwise doesn't work because of the funky Java installer).

If I wasn't a med student, I don't know that I'd be that excited about it, unless I travelled a lot or had a ton of cash to blow. For the resourceful, you can actually save a pretty chunk of change if you already have PDFs of your books, which can add up to more than the cost of the iPad (not that I'm condoning pirating books or anything). Typing on it is fine, but I wouldn't want to write at long (more than a couple pages) paper on it. Great for typing emails, SDN posts like this, etc. GREAT for travel, as it's very small, light, can go through airport security without special issues. Did I mention how it doesn't generate any heat...nice and cool.

Anyways...I love it. And, yes, Netflix is awesome.

I think it'd be ideal if I could have all my textbooks on it. I actually resist buying textbooks because I know that I'll never bring them with me since they're too bulky to drag around all day (and I'm a pretty big guy)--and they're expensive. If I run into something I need more info on I use wiki or similar sites (portable and free).

That being said, I probably wouldn't wind up with an iPad unless it's given to me by my school. I recognize that I'd of course be paying for it via tuition, but I'd be able to justify it to myself that way vs spending $500 that I didn't HAVE to spend. I'm just another poor med student...and I wish my school made me buy one!

A couple class mates have them. I could see it being helpful, but as of now I kind of see it more of a luxury then a need. In a few years I can see it being used much more effectively.

Originally Posted by namethatsmell

I think it'd be ideal if I could have all my textbooks on it. I actually resist buying textbooks because I know that I'll never bring them with me since they're too bulky to drag around all day (and I'm a pretty big guy)--and they're expensive. If I run into something I need more info on I use wiki or similar sites (portable and free).

That being said, I probably wouldn't wind up with an iPad unless it's given to me by my school. I recognize that I'd of course be paying for it via tuition, but I'd be able to justify it to myself that way vs spending $500 that I didn't HAVE to spend. I'm just another poor med student...and I wish my school made me buy one!

Yeah, mine was a gift. Still incredibly useful for rotation years.

I did drop the $500 on it (and the $0 on GoodReader) and I very rarely look back. It's got (almost) everything I need in one lightweight package.

Originally Posted by undertake

which can add up to more than the cost of the iPad (not that I'm condoning pirating books or anything). Typing on it is fine, but I wouldn't want to write at long (more than a couple pages) paper on it. Great for typing emails, SDN posts like this, etc. GREAT for travel, as it's very small, light, can go through airport security without special issues. Did I mention how it doesn't generate any heat...nice and co

It really is an awesome device with so many purposes. Have you thought about its worth as a study tool? We're developing a few products that render beautifully on the iPad and have the ability to be powerful study aids. Aclandanatomy.com is just one of them.

We also partner with Inkling to format many of our popular texts just for the iPad. Download a free chapter of Essential Clinical Anatomy to check it out!

I think a tablet is a good idea for schools. At my school, they print out everything for every student so its such a waste of paper for many students because they do all their studying online. But for me, I love the convenience of having paper right in front of me where I can scribble notes and draw all over the paper so I can understand the concepts. But I think tablets are still a good idea for schools.

I'm most likely going to buy one for med school. I'm curious as to how note-taking with a stylus pen works? Does it feel comfortable to take notes compared to using a pencil and paper?

Originally Posted by Myuu

I did drop the $500 on it (and the $0 on GoodReader) and I very rarely look back. It's got (almost) everything I need in one lightweight package.

i'm pre-med but i second that. However, I did meet 2 med students, one was an MD/PhD and both said they use theirs in school.

I've also recently read half of The Emperor of All Maladies, and i know I wouldn't have otherwise. It's a fantastic read that definitely made me think twice about oncology.