Best phone on rotations

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Rising third year here. Which phone do you guys think is best to use on rotations when looking stuff up or during downtime on-call or whatever. I prefer a decent-sized and easy to read screen. Self disclosure: I know next to nothing about iPhones/androids so I don't know what's important to consider in buying one. Any help is appreciated.

Originally Posted by MrDocMD

Rising third year here. Which phone do you guys think is best to use on rotations when looking stuff up or during downtime on-call or whatever. I prefer a decent-sized and easy to read screen. Self disclosure: I know next to nothing about iPhones/androids so I don't know what's important to consider in buying one. Any help is appreciated.

iPhone 4s IMO.

+1 iPhone 4S

Samsung galaxy s2 or Google nexus also by Samsung. Android medical app development is moving faster than apple. Plus these phones have better hardware than the iPhone. Give me a 4.6 inch high def screen over the puny 3.5 inch screen any day.

Originally Posted by badasshairday

Samsung galaxy s2 or Google nexus also by Samsung. Android medical app development is moving faster than apple.

Can you back up this claim? From all the medical apps that I've seen, and apps in general really, they always come out for iPhone first, then Android.

+1 iPhone

Originally Posted by Star Fox

Can you back up this claim? From all the medical apps that I've seen, and apps in general really, they always come out for iPhone first, then Android.

+1 iPhone

You can check out a lot of this on tech sites, but basically it goes like this. Rate of growth in the android app market is significantly higher than the iphone. It appears that the Android market may have pulled ahead in total number of apps, or they are at least neck to neck. Also in terms of when apps are put on one platform or another, it use to be true that most come out for iphone first, but with android making up a greater market share of smart phones, this is becoming less true. In fact, popular apps like Epocrates, Facebook, Netflix, etc are on both platforms.

The beauty with the android market is that it allows for open development, unlike the restricted development found on apple. So if you are a doctor and have a great idea for an app, you can make it with ease on the android market and distribute it easily. The best real life example was when I was on ICU rounds with the ICU team. The ICU fellow pulled out an android app that had all the things you could ever want for critical care, neph, cardio, pulm, renal. We all thought it was awesome and d/l it on the spot, except for one resident with an iphone who was searching but could not find it. Turns out this app was made by an ICU fellow who made a very practical app for medical professionals.

At the same time I won't deny that apple has very high quality apps, but in terms of day to day usage it doesn't make as much of a difference as hardware and software capabilities of the devices. This is because the most popular apps are available on both and the small party apps on the android give you a lot of choices.

In sum, android in the future. The market share is increasing in terms of total smart phones and the open application development continues to increase accordingly.

Originally Posted by MrDocMD

Rising third year here. Which phone do you guys think is best to use on rotations when looking stuff up or during downtime on-call or whatever. I prefer a decent-sized and easy to read screen. Self disclosure: I know next to nothing about iPhones/androids so I don't know what's important to consider in buying one. Any help is appreciated.

+1 for the iPhone 4 / 4S.

Play with a 4S in an Apple or AT&T store, and do the same for the best Android phone you can find. You'll have plenty of medical apps on either platform, so choose based on which phone you like more. There has been a string of new Android phone reviews over on Engadget fwiw.

Only thing about the iPhone: odds are good that we're going to see a new one come out sometime before October of this year going by track record (and the usual, more credible rumor mill sites), so you'll be behind one generation in a matter of months if that matters to you.

$0.02.

I have an iphone 4 now but I plan on getting something with a bigger screen, maybe the galaxy s2.

Thanks for all your replies. How much are you folks paying for your service? I'm trying to shop around for the cheapest monthly plan that will be adequate for my needs.

Originally Posted by badasshairday

You can check out a lot of this on tech sites, but basically it goes like this. Rate of growth in the android app market is significantly higher than the iphone. It appears that the Android market may have pulled ahead in total number of apps, or they are at least neck to neck. Also in terms of when apps are put on one platform or another, it use to be true that most come out for iphone first, but with android making up a greater market share of smart phones, this is becoming less true.

So we agree that right now iPhone leads the pack, and even though the gap is decreasing there is still a gap. Total # of Android phones doesn't mean as much as it sounds because even those crappy free phones count as Android devices. Currently, iPhone is your best option. Quote from this article:

"Apple remains at number one for app development, with 89 percent of developers expressing an interest in the iPhone and 88 percent interested in the iPad."

Originally Posted by badasshairday

In fact, popular apps like Epocrates, Facebook, Netflix, etc are on both platforms.

Yet, it took over 2 years for Epocrates to get their premium version on Android. It took 2 years for Medscape to get on Android. Facebook/Netflix are irrelevant, we are talking about medical apps. Still no NEJM for Android.

Originally Posted by badasshairday

The beauty with the android market is that it allows for open development, unlike the restricted development found on apple. So if you are a doctor and have a great idea for an app, you can make it with ease on the android market and distribute it easily. The best real life example was when I was on ICU rounds with the ICU team. The ICU fellow pulled out an android app that had all the things you could ever want for critical care, neph, cardio, pulm, renal. We all thought it was awesome and d/l it on the spot, except for one resident with an iphone who was searching but could not find it. Turns out this app was made by an ICU fellow who made a very practical app for medical professionals.

Fragmentation is the weakness of Android. Check out this recent article: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2401813,00.asp

I also doubt if this story is 100% accurate because why is your iPhone-wielding resident searching for the app when it is only on the Android Market? Of course you can't find it on an iPhone.

Originally Posted by badasshairday

At the same time I won't deny that apple has very high quality apps, but in terms of day to day usage it doesn't make as much of a difference as hardware and software capabilities of the devices. This is because the most popular apps are available on both and the small party apps on the android give you a lot of choices.

In sum, android in the future. The market share is increasing in terms of total smart phones and the open application development continues to increase accordingly.

I have to admit I am envious of the open dev philosophy of Android, but I still think the cons outweigh the pros. I urge everyone to read this article on iOS vs Android for medical professionals:

http://www.imedicalapps.com/2011/04/...phone-android/

The question is, are you willing to get a phone now and bet on the Android Market overtaking the App Store in the future, or would you rather just go with the #1 smartphone ecosystem that exists today? Android is better than iPhone is some ways (hardware choice), but the app ecosystem is not one of them.

In the end, beyond all this minor BS we nerds are discussing the phone you go with is mostly based on personal preference. It looks like the OP wants a bigger screen, so one of the Androids with a larger screen will probably be better, maybe a Galaxy Nexus.

As a brief footnote, apps are important but consider everything else.

I got an iphone with ATT in December as my first smartphone. I love it for being a miniature computer, but it absolutely blows ass as an actual phone, call quality is extremely poor with lots of clicks, weird effects, and soft drops where everything goes quiet for 5-10 seconds.

If you really want to enrage an attending, ask him what he said again, five times in a two minute conversation.

Also look into carrier coverage. It's important that you get good reception in your clinical rotation hospital. I don't, about 99% of the time in the hospital my phone says NO SERVICE.

For some reason everybody here uses phones as pagers rather than the actual pagers. It's a nightmare. I may have to buy another phone with a different carrier.

Originally Posted by Star Fox

So we agree that right now iPhone leads the pack

No. Overall the Google Nexus and Galaxy S2 are better options. Google maps, navigation, swype keyboard, customization galore, widgets which definitely extend the utility of apps, the ability to have an external battery charger so you are never stuck to the wall or run out of battery, 4G speeds.

Yet, it took over 2 years for Epocrates to get their premium version on Android. It took 2 years for Medscape to get on Android. Facebook/Netflix are irrelevant, we are talking about medical apps. Still no NEJM for Android.

Android was relatively unheard of 2 years ago. The past 12 months have been huge for the Google platformed phones with the Galaxy S2, HTC sensation, Galaxy Nexus which basically blew the iPhone 4 out of the water. This forced apple to play catch up and call the iPhone 5 the iPhone 4s, since they were simply playing catch up. I don't think it will take 2 years for major apps to cross platforms anymore.

Let's not forget that the catch up again goes both ways. Voice commands such as email, calling, texting, navigation, searching have all been standard on Androids far before the iPhone. 4G speed took a year longer to become available on the iPhone than the Android devices.

Anyways in terms of apps the biggest difference with the iPhone app market is that it is driven even more by buying apps rather than on the Android market which is driven by free apps.

I also doubt if this story is 100% accurate because why is your iPhone-wielding resident searching for the app when it is only on the Android Market? Of course you can't find it on an iPhone.

Because an android wielding resident can search for epocrates and radiology apps etc that are the same or very similar to the iphone apps. Unfortunately this neat app created by a physician wasn't available for her iphone.

http://www.imedicalapps.com/2011/04/...phone-android/

This article is over a year old. The Galaxy S2 was a huge game changer. 12 months is a long time. For example, iPhone just stepped up to 4G and they fixed the whole left handed call dropping problem. Still no flash though.

Originally Posted by badasshairday

For example, iPhone just stepped up to 4G and they fixed the whole left handed call dropping problem.

Noticed this on some friends' iPhone's several weeks ago so I did some searches and found this:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2401422,00.asp

I imagine the next iPhone will have hardware 4G LTE though

4G is one of the things some Android phones have over the iPhone, but in the hospital you will have WiFi everywhere so this isn't a big deal. Currently battery life on 4G phones is bad, which is why your Android phones need extra batteries and external chargers, and probably why the iPhone 4S didn't have 4G. I also think a jailbroken iPhone is pretty customizable if that is your thing, although no where near the level Android is capable of. Anyways, I think we can both agree it comes down to which factors are more important and then decide based on that. For me a solid app store, good battery life, and consistent updates were worth sacrificing a bigger screen and better hardware specs. I don't think one phone completely dominates the other.

Originally Posted by Star Fox

4G is one of the things some Android phones have over the iPhone, but in the hospital you will have WiFi everywhere so this isn't a big deal. Currently battery life on 4G phones is bad, which is why your Android phones need extra batteries and external chargers, and probably why the iPhone 4S didn't have 4G. I also think a jailbroken iPhone is pretty customizable if that is your thing, although no where near the level Android is capable of. Anyways, I think we can both agree it comes down to which factors are more important and then decide based on that. For me a solid app store, good battery life, and consistent updates were worth sacrificing a bigger screen and better hardware specs. I don't think one phone completely dominates the other.

For sure. btw the Android gives me 16 to 36 hours or battery life with typical use. I probably average around 24-30 hours. So it needs one charge per day which is typical for smart phones. I just have an external charger because I never want to be stuck to the wall or find myself on low battery because I didn't have time to let it charge. I take advantage if the fact that I can switch out the battery in 10 second and be back at 100% without ever having to be stuck to an outlet.

IPhone 4s was having plenty issues with battery life. I recall internet articles talking about this issue.

In the end it is personal choice. Just trying to show that there ate plenty of great options now. this is a great thing for all of us.

Originally Posted by MrDocMD

Thanks for all your replies. How much are you folks paying for your service? I'm trying to shop around for the cheapest monthly plan that will be adequate for my needs.

Virgin Mobile, you have to pay out of pocket for the phone, but it is $35 for unlimited web, texting and 300 minutes (used to be $25, but still better than anything else)

I got the optimus for $100 with a coupon and it runs epocrates and medscape and all the other medical apps I have on it.

But I am going to second the suggestion to look into what cell phone carrier your hospital uses if you are primarily at one hospital. I spent 3 months at a different hospital that has absolutely no cell phone reception whatsoever except for sprint and it was really frustrating to have basically nobody's phones working.

There are plenty of external battery chargers for the iPhone; the mophie one has 1.5x as much charge as the internal battery; you'll essentially never run out of battery even in a 30 hour shift. I would say that in this hospital, iPhone outnumbers android on the wards probably 10-1. It seems like everyone has an iPhone from med students to residents to attendings. That's been pretty consistent at the four major academic centers I've rotated at.

Originally Posted by badasshairday

For sure. btw the Android gives me 16 to 36 hours or battery life with typical use. I probably average around 24-30 hours. So it needs one charge per day which is typical for smart phones. I just have an external charger because I never want to be stuck to the wall or find myself on low battery because I didn't have time to let it charge. I take advantage if the fact that I can switch out the battery in 10 second and be back at 100% without ever having to be stuck to an outlet.

IPhone 4s was having plenty issues with battery life. I recall internet articles talking about this issue.

In the end it is personal choice. Just trying to show that there ate plenty of great options now. this is a great thing for all of us.

Originally Posted by drizzt3117

I would say that in this hospital, iPhone outnumbers android on the wards probably 10-1. It seems like everyone has an iPhone from med students to residents to attendings. That's been pretty consistent at the four major academic centers I've rotated at.

I don't deny it. Like I stated before, iPhone was king for quite some time it was really the only choice. But my point is that there are now a lot more choices out there. iPhone still has the aura of popularity based on it's history. This is changing. Most people like myself who are using Android devices use to be iPhone users. I couldn't be happier as are pretty much all android users. Most people I have found stick with Androids once they give it a chance and drop the iPhone. A lot of people using iPhone's have only experienced the Apple smart phone at this time so they upgrade to what is familiar. have Different strokes for different folks. I'm pretty familiar with both systems as I had an iPhone 3GS before my Android, my fiancee has an iPhone 4 (she wants and Android after seeing my phone), and one of my very good friends has the 4s (die hard apple fan).

My cousin has a S2 and my brother has a droid and both are switching back to iPhone with the next generation. Android has a lot of features but functionality is just not as seamless. 4G LTE with the new iPhone will only improve its functionality.

Originally Posted by badasshairday

I don't deny it. Like I stated before, iPhone was king for quite some time it was really the only choice. But my point is that there are now a lot more choices out there. iPhone still has the aura of popularity based on it's history. This is changing. Most people like myself who are using Android devices use to be iPhone users. I couldn't be happier as are pretty much all android users. Most people I have found stick with Androids once they give it a chance and drop the iPhone. A lot of people using iPhone's have only experienced the Apple smart phone at this time so they upgrade to what is familiar. have Different strokes for different folks. I'm pretty familiar with both systems as I had an iPhone 3GS before my Android, my fiancee has an iPhone 4 (she wants and Android after seeing my phone), and one of my very good friends has the 4s (die hard apple fan).

Originally Posted by drizzt3117

My cousin has a S2 and my brother has a droid and both are switching back to iPhone with the next generation. Android has a lot of features but functionality is just not as seamless. 4G LTE with the new iPhone will only improve its functionality.

Ice cream sandwich is pretty seamless. The features provided on the Android are significantly more. Also the ability to root your phone is nice so you can tether other devices to your data without paying an extra tethering fee.

In the end it is a personal decision. I feel like the Android devices vs iPhone devices is like PC vs Apple. Sort of like asking yourself if you want to have the functions of the mouse right click or not. Or the ability to trick out your system versus keeping the simple but very functional stock factory options.

If you have time to watch all four of his videos, he pretty much explains why Android >>> iOS. The file management system of Android alone is enough for me to see why Android is superior.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=NMiY1kSTHZw

Originally Posted by dmplz707

If you have time to watch all four of his videos, he pretty much explains why Android >>> iOS. The file management system of Android alone is enough for me to see why Android is superior.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=NMiY1kSTHZw

Yep. I mean, rather than carry around a thumb drive, I can just plug my phone into any computer and have instant access to 40 gigs of storage. I can carry around dozens of movies, whatever. Apple's insistence that you sync your phone's storage with a single iTunes account (which carries a nontrivial risk of randomly erasing everything) means that this is straight-up impossible.

Plus, if you're an uber nerd, the ability to write code on a computer in Eclipse, plug a USB cable into your phone, and run it instantly on your phone is simply... amazing.

And actually as of a few weeks ago there's an Android IDE, as in, one that runs on Android. Obviously this is a little more useful on a tablet than a phone, but wow. It's a real OS.

iOS is just a endless mess of icons. I guess it's easy to have "seamless functionality"* when the OS only does two things - scroll a 5x4 grid and launch apps. My Android home screens are dedicated to a set of widgets that I simply can't live without and the app links are mostly hidden in a drawer where they belong.

I don't deny that the apps are generally better or at least come out sooner with many iOS exclusives. But it's inferior to Android in every other way, and I don't see how it can stay on top forever through sheer inertia.

*Like that guy shows in the video, Apple's ham-fisted enforcement of arbitrary rules like "Safari opens for everything" means that tasks that my Android phone has done instantly from day one (e.g. loading a link from an email in your browser of choice) require like 30 seconds of effort. Lazy or malevolent, doesn't really matter... that's just bad.

I am an iOS and OS X user, but I'm also an admitted techie who is never happy leaving things alone and dual-booted Fedora for fun going back to when it was still Fedora Core 4. Just as counterpoint to the iOS / iPhone bashing:

Neither total customization nor openness means a damn thing if the user doesn't particularly care about it on that particular platform. It's not "better" -- it's just better suited to some people.

Originally Posted by MrDocMD

Rising third year here. Which phone do you guys think is best to use on rotations when looking stuff up or during downtime on-call or whatever. I prefer a decent-sized and easy to read screen. Self disclosure: I know next to nothing about iPhones/androids so I don't know what's important to consider in buying one. Any help is appreciated.

The best phone is one that gets signal in the hospital/OR. Interestingly, most pager system in east coast, esp NYC, hospitals is by Nextel, which is owned by Sprint. So while sprint is not as good as verizon, in hospitals sprint phones get signals everywhere. If you really want to get signal even in the basement of the hosp, get nextel iDEN phone. (but those phones dont have internet capability)