Technology iPad

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

Caesar

In Memory of Riley Jane
Moderator Emeritus
15+ Year Member
Joined
Sep 26, 2007
Messages
17,074
Reaction score
73
So like I am sure many of you I am debating getting the iPad but I wonder a couple things.

a. if I have .pdf texts will I be able to use them on it? I know on my iphone I can READ .pdfs but I want to see them in the "books" section and save them to the ipad
b. stylus? Are they going to add one and maybe an app for editing powerpoints? I'd be allllll over this if they did.

Anyone know anything about either of these two things?

Members don't see this ad.
 
So like I am sure many of you I am debating getting the iPad but I wonder a couple things.

a. if I have .pdf texts will I be able to use them on it? I know on my iphone I can READ .pdfs but I want to see them in the "books" section and save them to the ipad

Yes, there are applications out there that can convert pdf to epub format which then can be placed on the iPad

b. stylus? Are they going to add one and maybe an app for editing powerpoints? I'd be allllll over this if they did.

Stylus.. not sure about it but I doubt it seeing how there never was a stylus made for the iphone, don't see why they would make one for the iPad

For the powerpoints there will be an app for that take a look here
 
if I have .pdf texts will I be able to use them on it? I know on my iphone I can READ .pdfs but I want to see them in the "books" section and save them to the ipad

According to some of the early reviews, you will be able to view PDF files.

http://www.ubergizmo.com/15/archives/2010/01/ipad-first-impressions-review.html

stylus? Are they going to add one and maybe an app for editing powerpoints?

I haven't heard anything about either of those.*

*Edit: Whoops, Slevin and I were replying at about the same time. Thanks for the mobile iWork link.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
So like I am sure many of you I am debating getting the iPad...
Nope.

1st Rule of Apple: If they come out with an awesome product the 2nd revision will be twice as useful because it will have more features and fix all the problems that were introduced in the original design.
 
I said I wasn't going to get one, but went ahead and ordered one. The reason? As I was exercising the other day (I always use the recumbent bike for cardio), I realized I could use the iPad to surf the web/read newspapers while exercising.
 
Blue

Did you order one?

I did. Looking forward to April 3rd! :D

I got the cheap one, though. I figure it'll either suck, in which case I'm only out $500, or it'll be awesome, in which case I won't mind upgrading.

I'm anxious to see how the Citrix client works with my EMR. Using the iPad in the exam room would be very cool.
 
I did. Looking forward to April 3rd! :D

I got the cheap one, though. I figure it'll either suck, in which case I'm only out $500, or it'll be awesome, in which case I won't mind upgrading.

I'm anxious to see how the Citrix client works with my EMR. Using the iPad in the exam room would be very cool.

Great for whacking drug seekers over the head. Not that I advocate violence in any form. That would actually be a bad thing...for the iPad.
 
I should have clarified, I wonder if you can write directly on the powerpoints as if taking notes and if they have a spot to type in note below the slides like in PPT.

I feel like the more I look the more likely I am to get one this August.

You guys that get them in April should let the rest of us know what you think.

I also wonder how responsive the typing will be... I mean my Iphone 3G sometimes lags and I only use 2 thumbs, how will this be when I can theoretically use 10 fingers comfortably. Anyone know when Apple stores will have these?
 
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oI4zwHyDnR0[/YOUTUBE]

Looks like you CAN draw on the slides, but can't save them. If anyone comes across any, let me know please?
 
Last edited:
Members don't see this ad :)
If it's going to run other existing apps, I'd recommend getting the DataViz Documents to go for getting pdfs and editing ppt (dunno about writing on the ppt though). The "exchange-support" (so I can download and save exchange attachments) version of DTG is some of the best 15$ I spent on my iPod Touch.
 
I can see using something like that on the back if you want to keep it from getting scratched up, but do you really need to put one on the screen? It's glass, right? And pretty scratch-resistant, from what I've seen and read.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/133636/how_tough_is_the_iphone.html
Yeah I guess that's true but I've always had one placed on my iPhone, besides it's easy to put on and it's an extra level of protection and it doesn't distract from the interaction with the device at all
 
Tosh.0 found a good use for the iPad...
I guarantee that's the last Apple product he ever gets...

If one has purchased "Apps" for ones iPhone/iPod Touch, can one just re-download them for use with the iPad or does one have to pay for the "Apps" again?

How long do you think it will be until someone "Jailbreaks" these? I give it 3-4 months at the most.
 
I guarantee that's the last Apple product he ever gets...

If one has purchased "Apps" for ones iPhone/iPod Touch, can one just re-download them for use with the iPad or does one have to pay for the "Apps" again?

How long do you think it will be until someone "Jailbreaks" these? I give it 3-4 months at the most.
If the OS is the same as the iphone I can't see it taking long, but why would you want to? they are shipped unlocked.
 
http://brainstormtech.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2010/03/13/day-1-estimate-120000-ipads-sold/?hpt=T2

Damn, 120,000 iPads sold on the first day...that should be good for Apple's stock price.

There's always at least one naysayer out there. In this case, it's Galen Gruman at InfoWorld:

Pre-ordering the iPad is a fool's game
http://www.macworld.com/article/147073/2010/03/ipad_preorder.html?lsrc=rss_main

He thinks we should all wait until we can fondle one in the Apple store and read the opinion of third-party reviewers (like him, maybe?) before throwing away our hard-earned $500 (I've lost more than that playing poker, FWIW).

Waiting is for PC users, Galen. :laugh:
 
That guy is incredibly annoying. He is one of maybe 3 people who can be on in the background and I will HAVE to change the channel.

The other two being Jimmy Fallon and Carson Daily.
 
http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/15/ipad-pre-orders-estimated-at-over-150-000-possibly-ahead-of-i/

ipad-weekend-analysiscumulativeorders.png


Let's get this out of the way right up front: the estimated number of iPads sold in the first 72 hours is nowhere near official. And if the numbers hadn't been scraped together by a well known amateur Apple analyst who regularly trumps the pros then we'd be skipping the fruits of his black magic algorithms altogether. Nevertheless, Daniel Tello (aka, Deagol), has applied his proven approach of extrapolating Apple web order numbers to come up with a 120,000 total for first day iPad sales that slowed to 152,000 after 72 hours (not including iPads reserved for pick-up). Tello told Fortune, "My best guess, although very tentative given the early stage and few data we have so far, would be that they hit the 1 million unit milestone by the second week after it ships." For those keeping track, it took the original iPhone 74 days to hit 1 million. Quite an accomplishment if these numbers pan out (and that's a big if!) considering that only 3 to 4 million tablets are sold globally each year.

One has to wonder if, in two years, we will see as my iPads on the wards as iPhones. The iPad can run practically all of the iPhone medical apps right out-of-the-box. Moreover, the closest competition is the Joo Joo which is from a no-name company and the Microsoft Courier which is still vaporware at this point.
 
Last edited:
http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/15/ipad-pre-orders-estimated-at-over-150-000-possibly-ahead-of-i/

ipad-weekend-analysiscumulativeorders.png


Let's get this out of the way right up front: the estimated number of iPads sold in the first 72 hours is nowhere near official. And if the numbers hadn't been scraped together by a well known amateur Apple analyst who regularly trumps the pros then we'd be skipping the fruits of his black magic algorithms altogether. Nevertheless, Daniel Tello (aka, Deagol), has applied his proven approach of extrapolating Apple web order numbers to come up with a 120,000 total for first day iPad sales that slowed to 152,000 after 72 hours (not including iPads reserved for pick-up). Tello told Fortune, "My best guess, although very tentative given the early stage and few data we have so far, would be that they hit the 1 million unit milestone by the second week after it ships." For those keeping track, it took the original iPhone 74 days to hit 1 million. Quite an accomplishment if these numbers pan out (and that's a big if!) considering that only 3 to 4 million tablets are sold globally each year.

One has to wonder if, in two years, we will see as my iPads on the wards as iPhones. The iPad can run practically all of the iPhone medical apps right out-of-the-box. Moreover, the closest competition is the Joo Joo which is from a no-name company and the Microsoft Courier which is still vaporware at this point.
I was thinking about this today and the big thing about the iPad and using it on the wards would be data entry. You can use the keyboard one handed with the other cradling the device but that might take too long to type or orders or notes. While with the iPhone/iPod touch you can use both hands at the same time without having to put the device down first
 
I was thinking about this today and the big thing about the iPad and using it on the wards would be data entry. You can use the keyboard one handed with the other cradling the device but that might take too long to type or orders or notes. While with the iPhone/iPod touch you can use both hands at the same time without having to put the device down first

The best apps will be those that require very little typing or interaction with the keyboard, as with any other tablet-type device.
 
I was thinking about this today and the big thing about the iPad and using it on the wards would be data entry. You can use the keyboard one handed with the other cradling the device but that might take too long to type or orders or notes. While with the iPhone/iPod touch you can use both hands at the same time without having to put the device down first

If you're really good, you can learn to type super-fast with one finger. What's the matter with you?

Kids. :rolleyes:
 
I was thinking about this today and the big thing about the iPad and using it on the wards would be data entry. You can use the keyboard one handed with the other cradling the device but that might take too long to type or orders or notes. While with the iPhone/iPod touch you can use both hands at the same time without having to put the device down first
That's why any device that will make a serious impact on the medical field will have an onscreen or physical keyboard where one can type with both thumbs on the keyboard comfortably. I'm not sure why I haven't seen any tablets with physical/onscreen keyboards that offer this ability.

I think it would also have to be something with a surface that can stand up to harsh disinfectants so the device can be wiped down at least once a day to ensure that nothing nasty is living on it. A surface with few grooves/niches would also be beneficial since it would prevent places where dirt/germs can hide. Something waterproof would also be needed due to the common problem of vomit/urine/blood in hospitals.

It would also have to be quite a hardened platform in order to ensure that data stored on the device would be extremely difficult to extract. Something with hardware based real-time encryption, a self-destruction feature for the HD if the wrong password was entered X times or hooked into a system other than the one to which it belongs. EFI based authentication for system and HD access. A routine that would blanks the RAM before shutdown, after log out, after an away time-out is exceeded.

It would have to have low a EMR output in order to prevent interference with telemetry and other systems in the hospital.

Yes, I have given this a lot of thought over the years.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Actually, all I think that is required is that the hardware be relatively inexpensive and easy to use. The main requirement of the platform is that it be consumer-friendly and widely adopted. The functionality will follow. Construct your ultimate health-care tablet for $2000 and up and I will show you four iPads used in a clinical for each one of those.

Take the iPod Touch, for example. It's primarily sold as a gaming device and fulfills none of the physical and data-handling characteristics that one would commonly associate with usefulness in the health care setting but do you see any other kind of PDA in the health care setting?

It's been fifteen years since the the introduction of the Palm Pilot and even longer since laptops were mass marketed and healthcare IT still hasn't come up with devices that are as ubiquitous in clinical settings. I'm currently attempting to get my IT department to stop requiring pagers.

Any personal device that makes a serious impact in the medical field isn't going to be developed for healthcare applications. It will be a consumer device adopted by users first.
 
Last edited:
You could always buy a Zune.
 
Top