Technology Best Smartphone for medical students

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bostonguy

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What is the best smartphone for medical students? I know you would need one with either win or palm os (i.e. not blackberry) to install epocrates.
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Great topic, I'm wondering what other people have to say about this.

I had an iMate JAMin (before I smashed it at a carnival) and it was fine except slow to react and load.
 
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Get something with Windows Mobile 5 (or 6 if you're waiting 6 months or so) on it -- most if not all medical software is compatible with it. Skip on the Blackberry because ePocrates doesn't run on it.

I've got a Samsung BlackJack and love it! You have to kill the 3G radio and use EDGE, though, since the battery life WITH 3G is less than 24h on standby. On EDGE, it's your normal 7-days-or-so standby time. If you're with Cingular, and your 2-year plan is up, THIS is the phone to get! I got mine refurbished, not new, and it's just as good as new, so expect to pay only $50.
 
I have a treo 680. I really like it,and its easy to install and run programs. Only problem is the battery life is really short.
 
I have a Motorola Q (Through Sprint) and I love it for...

  • Phone
  • Calendar (so much to keep track of)
  • Tasks
  • Email
  • Contacts
  • Simple notetaking and photo sync with MS OneNote
  • Viewing Powerpoints (small, but large font slides with pics are okay to read on the go)
  • Watching/Listening to video captures of classes (haven't tried it yet with USF's video format, but should work). Just added a 4GB mini-SD card so it should all fit.
  • Occasional free internet access for my laptop through the phone (using some USD$30 software)

With all of this syncing either with MS Outlook (To your local laptop or to your school's servers if they provide this service) or Yahoo's Servers (Note: Yahoo doesn't support OneNote). The phone does run Epocrates, but the screen is small so it's more difficult to navigate at times than on a full-size PDA(but easier and lighter to carry since it's so small, like the blackjack). This phone will be good for me for the MS1 and MS2 years. I'll have to re-evaluate for MS3 as the technology will change by then.

The trouble with any smartphone is that the smaller, more lightweight phones skimp on the battery. You'll probably want to upgrade to an extended battery for your model to get good use out of it.
 
i still buy my phones through amazon.com with their crazy discounts, and up until this next one (which will be the beautiful iPhone since i'm a dyed in the wool Apple fanboy) my phones have been standard Symbian(Nokia)/Moto/LG type offerings.

what do i do for ePocrates? first off, i find just carrying around Tarascon and using the readily available real computers with google/micromedex/whatever easier, and second, i bought a used Palm PDA off of an upgrading classmate for $10. can't beat that price...
 
Moving to Technology Forum as there are similiar threads to be found there. People can follow and reply there if interested.
 
I just got a blackjack a few weeks ago and i love it, its great. I am a subscriber to sirius radio and found a program to put on there that lets me play my sirius, which was awesome.
 
the treo 680 is a palm and the blackjack is microsoft base??

I'm just wondering which operating system is better for the software available?
 
more free stuff and boot leg stuff available for palm
 
danierrr said:
Get something with Windows Mobile 5 (or 6 if you're waiting 6 months or so) on it -- most if not all medical software is compatible with it. Skip on the Blackberry because ePocrates doesn't run on it.

I've got a Samsung BlackJack and love it! You have to kill the 3G radio and use EDGE, though, since the battery life WITH 3G is less than 24h on standby. On EDGE, it's your normal 7-days-or-so standby time. If you're with Cingular, and your 2-year plan is up, THIS is the phone to get! I got mine refurbished, not new, and it's just as good as new, so expect to pay only $50.
Click to expand...

Sprint has a WM6 phone out right now. Can't remember the name though.
 
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I've got a cingular 8525. It's pricey but it does everything and well. Battery life is excellent too.

-Mike
 
Chronic Student said:
I've got a cingular 8525. It's pricey but it does everything and well. Battery life is excellent too.

-Mike
Click to expand...

Can you put epocrates on the cingular 8525? I saw one site where it looked like you couldn't. If you can't use epocrates then what is similar that it could use?
 
Pontifex Maximus said:
The HTC Mogul/PC-6800. Just ordered one myself.
Click to expand...

Looks like a great phone, but my data plan will jump from $15/mo to $40/mo if I get it ... I'm going to stick with my PPC-6700 for now.
 
Dr. Ditka said:
Can you put epocrates on the cingular 8525? I saw one site where it looked like you couldn't. If you can't use epocrates then what is similar that it could use?
Click to expand...

Sorry, I have not checked this thread in awhile.

The answer is yes!

I have not had any problems at all with it. In fact word, excel, powerpoint, PDF files, all of them have worked just fine. Except for extremely large files which just take too damn long to load.

-Mike
 
As would be expected, everyone here appears to favor a Palm or Windows Mobile device. As such, I thought I might offer an alternate perspective.

Given that Lexi-Drugs is now available for the Blackberry, it is a viable option for some users. Granted, it costs $75.00 for a one year subscription, but you get what you pay for; where it counts, Lexi-Drugs is vastly superior to Epocrates. One nice feature of Lexi-Drugs for Blackberry is the ability to receive live updates via the Blackberry data service. Of course, you'll need to consider the cost of a Blackberry data plan when evaluating whether or not it's a good option for you.

Basically, if you're a practicing professional, don't be too quick to eliminate a Blackberry from consideration. The current version of Palm OS is really beginning to show its age, and Windows Mobile has stability and performance issues (not unlike its parent operating system). If you are a student, the Blackberry route could prove cost-prohibitive; I'd probably stick with Palm or Windows Mobile with Epocrates Rx.

In addition to Lexi-Drugs, Lexi-Comp, Inc. offers numerous other clinical databases and programs for Blackberry. Go to www.lexi.com --> Store --> Handheld Software --> Individual Databases to review all their products.

Also, Skyscape (www.skyscape.com) offers lots of software that is now available for Blackberry.
 
I don't really want a phone with my PDA, just the pda. Is the Palm T/X going to do everything I need it to do, and do it well? It seems kinda old (didnt' it first come out in 05?) so I'm kinda leery...
 
Bill_Brasky,

If you're certain that you want a dedicated PDA, rather than a smartphone, the Palm T|X is arguably the best Palm has ever made. It has been around since late 2005, but it lacks nothing; indeed, most companies have concentrated on smartphone development, so it's still one of the most feature-laden PDAs available. It runs the latest version of Palm OS, and supports Bluetooth and Wifi. Rest assured that it can handle any medical software of interest to you.

That said, I do have some concerns. The device is fine. It will do more or less anything you need. If you're determined to buy a Palm PDA, it's your best option. My advice, though, is to try a recent Windows Mobile PDA before committing to a Palm. The Palm OS is really showing its age at this point; there hasn't been a major update of the operating system in years. Furthermore, it was never really designed for multitasking or more intense tasks like web browsing; it manages, but it's clumsy. If web browsing is a concern, go with a Windows Mobile device. Or, if you're not entirely against a smartphone, check out the Blackberry 8800.
 
Agree with the above. I was pretty sold on a TX and a separate cell phone until I discovered that palm os does not sync well with Vista, a requirement for me (will sync calendar but can not install programs without some awkward workarounds and sometimes not at all). If Palm can't get this worked out this will be the end of Frankengarnet.

Not liking the dedicated windows mobile PDA options I went with the Palm Treo 700wx.
 
I have the Motorola Q, and I enjoy it for the most part.

Pros:
EV-DO compatible... great!
Calendar, tasks, e-mail, etc... easy to use.
Small, no bulk.

Cons:
Very slow with multiple applications, also consider buying a mini-SD card when using this phone.
Battery life sucks.

Overall, it's a good phone. My boyfriend (resident) has the Treo 700w, and works extremely well for him, except he does have issues with call quality and battery life.
 
Any opinions on the Palm Treo 750? How's the battery life?
 
htc mogul for the win. I love her
 
basupran said:
htc mogul for the win. I love her
Click to expand...

I recently got the mogul too. Love everything about it (EVDO data is great), except the battery life. Even with things shut off and minimal phone usage I am about tapped after one day. What kind of battery life are you getting?

I realize its a power hog, but I thought at least 2 days would be reasonable.
 
I was looking at smartphones a while ago but to get internet(for my email) was another $20 or $40/month. What is a good phone with wifi so I don't have to pay the extra monthly costs?

I just need something with a phone, medical program capability, and the ability to check my email w/o paying the carrier extra money each month.
 
Scrub MD said:
I was looking at smartphones a while ago but to get internet(for my email) was another $20 or $40/month. What is a good phone with wifi so I don't have to pay the extra monthly costs?

I just need something with a phone, medical program capability, and the ability to check my email w/o paying the carrier extra money each month.
Click to expand...

the Cingular 8525 and similar models have wifi. my personal preference is Treo but since you said you MUST have wifi, the 8525 is my pick for you.
 
DOctorJay said:
the Cingular 8525 and similar models have wifi. my personal preference is Treo but since you said you MUST have wifi, the 8525 is my pick for you.
Click to expand...

I checked out my plan and I guess internet isn't too much more a month.
So you think I should go with a Treo, huh? Palm or Windows? What medical programs are good (and cheap) besides epocrates?
 
I have a treo 650 (runs palm OS) and love it. i'm the type of person who likes to customize though and palm allows this extremely easily with tons of programs available (some free some nominal fee). I've got TONS of books on my treo through iSilo files and have some really good skyscape software. medcalc and some other stuff, epocrates of course. I have TCPMP which allows me to play itunes files and movies on my treo (who needs an iphone anyway).

i also have powerpoint presentations, word files, and excel spreadsheets on the thing. you literally don't need to schlep a laptop around if you have this plus a fold out keyboard.

palm works for me, i suggest you check around and see what you like best.
 
i just bought a tmobile dash, but was unable to load epocrates on it for some unknown reason. now i'm reconsidering my purchase. from prior posts it seems that the at+t 8525 is a good buy. the treo also got good reviews but i've seen poor reviews on other forums and websites (e.g. cnet). i don't care what carrier or what o/s (although i've had bad experience with the palm lifedrive and palm also gets poor reviews on other websites). do people have experience with the tmobile wing?
 
I'm gonna wait and see if a google phone comes out... I'd probably use that as a phone (+ web-browser, gps, etc) while using a standalone PDA separately for medical apps (HP is going to release some new PDAs soon that look very promising)
 
Iphone. It runs my skyscape programs nice and smoothly.
 
I have a super old sprint plan (which includes unlimited internet access) from what I'm reading here would the mogul be the best bet for me? I really dont want to carry a cell phone and a pda around. If I could get a smartphone that could handle 2-3 of the really useful medical programs it would be great. I'm very electronic savvy, just studying for my anatomy final and shelf exam is killin me and not being able to do adequate research before christmas is making me insane!
 
the best for a sprint user would be the Palm Centro - it should be available on other networks after the holidays

J
 
I'm an MS1 and just got a Blackberry curve. I would assume Epocrates would be a good thing to load on it...anything else?

I am going to spend xmas break trying to figure out the best way to set up synching it, etc...and talk to the schools IT department about doing that as well.

I want to get the most use as possible out of this thing...but so far, just having email available has been great.
 
Just got my wife the T-Mobile Wing for Christmas. So far so good and she loves the full QWERTY keyboard for web based text paging to colleagues and I love that it runs on WiFi to save phone minutes. Only had it for a couple days so final verdict is not in yet.
 
Scrub MD said:
I checked out my plan and I guess internet isn't too much more a month.
So you think I should go with a Treo, huh? Palm or Windows? What medical programs are good (and cheap) besides epocrates?
Click to expand...

Try ARUP Consult - www.arupconsult.com. It is a lab test selection/interpretation program, like epocrates, but for lab tests instead of drugs. Plus the diagnostic algorithms are awesome.

It's free and has an awesome Web site. It works with any mobile platform and can be downloaded, but it's still kinda ghetto and doesn't allow you to search yet. But you can browse.
 
I've been using Palm Treos for several years - first the 600, then 650, and now 700. I find it convenient to have one device that handles e-mail, phone, and medical software. Palm has always had the largest number of medical programs for it (though this seems to be changing). However, other than the much improved internal memory, the 700 has proven to be a dismal performer for me. Whenever it syncs with my e-mail server (every few minutes) its stops responding for 5-10 seconds, no matter what you are doing. It just freezes - accepts no inputs, does nothing. This is extremely irritating, not to mention that the e-mail sync application that comes with it is unreliable. So, I am looking at another smart phone. Between the Blackberry and Windows Mobile versions - which do you guys favor? I like the size of the Motorola Q phone.
 
You will find the most medical programs for both the Palm and Windows phones. The problem with these is that the operating systems are full of problems.

If you are more interested in using the internet for medical research, and don't mind fewer medical programs, then i would suggest Blackberry or iPhone.

ePocrates is certainly the best medical program out there, in my opinion, and the full version is only available for Palm or Windows. The Rx only version of ePocrates is free for the Blackberry, and will be available this summer for the iPhone.
 
I'd suggest a Treo - either with Windows Mobile or Palm OS.

One of the key applications during your clinical rotations will be ePocrates. This runs best on devices that utilize a touch screen. Plus, there are many other medical utilities you'll want to use (also runs best or only on touch screen devices).
 
That looks sooo pretty, but I have ATT unfortunately.
 
It may be a while before the Pre has all the necessary medical applications so if you need it this Summer I'm not sure it would be the best choice.

I'd recommend the iPhone.
 
TMP-SMX said:
It may be a while before the Pre has all the necessary medical applications so if you need it this Summer I'm not sure it would be the best choice.

I'd recommend the iPhone.
Click to expand...

My understanding is that the Pre will have legacy support for the previous Palm OS. I want to say I remember seeing a picture of it on Gizmodo or Engadget.

Someone fact-check me?
 
Yeah it will have an emulator built in. No idea how well they will run though.

Some interesting rumors about the Pre. Such as requiring the simply everything plan, no tethering possible, no java, flash, or shockwave, and supposedly no copy/paste from webpages (contradictory of previous demos).
 
TMP-SMX said:
Yeah it will have an emulator built in. No idea how well they will run though.

Some interesting rumors about the Pre. Such as requiring the simply everything plan, no tethering possible, no java, flash, or shockwave, and supposedly no copy/paste from webpages (contradictory of previous demos).
Click to expand...

Gizmodo ran a piece today saying that the SE plan was going to be required.

From what I remember, flash is a work in progress, but I don't know anything about the rest of what's going on. I just know that I'll probably give it a try come release day. :)
 
i Say the iPhone/iPod touch, it has a rapidly evolving ecosystem with applications for everything you could possibly imagine not just clinical med. Also if there isn't an app for something you want on it best guess with 1K apps being added to the store everyday it'll eventually be on there
 
If you don't feel like pulling out your cell phone all day in a hospital setting, a PDA is a good idea. I bought a refurbished HP Ipaq 110 online for $115 a few months back. I love it, right now I have Epocrates, Dynamed and Pocket Consult on there (3 fantastic free programs). There are tons of other great med programs for it also since it uses Windows Mobile. I was thinking about buying 5 Minute Clinical Consult since I have heard many good things from some residents I know. It has wi-fi and I am able to use the wi-fi at my school on it for internet as well.

I also have a smartphone that I initially used, but I got really crazy and would disinfect it like 25 times a day. My PDA is strictly for use on the floor so I don't really care as much.
 
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