Technology DROID vs. iPhone

[MossPoh]

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So, the title says it all. I'm due for an upgrade or new contract fairly soon. As it currently stands, I love the iPhone. I'm an apple fanboy, so there is some bias involved. My major concern as I spend more and more time in the hospital setting is the seemingly weak coverage with AT&T. Whenever I get inside any hospital setting (or place with thick walls for that matter) my bars drop to nothing. It happened with verizon, but never to the same extent.

My major concern is whether the apps will be comparable. I have a 32 gig iPod touch. It isn't ideal to carry around some other device for music, but I also doubt I will be jamming out there anyway.

Any input? Anyone see/hear anything that really sets droid apart? They talk about all the open development stuff, but it isn't like the iphone is short on applications.

I kept it nice and vague/open on purpose.

 

[StatCoder]

The Droid and other Android phones will probably do better than any of the other competitors to the iPhone (Palm Pre, Storm 2, Windows Phones) because of the sheer number of models coming from various manufactuers and cellular carriers.

If you're going to get one soon, though, you'll be an early adopter which means waiting to see what software becomes available over the next year or so. If you're willing to carry around your iPod Touch for occasional use, though, you should be covered as far as apps are concerned.

 

[DrJosephKim]

The hardware keyboard on the Motorola Droid is a huge plus for anyone who does a heavy amount of typing. My prediction is that Android will become the 2nd most popular smartphone operating system in 2010 and then lead the industry by 2011. Unless Apple and RIM make some significant changes to hardware and software, Android will take the lead.

 

[beefballs]

what do you base that on

 

[TheRealMD]

what do you base that on

I pretty much agree with DrJosephKim. It'll take the lead eventually simply because it'll be on a ton of different phones (18 by the end of the year, 51 by the end of next year). That means each single phone only has to sell 1/50th of what the iPhone sells in order for the Android to match the iPhone (which should really be easy to do). I've had my Droid since it came out (Nov. 6th) and there are a lots of pluses and minuses. I had an iPhone previously for the past two years.

Personally, I'll be tethering my Droid to an iPod Touch via WiFI using PDANet so any apps that need Internet access can work. Plus I can check e-mail and other stuff. One thing that will shock you a LOT is that the UI on Android is in no way coherent or unified. Developers have no direction (I suspect because there is no default UI elements for developers to pick from, they must make their own).

 

[StatCoder]

I wouldn't expect Android units to surpass iPhone OS units anytime soon. First of all, the iPhone OS has the inexpensive iPod Touch which can purchased without a data plan and is used PDA-style be people with other mobile phones. When med schools start deploying these kinds of units then you know we are establishing a standard.

Since medical users are so app-centric it's hard to move market share in a short time because developers follow the users and the users in-turn follow the what the developers are targeting. Clunky Palm OS just gave up its premier popularity among medical users this year and only because it was essentially euthanized by Palm. There have been plenty of good PDA/smartphone platforms established since 1995, however, Palm was there first, got used by clinicians first, and held on because people wanted to use the apps they were using before. Some niche apps (like STAT Framingham Heart Age) are not as easily ported to multiple platforms as HTML databases such as Lexi-Comp.

Android is in the position that Windows Mobile was over the past decade or so. Adoption among lots of handset manufacturers and definitely some traction among medical users. However, never as many medical users or apps as Palm OS.

 

[deleted87716]

To sustain its lead, Apple will need to get the iPhone on other carriers besides AT&T.

 

[themule]

To sustain its lead, Apple will need to get the iPhone on other carriers besides AT&T.

I've had At&T for going on 9 years in one form or another, Cingular etc., and just recently bought an iPhone and I can't tell you how many problems I've had with the service. I don't get service at my school in any of the buildings, I drop calls all the time, it's freakin' awful. The iPhone I love the service sucks I'm almost to the point of jailbreaking my phone and breaking my contract to get better service. Just my .02.

 

[deleted59964]

To sustain its lead, Apple will need to get the iPhone on other carriers besides AT&T.

the world is a LOT bigger than the US.
for the iphone to be the worlds number 1 smartphone - they just need to sell in China and India.

 

[deleted87716]

the world is a LOT bigger than the US.
for the iphone to be the worlds number 1 smartphone - they just need to sell in China and India.

That doesn't change the fact that AT&T's network blows.

Android and Palm will not be so limited.

 

[Slevin]

Well a few things...

The AT&T network since the iPhone has come out has had a 5000% increase in traffic. Users who are not only using airtime but a ton of data. You take the iPhone and put it on any other network the same thing will happen. The carrier will struggle to keep up with demand. Adding 15 million phones is one thing, adding 15 million phones that are heavy in data usage is another. Don't tell me people with BB's and other smart phones use allot of data, because compared to the typical iPhone user they don't. I do say AT&T needs to do a better job of improving their network but you also have to give them leeway because it takes time to get permits and install towers to carry the increased load.

Now the Droid won't over take the iPhone in terms of market power (which is different from market share) because the platform is fragmented. Yea you can have 100 different models out there. But the problem is that the software development is going to suck, why? Because of a lack of consistency. Each device will have a custom flavor of Android to "suit" their users needs. Each will have slightly different features which will make it hard for consumers to switch from one device to another comfortably because the manufacturer decides that this phone should have this feature while this one should have a different feature. Some of them are touch screen and some are not, etc, etc.

Now where am I going with this? Say you are a developer and you are designing a program to run on the platform. The two most important things for an application are it's UI and functionality. With each different device you can have different sized screens, different orientation, different ways to input data and control the application. So if I'm going to develop an application for the platform and I want it on more than one device I'll have to make modifications to the base code in order to tweak it for each different flavor of android out there and by having to do that it'll take time and effort while developing for the iPhone OS is a one shot deal.

Now you may not like the iPhone for whatever reason, but at the end of the day an iPhone is an iPhone. Look at the history. When the iPod came out no one said it would do well. Then it started to take off and companies kept coming out with their "iPod Killer" none of which even managed to dent the iPod's dominance, the only iPod killer was when Apple released a new model of an iPod. When the iPhone came out Palm, RIM and Nokia were king and now they are all suffering.

Companies should not care about market share, they should care about profitability, the terms are sometimes synonymous but usually not. Look at the computer business Apple has a very small market share than HP, Dell, Leveno, etc but their profit margin dwarfs all of them (in the computer business) and while the Android devices may gain market share their profitability margins will force them to be in second place.

 

[Slevin]

Well a few things...

The AT&T network since the iPhone has come out has had a 5000% increase in traffic. Users who are not only using airtime but a ton of data. You take the iPhone and put it on any other network the same thing will happen. The carrier will struggle to keep up with demand. Adding 15 million phones is one thing, adding 15 million phones that are heavy in data usage is another. Don't tell me people with BB's and other smart phones use allot of data, because compared to the typical iPhone user they don't. I do say AT&T needs to do a better job of improving their network but you also have to give them leeway because it takes time to get permits and install towers to carry the increased load.

Now the Droid won't over take the iPhone in terms of market power (which is different from market share) because the platform is fragmented. Yea you can have 100 different models out there. But the problem is that the software development is going to suck, why? Because of a lack of consistency. Each device will have a custom flavor of Android to "suit" their users needs. Each will have slightly different features which will make it hard for consumers to switch from one device to another comfortably because the manufacturer decides that this phone should have this feature while this one should have a different feature. Some of them are touch screen and some are not, etc, etc.

Now where am I going with this? Say you are a developer and you are designing a program to run on the platform. The two most important things for an application are it's UI and functionality. With each different device you can have different sized screens, different orientation, different ways to input data and control the application. So if I'm going to develop an application for the platform and I want it on more than one device I'll have to make modifications to the base code in order to tweak it for each different flavor of android out there and by having to do that it'll take time and effort while developing for the iPhone OS is a one shot deal.

Now you may not like the iPhone for whatever reason, but at the end of the day an iPhone is an iPhone. Look at the history. When the iPod came out no one said it would do well. Then it started to take off and companies kept coming out with their "iPod Killer" none of which even managed to dent the iPod's dominance, the only iPod killer was when Apple released a new model of an iPod. When the iPhone came out Palm, RIM and Nokia were king and now they are all suffering.

Companies should not care about market share, they should care about profitability, the terms are sometimes synonymous but usually not. Look at the computer business Apple has a very small market share than HP, Dell, Leveno, etc but their profit margin dwarfs all of them (in the computer business) and while the Android devices may gain market share their profitability margins will force them to be in second place.

Oh and here is a link from Reuters about how a big developer is cutting back on game development for the Android platform because the Android platform isn't bringing in the revenue.

Also when you think of the iPhone and talk about development you have to remember that you need to include the number of iPod touches because both devices run the same basic software and have the same hardware with the exception of the phone and pictures/compass.

This is why the Android is not going to be a successful platform

 

[1UP]

Droid will do well as long as its easy to develop for and they don't try to be control freaks like Apple with their "approved apps" crap.

 

[StatCoder]

Droid will do well as long as its easy to develop for and they don't try to be control freaks like Apple with their "approved apps" crap.

Because the Apple App Store has been a total failure due to these policies? It seems like the Apple is doing pretty well with their iPhone OS devlopment. Everyone else seems to be trying to catch up.

 

[david594]

Droid will do well as long as its easy to develop for and they don't try to be control freaks like Apple with their "approved apps" crap.

It's only a very small minority of people that will every realize there are apps that didnt get approved, and what they are possibly missing out on.

Apple being restrictive the way it is, ensure that the majority of their users have an easy experience in buying and installing their applications with some level of quality control. Its something which is possibly a bit harder on the developer, but makes things way easier for the common user.

This is compared to say windows mobile where could either download an exe for an application to your desktop, run it, then hopefully sync it to your device. Or if they offered a cab, download it directly to your device and hope it works. Then if you every had to reset your device, go searching again for those install files to reinstall.

 

[Slevin]

Droid will do well as long as its easy to develop for and they don't try to be control freaks like Apple with their "approved apps" crap.

Apple's approval process can be better implemented, but they are making changes and it will get better. Apple's main goal is to provide a stable, rock solid platform for the consumers while at the same time making it easy for developers to make apps for it. With over 100K apps approved I would say this is a success. Yes, it sucks to be a dev who's app gets denied for some reason but it's a learning process on both sides Apple's and the dev community.

I like only having one place to go to buy all my apps and just being able to plug my iPhone in and it just works. I used to have a palm pilot and that sucked to get things synced with it, what a Pain in the *****

 

[Paddington]

After seeing the Droid commercials on TV, I've determined it's pretty much the greatest thing since Jesus... Maybe even better than Jesus. 👍

 

[Slevin]

After seeing the Droid commercials on TV, I've determined it's pretty much the greatest thing since Jesus... Maybe even better than Jesus. 👍

Well the iPhone was dubbed the Jesus phone before it even was launched

 

[StatCoder]

As a clinical app developer who has apps rejected by Apple on a regular basis for one reason or another, I can tell you that it is frustrating at times. The iPhone SDK also has a fairly formidable learning curve. However, this is more than offset by the quality of the App Store itself. I have never had an app that wasn't eventually approved after modifications were made. Not having to host the downloads and do installation tech support is fantastic.

From the user standpoint it's nice to know that the software catalog is hosted on a reliable source. A case in point - I have developed and hosted free Palm OS software on statcoder.com for more than a decade. Although there are still plenty of Palm OS users out there, it's a dead-end platform and it's not worth my time nor money to continue supporting these downloads so it's going away for good in a week or so.

There are a lot of apps that are only going to be developed for the most popular platform among clinicians - iPhone OS. If I can post a few screenshots of free iPhone OS apps that I have developed that are available in or soon will be in the App Store. No matter what phone you have you can always go out and spend less than $200 and get yourself an iPod Touch.

 

[deleted87716]

I have developed and hosted free Palm OS software on statcoder.com for more than a decade. Although there are still plenty of Palm OS users out there, it's a dead-end platform and it's not worth my time nor money to continue supporting these downloads so it's going away for good in a week or so.

Oh, crap...can I download the final versions of your Palm apps before they go bye-bye? I think I'm a version or two behind on a couple of 'em.

Better yet, would you e-mail them to me? 😀

 

[StatCoder]

Better yet, I can email them to you and you can host them for others to download! 🙂

I know the Palm OS software is going to be an issue because there definitely are still a lot of Palms OS handhelds out there. One of the guys on the Palm dev forum says that he still sells one or two copies of his Newton software every year! 😱

My web hosting site refuses to back off of the plan that I had during the higher-volume years so I'm shutting it down in favor of a free blog site. I'm sure I'll eventually be able to find a free place to upload the small Palm OS apps to and to host the downloads.

 

[MossPoh]

Thanks for the input guys. I'm generally content with my touch, but I know that it also isn't a given to have wireless in the hospitals I'll be at.

I generally agree with the sentiment about usability and the iPhone. One of the things Steve Jobs is very good at is looking at a product like it is his first time ever touching it. Apple doesn't usually do overt usability testing but they do make an effort to hire people with cognitive science and usability engineering training.

I really wish I could get a CDMA (verizon) iPhone. In past, the only reason I went with cingular/att was because I needed a quad band phone for travel and got a 10% discount through my school.

My major concern with DROID is exactly what was mentioned by some. The quality and usability of the apps. I LOVE the idea of a real keyboard. (One of the reasons I got my blackberry) and I like the attitude the phone puts out, but functionality and reducing how many pieces of equipment to carry around is my top priority.

The good thing is I can wait a few more months and see what happens!

 

[TheRealMD]

After 3 weeks with a Droid, I had to return it. I felt sad too because that screen is sooooo amazing.

As an iPhone user of 2 years, you don't realize what Apple has designed until you move to something else. There's just a lot of consistency. A lot of efficiency. A lot of polish that iPhone users take for granted. And that's something that Android doesn't have and won't have until Google really pays attention to it.

Now, speaking as a developer, no matter how much we bitch and whine, the developer tools that Apple gives is 1000x better than other platforms. And the resources on the web are immense. You would be an idiot NOT to develop for the iPhone. And with a good idea, an app can make quite a bit of dough as well.

Bottom line, even the worst looking of iPhone apps are better than the average of apps in other platforms. And that's really saying something.

 

[deleted87716]

Better yet, I can email them to you and you can host them for others to download! 🙂

I don't run a Web site any more.

My web hosting site refuses to back off of the plan that I had during the higher-volume years so I'm shutting it down in favor of a free blog site. I'm sure I'll eventually be able to find a free place to upload the small Palm OS apps to and to host the downloads.

Can't you just stick 'em up on PalmGear and forget 'em? That's what I did with MedRules.

 

[Gute]

Go with Droid, after all who would want an iPhone when you can own a "robot"

 

[chronox]

After 3 weeks with a Droid, I had to return it. I felt sad too because that screen is sooooo amazing.

As an iPhone user of 2 years, you don't realize what Apple has designed until you move to something else. There's just a lot of consistency. A lot of efficiency. A lot of polish that iPhone users take for granted. And that's something that Android doesn't have and won't have until Google really pays attention to it.

Now, speaking as a developer, no matter how much we bitch and whine, the developer tools that Apple gives is 1000x better than other platforms. And the resources on the web are immense. You would be an idiot NOT to develop for the iPhone. And with a good idea, an app can make quite a bit of dough as well.

Bottom line, even the worst looking of iPhone apps are better than the average of apps in other platforms. And that's really saying something.

You couldnt have said it better. I support Android for the future.. but right now, iPhone is way too polished and organized. If only it had the multi tasking ability!..

I've experienced it first hand releasing my History Taking guide: Case History... You start hating apple for its control.. but then it offers you, specially small, lonely, poor developers much much more than any other OS.

if .. check out http://www.smartddx.com/casehistory for the young meds😛

 

[SamyRamadan]

Go with Droid, after all who would want an iPhone when you can own a "robot"

This.

 

[docss26]

I dunno how I feel about the droid. Its a pretty cool phone with excellent features, but its motorolla... They have been out of the game since their last craze, the razr. Verizons plans are also ridiculously expensive.

Also, iPhones should almost be up with att and will be introduced to some big wireless providers soon. I currently use the iphone with t-mobile. I pay 60 bucks for 1000 anytime minutes, unlimited nights and weekends, data and unlimited text messages. Edge isnt the greatest for webbrowsing but for email its phenomenal. Many of the places im at anyways have wifi so if I need to browse fast I am able to. The capacitive touch capabilities of the iphone are far superior to any other company too, not to mention the applications. With a jailbroken iphone buying application wont be necessary. There are ways to get paid apps for free.

 

[DOctorJay]

If you're a med student look at what your interns, residents, attendings are carrying. Most will have either iPhones or BlackBerry's because the hospital systems work with these phones. A resident I'm rotating with now almost got a DROID but the salesperson fortunately was aware of the system we have in our hospital and steered her towards the BlackBerry instead.

Of course if you plan to just get a new phone when you get to residency then get whatever you want now.

 

[spo01]

One reason I chose a Blackberry (Tour) over the Iphone was simply because of insurance (not 3rd party insurers either). I've had three friends already switch from the Iphone to the blackberry solely for the reason of having insurance. My one friend lost his Iphone and another the screen cracked and w/o the insurance you're **** outta luck.

Apple also seems to be the master of one while these other companies are the jack of all trades. I would rather have one super awesome device that a company puts all its effort into. I think the Droid is awesome, but it just won't match up to Apple which so much revision and effort has been put into.

I was looking into gettng an Android, but I know I would just end up still wanting the Iphone. As much as I knock I-phone users (ex: calling them I-fags) it's just because I secretely want one. But the high cost, lack of insurance, and fact I'm on a family plan and my family wanted Verizon all drew me away from the Iphone. But one day the Iphone will branch outside of AT&T and will offer insurance....one day.

 

[StatCoder]

Regarding insurance, I think you have to know whether you are prone to damaging your smartphone or not. I've never purchased insurance and have owned about 18 of these devices. Once a Sony Clie with a camera slid out of my shirt pocket into water. Other than that, I can't remember losing any. However, I would never use an iPhone without a case. It's just too thin fragile. I use a rubber skin even though it doesn't look very good. I never set it down out of my sight in public - never. And, I'm very wary of water including toilets, puddles, and sinks.

 

[Dr McSteamy]

are many hospital systems compatible with Windows Mobile?

i'm using one, and i don't want to part with it because I have a bunch of nice and useful bootleg apps on it.

 

[DrTsunami]

Personally, I'll be tethering my Droid to an iPod Touch via WiFI using PDANet so any apps that need Internet access can work. Plus I can check e-mail and other stuff.


I'm gearing up for school this fall and I'm to the point with my Verizon contract that I can get a new phone. I've thought about a Droid phone. But then there's the draw of all the med. apps available through iPhones . . . . I found your proposed solution intriguing. Is it working? I'd love to have the best of both worlds--it sounds like you have a solution.

 

[VQuick]

I'll be starting rotations in July and am thinking about my options for PDAs. I am thinking I'll get an iPod Touch (love how very thin it is, this matters to me) and just a regular little cell phone for phone calls. Or possibly a non-phone PDA that uses Android if there is one out then. A real keyboard would be nice. I dislike Apple products in general but if I decide the Touch is my best bet for clinical apps and all around ease of use, I'll get it.

Is there a big advantage to having phone capability in a device when on the wards? Or can you do everything with wifi and stored applications? What do you all mean when you refer to "hospital systems"? How does the PDA interface with the hospital system? Thanks for any help!

 

[novawildcat]

I love my droid. So glad that it has a real keyboard and you aren't forced to have to use a stupid virtual qwerty.

 

[omniatlas]

hmm...how about Web OS (palm pre, palm pixi). These phones have real physical kb, i hate touch screen kb.

The OS looks promising, and theres backwards compatibility with Palm OS.

I love my Centro because of 1. speed 2. med apps ; but its quite ancient (in tech time) and me think its time to upgrade as well.

Now only if they brought out a GSM version and brought it over to Oz.

 

[StatCoder]

Palm hardware is questionable. It has a plastic screen unlike the iPhone and Droid. That means it will easily scratch. Moving parts are always a problem with these kinds of devices. Things get loose. Even battery doors. The Pre also isn't screen protector or case-friendly because of its round surfaces.

There is backwards compatibility with Palm OS via the Classic Emulator, however, there is no stylus on a Pre or Pixi. That means you have to use your finger on a screen which when squared off, is the size of a Centro. That makes using Palm OS software difficult if you are, say, having to point at a single line on an Epocrates list.

Epocrates is coming at some point but WebOS is the fifth most popular smartphone OS behind RIM, iPhone OS, WinMob and Android so don't look for a lot of attention from medical developers.

It's better to give up Palm OS and get an iPhone.

 

[omniatlas]

wow, I wouldn't call off Palm that quickly....I use my centro without a stylus and it works fine. I agree with you on the Palm Pre hardware -- moving parts will also eventually wear and tear. Thats why I'm looking exclusively at the Pixi.

Palm needs to expand to the GSM market, like now -- I'm sure there are thousands of people like me getting tired of waiting and on the fence. I have an iphone 2g. I find my centro more productive. IMHO the iphone is only good for media; although I haven't checked the app store for the last couple months so there might be some good med programs out there.

 

[StatCoder]

RIM Blackberry
Apple iPhone/iPod/iPad
Android/Droid/Google Nexus
Windows Mobile
Palm WebOS

Unless one thinks that medical software developers are going to support five different mobile platforms, you have to count out one or two of these platforms in the long run. If not Palm then who else? Who is the weakest among consumers? Who has the fewest resources?

 

[Chocolate Bear]

IMHO the iphone is only good for media

I'm so far beyond disbelief in this statement right now that I really don't know what to say. Let's see if smilies can help me out...

 

[deleted87716]

IMHO the iphone is only good for media; although I haven't checked the app store for the last couple months so there might be some good med programs out there.

Um...you might want to check it again.

 

[omniatlas]

The medical software catalog for the iphone might have increased, but what about the speed of opening apps and looking up information?

It doesn't take me more then 1 second on my Palm Centro to open up MIMS and another 2 seconds to type up the drug name on the physical keyboard. My iphone 2g is god-aweful slow at opening apps, hopefully the 3GS is much faster and responsive.

The app store for webOS has also been around for less then 6 months, give it some time and I'm sure it will grow. Lexi-Comp has already been released for it:

 

[Chocolate Bear]

My iphone 2g is god-aweful slow at opening apps, hopefully the 3GS is much faster and responsive.

Personal experience-wise, there is absolutely no comparison between the two's response times. 3GS is so much faster.

I'm sure you can look up hard number comparisons and see the data. I just never have, since I've had both.

 

[StormingWynn]

Umm, I don't know what ya'll are talking about the AT&T service being slow. I got an iPhone 3GS and that thing loads freaken QUICK! I can load SDN in under 1 second.. I don't know about you guys but I can't tell the difference between milliseconds. TONS of Apps, super fast texting, coverage everywhere. Seriously I do get coverage everywhere and I've never dropped a call. I love this phone. It's so versatile.

 

[Chocolate Bear]

Umm, I don't know what ya'll are talking about the AT&T service being slow. I got an iPhone 3GS and that thing loads freaken QUICK! I can load SDN in under 1 second.. I don't know about you guys but I can't tell the difference between milliseconds. TONS of Apps, super fast texting, coverage everywhere. Seriously I do get coverage everywhere and I've never dropped a call. I love this phone. It's so versatile.

Well, personally, I was talking about load times for apps, not data loading. Data is fine, but actually opening many programs/apps is very different between the 3G and the 3GS.

 

[StormingWynn]

Well, personally, I was talking about load times for apps, not data loading. Data is fine, but actually opening many programs/apps is very different between the 3G and the 3GS.

oh, well I have the 3GS and it loads just fine. Programs open faster than any programs on other phones I've had. WAY!!! Faster...

 

[StatCoder]

You can go ahead and write-off Palm if there was any question in your mind. Sales of the Pre Plus and Pixi Plus are sluggish on Verizon. The stock price has lost 2/3 of its value in the past month. The platform is going nowhere fast. It may eventually be acquired, however, the current hardware has not proven to be compelling among the general public.

One significant development for medical users is that Epocrates for WebOS was launched.

Most of us have used a ton of Palm devices over the years. However, the platform is just not good enough to make it in the hyper-aggressive consumer market with the likes of Nokia, Apple, Microsoft, Google and RIM. Moreover, Palm did not really court the healthcare segment. Nobody really will, anyway. Healthcare users follow along with what consumers buy because smartphones and PDA's are personal devices first (we bought them) and work devices second.

 

[omniatlas]

I wouldn't write them off that soon. How many markets are Palm selling in vs. iPhone, Droid? Its still missing from Asia, Australasia.

I believe Palm made a mistake by partnering with Sprint -- they should have at least rolled out a GSM version (I am reluctant to import a German Palm now that the Plus versions are out).

Yes, they do need to get their act together and quick, and market their product correctly (Verizon is doing a better job) however, I don't see them disappearing off the scene.

You must have read that Wall Street article painting such a bleak picture for Palm, now is a perfect time to buy Palm stock if you ask me. Reminds me of when Apple stock was at 16, and people were predicting the death of the company, lol.

 

[StatCoder]

OK, but I wouldn't advise anyone to buy a Palm Pre or Pixi with a two-year contract. The company only has 5 quarters of cash left.

Most importantly, if the platform is perceived to be at risk, developers aren't going to be too excited about porting their apps to it. Palm OS developers (like myself) have gone through that already - watching the demand for your software, whether free or paid, decline as the platform dies a slow death.

What a small-time developer really wants to see is that people that he or she runs into on a daily basis in a clinical setting has a device that can use the software. Right now, that's an iPhone, iPod Touch, or soon-to-be iPad.

 

[VQuick]

So how much more could I do with an iPhone versus and iPod Touch? I assume most hospitals have wifi on the wards so a Touch could access the web just like an iPhone?

And to reiterate a question I had, how does the PDA interface with the "hospital system" that some of you mentioned? Can you access medical records or what?