Technology new/necessary tech? UMPC, PDA

[iCY]

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allright guys, please try to keep discussions of macs/giagantic notebooks(13 inch+) to a minimum. i think thats been covered enough and im knowledgeable enough to make good decisions with those.

my question is how necessary is technology in medschool and residency? and if so, what is necessary??

do i really need a laptop(classes) and a pda(wards)? what will I be doing with my laptop in medschool/residency (any specific demanding programs, or just video, audio, and basic office stuff??)

what a bout the new upcoming UMPCs (ultra mobile). they seem to have a very nice price tag <1000$, some even around $500-600. 7-10 inch screens, decent hard drives(dont need anything bigger than 80g, plus theres always portable external drives), 2-3 lbs (VERY IMPORTANT to me),

most can run office programs, view audio and video. a 9-10 in screen is good enough. if you need a bigger keyboard, you can always use a portable one.

lets use the MSI wind as an example. would something like this be suitable? I already have a good desktop comp for everything else.

MSI Wind 10" Mini Laptop (1.6 GHz Intel Atom Processor, 1 GB RAM, 80 GB Hard Drive, XP Home)

 

[TheRealMD]

When you have to spend hours away from an A/C outlet, the battery life is too crappy on UMPCs to be worthwhile for a medical student/resident. And they are usually too bulky to be carried around with you in your hand.

As for PDAs, it really depends on the hospital's IT environment. What is rarely used today may be everywhere in 3-4 years. Plan for now, not the future when it comes to buying technology.

 

[DrJosephKim]

You'll use your PDA much more than any current UMPC.

UMPCs are great, but they still have a long way to go for standard use. If you really like to go paperless, then you may want to test a UMPC before buying one. There are several retailers that offer a 'test' option prior to purchase.