Technology PDA as part of a phone or seperate

[WiscDoc]

Apparently our school requires M2’s to buy PDA’s, but recommend that we buy them as M1’s to get familiar with the device. My question is, should I get a seperate PDA or as part of a smart phone. I am worried that if my phone was my PDA I would ruin it quickly because I use my phone (and drop it) a lot! On the other hand, having to carry a phone and a PDA might be a pain. Please vote, and feel free to state your reasons.

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[45408]

I'd love to have an all-in-one device, so I didn't have to carry my iPod, PDA and cell phone around. I may give into the iPhone yet....😛

 

[cyclohexanol]

Verizon XV6800 ftw (or Sprint Mogul, or AT&T tilt -- same phones)

 

[jbrice1639]

regardless of what you choose, make sure it runs the software your school wants you to have. for example, even with the treo phones, some run palm os and some run windows mobile. most software will probably require windows mobile...just something to consider.

 

[notdeadyet]

regardless of what you choose, make sure it runs the software your school wants you to have. for example, even with the treo phones, some run palm os and some run windows mobile. most software will probably require windows mobile...just something to consider.

Good advice.

Also, if you're going to use your PDA for doctoring duties, do you really want to be constantly touching something constantly through the day and all you're exposed to, then putting it up against your mouth for a phone call?

If you want a PDA to keep a calendar and whatnot, get an all-in-one. But if you're planning on using it every day in your practice of medicine, I wouldn't get one that you'll be brushing your lips against when you whisper.

 

[45408]

If you want a PDA to keep a calendar and whatnot, get an all-in-one. But if you're planning on using it every day in your practice of medicine, I wouldn't get one that you'll be brushing your lips against when you whisper.

Hmmm, I dunno about you, but I don't usually kiss my phone. Here's how I hold it:

 

[WiscDoc]

Good advice.

Also, if you're going to use your PDA for doctoring duties, do you really want to be constantly touching something constantly through the day and all you're exposed to, then putting it up against your mouth for a phone call?

If you want a PDA to keep a calendar and whatnot, get an all-in-one. But if you're planning on using it every day in your practice of medicine, I wouldn't get one that you'll be brushing your lips against when you whisper.

I didn't even think of that... but yeah, I would be using it for all my PRE-doctoring duties and hopefully my full-doctoring duties once I am a resident.

 

[danierrr]

Windows Mobile 5 or 6 for Smartphone isn't able to run InfoPOEMS and the 5-Minute Clinical Consult that comes with it. . . if your medical school requires them, you *must* have a touchscreen, which many mobile phones do not. ...that having been said, everything else runs well, and you don't need a Palm or separate device. You can find old versions of 5MCC around the internet if you look in the right places (I don't know where so don't ask.)

 

[notdeadyet]

Hmmm, I dunno about you, but I don't usually kiss my phone. Here's how I hold it

Figured I'd get called out for that. But I still don't like putting something against my face/ear that I'm using with my hands before/during/after dealing with patients. Just think it's bad business.

 

[Agent Splat]

if the phone/PDA combos are as unstable as the Palm TX MCW gives us, I definitely prefer to keep them separate.

 

[braluk]

Blackberry 8800 FTW! Combination music/video/PDA/blackberry. Personally I wouldnt mind having a separate PDA altogether but because I use my phone all the time, I know it much better than an entirely new PDA and more importantly, its less clutter for me to carry around since I can get clumsy sometimes.

 

[akpete]

if the phone/PDA combos are as unstable as the Palm TX MCW gives us, I definitely prefer to keep them separate.

huh? I haven't had any problems at all and haven't heard anyone complain. Didn't know it wasn't working for some.

I'm kinda glad they just give it to us so I don't have to make the decision on what to get and how much to spend. Made life easier. 🙂

 

[rwessinger23]

What year do you guys think we should buy these things if the school doesn't make it absolutely mandatory?

 

[notdeadyet]

If you haven't used a PDA before and aren't gagging to get one, wait until 3rd year. There really isn't a big need before then, and if you wait 2-1/2 years, you'll pay a lot less and get a lot more.

 

[astrocreep96]

I have had a Samsung SCH-i730 (smartphone) for about two years now. The combined phone/data/PDA funtion is nice, but the plan is costing me about $160 a month, and lately I'm having a hard time justifying that bill when I don't really need the data package. Something to consider.

I'm kind of torn between getting a Treo 750, which has a touchscreen, Windows 5, and will operate internationally. On the other hand, it may be cheaper in the long run to do a stand alone PDA and simple cell phone.

 

[astrocreep96]

Hmm, that was interesting.

 

[shantster]

I have them separate. I look at it this way - If I'm going out to a bar, do I want to take my PDA with me which will be more bulky than a normal phone (and not fit as well in my pocket) and I'd be more upset if it was broken then? No.

 

[Twitch]

Don't buy a combo device. It'll be another thing to carry but it's worth it. The combo device's screen size aren't that big.

Most of the combo devices can do multiple things - play MP3s, do GPS, email, calendar, etc. It's great to a have a single device to do all this, but the battery wears down real quick.

 

[jbrice1639]

I have had a Samsung SCH-i730 (smartphone) for about two years now. The combined phone/data/PDA funtion is nice, but the plan is costing me about $160 a month, and lately I'm having a hard time justifying that bill when I don't really need the data package. Something to consider.

I'm kind of torn between getting a Treo 750, which has a touchscreen, Windows 5, and will operate internationally. On the other hand, it may be cheaper in the long run to do a stand alone PDA and simple cell phone.

for what it's worth, i'm getting a treo 750 to replace my current small samsung flip phone - but since most cell companies use SIM cards in the phones, i plan to keep my current small phone and pop the SIM into that when i go out (to address another poster's concern about dragging a large smartphone out to bars and such.

i just find it more convenient to have everything in one device.

as far as the sanitary factor of having my pda be my phone, i feel pretty confident that if my immune system can handle interacting with people in a hospital day in and day out, the few things that might actually survive on the surface of a cell phone and then make the miraculous leap into my mouth and down my trachea and/or esophagus probably won't be an issue.

 

[jbrice1639]

Blackberry 8800 FTW! Combination music/video/PDA/blackberry. Personally I wouldnt mind having a separate PDA altogether but because I use my phone all the time, I know it much better than an entirely new PDA and more importantly, its less clutter for me to carry around since I can get clumsy sometimes.

blackberries don't run the majority of the external software you'll want to use. unless they come out with a windows mobile version, blackberries won't be of much use to med students/doctors.

 

[humuhumu]

If you have the $, you could just get a mini-computer: http://www.oqo.com/index.html

 

[Agent Splat]

I'm still waiting for apple to release the iFib, an mp3 player in which you can use the headphones as defib patches as well. Granted, delivering shocks would probably drain the battery a bit faster.

 

[kdburton]

Apparently our school requires M2’s to buy PDA’s, but recommend that we buy them as M1’s to get familiar with the device. My question is, should I get a seperate PDA or as part of a smart phone. I am worried that if my phone was my PDA I would ruin it quickly because I use my phone (and drop it) a lot! On the other hand, having to carry a phone and a PDA might be a pain. Please vote, and feel free to state your reasons.

We were required to buy one right away in the beginning of 1st year.. At first I was thinking "I'd rather just use my Razr so I don't have to carry around a huge device ALL the time, and then I'll bring my separate Palm with me to preceptor and whenever else I need it"... Now I realize that I use TXT messaging 1000X more since I'm always in class/library/etc, and I would also love to be able to have the data access for e-mail and maps and all that stuff in my pocket rathre than having to go to a computer every time. If you're at a point where you can break out of your current contract to get a Smartphone I'd recommend doing that. I'll probably end up getting one once my current plan is up (and then I will have wasted $300 on my Palm T|X that I currently use when I'm at the hospital).

 

[braluk]

blackberries don't run the majority of the external software you'll want to use. unless they come out with a windows mobile version, blackberries won't be of much use to med students/doctors.

I heard that theyre starting to make alot of software readily available for blackberry. If im not mistaken epocrates has a line out already for blackberry:

http://www.epocrates.com/products/rx/blackberry.html

and ims ure many more are on their way. Hopefully a whole slew of blackberry products will be available within a year or two.

 

[smq123]

But I still don't like putting something against my face/ear that I'm using with my hands before/during/after dealing with patients. Just think it's bad business.

So you don't intend on using your stethoscope during 3rd year?

Interesting. 😉

(I'm kidding. I know what you mean.)

 

[njbmd]

Moving to the Technology forum which is co-hosted by MedPDA.net

 

[DOctorJay]

get a palm centro! should be coming to AT&T after the holidays.

 

[southerndoc]

I used to hate smart phones, but now I love them. There's no reason to carry around two devices.

Can't wait til Apple opens up the SDK for third-party developers and things like ePocrates and PEPID come to the iPhone. Then it'll be a true smart phone in my opinion, and I can finally ditch my buggy and outdated Palm T5 that's running on an OS developed around the time DOS was developed (seriously, it is about 5 years old!).

 

[astrocreep96]

for what it's worth, i'm getting a treo 750 to replace my current small samsung flip phone - but since most cell companies use SIM cards in the phones, i plan to keep my current small phone and pop the SIM into that when i go out (to address another poster's concern about dragging a large smartphone out to bars and such.

i just find it more convenient to have everything in one device.

as far as the sanitary factor of having my pda be my phone, i feel pretty confident that if my immune system can handle interacting with people in a hospital day in and day out, the few things that might actually survive on the surface of a cell phone and then make the miraculous leap into my mouth and down my trachea and/or esophagus probably won't be an issue.

Pretty good suggestion, I may try that. I'm currently on Verizon, and they don't use SIM cards. They also don't offer the Treo 750, so that's further incentive to switch to ATT, maybe, and pick up a couple of phones.

 

[LifetimeDoc]

Figured I'd get called out for that. But I still don't like putting something against my face/ear that I'm using with my hands before/during/after dealing with patients. Just think it's bad business.

I'll have to call everyone out on this. The main reason we wash our hands and take protective measures is to prevent the spread of infections between patients, who are the ones who are at risk. Being healthy, we have little risk of contracting something if universal precautions are taken, especially when you are talking about transferring something to a PDA or telephone. I'd be more worried about transferring infections around the hospital to the patients than to myself.

 

[Cp22kjer]

Verizon XV6800 ftw (or Sprint Mogul, or AT&T tilt -- same phones)

I use this phone with a 2 gig mini sd and its great!