Pda

[doctorsquared]

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I am interested in buying a PDA. Since I have never used one please give me some advice. I know that New York students are required to have a Sony CLIfs color. Do you like it? Is there software you are unable to download? What operating system does it use? 🙂

Does any other school require PDA? Would the new $99 Palm be adequate to learn on? I assume I would replace it with something better in residency.

Thanks,

Sally 😎

 

[AviatorDoc]

I believe most med schools don't require a palm during the first two years, but I've found them extremely helpful with a schedule that is so variable. (Our school tries to keep similar topics in different classes going at the same time... supposedly more integrated, but it can get confusing.) There are a few programs I've used outside the basics. Epocrates is a HUGE timesaver during pharm studying. Also, I believe AMSA offers the Merck Manual free for its members (~$70 i think.). I don't use it at all right now, so I cant say as its helpful.

I've been using the Palm software for my last two PDAs (Palm IIIxe and Sony Clie PEG-N610C.) I understand that next year, a whole new generation of Windows-based units are coming out (Pocket PC) which will blow away everything else. In the meantime, here are a few rules of thumb:

Pocket PC is prettier, and file compatibility with Windows is better.
Palm offers a lot more shareware (read: FREE) stuff... for now, at least.
Pocket PC is generally more expensive for the same capabilities.
Supposedly, Pocket PC doesn't crash nearly as often.

Best thing to do is the same with buying any computer. Think about the functionality of what you want. Make a wish list. Then decide on a budget. Then find out which pda fits your budget & maximizes your wish list.

 

[Gregory Gulick]

I started out with a Handspring Visor Deluxe (PalmOS) in 1999 and absolutely loved it. About a year later, I noticed everyone around we were getting PocketPCs so I felt like I had to have one too. So I sold my Visor, and bought a Cassiopeia E-125 with a 1gig microdrive. Man, I was set.

As time went on, it dawned on me that I absolutely hated my PocketPC. I discovered that Microsoft Windows for the PocketPC worked about as well as it did on my PC (meaning, it crashed constantly). Programs also took much longer to load, so I couldn't look material up as quickly as I could with my Visor. Worst of all, my Cassiopeia was huge. It (along with its protective case) took up an entire pocket of my labcoat. This limited other books and references that I could carry. So... six months later, I sold my Cassiopeia and purchased a Palm M505.

Let me tell you how happy I am to be back with the PalmOS platform. The device is small, it has a color display (albeit, not the best color display on the market), and there are TONS of programs out there (check out www.GuineaSOFT.net for an example of the fantastic software that is available 😀 ). My Palm fits in my front pocket so I have plenty of room left in my labcoat.

Overall, I love PalmOS devices. I wouldn't use anything else!

 

[oceandocDO]

Slight correction, NYCOM doesnt require you to have a PDA, they give them to you for you to keep. We got Sony Clies PEG-SJ30. The administration is working out mass licensing agreements with some of the more popular programming companies for us to get the more expensive software for free. They're also in the process of working the PDAs into the first and second year curriculums, slowly but surely.

 

[Nic_machiavelli]

I just picked up an Clie SL-10 and am happy with it so far.
Here's what you get with Sony:
-Palm OS - a standard that's gentle on battery life (PocketPC is a processor hog and therefore eats batteries like tic-tacs). There's also a ton of software out for the PalmOS.

-Memory Stick - I got 128meg with mine in a package deal at CompUSA. That's enough space for even Heidi Fleiss's contact list.

Do NOT buy the Palm Zire. The thing is underpowered and has a tiny memory (2 meg? What the F**k is that?). The M105 sells for the same price and gives you 8meg + is upgradeable.

 

[doctorsquared]

Thanks for your help.

Sally

 

[jhug]

i have an ipaq 3800 series and love it. the battery outlasts all of my palm-using family members (12 hs with the back light on auto) You don't get the # of free programs that you will with palm os but i've found quite a few. I have an anatomy study guide and teaching tool that blows all my palm-using coworkers away. The drawings look great and the picture is clear. I don't know if this is outdated but i would 100% say no black/white screen-- you need the color/light. My ipaq looks exactly like a tv screen in any light and that is a must-- it is probably standard by now. I bought mine refurbished off compaqfactoryoutlet.com (i think that is the proper address) and have been totally happy with it. Either way they are fun tools to have.

 

[Slingblade the Surgeon]

Well from a first year perspective...my visor prism gets much usage as a Scrabble/Bejeweled entertainment machine...that is until I get my wireless springboard module ($99) for it so I can surf the web on campus with it. As far as organization etc, it is still easier to simply jot things down on the class schedule which I glance at every day in the front of my notebook. Don't get me wrong...I like technology, but unless you need tons of information (like harrisons) to fit in a small pocket...pen and paper is still much quicker. Just look at it rather than push this then pull the little stylus out and tap this and tap that, blah blah blah. Out of 180+ people in my class, I've seen about 3 people using them for anything...One guy surfs the web and the others play bejeweled endlessly! 😀

 

[Chris_P]

Hi,

Yelena Schnyder has written a great article called Introduction to PDAs for Healthcare Professionals on www.doctorsgadgets.com which might be worth checking out if your about to get a PDA. Covers things like difference between palms and pocket pcs and what medical software to get and where to get it.

Personally I have a Comaq ipaq and love it. It is a little bulky and I'm drooling over the new NX range of Sony Clies but it does the job for me.

You might want to hang on for a month or so if you are buying a pocket PC as loads of traditional PC manufacturers are starting to build them - Dell and Mitac to name a couple. They promise significantly lower prices so we could see a bit of a price war.

Chris