Which is a good PDA for a student pharmacist?

[Eugene]

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Hi to everyone; it is good to be back after my first year of Pharmacy School. I am not very knowledgeable about PDAs, but I know that I will be needing them at a very near future as a P2 or P3. I just wonder if anybody can please recommend me of a good PDA to have (I guess as a (student) pharmacist, I will only need to use Lexicomp, call my lawyer, and access the internet once in a while using the PDA). I need to renew my cell phone contract with Verizon very soon, and these are the things I can find:

BlackBerry® 7250
BlackBerry® 7130e
Motorola Q™
Motorola Q™ Black
BlackBerry® 8703e
BlackBerry® 8830 World Edition Smartphone
Verizon Wireless XV6700 (is it even a PDA?)
Palm® Treo™ 700p Smartphone
Palm® Treo™ 700p Without Camera
Palm® Treo™ 700wx Smartphone

All phone are around $300-400, with all the Palms at $500, and I heard Palms are not as practical as BlackBerry.

Any suggestion is appreciated.

 

[WVUPharm2007]

I've seen the Dell Axim used more than any other PDA. With good reason, it's good quality for the price. I'd just get the cheapy ass phone that they give you for free and get a real PDA...

 

[VeraShield]

I've seen the Dell Axim used more than any other PDA. With good reason, it's good quality for the price. I'd just get the cheapy ass phone that they give you for free and get a real PDA...

Which compounds the lameness that Dell killed off their PDA division. PDA development has been stagnant, with everything put into convergence devices now (which still frankly suck as PDAs).
I guess it is up to HP to try to pick up Dell's business. And yes, no-one has yet to release a faster PDA than the Axim x50v (x51v was almost the same) from 3 years ago.

 

[DrugDealer]

Some of the Treo's are really cute, but I haven't heard good things about them--lots of crashes, etc. I have a Blackberry Pearl, which I absolutely love, and would recommend one of their larger, more PDA-like products.

 

[cangelilli]

I have a palm tx and love it so far!

 

[Eugene]

Thank you all. So I guess what you all are saying is that don't buy PDAs from Verizon Wireless etc. because they are not "full" PDAs? I guess a real PDA must be $1000+, which makes Verizon PDAs look like toys.

 

[WVUPharm2007]

A PDA would run you $400 for a really nice one. My new Axim x51v cost $370 about 1.5 years ago. It is still considered top of the line....sadly....

 

[eddie269]

Go with the palm TX.

Yes I work at the Palm store so I see customers come in everyday who uses them. The whole Treo line is trash because the battery life/stability/headaches you get from them aren't worth it. Plus with a PDA/phone like a Treo, there will always be newer versions coming out. A lot of times, they'll hold out on a feature (slimmer, no antenna, better screen) so you will want to upgrade within a year.

With Blackberries, again, they're much more stable and slimmer (the NEW 8800 series and the pearl) but you lose the touch screen feature.

The Palm TX is by far the best PDA I have seen. At $299, it's a great deal compared to the older models. Plus it has wi-fi, a HUGE screen, very thin and light weight, and can go toe to toe with any other PDA (Dell Axim, HP's, etc). And with Palm OS, there are literally over 20,000 software made for it. It's been around FOR A WHILE.

When/if I need one, I'm going for the TX. And for what it's worth, I owned a Treo 600, 650, and 700w. I will soon own a Motorola Q. One thing's for sure: if I ever need a PDA for PDA purposes (running drug info programs, taking notes, contacts, calendar), I'm definitely sticking with a PDA WITHOUT a phone feature. I can't tell you how many times my Treo 700w froze on me when I started to run 2-3 programs.

Lastly, "Verizon PDA's", aka Treo 700wx, is a TRUE PDA. It has 100% of the features you will find in a TX. It's just so damn unstable. Save yourself the money and stick with a PDA by itself.
Sorry for typing so much, I guess I'm very passionate about high tech stuff. 🙂

 

[ForcedEntry]

I wonder if the iPhone will support the same apps.

 

[Eugene]

To everyone,

Thank you so much. No, keep responding, I love detailed answers (my professors hate me for this). But if Dell Axim is D/C, how would I get one? I spotted a couple of websites that sell the machine, ranging from $150 to $1000, which is why I am unsure.

And I will also check out the Palm Tx, thank you so much.

 

[pinkyrx]

Verizon is supposedly getting ready to release two new PDA-phones... The XV6800 and the Samsung i760. I am tired of carrying around two devices, so once these come out, I'm going to ditch my old cell phone and my old PDA and purchase a combo. Both of those are windows based PDAs and not palm based... the choice between the two is just personal preference in my opinion.

 

[njac]

I have a Dell Axim I bought 3 or 4 years ago and haven't touched since.

What software do you recommend? Lexi-Comp? Epocrates? I was just told that for my rotation this summer I need a PDA for rounding. eep.

 

[ForcedEntry]

Yes please...do share the names of the applications most commonly used. That way I be on the lookout for an OS X port!

 

[DownonthePharm]

I hear about Micromedex being used around here a lot.

I wasnt planning on getting a PDA until the start of my 3rd year, but how quickly has the technology on these been changing? If for example I buy a Palm TX, will it happily last me through my next three years of school and then some?

 

[pinkyrx]

I hear about Micromedex being used around here a lot.

I wasnt planning on getting a PDA until the start of my 3rd year, but how quickly has the technology on these been changing? If for example I buy a Palm TX, will it happily last me through my next three years of school and then some?

I think it depends on how particular you are about being on the cutting edge with technology. The PDA will definitely last 3 years, but it might not be as fancy as the newer models out there.

 

[wrek92]

FWIW,

I have a Dell Axim X30 PDA and Lexi-Comp Complete loaded on it. I love the Lexi-Comp but I have to keep re-booting my Axim because most of the software is stored on an SD card. Figures that Windows CE would crash on my Dell too. 😡

However, a subscription to Lexi-Comp is going to run you about $200. But, I think it's worth it. There is stuff like 5 minute clinical consult and lexi-interact. PDAs are really nice tools to have on rotations but some preceptors will get annoyed when you go straight to your PDA instead of trying to think through a question.

 

[eddie269]

The Palm TX was released back in 10/2005. As of 6/2007, it's still the top of the line Palm PDA. I don't believe Palm will release another PDA anytime soon.

The Palm LifeDrive (a brick) was the lastest model but was discontinued because the TX sold so much better. I would say a new PDA would last at least 2 yrs and not be outdated. Going towards 3 years, there will be better devices that cost less.. But that's technology for ya.