which PDA???

[neilc]

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just looking for reccomendations on which PDA is a good buy. i am not going to need anything super powerful or fancy. i simply want to use epocrates/5-min clinical consult at the bedside, utilize it as a daily planner, i would like to be able to play mp3's on in (during the tram ride to class, and during slow moments) and i would like to be able to possibly add a digital camera type feature to it...

any ideas for the best buy (cheap is good) for what i need? am i leaving anything important out?

looking forward to hearing some good sales pitches on these machines!

 

[flighterdoc]

I like the Palm Tungsten E. Color, about $200, I got a 256MB memory card also (another $40 or so). It's great, the best PDA I've had (out of 5, in the last 6 or so years).

 

[ckent]

I would actually recommend PDA's that use the Palm OS as opposed to those that use windows. These PDA's are actually cheaper, and they are compatible with more medical programs. I don't think that you can listen to mp3's on them though. If you want an mp3 player, you should probably buy a separate mp3 player.

 

[doc05]

Originally posted by ckent
I would actually recommend PDA's that use the Palm OS as opposed to those that use windows. These PDA's are actually cheaper, and they are compatible with more medical programs. I don't think that you can listen to mp3's on them though. If you want an mp3 player, you should probably buy a separate mp3 player.

actually, most of the new palm handhelds have mp3 players. the sony clie is a good option.

 

[bobbyseal]

I got the Sony Clie SJ33. I really like it a lot.

128mb stick fits some mp3's plus databases.

I've forgotten to bring my clie twice and both days I felt so lost without it.

 

[neilc]

i don't know about most PDA's having mp3, but the palm series seems to have it. i figure it would be great to have that feature...

any options/software that you guys consider essential? and these things are easy to use, right? i have never had one, or played with one before, but i do like the idea of having all this information in my lab coat pocket. but, i hope the learning curve is managable, especially for a computer dummy like me.

basically, as i understand these things...i can have information (epocrates, clincal consult, dictionary) at my fingertips. i can link it up to my computer and download music. i can hook up a camera feature to it, and take digital pics...i am sure there is calender/address book type functions. what else can i do with this sucker?

 

[flighterdoc]

The thing thats most useful to me with my PDA is a BIGGER stylus. I have had little comfort with the little, standard stylli that come with them, I have a more or less normal sized (dia) pen/pencil/stylus combo, and a really BIG dia triple combo. I've been using the smaller of the two lately, it's very handy.

I had (a few years ago) a very expensive Cross brand pen that had a stylus tip opposite the pen end. It worked well, but the stylus wore out pretty quickly, 2 or 3 a year.

I also have a really big (256 MB) memory card. The price of these cards these days is pretty reasonable (like $40 for the 256 MB), and with all my medical, flying, boat navigation, disaster management and every other thing I have on there, theres still about 256 MB (total) free. It's frustrating as heck to run out of memory. I also have pdf versions of some documents, copies of some personal word and excel spreadsheets, driving directions via Mapquest and Avantgo, all sorts of stuff.

The other can't do without items are the screen protector sheets. Especially with a pen combo stylus, one of these days you'll use a pen instead of the stylus, and really damage the face of the PDA. The replaceable sheets protect, and can be replaced in a minute or so for a buck or two.

Cases are a personal style issue. With my Tungsten / E, there aren't a lot of case options yet. I had a Visor edge that had a flip-top lid (think first star trek communicator style), way to retro for me so I got a leather case which held up for 2.5 years and is still going strong. Belt cases, body glove style cases, and hard metal cases are all available.

If you travel a lot, you might want a second charger/sync cable, or at least a charger. The only thing I don't like about my Palm these days is that the sync cable is not a standard USB plug (it's smaller than the mini-B usb plug) so I can't use the same cable I use for my digital camera.

Medical specific software includes Steadmans, Epocrates (free), Johns-Hopkins ABx (free), 5-minute clinical consult, Pepid EM, Bates Physical Exam (it came with aq gift copy of the pocket handbook), Harrison's (really not free) and a bunch of smaller things like Medi-Calc, MedMath, Cardiac clearance, etc.

I can't see a good need for things like the ACLS protocols, when you're running a code you can't be taking time to look them up. For studying, maybe.

 

[BlueFalcon]

Buy a Zire 21. $60 right now at Best Buy. Buy a Rio Nitrus 1.5 gb MP3 player at Buy.com ($130 after rebate). Go find yourself a cheap ass digital camera somewhere. You're set for under $300 bucks.

 

[twinklz]

Palm Zire 71 at www.overstock.com for $160. Plays mp3's, has a digital camera, all in all a pretty good bargain.

 

[denali]

Check out this site at Dalhousie:

http://handheld.medicine.dal.ca/index.htm

It's a nice summary with some recommendations...

 

[GO_MEDPEDS]

I think several very good suggestions were already made, but I'll add in my 2 cents:

I would certainly go with Palm over Pocket PC. Palm continues to provide excellent handhelds with great screens, speed, and a more stable operating system. Furthermore, and believe me on this one, it is much more difficult to find good medical freeware for the Pocket PC.

There are then several options within the Palm community: actual Palm (Tungsten, Zire, etc.), the Treo, and Sony.

I find Sony series to be just a little too pricy. Although I think Sony has made several nice models with great multimedia support and other great features, many of these are not necessary for a good "medical" handheld and you're paying more to get these features.

The Treo (now 600) is great if you were also looking to get a cell phone integrated into your handheld, but it is also a little pricy and I would imagine that will cause quite a strain on your battery life.

Palm(One) handhelds, in my opinion, are the way to go. There are several models that are very powerful, yet affordable and perfect for the medical professional.

The Tungsten|E (already mentioned) is just a great model with tons of features (mp3, fairly quick processor speed, good battery life, and 32MB of RAM- I forget how much is "actual"). For a listed $199 (and I'm sure you can find this cheaper by now), this is a great buy. Slap on a 256 MB Secure Digital expansion card (I would go with Lexar- its the fastest) and you're good to go!

The Zire 71 is also a wonderful handheld. It has many of the same features as the Tungsten|E (though 16MB of RAM), but it has a fairly nice digital camera to boot. Many clinicians have told me that they enjoy this feature for documenting interesting physical findings and for just general picture taking. I would also invest in a 256 MB Lexar SD card for this one.

Personally, I opted for the Tungsten|T3... it is a wonderful handheld, but is pricy and it took awhile to work out some bugs with it. The 320x480 is wonderful for reading iSilo! books and looking at pictures. The real drawback, other than price, is a diminished battery life that (for me) required the additional purchase of a portable charger ($15 on eBay + rechargeable batteries).

I think as long as you get a unit with expandable memory and that is fairly new, you should be just fine. Like computers and other quickly evolving technology, the turnover for these things is very quick and its hard to have the very best for long, but I've noticed that Palm is pretty good about making software that stays in style for at least a few years, so I wouldn't be too worried about getting the absolute newest thing out there...

Please visit my Yahoo! Group if you want to peruse some of the software available or post additional questions or concerns.

Best of luck getting the best handheld to suit your needs!

😉

Grant

 

[Lara]

Has anyone successfully used wireless internet on a PDA via Bluetooth? I doubt the hospitals I'd be in come clinicals have WiFi, and I'd like internet access if for no other reason than to help me stay awake. 😛

 

[Weeble]

Slightly off subject.... anyone know of a dictionary of medical acronyms I can download to my PDA? I have a great hardcopy, but it's heavy and I'm not sure it's worthy of an entire pocket of my whitecoat. 😉

 

[bobbyseal]

GO_MEDPEDS,

Thanks a lot for your yahoo group. I love getting free pda software for my clie.

Pretty soon i'm going to fill up that memstick with isilo databases and not mp3s.

 

[neilc]

hey guys, thanks for all the awesome info...i think i am leaning toward that palm tungsten e...i have been over at best buy checking out the features, then doing the price shopping online. some good deals!

anyhow, thanks a lot for all the info, and the great link!

 

[GO_MEDPEDS]

Both are for the iSilo! reader (www.isilo.com):

http://www.meistermed.com/isilodepot/isilodocs/isilodoc_s_med_abbrev.htm

http://www.freewarepalm.com/educational/medicalabbreviations.shtml

For BDicty:

http://www.palmblvd.com/software/pc/Medical-Abbreviations-2001-6-20-palm-pc.html

(I think this one is also available on my website: Grant's IUSM PDA )

🙂

 

[gwyn779]

Though you have pretty much decided (and I think the Tungsten E is a good choice) I would like to add my vote for Palm OS. During our Family Medicine rotation we were provided pretty new Pocket PCs and part of the orientation was what to do when, not if, the thing crashed and you lost all your info and programs. I've had a palm for over 2 years now and that has never happened to it. And as other people have said, you have more software options.