which smartphone for psyc

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
C

cherryalmond

Full Member
10+ Year Member
Joined
Apr 8, 2009
Messages
148
Reaction score
1
Members do not see this ad.
I'm due for a new cell phone soon and i've been researching smartphones. I really want one that I will easily be able to get psyc stuff on like dsmIV, epocrates or lexidrug, def of defense mechanisms, basically anything psyc related i'd put on it---but don't know which platform would be best for that---r most programs that i'd want on my phone available on all platforms? also i need one easy to use and figure out thanx
 
full epocrates as far as I know is only available on touchscreen phones. blackberry has essentials available but not the full version.

That's all I know.

Last time I talked to people about hte iphone (which was months ago) they werent' terribly impressed with medicine-relevant apps, but I'm sure that's changed at least somewhat.
 
Have you looked at smartphones that run on Palm OS?

I'll be using my trusty Palm TX for residency in July. I have an iPhone but I don't plan to install medical applications on it. Skyscape has a lot of medical programs for different platforms..you could try checking that out too.
 
iPhone has plenty of medical apps in the app store. Free Epocrates, as well as the full version for $xxx is also available. iPhone all the way.
 
I so wish Verizon had the iphone.

I'm tired of my palm treo, though it has been a relatively good phone over the years. Lots of medical apps too. I used the MMSE scoring tool on it a lot, as well as epocrates.
 
masterofmonkeys said:
full epocrates as far as I know is only available on touchscreen phones. blackberry has essentials available but not the full version.

That's all I know.

Last time I talked to people about hte iphone (which was months ago) they werent' terribly impressed with medicine-relevant apps, but I'm sure that's changed at least somewhat.
Click to expand...

Epocrates essentials is a full version. There is essentials deluxe but it only adds Pill ID, ICD codes and I think a dictionary. Essentials (the full version) is available for Palm, winmobile and iPhone. With a blackberry you only have the RX Pro version available. The "free" epocrates is the Rx version.
 
cherryalmond said:
I'm due for a new cell phone soon and i've been researching smartphones. I really want one that I will easily be able to get psyc stuff on like dsmIV, epocrates or lexidrug, def of defense mechanisms, basically anything psyc related i'd put on it---but don't know which platform would be best for that---r most programs that i'd want on my phone available on all platforms? also i need one easy to use and figure out thanx
Click to expand...

If you get an iphone, you may want to wait a little bit until this summer... word is that they are putting out a new version and the data plan is going to go down... or something like that.
 
I'm personally thinking about the palm pre. Being a technological luddite, I prefer real keyboards.
 
i keep reading that palm is dying a slow death whatever that means so i am hesitant to go with palm; i'm looking more at blackberry and winmo; i also want a real keyboard; i'd love the iphone but att not so much
 
cherryalmond said:
i keep reading that palm is dying a slow death whatever that means so i am hesitant to go with palm;
Click to expand...
That's valid. Their numbers have been going down the tubes. They have a great selection of software for it now, especially among the independent titles, but they are selling the smallest numbers of new units among the different platforms. I'd worry about the availability of software on Palm that's being developed now.
 
I have a blackberry storm and I would not reccomend it. I'm going to be ditching it and getting an iphone pretty soon, even though that means switching to ATT (which I don't mind) Verizon doesn't have the best coverage in the South.
 
Not on rounds yet but I'm really not surprised, it already happens. Luckily I don't have any friends that are as bad as what the article was getting at, but we'll be out to lunch and will use someone's phone to check google or IMDB for some obscure fact that we can't remember.

I guess now it would be interesting to see if patients start doing a lot of this regarding health/drug info while in the room.
 
notdeadyet said:
That's valid. Their numbers have been going down the tubes. They have a great selection of software for it now, especially among the independent titles, but they are selling the smallest numbers of new units among the different platforms. I'd worry about the availability of software on Palm that's being developed now.
Click to expand...
I agree there are concerns about viability of Palm, but I do wonder how much of it is going to be a self-fulfilling prophecy.

I have been using Palm Treos for 6 years now, and have been reasonably happy with them (I do like the keyboard). My husband, who is a tech junkie, got rid of it last year and is worshipping his G1 now. G1 certainly seems a cool and versatile toy, but there is not much medical software available for it (yet). I guess, in a year or two I will switch, but it is Treo for me until then.
 
BabyPsychDoc said:
I agree there are concerns about viability of Palm, but I do wonder how much of it is going to be a self-fulfilling prophecy.

I have been using Palm Treos for 6 years now, and have been reasonably happy with them (I do like the keyboard). My husband, who is a tech junkie, got rid of it last year and is worshipping his G1 now. G1 certainly seems a cool and versatile toy, but there is not much medical software available for it (yet). I guess, in a year or two I will switch, but it is Treo for me until then.
Click to expand...
If the hype is true, Palm Pre will be pretty successful. It looks cool. Wish I could play with it for a couple days.
 
As always, people on Verizon get screwed and have to wait for the Pre, which apparently comes out at the same time as the Storm 2. Whoopie.🙄

I'd be happy with a BB Bold at this point. But we can't even have that.
 
Anasazi23 said:
As always, people on Verizon get screwed and have to wait for the Pre, which apparently comes out at the same time as the Storm 2. Whoopie.🙄

I'd be happy with a BB Bold at this point. But we can't even have that.
Click to expand...
Agreed. When the storm came out and they were hyping it as the next iphone I felt like a poor kid at Christmas that got a cheap knockoff. Very disappointed.
 
Anasazi23 said:
As always, people on Verizon get screwed and have to wait for the Pre, which apparently comes out at the same time as the Storm 2. Whoopie.🙄

I'd be happy with a BB Bold at this point. But we can't even have that.
Click to expand...

Take a look at the Blackberry Tour. Its supposed to be a slightly stripped down version of the Bold that is coming out for Verizon either this month or next month.
 
And if you haven't heard, new iPhones are coming out on the 19th.
 
I have the HTC Touch Pro with Sprint; it's a windows based device but I actually like the slide out keyboard and it's pretty good with battery life. More than enough for a days worth of "drug dose lookup"... It comes with a stylus and I think they're cheaper now than they were back in the day (like 3 months ago). BTW you don't need the stylus to navigate and sometimes it's more of a hassle. You can use an "unclicked" ballpoint pen which is nice when you're in the middle of note-writing.
 
sunlioness said:
I just switched from Verizon to AT&T for the iPhone and even though my bills went up (because pretty much everyone I know is on Verizon and those calls used to be free), I am so so happy with the iPhone. So that's my vote too.
Click to expand...

How long does epocrates take to load up on iphone?
 
I just got a smartphone two days ago--a blackberry curve; i have verizon so it was between a blackberry or the samsung saga (since I wanted a physical keyboard) and i researched a lot and the reviews for the curve were awesome but guess what.... I Hate It; the trackball is terrible; webpages don't look like webpages; it's slow and i dnt find it so easy to text. So now i'm thinking of just going to sprint for the palm pre which i've been told by two people who have it that it's amazing.
Someone mentioned the palm pre would be out in verizon, do you know when?
Does anyone have a samsung saga?
The best part was going to verizon and have two reps grill me on why I don't like the curve, what I use the curve for, and to tell me I needed to see someone to teach me how to use it, and how that is the best smartphone they have; it was like they were in some blackberry cult.
I tried the iphone at AT&T (since it's 100dollars now) and the keyboard is difficult to use, which seems to be with all touchscreen keyboards at least for me.
Any advice on if i should stick with verizon or go to sprint; i'm in nyc and i've heard coverage can be spotty.
 
silas2642 said:
How long does epocrates take to load up on iphone?
Click to expand...

It's longer than on a windows-based device, but you get used to it. I think their last update sped it up a bit.

I do see that it does NOT have 5-minute consult built in, or at least I can't find it.

I wonder if apps run any faster on the new iPhone 3Gs?
 
I'm staying with verizon because I can't do the screentyping thing. I need a keypad. Pre is coming to verizon in december. When is the exclusive iphone contract with att up? I keep hearing it's soon so you have something (two things) to wait for...
 
2tall said:
I'm staying with verizon because I can't do the screentyping thing. I need a keypad. Pre is coming to verizon in december. When is the exclusive iphone contract with att up? I keep hearing it's soon so you have something (two things) to wait for...
Click to expand...


I haven't used one, but the Pre has been getting rave reviews. Let us know if you get one!
 
if anyone is interested i figured i'd post that i got the samsung saga and the winmo operating system seems faster than the blackberry and the internet looks better; it is definitely harder to learn though.

anyone get the palm pre yet??? why does sprint suck in nyc
 
I got the Iphone 3GS. It's great, much faster than the 3G. Epocrates (Rx only) loads in about 2 seconds. They haven't said when the exclusive AT&T deal expires, but some analysts think it's mid-2010. Also, Congress is holding hearings on the legality of the exclusivity deal, so something could potentially happen there.

Other than Epocrates, I have Med equations, med abbreviations, and eponyms apps. There's a DSM coding app that costs a few bucks, but doesn't seem to give anything more than the numerical codes.
 
^^I got the Palm Pre last week, unfortunately I had to take it to Sprint to have it replaced because the slider's wiggly (known issue of Pres). 🙁 I'm getting a new Pre next week hopefully it won't give that easily.

What I love about it..multi-tasking galore!! I used to have an iPhone and I like the fact that in the Pre you can keep apps running in the background. The Palm WebOS is amazing..very fast and stable 👍 GPS works accurately, camera has a flash and takes decent pictures. Med apps wise, I still have to figure out how to transfer my existing Skyscape apps on my Palm TX to the Pre. I know there's a Classic emulator which could do this, but I'll get to that when I have time. Intern year stars in a few days 😱
 
Just read an article that the exclusivity is supposed to end in 2010.

http://www.macdailynews.com/index.php/weblog/comments/21704/
With AT&T's exclusivity agreement due to expire in the next year, pressure is mounting amongst Verizon customers and shareholders for Verizon to come to some sort of agreement with Apple to offer the iPhone on their network," Galloway writes.
Click to expand...
 
xthine said:
^^I got the Palm Pre last week, unfortunately I had to take it to Sprint to have it replaced because the slider's wiggly (known issue of Pres). 🙁 I'm getting a new Pre next week hopefully it won't give that easily.

What I love about it..multi-tasking galore!! I used to have an iPhone and I like the fact that in the Pre you can keep apps running in the background. The Palm WebOS is amazing..very fast and stable 👍 GPS works accurately, camera has a flash and takes decent pictures. Med apps wise, I still have to figure out how to transfer my existing Skyscape apps on my Palm TX to the Pre. I know there's a Classic emulator which could do this, but I'll get to that when I have time. Intern year stars in a few days 😱
Click to expand...

I heard the biggest issue with the Pre is the battery life. Anybody have an issue with this? I'm thinking about getting one....
 
Anasazi23 said:
I so wish Verizon had the iphone.
Click to expand...

Me too. le sigh. Like many others, I've heard that the iphone's contract with ATT will be coming to an end within the next year or two. For now, I'll stick with my Blackberry Curve.
 
^^Nothing out of the ordinary for smartphones. My iPhone drains about as fast too if I don't turn off/adjust certain functions (wifi, bluetooth, push email, screen brightness etc). The only real issue for me is the wiggle of the sliding mechanism which is a known issue of the Pre but not a total deal breaker for me.
 
I'll be getting the Blackberry Tour this month. I'll let you all know what I think of it.

Alas, the lockups and 2-minute screen freezes of the Palm Treo should soon be a thing of the past. Then again, considering the amount of times its saved me (or been dropped), I should feel more nostalgic toward it.

I'm unimpressed with the amount of apps for the blackberry. I hope they increase them at some point. Or, maybe I'm not looking in the right place(s).
 
Anasazi23 said:
I'm unimpressed with the amount of apps for the blackberry. I hope they increase them at some point. Or, maybe I'm not looking in the right place(s).
Click to expand...

Do you use Blackberry App World to search for apps?
 
xthine said:
^^Nothing out of the ordinary for smartphones. My iPhone drains about as fast too if I don't turn off/adjust certain functions (wifi, bluetooth, push email, screen brightness etc). The only real issue for me is the wiggle of the sliding mechanism which is a known issue of the Pre but not a total deal breaker for me.
Click to expand...

I ran into the same thing with my Pre, but luckily i caught it about 10 minutes after buying it. My first unit was just screwed in general ("oreo twist", terrible call quality, phone would randomly shut off when closing keyboard). Brought it back and got a new one...and couldn't be happier with the phone. The lack of apps currently is the biggest deficiency of the phone, but this will come in time. If you are used to an iphone, you may not like this. But if you are just getting into smartphones, I honestly think this is one of the easiest ones to get used to, since all the gestures are pretty intuitive.

And on the battery life...its the gps/emails. The longer i set the interval for checking emails, the better battery life gets. With a moderate web browsing, a few texts, 3 or 4 ten minute phone calls, and 2 email accounts being checked (1 every hour, 1 every 15 minutes), I come home with about 40% battery left after a 10 hour day. BUT, if you are going to get it, you have to get a Touchstone too...that little door to the usb charger will drive you to drink trying to get in closed again:laugh:
 
Rhayven44 said:
I ran into the same thing with my Pre, but luckily i caught it about 10 minutes after buying it. My first unit was just screwed in general ("oreo twist", terrible call quality, phone would randomly shut off when closing keyboard). Brought it back and got a new one...and couldn't be happier with the phone. The lack of apps currently is the biggest deficiency of the phone, but this will come in time. If you are used to an iphone, you may not like this. But if you are just getting into smartphones, I honestly think this is one of the easiest ones to get used to, since all the gestures are pretty intuitive.

And on the battery life...its the gps/emails. The longer i set the interval for checking emails, the better battery life gets. With a moderate web browsing, a few texts, 3 or 4 ten minute phone calls, and 2 email accounts being checked (1 every hour, 1 every 15 minutes), I come home with about 40% battery left after a 10 hour day. BUT, if you are going to get it, you have to get a Touchstone too...that little door to the usb charger will drive you to drink trying to get in closed again:laugh:
Click to expand...


I just bought a Pre, too. So far, I love it! I was worried about the battery life, but it really is fine. You're right about the touchstone, it is really worth having. I also work with some of the adjustments to improve the battery life, which has helped. Overall 👍
 
Anasazi23 said:
I'll be getting the Blackberry Tour this month. I'll let you all know what I think of it.

Alas, the lockups and 2-minute screen freezes of the Palm Treo should soon be a thing of the past. Then again, considering the amount of times its saved me (or been dropped), I should feel more nostalgic toward it.

I'm unimpressed with the amount of apps for the blackberry. I hope they increase them at some point. Or, maybe I'm not looking in the right place(s).
Click to expand...

I would have waited for the Tour (I think it comes out Sunday), until I found out it doesn't have WiFi. Why blackberry isn't putting Wifi on this phone is beyond me....😕
 
maranatha said:
I would have waited for the Tour (I think it comes out Sunday), until I found out it doesn't have WiFi. Why blackberry isn't putting Wifi on this phone is beyond me....😕
Click to expand...

That right there is likely what led to the comments the Sprint CEO made the other day about only carrying Blackberry phones with WiFi from here on out. Apparently, the Tour would be so much popular if it had just had this one simple function.
 
I just got my first smartphone, after my Palm PDA went bust a few months ago, and holding out by using epocrates on the computer.

ITs a blackberry. I chose that over the Iphone only because I got Verizon, and it could well be over a year before Verizon gets its.

You know what? That trackball on the BB blows!
 
whopper said:
I just got my first smartphone, after my Palm PDA went bust a few months ago, and holding out by using epocrates on the computer.

ITs a blackberry. I chose that over the Iphone only because I got Verizon, and it could well be over a year before Verizon gets its.

You know what? That trackball on the BB blows!
Click to expand...
Believe it or not, you do get used to it.
 
Yeah, I actually am getting used to it, and a buddy of mine who has had a BB swears by it.

For right now though, it feels like some cheap dimestore pez like plastic toy where I'm using a trackball to make the toy open up up its eyes, just not as much as day 1 where that's all I was thinking. Now its to the point where I'm actually thinking I can use this thing to get some decent stuff done.
 
whopper said:
Yeah, I actually am getting used to it, and a buddy of mine who has had a BB swears by it.

For right now though, it feels like some cheap dimestore pez like plastic toy where I'm using a trackball to make the toy open up up its eyes, just not as much as day 1 where that's all I was thinking. Now its to the point where I'm actually thinking I can use this thing to get some decent stuff done.
Click to expand...
Exactly.

I'm with you on the iphone though. With all of the stories of terrible service through AT&T I am going to wait until it is available on Verizon.
 
chemist157 said:
Exactly.

I'm with you on the iphone though. With all of the stories of terrible service through AT&T I am going to wait until it is available on Verizon.
Click to expand...

I hear lots of people just absolutely hate on AT&T but with ANY cell provider the local quality of service can vary too much to be able to make any sort of generalization that X service is better than Y.

I'd say talk to some friends around you who have AT&T and see what kind of experience they have had.
 
TenaciousGirl said:
Do you use Blackberry App World to search for apps?
Click to expand...

Yes, this is helpful. It just seems that when the iphone was released, they had millions of apps for it, while the BB app selection seems slightly sluggish in comparison. When I get the Tour, it'll be one of the first things I do with it.

Thanks.
 
maranatha said:
I would have waited for the Tour (I think it comes out Sunday), until I found out it doesn't have WiFi. Why blackberry isn't putting Wifi on this phone is beyond me....😕
Click to expand...

This might be a stupid question, but if you had, say, Verizon (which requires a data plan), and a BB, what would be the real advantage of wifi ?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

P
Which are the Best National Telehealth Platforms to Work for as Psychiatrists?
Replies
2
Views
1K
brosa
brosa
L
Clinical grades for Top Psychiatry programs - which ones are important?
Replies
23
Views
4K
wellbutrin.girlfriend
W
Psycho Bunny
To Psychiatrists: Which off-label medications do you use the most?
Replies
20
Views
3K
2025DandW
2
R
Chances for entering psychiatry
Replies
24
Views
3K
clausewitz2
clausewitz2
B
salary resource for psych (forensic psych, CAP, general psych, etc.)
Replies
8
Views
2K
mistafab
mistafab
Top