Windows Mobile

Windows Mobile is one of the operating systems that is used for mobile devices. As the name obviously implies, it is a Windows product made by Microsoft. There are a variety of devices that are capable of running Windows Mobile. Some of them include the Pocket PC, Smartphones, Portable Media Centers, and some automobile computers. The current version that is avilable is Windows Mobile 6 (it was released in February of 2007), and for those who use this program, a new version release is expected at some point in 2008. Windows Mobile contains a variety of standard functions that are probably well-known to PDA users. Some of the common ones include Windows Media Player, Outlook, and Office Mobile. Windows users will recongize those programs as being the very ones that are used on many computers. I would prefer this type of program, I think, because I am so familiar with the way the programs run. All things else being equal between Windows Mobile and other programs, I think the familiar interface would be a very big advantage.

Lexi-Comp

One of the more popular drug databases is Lexi-Drugs. I have used this one several times throughout my time as a pharmacy student at Iowa, so I know my way around it a little bit. There are others that I like using more (Clinical Pharmacology), but it is definitely better than some others. Lexi-Comp says that its products "develop superior drug information to support medication safety." The database includes a lot of information, although most of it is also included in other comparable databases. Some of the information includes dosing by route and population, indications, specific renal and hepatic warnings, and special FDA warnings as well as any black box warnings which may exist. Additionally, it contains a program for identifying drug interactions. I do not like the interactions checker as well as the one found in Clinical Pharmacology, but Lexi-Comp's is not too difficult to use. Lexi-Comp also includes an area that is labeled as "Clinical Pearls." Just as the name implies, that feature contains bits of information that health care professionals would find especially useful. Overall, I think Lexi-Comp does a nice job, and I would rate it in the middle of the pack when it comes to databases.

Micromedex

A very popular drug database (for both web users as well as PDA users) is the Micromedex branded products. From their website, www.micromedex.com, much information is given about a variety of products. I am going to focus on a product called "Drugdex." This is a tool that provides comprehensive drug monographs of over 2,300 drugs to health care professionals (especially intended for pharmacists). This database really includes a tremendous amount of drugs, and it includes FDA-approved drugs, foreign drugs, over the counter drugs, and even investigational drugs. Because it is online, it updates very regularly, so even the newest of drugs can be found very quickly on Drugdex. Two important features for this program make it especially useful. Drugdex allows users to compare two drugs by various attributes, and it also provides off label indications, which can be very valuable to a wide variety of health care professionals.

Sprint and MySpace

Exhibiting yet more evidence of the continuing technology advancements in regards to the smartphones, Sprint has made a major announcement today. Sprint Nextel, a United States wireless carrier, announced today that their users will have free access to the MySpace mobile web site when that site finally launches sometime in 2008. As is the way most of these smartphone features run, Sprint subscribers will be able to connect directly to the MySpace website through the Sprint home page. There will be a direct link with no URL required. On MySpace's end, they are redesigning their website so that the graphics and e-mail interface will be easier to use. MySpace is the biggest social network in the world, and the article that I read concerning this announcement claims that one million people have visited the mobile site since its beta launch last September. I personally do not use MySpace, but obviously many people are. Yesterday I made a post concerning Palm's recent improvements, and now here is another company improving its product and attempting to give its uers something that they would value.

Palm Treo 755p

I am especially interested in smartphones because I believe they are the future of PDAs and quick information access, and one of the smartphones that I hear about most frequently is the Palm Treo. One of the models that is currently popular is called the Treo 755p. It has many of the standard features of many other smartphones, but I am going to go through them anyway. This particular phone "combines a smarter phone with wireless e-mail, a built in web browser, and rich media capabilities--all at blazing, broadband-like speeds" (according to the Palm website). The Treo 755p is capable of running Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and it can also open PDF files. Like many other modern phones, it has a color screen and the full standard keyboard. There are a tremendous number of applications available for the Treo--far too many to go into here. The Treo does have access for instant messaging, and Google Maps. I have never used the Treo, so I cannot confirm this is true, but the Treo 755p brochure claims that the newest model is smaller than older models. To me, the 755p looks like a very good product and one of the top smartphones on the market.

Diagnosaurus

One of the most unique of the PDA software programs that we have examined this semester in the PDA course is the one called Diagnosaurus. This very simple program has some fairly valuable information in it. The basic premise behind this program is to match a symptom with a possible diagnosis. The online version consists of a very easy-to-use program. You can browse by symptom or disease and then click on whichever one you are looking for. If you click on a symptom, a list of disease pops up. That list of diseases is all of the possible diseases that are associated with that particular symptom. If you select a disease instead of a symptom, the exact opposite occurs--a list of symptoms pops up that are associated with the disease. A third browsing option is to browse by organ system. Clicking on one of them brings up a list of all associated symptoms and diseases. Diagnosaurus does not include any additional information, so a different database would be needed for that, but it does give a quick overview which could be ideal for a doctor who needs a quick answer.

Palm Update

Palm has released a product update, version 2.11, for the AT&T/Cingular-branded edition of the Treo 680. The ROM update will provide a number improvements to the Treo 680. Some of the improvements include the following: you can now use the Treo like a walkie-talkie to talk to one person or a group of people, a wider variety of ring tones formats (such as MP3, AAC, MIDI, WAV), AOL, Windows Live Messenger, or Yahoo! instant messaging, and larger expansion cards (up to 4 GB SD). The upgrade also provides access to extra AT&T services, including TeleNav GPS Navigator and MobiTV for watching live TV4, in addition to a new look to AT&T's Xpress Mail application. Finally, the battery life is supposed to be improved and default system power preferences are improved as well. Evidently Palm's relative lack of success in the last couple of months (see earlier blog) has not stopped it from releasing new updates and products. I do not know how these updates work, so I would be interested to find out how people install these updates, what they cost, and how often a new update would eventually come out. I guess I will have to do research on things like that before purchasing my own PDA.