Updates already available for the Tungsten T5

Due to minor bugs with the original firmware, palmONE has released an upgrade for its ROM software. These updates address issues such as a calender bug, problems in Contacts and adjusts the soft keyboard to prevent system instability. Full Story

McGraw-Hill and Unbound Medicine Expand Partnership

McGraw-Hill Professional and Unbound Medicine announced today that they will be expanding their partnership in producing software for handheld and wireless devices. With this announcement comes the release of 5 new titles including CURRENT Consult Medicine 2005.
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Compare VGA Pocket PC's

While not all models are currently available in all areas, there will soon be 6 Pocket PC's with VGA displays on the market. To decide which device is right for you, compare and contrast the features of both the inside and outside, including price and availability. LINK

Unbound Medicine Releases Current Consult Surgery for PDA

Unbound Medicine, a leading provider of knowledge management solutions for the healthcare industry, announces the release of Current Consult Surgery for Palm OS and Pocket PC devices.
CCS brings you authoritative clinical answers on more than 360 surgically treated disorders in the most efficient format, perfectly devised for the busy physician.
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Release of Tungsten T5 Announced

The new Tungsten T5, which will be widely available in November, has features such as: 256MB of Flash memory, a 320x480 pixel display and Bluetooth wireless in a compact Tungsten E like form factor. Full story

Survey Says- Mobile Hardware Increasingly Common

A survey covering 164 hospitals, reports that 72 % of hospital executives interviewed say their clinicians are using mobile computing devices. Focusing on PDAs, Tablet PC's and wireless computers, the report found differences between the types of devices initially purchased and the types they prefer to purchase in the future. Full Story

Majority of Physicians use PDAs

64% of respondents on a recent survey of physicians say they use personal digital assistants at their primary treatment facility. The survey of 453 outpatient organizations shows that physicians use PDAs to, among many other things, obtain drug reference information, manage scheduling, capture charges, perform dictation, access electronic medical records and write electronic prescriptions. Full Story

More PDAs not available in the U.S.

In a single day, both Sony and Toshiba announced new models that won't be available in the United States, while just recently Sony announced their Sony Clie PEG-VZ90 won't be available outside of Japan.
None of these companies have given reasons why they have decided to not release models in the U.S. The theory that is most often expressed to explain it is that the U.S. handheld market is dominated by three companies, squeezing out smaller competitors. LINK

PDA Back to School Sale

While PDA use is growing in different sectors of education, most medical schools require their students to purchase a PDA device. This gives the perfect opportunity to companies such as palmONE who recently announced a back-to-school offer now through Oct. 30. With the purchase of 30 Tungsten E handhelds, educators will receive an additional three Tungsten E handhelds, a special eBundle of software and accessories valued at more than $800, and a Software and Utilities Bonus Pack featuring more than $4,000 worth of software and utilities discounts (while supplies last). LINK

Vitals on the Go

In eight outpatient clinics within Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital, nurses are now using PDAs to enter data, such as their patient's vital signs and where on a person's body a blood pressure reading was taken from. This information is then sent automatically via their device to the hospital's electronic medical records system. The wireless PDAs are attached to wheeling IV poles outfitted with monitors. Before implementing the system, less than 10% of patient blood pressure data was available in data form in the electronic records system. LINK

Docs Ahead of Pack in PDA Use

Physicians are four times more likely as other consumers to own PDAs, according to a new report from Forrester Research Inc., which found that 45% of North American physicians own PDAs, compared with 11% of the general population. The numbers aren't suprising seeing as PDAs are now must-haves for medical students and residents. LINK

The Clie Resurrected?

It was thought that Sony had ducked out of the PDA market because of their doubts about its futrue. However, some are now saying that it was more specifically the Palm market and Pocket PC's just might be their new venture. LINK

Palm vs. Pocket PC: which one is for you?

pdabuyersguide.com has not tried to answer this eternal question, but rather aims to help figure out which one is better for you. The author does this by outlining key considerations that usually help consumers decide which will best suit their needs.

Breastfeeding Resources

The Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition has developed Breastfeed 1.10, a free PDA reference for supporting breastfeeding mothers. It includes guidelines for supporting lactation in the first few days; lists of contacts/references; and a short guide to the use of medications in lactation.

Diagnosaurus Mac Beta

Unbound Medicine is recruiting Macintosh users to beta test the Macintosh version of Diagnosaurus, a McGraw-Hill Mobile Consult product. LINK

Caregivers are Using PDAs to Save Time and Improve Care

While many may think that the idea of medical professionals using PDA's during the course of their routine day is far off, physicians are showing the industry otherwise. Seventy-two percent of physicians responding to a recent survey say hand-held computing devices are used at their primary treatment facility.

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Surgical Content Comes Unbound

Unbound Medicine announced today the release of Unbound Surgery, the first all-digital resource of its kind which offers focused yet detailed answers to surgical questions encountered in clinical practice. Available for Palm OS and Pocket PC handheld devices and tightly integrated with a multimedia Web version, Unbound Surgery helps practitioners and trainees resolve surgical dilemmas wherever they arise.

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Sony Closes New Clie Developer Support

Shortly after Sony announced they were going to suspend their conventional PDA business, they have now closed off the Clie Developer Support Site registration to new members.

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PACS via Wi-Fi?

Many health care organizations have not enabled wireless access to their PACS systems because they believe the screen size of most mobile hardware would impede physicians from viewing an entire image. However, emergency department physicians at San Antonio Community Hospital, who need access to the PACS application only for reference--not diagnosis--are benefiting from wireless access.

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PDAs in Medical Education

Technology offers medical education enormous opportunity. Specifically, the PDA has become an extremely valuable tool for the medical student attempting to master an immense body of knowledge in the setting of a hectic clinic or ward. Yet many students know little about software or hardware for their PDAs or don't know where to start when beginning a search to purchase a PDA. This Medical Education coordinator hopes to better inform his peers by conducting a survey to see which schools are using PDAs, updating students on the essentials of hardware and software, and promoting the AMSA pdaMD package as a potential fundraiser for local chapters.

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