PDA: More than kissing in the hallway
Jon's picks: click here!
Check out the Washington University Medical Palm Initiative. It has good sites to link to. Still under construction.
For those of you who are believers but don't have a PDA yet, check out PDAMD.com for some basic info. BTW, this is the best site I've seen so far for PDA info.
Initially, I purchased a Palm Pilot because I have always loved organizers. I thought that it might save me from the bulging, sagging white coat pockets of a third-year medical student in the future. After a week, it became an irreplaceable part of my life. Palm Pilots belong to the larger realm of PDA's or personal digital assistants. They initially seem to be glorified organizers, but upon closer look there is much more...
So, what do I look for? Let's start here with some PDA basic information.
Here are some of my favorite web pages:
PDA's to buy...
HandEra- the biggest and baddest of the Palm-like PDA's. It looks like the Palm IIIx, but has Securi-Digital and Compact Flash memory capabilities, thus making it a superb overall performer for expandability. My choice for med students.
Palm Homepage- a great starting point, to get acquainted with 3Com's Palm Pilots, the best selling PDA's on the market. You can find the new Palm 500 and 505 here.
Handspring- home of Visor. Solid performers with an extensive line of products. Palm's biggest competitor.
Sony Clie- a newer kid on the block. Pretty and designed more for it's audio/visual capabilities. It uses Sony's "memory stick" for additional programs. Many software programs are becoming "memory stick" capable...
Software and Downloads...
PDAMD.com- great site for the medically inclined. It really hits what physicians need and updates itself frequently. Great reference for daily news as well.
ePocrates- FREE drug and infectious disease references. Good quality, great price! Mechanism of action is limited, but a start. All of this for about 900KB of memory. Best part, Auto Update: each time you hotsync your PDA, it updates with the latest info. from ePocrates.com.
Avant Go- PDA and internet, together. Great way to read the New York Times on the bus. Now, you can catch up with NEJM and other medical periodicals through Handheldmed.com
Hand and Go- Good information, downloads, hardware.
Handheldmed- Reviews on PDA topics, software, hardware, discounts for med students, residents on some software. These are the folks who are providing AMSA members with GREAT discounts! Even if you aren't an AMSA member, register with them and get the Merck Manual free!
Healthy Palm Pilot- Super listing of software downloads!
Skyscape- Formally known as K2. These are the folks who made the real ground-breaking medical programs. When Harvard began toying around with Palms in 1994, they went to K2 for the software. They make several programs, including 5 Minute Clinical Consult, FerriGuide, AtoZ Drugs, Interact programs, etc. In my opinion, these are the best clinical programs on the market.
Visorcentral.com- Great resource for Visor users. Seems to be a good site for hardware, software, and info. on Visor handhelds.
MemoWare - The PDA Document Repository- Looking for books to read in your spare time? Other documents? Other shareware? Look no further.
PalmGear H.Q.- Software, hardware, accessories- they've got it! However, nothing is free here.
Teal Point Software- Great reader, neat information available for it. It is obvious that some programmers have too much time on their hands. However, if you're looking for ways to beat monsters on your N-64 or Playstation, this might be the place to download the advice of others.
PDA.TUCOWS.COM- TUCOWS is a super download center for just about anything, PDA's included. Great place for shareware and reviews.
ZDNet's Palm Downloads- More downloads
11/05/01