Enjoying the Kindle app on my mobile device(s)

Recently, I did some personal traveling (vacation) and it was great to have tablets for the kids. I had movies playing on the iPad and the ThinkPad Tablet. Meanwhile, I did some writing on my laptop and my wife was working with photos and videos on her Mac. When I a chance to sit back and relax by the pool, I pulled out a tablet and did some reading using the Kindle app. One of the great features about this app is that you can sync your reading across all your devices. What this means is that I can be on page 44 on my iPad. Then, I can put the device away and later if I'm standing in line, I may pull out my Android smartphone and open the Kindle app. It takes me right to page 44 where I left off on my iPad. This reading "sync" is a convenient feature that helps you read through books while remaining device agnostic.

Right now, I'm roughly 1/4 of the way through a book. I did roughly 75% of my reading on my ThinkPad Tablet, about 10% on my Android smartphone, and 15% on my iPad.

This seems like a great way to help medical students keep up with their studies. They should have synchronized textbooks that are accessible on any mobile device. This way, whether they have a tablet or a smartphone, they can read, review, memorize, and work through various clinical subjects to achieve mastery. I didn't have that luxury when I was a student. I still remember carrying heavy textbooks in my backpack and wondering when these things would enter the digital era.

Some of you have probably never purchased an e-book (or digital book). Well, there's a first time for everything. If you're not sure about digital reading, you can test it out by installing the Kindle app on your mobile device and reading some free classics like The Art of War or the Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

Healthcare PC Virtualization

There's a complimentary webinar sponsored by Intel coming up on the topic of PC Virtualization in Healthcare. Here are the details:

A Smarter Approach to Healthcare PC Virtualization

Tuesday, May 22, 2012
2:00 pm ET/11:00 am PT

There's been a lot of talk of PCs going the way of the woolly mammoth (Post PC era anyone?). With cloud computing, wireless broadband and distributed workforces, are organizations moving to a new era of tablets and thin clients as the new survival tools? The question is hotly debated and intertwined with three equally hot trends: PC virtualization, cloud computing, and the consumerization of IT.

Join IT experts from Intel and Virtual Computer for a webinar with live Q&A to learn about what's really happening with PCs, thin-clients, and tablets.

During this webinar, you’ll learn:

• Key metrics and healthcare trends on tablets, thin clients and PCs
• Best use cases for PCs, thin-clients, and tablets in healthcare
• How Intelligent Desktop Virtualization (IDV) transforms PCs
• Economics and performance of VDI vs. IDV

Register here.

Seventh Annual WLSA Convergence Summit

You won't want to miss this upcoming event! Here is a press release about the Seventh Annual WLSA Convergence Summit:


Seventh Annual WLSA Convergence Summit Features Innovative Approaches and Technologies to Empower Consumers and Revolutionize Healthcare Delivery and Cost

Tools for Consumer Engagement and Empowerment –
Crossing the Chasm from Innovation to Institutional and Consumer Adoption

SAN DIEGO – May 15, 2012 – The Wireless-Life Sciences Alliance (WLSA) will conduct its seventh annual Convergence Summit from May 22-24 in San Diego, an event that focuses leaders of the digital revolution in healthcare on crossing the chasm between innovation in wireless healthcare technology and adoption by consumers and institutions.

Read more »

5 reasons why I can't live on an iPad (or Android tablet)

I recently went on vacation and I took my PC laptop, my iPad, and my Android tablet. Yes, I carry multiple gadgets so that my kids (n=3) can be entertained on the flight and hotel. One iPad won't cut it. So, could I survive with just an iPad or Android tablet? I probably could if I only had to check email periodically. However, I'm a blogger and I just can't stay away from blogging.

So, what are the 5 reasons why I can't live on an iPad (or Android tablet)?

1. Copy/paste is still rather archaic on mobile devices. I do a lot of copy/paste and it's simply too difficult (or rather impossible at times) to do on an iPad or Android tablet. Until this becomes easier, I'll naturally end up pulling out my laptop.

2. The typing experience. Sorry folks, but the on-screen typing or the Bluetooth keyboards just don't cut it for me. I do some serious typing when I'm composing a blog post.

3. Problems with browser compatibility. If you do enough web browsing on a mobile device, you'll encounter some type of compatibility bug. I've tried almost every mobile browser that is available. I've gravitated towards my favorites, but they still have some intermittent issues when you visit certain sites. In most cases, the problem is with the site, not the browser. However, a problem is a problem and it impacts my productivity. There are still too many websites out there that are not optimized and properly programmed for the mobile experience.

4. Video editing. The existing video editing apps on mobile devices are still fairly primitive. When I am traveling, I often shoot video that I will edit and upload to my YouTube channel. It's just too difficult to edit/cut/splice movies on a mobile device and upload them to YouTube. I'd rather stick the SD card into my laptop, manipulate the video, then upload the new video files.

5. I still rely on spell check and autocorrect when I am composing lengthy documents. Right now, the majority of word processing apps don't have robust spell check and autocorrect features that are built-in to the app. You can get these if you're connected to the Internet, but if you're working on a plane that lacks Wi-Fi, you're typing with no correction. I still make too many mistakes typing, so I need these features when I'm writing.

So, these are the main reasons why I always carry a PC, even when I'm carrying a mobile tablet like an iPad or an Android tablet. In many cases, I leave the tablet behind because what's the point of carrying both a PC and a tablet?

Ice Cream Sandwich coming to the Lenovo ThinkPad Android Tablet

Google Android 4.0 is called Ice Cream Sandwich and it's coming to the Lenovo ThinkPad Android Tablet this month. I've been waiting for this upgrade for my ThinkPad because it's currently running Android 3.1 Honeycomb and I'm sure there's a better, more refined operating system that will make this tablet work more efficiently. I chose to get the Lenovo ThinkPad Android Tablet because it's one of the few Android tablets that also comes with the option of an active pen for inking and writing. These pens are much more accurate compared to spongy capacitive stylus pens.

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is currently available on a number of other Android tablets like the Asus Transformer Prime.

Mobile PCs on wheels

Are you running around in your hospital or office with a computer in your hand all the time? Do you have wheels for your mobile computer? Or, is your tablet so light that you don't need any wheels?

The "computer on wheels" or "COW" may be ubiquitous in the hospital, but in the medical office or clinic you're more likely to find PC terminals in each patient room or physicians walking around with tablet computers or laptops. Of course, some docs prefer wheeling around a COW and going from one room to the next. This is the only way to be mobile with a large monitor + mouse/keyboard combination if you don't have them set up in every room. It's really not a bad setup, but I think it would be better if you added another monitor that actually faces the patient. After all, the medical encounter with the patient should include some type of interactive display. This allows the provider to illustrate complex concepts to the patient using multimedia and this is why tablet computers are becoming so popular as bedside education tools designed for the point-of-care.

The next time you're shopping for a mobile computer on wheels, consider adding that 2nd monitor that faces the patient.

Remote desktop support in the medical office

These days, it seems like there is almost no reason for a computer support technician to visit your office if he/she can access your PC remotely. Simply turn on your PC and let the remote person take over. That's why remote desktop support has gained such popularity in the medical community and we can all anticipate the need for more support as hospitals and medical offices turn to computers for health records and order entry.

A few months ago, I was speaking with several physicians who were looking for remote support for healthcare because they were dealing with electronic health records (EHRs) that also included personal health records (PHRs) for patients. They wanted to make sure that remote support providers were going to operate in a manner that would not violate any HIPAA regulations concerning patient privacy and data security. A related issue to data security and privacy surrounds the type of remote support software that you'll need to install on your computers. Some applications may open up your network of computers to malicious attacks from hackers. Some may conflict with other remote access software that you may be running for your office staff or other support teams that need to access your EHR or your lab data.

Before you completely rely on remote desktop support, make sure to invest in a backup Internet connection. The simplest form is a 3G or 4G wireless Wi-Fi hotspot that will allow you to connect all your PCs to the Internet. If you have desktop computers, get wireless access cards (Wi-Fi) for them as well.