Internet Explorer 9 will not support Windows XP

It's time to get ready to say goodbye to that Windows XP machine. If you can upgrade to Windows 7, do it. The new Internet Explorer 9 will not support Windows XP. This means that you'll be stuck with IE 8, or you could use Firefox, Safari, Chrome, Opera, or something else.

I still have a few older PCs that are running XP and I don't plan to upgrade the OS just so that I can run Internet Explorer 9. Also, if you have an inexpensive netbook that's running XP, it may not be worth upgrading to Windows 7.

The funny thing is that I rarely use IE. I spend much more time using Firefox or Chrome. I still occasionally use IE, but I could be using Safari or Opera instead.

Care to preview IE 9? Visit: www.IETestDrive.com.

Working on the train today

I'm traveling for work today, so I'm working on a train. That's mobile computing, isn't it? Some trains have really nice tables and plenty of power outlets.  I remember when airplanes used to have working power outlets on the seats. Now, those green lights are never on.

So,  have you ever computed on a train? It can be a bit bumpy at times, so I often wonder what my laptop hard drive is going through. If you do a lot of computing on the train, you should probably get an SSD (solid state disk) in your mobile computer. SSDs are dropping in price (they're still expensive), but it's a worthwhile investment if you're constantly working on trains.

Become a fan of Mobile Health Computing on Facebook

My newest fan page on Facebook is for this blog: MobileHealthComputing.com.  I hope you'll become a fan on Facebook by clicking here.

See my other Facebook fan pages here:

• Medicine and Technology
• Non-Clinical Jobs
• Medical Smartphones

Can you afford a $49,246 laptop?

I received this e-mail from Intel and I thought I'd share it since it really communicates an important message:

Over 12,000 laptops are stolen every week from airports alone. In 2009, the average cost of a missing laptop was $49,246. What if one of those was from your organization? Would your patient data be safe?

Laptop computers are essential to mobile healthcare, but their mobility and convenience put organizations at heightened risk of a data breach. With increasingly stringent HIPAA regulations and stiffer penalties resulting from the HITECH Act, keeping patient data secure is a business necessity. Unauthorized access to patient data or hospital systems resulting from a stolen or lost laptop could cause severe economic and legal consequences — in 2009, the total average cost of a data breach was a sobering $6.75 million. And the rate at which customers "jump ship" after a data breach is significantly higher for healthcare organizations — even higher than for financial organizations.

Attend an upcoming Intel Webinar (co-sponsored by Frost & Sullivan) to learn these key trends and solutions:

* The challenges in protecting healthcare data
* The rules governing the protection of healthcare data and the consequences of noncompliance
* Keeping sensitive healthcare data out of the wrong hands
* Employing new technology that offers rapid lockdown and rapid recovery to keep you in compliance with healthcare data security laws

To sign up for a free webinar discussing healthcare data protection, click here.

Attend the live event and be entered to win an Intel® Anti-Theft enabled mobile device.

The MCA will evolve to become a Tricorder

MCA = Mobile Clinical Assistant. If you've used a Motion C5 or a Panasonic Toughbook H1, you know what I'm talking about.

Now, for those of you who are familiar with Star Trek: a tricorder is a handheld device used for scanning an area, interpreting and displaying data from scans to the user, and recording information. The medical tricorder is used by doctors to help diagnose diseases and collect bodily information about a patient.

Current MCAs include bar code scanners, RFID scanners, touch screens, and attachment points for other devices such as EKG leads, spirometry, ultrasound probes, pulse oximetry, etc. (many of these are via USB). Eventually, the MCA will evolve to become a tricorder.

So, who's going to be the first company to name their MCA a tricorder?

How many iPads got sold today?

Bloggers all over the world are trying to measure how many Apple iPads got sold today (via pre-order). Brainstorm Tech on CNN.com is blogging that 120,000 iPads were sold today. Over 50,000 sold in the first two hours. Most are buying the Wi-Fi version instead of the 3G version. People are also buying all storage sizes (16, 32, and 64 GB) iPads.

"Apple has been able to generate over $75 million in revenue in one day on a product that 99.9% of purchasers haven't touched or for that matter, even seen in person," said Victor Castroll, an analyst with Valcent Financial Group. "And, we're still three weeks away. That is amazing."

Motion C5 MCA and the Motion Clinical Workstation (MCW)

Motion® C5 Mobile Clinical Assistant (MCA) and the Motion Clinical Workstation (MCW) are powerful computing solutions designed for clinical environments - brought to you from the leader in mobile point of care. The rugged C5 is proven to enhance clinical workflows by taking technology directly to the point of care, while the MCW addresses the demands of dependability, serviceability, flexibility and performance. Built on Motion's expertise in clinical workflows and mobile computing, Motion's integrated mobile computing solutions meet the needs of fast-paced clinical environments.

As a special offer to HIMSS attendees, purchase up to two Motion Tablet PCs at 30% off MSRP through Friday, April 9, 2010 or while supplies last. To place an order, you will need to purchase through our online store and enter the promo code evehimss10 at checkout. 

To learn more about Motion Tablet PC deployments in the healthcare industry, visit http://motioncomputing.com/about/news/case_studies_healthcare.asp for current case studies and white papers.

Power outage: another reason to use a mobile computer

Several physician offices in our area lost power over the weekend because of heavy winds. A few of them are currently using electronic health records (EHRs). Can you still function if your power goes out? Probably not. However, at least you can still maintain some level of productivity while you wait for the power to come back on.

If you're relying on an Internet connection, you can still access your EHR if you have a 3G wireless card for your mobile computer. Everyone should have some type of backup Internet connection and a 3G wireless card is a very practical option. So, if you're still trying to decide between a desktop/workstation (along with an uninterrupted power supply or UPS) vs. a mobile PC like a tablet or laptop, think about power outages.