Working on the plane with my iPad

Over the weekend, I was on a flight from San Francisco to Philadelphia. I was using my iPad the entire time (using in-flight Gogo Wi-Fi) and at the end of the flight, I had over 65% of battery life. I was surprised at how much work I could get done by using an external Bluetooth keyboard.

When I travel in the future, I may end up leaving my laptop at home. I can access my Windows 7 PC remotely using LogMeIn Ignition and I can run a virtual machine of my Windows 7 computer. As I get more proficient at "pinch-to-zoom" and touch tapping, my efficiency on the iPad is definitely improving. Next: I will connect a Bluetooth mouse to my iPad so that I can replicate a true workstation experience.

Clinical Pathology Laboratories Should Prepare for the iPad Era!

Author: Riley Alexander, MD, MBA

That was the headline I received today in my newsletter from Dark Daily, the newsletter of the Dark Report, a business and management organization for pathology and clinical laboratories. I was surprised to see this heading today, but in a good way. I typically think pathology can be a little slow to adopt new technology and I found this encouraging. Integrating lab data and anatomic path reports into a system that plays nice with iPad integration helps the whole medical system embrace and utilize mobile technology to its advantage. Looking forward, lack of a mobile strategy may make it harder to market your services to clinicians for diagnostic fields like pathology and radiology.

Blogging from the plane with my iPad and Gogo Internet

I'm currently in-flight on my way to San Francisco. I'm blogging with my iPad and I'm connected to the Internet via Gogo Wi-Fi access on the plane. I'm typing this using my Bluetooth wireless keyboard. With all these wireless signals onboard, let's hope the plane doesn't malfunction!

It's quite amazing that we now have access to all technology when we're on a plane. I still remember the days when airlines started placing phones on the plane. It was ridiculously expensive to make a call. Now, on-flight Wi-Fi is only $12 for a day pass. That's a very reasonable rate and I'm going to make use of this access since I'm on a long flight.

The iPad has been a great travel companion. It has excellent battery life and the external keyboard has made it possible for me to type a number of documents during this flight (including this blog post).

Dropbox on the iPad

I'm using Dropbox to synchronize important files between my PCs and my iPad. I'm traveling today, so I created a Dropbox folder and placed a series of PDFs in that folder. Now, I have plenty of reading materials for the plane! (I'll be reading Harvard Business Review when I fly today)

You can get a free 2GB Dropbox account here: https://www.dropbox.com/

Stowaway Bluetooth keyboard works with the iPad

I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered that my old Stowaway keyboard (which was originally made by iGo) worked on my Apple iPad. The keyboard is really small, it works on 2 AAA batteries, and the keys are very easy to press. Plus, the keyboard folds up and stows away very nicely (hence, the name). Unfortunately, this little Bluetooth keyboard was discontinued a while back. I should have purchased an extra one when it was on clearance!

As my friend pointed out, an external keyboard makes all the difference in the world if you're doing a lot of typing. The iPad is a great travel device and I look forward to using this on the plane later today. Now, I have arrow keys!

5 tips and tricks for typing on an iPad

As I continue to use my Apple iPad, I seem to be picking up new typing tricks that are helping me type more efficiently and accurately. Here are 5 tips I'd like to highlight based on my personal experiences:

1. I can type more accurately if I use 4 fingers on each hand instead of all five. Depending on the size of your hands, you may notice the same thing. If you have smaller fingers, then you may type just fine using all five fingers (ok, the thumb isn't a finger). I mainly type using my index, middle, and ring fingers. I also use my thumb, but I do not regularly use my pinkie.

2. Do you know how to highlight sections of a paragraph? First, double tap at the beginning of the section. Then, hold that second tap and drag and select the section you would like to highlight. When you let go, you will have the option to copy or cut that section.

3. Get used to the auto capitalization of the first letter of sentence. If you do not like that feature, you can disable that in the Settings under General-> Keyboard. Speaking of capitalization: the screen is multi-touch, so you can hold the Shift key with one finger and press several other keys using your other finger if you need a series of CAPS. You can also double tap the Shift key to get CAPS LOCK.

4. Are you looking for the arrow keys? Up, Down, Left, Right? You won't find them on the keyboard. I hope that Apple adds the arrow keys in future versions of iOS. Until we get arrow keys, you need to get used to tapping and holding until a magnifying view appears. Keep your fingers on the screen until you have moved the cursor where you need it to go. If that ends up being a frustrating experience, then pinch to zoom and make the letters bigger so that you can place the cursor at the right position.

5. Finally, keep your fingernails short. The iPad uses a capacitive touch screen, so passive objects like fingernails will not register on the device. Plus, long fingernails will make typing more difficult on this type of gadget.

iPad used to check mobility in seniors

There's a great story at Healthcare IT News about two health and exercise science professors at Wake Forest University using the Apple iPad to evaluate mobility in older adults. Now, if you don't have an iPad, it may be difficult for you to imagine how you can use this type of device to assess mobility.

Professors Tony Marsh and Jack Rejeski with the help of colleagues in the computer science department (Yue-Ling Wong) and Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center (Eddie Ip) developed the Mobility Assessment Tool (MAT).

I've enjoyed playing some games that use motion-based movements on my iPad (like driving games, certain shooting games, etc.). Thanks to its built-in accelerometer, the iPad can be tilted one way and your car or character will move in that same direction.

Skyfire Launches Skyfire for iPad

Skyfire is a great mobile browser that's now available for the Apple iPad. Perhaps the best feature is the fact that Skyfire will play Adobe Flash video files on your webpage. Here are some more details:

The “Video” icon enables users to play millions of Flash videos around the web that otherwise do not play on mobile. This unlocks content trapped behind those error messages with question marks and blue Legos by transcoding the Flash content into HTML5 on Skyfire’s servers.

You just finished reading a story on one of your favorite web sites and want to quickly decide what to read next. Click on the Popular button on the SkybarTM and instantly see what content on the site is most popular within the 500+ million user Facebook community. Recommendations from friends are prioritized and show up at the top of the list.

Load web pages as either the traditional iphone user agent or as a desktop browser. The desktop option gives you more flexibility in accessing web sites and allows discovery of video content that typically you might not see in Mobile Safari.

ExoPC Slate

The ExoPC Slate is a powerful Windows 7 computer with a multi-touch interface that allows you to browse the web, play games, watch TV and movies, listen to music, read the news, read books and magazines, organize your photos, download apps, view RSS feeds, access real-time weather, create and edit spreadsheets, author documents, and much more!

Here are some specs:

• 11.6 in HD LCD BrightView touchscreen with fingerprint-resistant coating (1366 x 768)
• Intel Atom Pineview-M N450 1.66 GHz, L2 cache 512 KB
• 64 GB SSD
• 2.09 lbs (0.94 kg)
• Battery life: 4 hrs

Model number: 58318/SLATE SSD64GB
$699.00

You can learn more about the  ExoPC Slate here.

Motion CL900

I can't wait to try the Motion CL900. Some of you might remember the Motion LS800. That was a smaller slate tablet that resembled a smaller LE1600. The LS800 had an 8.4" screen with an active digitizer. No touch. Plus, the LS800 got fairly warm when you were using it.

Now, Motion Computing has introduced the CL900 rugged slate tablet. Times have definitely changed since 2005. Because of the Apple iPad, almost everyone is now comfortable with the slate tablet form factor. Plus, advances in computing technology have led to faster processors that run cooler. I hope Motion will have some CL900 demos at HIMSS11.

Let's briefly compare the Motion CL900 vs. the HP Slate 500:

• The Motion CL900 and the HP Slate 500 are some of the newer slate tablets that run Windows 7.  
• The Motion CL900 is a rugged slate that uses Gorilla Glass. 
• The HP Slate 500 is lighter and smaller at 1.5 lbs compared to the CL900 that weighs 2.1 lbs. 
• The HP Slate 500 has a smaller screen (8.9") compared to the CL900 that has a 10.1" screen. (higher screen resolution on the CL900)
• The CL900 comes with a WWAN option using Gobi.
• Battery life: HP Slate 500 is rated at 5+ hrs. Motion CL900 is rated at 8 hrs.

Evaluating Tablet PCs for Point of Care Productivity

Don't miss this webinar today!

Cutting Through the Hype: Evaluating Tablet PCs for Point of Care Productivity

Thursday, January 13, 2011
2:00 pm Eastern Standard Time
Complimentary Webinar

Tablet PCs are more popular than ever. They're mobile, powerful and proven to help clinicians do their jobs better and more efficiently. But with more tablet PC choices available than ever before, how do you choose the tablet PC that is right for your workflow? Join Motion's Senior Informatics Specialist, Cheryl D. Parker, RN, MSN, PhD, on evaluating Tablet PCs for Point of Care Productivity. Dr. Parker will discuss integrating tablet PCs into your current environment, the importance of business integration and powerful productivity improvements. Additionally, she'll discuss some available solutions and help guide attendees through important selection criteria to help maximize the impact of tablet PC deployments.

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand impact of business-focused tablet PCs for mobile point of care
2. Identify key things to consider when evaluating tablet PCs
3. Understand the difference amount tablet PCs and how to make the right selection

What's the Cost of a GB in the Cloud?

Here's an interesting webinar about storage and Cloud Computing. If you're going to store all your patient records on the Cloud, you may want to know how much you'll need to spend for all that storage space:

What's the Cost of a GB in the Cloud?

Join cloud storage expert and Nasuni President Rob Mason as he discusses the results of his popular study analyzing the real price of storing a GB of data in the cloud.

Cloud storage providers all have different pricing models. Some providers charge for bandwidth and I/O in addition to their cost per GB. Many in IT may consider these charges insignificant, but in reality they can be quite large.

The Slate Tablet is Here to Stay

Author: Riley Alexander, MD, MBA

As the tech world's big event, CES, wraps up this weekend, one type of device seemed to be the center of attention: the tablet computer. From the big display of new Android Honeycomb tablets, to those with Windows 7 and even RIM's entry (which looks much more exciting than anything they've done with their phones in the past few years), it seems the iPad has finally turned this market a truly viable one. The real question for us on this blog is how long will it take the medical world to adopt these devices?

With every hospital system I've worked in running a bloated EMR on underpowered computers still chugging along on Windows XP (which turns 10 this year), the tablet seems like a perfect device for the physician. Long battery-life, instant-on capabilities, much greater portability and the stability of an app-driven OS offer distinct advantages over desktop and laptop stations within the hospital.

A listing and comparison of some of the more popular tablets has been posted on here previously and Engadget provided a very thorough round-up of all of the new entries from CES here. With details on the iPad 2 rumored to drop soon, this segment is poised to really take off in 2011. I know I will be looking forward to Apple to surprise with some killer new feature on it.

We can only hope that our hospitals will be full of these soon

Dr. Riley Alexander is a pathology resident at Indiana University School of Medicine, blog "addict" and avid follower of technology. His primary interests revolve around how technology, especially mobile, will create increased efficiency, enhanced physician education and better delivery of care in the medical field. Dr. Alexander is a graduate of Indiana University School of Medicine with a combined MD/MBA, in partnership with IU's Kelley School of Business. Due to this, he is also very interested in management, healthcare policy and non-clinical aspects of the medical field and enjoys exploring non-clinical opportunities for medical students, residents and physicians. He completed his undergraduate education at IU-Bloomington.

Motorola XOOM Android Smart Tablet

Motorola is coining the term "smart tablet" with their Xoom, Android slate tablet. I'm not sure that the phrase "smart tablet" will stick, but I don't know what else we should be calling these devices to distinguish them from traditional tablet PCs. Then again, maybe the term "tablet PC" will become broader and encompass devices like the Apple iPad and the new Motorola Xoom.

Can your health organization afford a $49,246 laptop?

Here's some information about an upcoming webinar sponsored by Absolute Software and Lenovo:

It’s not just about your mobile devices. It's about your business – your reputation. More than 12,000 laptops are stolen every week from airports alone. What if one of those was from your organization? Would your patient data be safe?

Clinicians and hospital staff need to be mobile, but this mobility can put an organization at a dramatically increased risk of a data breach. Keeping data secure in a mobile environment is not only a challenge, but a critical requirement within HITECH and HIPAA rules. Unauthorized access to patient data or hospital systems resulting from a stolen or lost laptop could cause severe economic and legal consequences. The average cost to resolve a data breach in 2009 was a sobering $6.75M2. And the rate at which customers “jump ship” is higher for healthcare organizations – even higher than for financial organizations. It’s all about your reputation.

New York Times compares slate tablets

The New York Times has put together a nice comparison of several leading slate tablets, including these popular models:

• Apple iPad
• HP Slate
• Dell Streak
• BlackBerry PlayBook
• Samsung Galaxy Tab

Click here to read the article on the New York Times.

Replacing a COW (computer on wheels) with an Apple iPad

Many hospitals are seriously thinking about replacing some of their expensive Computer on Wheels (COWs, but they don't say "moo") with the Apple iPad. Given that you can open a web browser on the iPad and use virtualization solutions to access enterprise systems, the iPad may be a great cost-effective way to get more computers on the floor of a hospital.

The Apple iPad certainly has a distinct advantage over smaller slate tablets like the Samsung Galaxy Tab for this type of application because a 10" screen is large enough for this type of application.

Are the days of the traditional COWs numbered? Given how quickly slate tablets are evolving, I'd say the answer is "yes."

Is HP experiencing a shortage on the HP Slate 500?

HP has been advertising their "Slate 500" for a few months now, but their website still doesn't seem to indicate that these devices are currently in stock. Instead, it says, "Call for availability."

Did HP underestimate the popularity of this Windows 7 slate tablet PC?

I'm still waiting to get my hands on an HP Slate 500. When will it arrive?

2011 Slate Tablet PC Market

As predicted, 2010 was the "year of the tablet."  In 2010, we saw several new slate tablets enter the market. The Apple iPad was a huge success (and I often wonder if the marketing folks at Apple predicted correctly). Now, we're seeing a large number of other slates on the market to compete against the iPad. I'll refer to these as slate tablet PCs even though they're not your traditional "PC" running Microsoft Windows. It seems like these slate devices will be called "tablet PCs" or "slate tablet PCs" by those in the industry, so we're bound to face some confusion as people differentiate between devices running Android vs. those full-fledged PCs running Windows 7.

Here are the slate tablet computers we saw in 2010:

• Apple iPad (running iOS)
• Samsung Galaxy Tab (running Android)
• Dell Streak (running Android)

We also heard that in 2011, we can expect to see:

• HP PalmPad (running webOS)
• RIM PlayBook (running BlackBerry)
• Lenovo LePad (running Android)
• Apple iPad 2 (running iOS)

Will 2011 continue the tablet trend as we see more slate devices emerge on the market? Soon, we'll complete a circle as these slate tablets morph into laptop-style devices with removable keyboards.  Does this mean that netbooks will be making a comeback in the near future?