Partners HealthCare Clinicians Go Mobile With CACHÉ-based Electronic Health Records

Secure Access to Latest Patient Information Any Time, Anywhere

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--InterSystems Corporation today announced that Partners HealthCare Systems is now providing clinicians throughout its integrated delivery network (IDN) with mobile access to its electronic health record (EHR). The InterSystems CACHÉ high-performance object database is the foundation platform for Partners HealthCare’s EHR and for hundreds of clinical applications used by thousands of clinicians throughout the IDN.

Boston-based Partners HealthCare is an IDN that includes major teaching and community hospitals with more than 5,000 practicing physicians attending to four million outpatient visits and 160,000 admissions annually. InterSystems is a global provider of advanced integration, database, and business intelligence technologies for breakthrough applications.

Playing with the BlackBerry PlayBook

I had a chance to briefly see the BlackBerry PlayBook at HIMSS 2011, but then I had a chance to spend some time and play with it recently when I was at the airport. The device is small and light and my first impression was: "this is simply too small."

Keep in mind that I use an HTC ThunderBolt smartphone that has a 4.3" screen. So, when you have a slate tablet that has a 7" screen, it doesn't seem much bigger than the ThunderBolt. The Samsung Galaxy Tab also has a 7" screen, so this device is similar in size compared to the PlayBook.

BlackBerry PlayBook review roundup

Author: Riley Alexander, MD, MBA

It's been a little over a week since RIM's entry into the slate tablet market took place and I just wanted to round up some the reviews for our readers to peruse, here (TechCrunch), here (Engadget) and here (Gizmodo).

Overall, most were impressed with the internals, but felt like the device is still in "beta" form and lacks the polish (and apps) to lure the consumer. In fact, so many reviews contained a negative connotation, Blackberry's executives were even calling them "unfair." Hopefully RIM can manage to update the device and bring it to relevancy before the coming wave of Honeycomb slate tablets bump it's spot as the newest iPad competitor.

I have my doubts, though. RIM seems to be somewhat lost in how to deal with Apple and Android. They can't seem to make up their mind if they are an enterprise or consumer-focused company and are losing ground in both.

AT&T blocks the BlackBerry Bridge App

If the BlackBerry Bridge application sounded like a nice option to let you work on your larger PlayBook, then you're out of luck if you're on AT&T. AT&T has blocked the BlackBerry Bridge App.

BlackBerry® Bridge™ mirrors the existing email, PIM and browser apps that are running on your BlackBerry® Smartphone, allowing you to view those apps on the BlackBerry® PlayBook's™ larger display

BlackBerry Bridge isn't really tethering. It will allow you to get online on your PlayBook through your BlackBerry smartphone so that you can access your email and browse the web, but that's because it's mirroring the apps on your smartphone.

BlackBerry PlayBook launches today: April 19

The BlackBerry PlayBook launches today. Are you getting one? It's a very light (0.9 lbs) table that has a 7" screen and runs RIM BlackBerry Tablet OS 1.0.

Here's a PC Review summary:

Pros

Excellent user interface. Sharp, beautiful screen. Top-notch browser with full Flash-video support. Wirelessly transfers files to and from computers on same network. Internet tethering with Blackberry phones works well—and it's free.

Cons

Some hardware issues and significant software bugs. No native e-mail support at launch—only browser bookmarks for Webmail sites. Bridge support for BlackBerry phone sync is not yet finalized. No video chat despite front-facing camera.

BlackBerry PlayBook to support Android Apps...kind of

Author: Riley Alexander, MD, MBA

I'm a little late in reporting this to our readers, but some interesting news popped up on the web last week concerning BlackBerry's entry into the slate tablet market, the PlayBook. Specifically that it would support Android apps. At first glance, the blog headlines listed seemed to insinuate that the Playbook would have the same access to the Android market as true Android phones/tablets...well, let's just say I'm glad I read the entire article.

It appears that these apps will only be available through BlackBerry's own App World via dedicated "app players." Essentially BlackBerry is making it very easy for Android developers to port their apps to the PlayBook from a coding standpoint. This still means that they have to choose to actually port this and do all the necessary steps to follow any differing rules set by BlackBerry for publishing. So don't expect every Android app being available.

Even though the news wasn't quite as good as it sounds, I think it's still a smart move on BlackBerry's part. Their app offerings are dismal compared to Android and iOS and if they're going to have any luck tapping into the iPad's huge market share and convincing consumers the PlayBook isn't an enterprise device, they need all the help they can get. And considering the hardware is looking pretty good, it may even help Android's status in the slate tablet world as well.

Slate 500, Xoom, TouchPad, PlayBook, or iPad?

We're seeing more slate tablet options this year. I have a number of people asking me, "which one should I get?"

• The HP Slate 500 running Windows 7?
• The Motorola Xoom running Android?
• The HP TouchPad running webOS?
• The BlackBerry PlayBook?
• Or, the Apple iPad?

Until we see the new iPad 2, we can't compare all the specs across these different devices. I've been using an iPad for a while and even though I really like the device, I think it could definitely use a faster processor. 1 GHz is fairly fast, but a dual-core processor is what's needed (and it's probably what we're going to see in the new iPad 2).

I'm definitely a fan of the 9 or 10" screen. Those devices with 7" screens (like the Samsung Galaxy Tab) are nice and pocketable, but they're not going to give you the level of productivity as slates that have a larger screen. This is especially true when you're using the on-screen keyboard for two-hand finger typing. On the other hand, if you're a huge fan of thumb typing, you'll have a better experience using a 7" tablet in portrait mode.

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?

BlackBerry PlayBook has a 1 GHz dual-core processor

The BlackBerry PlayBook could be the fastest mobile slate tablet (that's not a tablet PC) because it has a 1 GHz dual-core processor. I can't wait to try it out!

Here's another interesting feature that's found on this device:

• 3G access via existing BlackBerry smartphone service plan.

Get online by tethering your PlayBook to your BlackBerry smartphone. Seems to make sense, right? After all, why pay for 2 data plans?

I wonder if the BlackBerry Tablet OS, powered by QNX technology, will become the next OS for all BlackBerry devices. At some point, we'll probably see a major convergence of desktop and laptop PCs, smartphones, and these slate tablet devices. When that time comes, we won't have multiple devices. We won't have a laptop, a smartphone, and a slate. Instead, we'll simply use a single mobile device that will have the capability to keep up with all our other computing needs.

BlackBerry PlayBook (slate tablet)

What do you think about the BlackBerry PlayBook? (at least they didn't call it the BlackBook).

Is this supposed to be an enterprise device or a consumer device?

The slate tablet universe is changing so rapidly that it's hard to keep up with all these new devices. Before we know it, Apple will be out there with a new iPad that will probably blend many of the features that we're seeing on these newer tablets.

Toshiba, Samsung, and others launching Android tablets

Toshiba has recently announced that they will be launching an Android-based slate tablet. We know that Samsung is working on a Galaxy tablet (running Android) that will come with the option of a 7" or 10" screen.

HP is working on a webOS slate tablet. BlackBerry will be launching their BlackPad. The Apple iPad won't be the only hot item this holiday season. Many have predicted that Black Friday will be a very busy day for shoppers who are interested in purchasing some type of slate device.

So, the smartphone wars is moving to the slate tablet world and we're going to see a variety of manufacturers making slate tablets that are all running smartphone operating systems. When will we see the convergence of a desktop operating system collide with a smartphone OS? At some point, we're bound to end up with a single OS that is so efficient that it can run effectively on either a mobile device or a large desktop monitor. Why do we have so many different operating systems anyways? Do we really need iPhone, Windows Mobile, Android, BlackBerry, webOS, and Symbian?

BlackPad, the BlackBerry tablet is coming

Get ready for BlackPad, the slate tablet from RIM/BlackBerry. This device will have a 9.7" screen and I imagine it will be out there to compete against the iPad and all the other slate devices ranging from the Amazon Kindle to the various Android slate tablets that are being developed by various manufacturers such as Dell, Asus, and others. Plus, we can't forget about the HP Slate (will this run webOS and Windows 7, or will we be choosing different models that run different operating systems?).

Can't wait to see what the BlackPad looks like. Maybe this enterprise gadget will work well in the hospital setting.

Barnes and Noble eReader

There was a period in my life when I used to spend all my time at a Barnes and Noble bookstore. I used to read, study, browse the web, and even tutor students at the bookstore. Now, B&N is feeling the heat because the Amazon Kindle has taken off and the future is e-book or e-reader technology. B&N is planning on working with Plastic Logic to create an e-book, but in the meanwhile, they're working on getting a head start. They've announced free eReader software for the Apple iPhone/iPod touch, BlackBerry, the PC, and the Mac. Where's Windows Mobile in all this? What about webOS on the Palm Pre or Google Android?

Well, I suppose if they can get many subscribers to start using this eReader software, then it'll be much easier to switch to the e-book made by Plastic Logic.

PC Magazine has reviewed the Barnes and Noble eReader software.

Bottom line:

Barnes & Noble joins the e-book fray but, unlike Amazon, doesn't make you buy an expensive reader. The Windows software is serviceable and the iPhone version outstanding, but the Mac version could stand beefing up.

Pros:

• Huge library of titles.
  
• Cross-platform support.
  
• Excellent iPhone reader.

Cons:

• Books can't be purchased within app.
  
• Bare-bones Mac version.

Do you see yourself migrating to an eReader of some type? I already do all my reading on my Thinkpad X200 tablet. Since it's a convertible tablet, I can swivel the screen and hold the machine in my hand when I'm on the plane. It's a great way to read PDFs.

Should mobile PCs have a thumb keyboard?

As more healthcare professionals use smartphones (BlackBerry, Treo, etc.) that have a thumb keyboard, they're getting fairly proficient at thumb typing. You don't need to have a T-Mobile Sidekick to know how to use a thumb keyboard.

Does it make sense to include thumb keyboards on more mobile devices such as ultra-mobile PCs (UMPC)? The OQO model 02 had a thumb keyboard. The Sony Vaio UX series also had a thumb keyboard. Samsung added a thumb keyboard to the Q1 Ultra UMPC series when the original Q1 did not have a thumb keyboard.

Does it make sense to have a thumb keyboard on smaller slate tablet PCs? If we follow the Samsung model, we see this:

• Original Q1 (slate only, no thumb keyboard)
• Q1 Ultra (slate plus thumb keyboard)
• Q1 EX (slate only, no thumb keyboard)

Does this reveal that the thumb keyboard on an ultra-mobile slate tablet PC was a flop? What about sliders? The OQO and Sony UX both included a thumb keyboard. Even the Nokia N810 MID has a thumb keyboard. However, the Viliv S5 does not. Does that make sense?

I think I'm developing "TrackPoint Finger"

I've been using the TrackPoint (which is a joystick mouse found on IBM/Lenovo Thinkpads) quite heavily and I think I'm developing a syndrome that I'll name "TrackPoint Finger." My right index finger is starting to get sore. Repetitive motion injuries often lead to things such as Carpel Tunnel Syndrome and even BlackBerry Thumb. Well, I should probably replace the batteries on my Bluetooth mouse so that I avoid getting "TrackPoint Finger."

Are Smartphones Mobile Computers?

This has been a topic of debate for a long time. People are trying to use their smartphones as mini computers. There are magazine advertisements and television commercials out there about using smartphones to "work from phone" (instead of work from home). What can you really do on a smartphone?

As smartphone operating systems become more powerful, they are essentially turning into mini computers. People are running Microsoft Office on their smartphones. Windows Mobile comes with mini version of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. You can run these same applications on other devices through third-party software vendors.

As cloud computing becomes more prevalent in the healthcare industry, the use of netbooks and smartphones may get incorporated into standard operating procedure (SOP). Maybe those people who are over a certain age will be exempt from using these machines that rely on tiny screens. Image source: slashphone

At what point is a PC too small?

We live in a world of mobile technology. We see PDAs, BlackBerrys, iPhones, Smartphones, iPods, and all sorts of other mobile devices. Computers are also getting smaller and we see young people using UMPCs, netbooks, micro PCs, and other miniature computers. But at what point is the PC so small that you fail to be productive? At what point does the small size hinder your ability to do what you need to do? How do you balance size, weight, and functionality? After all, you can probably find a PC in a very small size, and then if you look some more, you can probably find another one that's 25% larger. So how should a physician, pharmacist, or nurse decide on the size of that mobile PC when working in the clinical setting? At what point is an ultra-mobile PC too small?