Which PDA Phone should you get?
This is a common question asked by doctors when they realise their old Nokia or SE phone is dying and they want something new and yet more powerful and perhaps useful for their daily work.
If you ask around, there are many who will recommend some Windows mobile phone like the something from HTC (e.g. the Dopods). For those that don’t know better, there’s an alternative to Windows mobile PDA phones.
I strongly recommend the Treo 680. It’s the best value for money PDA phone at present.
Palm OS may be a little old but it’s reasonably stable. Big plus points of this phone are:
- Ease of use
2/3 of the time using a PDA phone, one does it for PIM – Personal Information Management. This is where Palm excels: basic Calendar, Contact, Task and Memos. Those who have used WM know it doesn’t perform as well at these basic functions, even with 3rd party apps like Agenda Fusion or Pocket Informant. Once you have used the Treo’s Phone, PIM and SMS apps you’ll realise the simplicity and functionality Palm has put into these.
Memos rock particularly with apps like Memoleaf. Memos are your Peripheral Brain and as a doctor you’ll love the ability to keep snippets of information relevant to you, available to you all the time in a manner which is quick and simple to look up. I’ve tried apps like Phatnotes on a PPC and they don’t come close to the ease of keeping notes on the Palm.
- Heaps of memory = you can store plenty of stuff.
64 Mb is plenty for PalmOS as PalmOS programs are smaller than WM ones.
- Heaps of programs, including medical ones.
For ideas, check out these links:
Best free medical PDA apps
Must-have Medical PDA apps
- Excellent phone management : contact and phone integration, threaded SMS
- Excellent one handed ease of use. seldom have to take out the stylus and tap (WM phones are in comparison clunky and wieldy)
- Non-volatile Ram. You don’t lose any data even if the charge runs out.
Doctors are notoriously forgetful when it comes to charging and backing up their devices. This is a crucial point.
- Good connectivity.
Bundled Web browser, Email programs. You could install other browsers of your choice like the new Opera Mini 4
- Multimedia capable: can play MP3s, video
Listen to and watch your Podcasts on your Treo!
- Supports large SD cards, up to 8 Gb (unlike the current crop of miniSD which are only up to 2Gb at the moment)
I have no problem with putting UpToDate, tons of MP3s, some video clips and PalmOS proggrams on the SD for reinstallation whenever I choose on my 4Gb SD card.
- Very easy maintenance.
You don’t have to soft reset often unlike WM devices or deal with nasty registry problems.
Ideal for busy doctors.
There are weak points of this phone:
- no Wifi. This is my sore point with Palm. Why oh why Palm won’t you release the drivers and why have you dumped your Wifi development team?
- no 3G (only GPRS/Edge)
- camera : VGA only. But decent enough photos to blog and email. A small file size is better for MMS anyway.
- battery weaker than the Treo 650. But still good enough for the busy day. I get about 50% charge left at the end of the day.
I’ll end with some thoughts about the iPhone.
The news is that Apple has sold over 500,000 iPhones in a matter of days. Kudos to Apple’s ability to Hype and Market their gadgets! iPhones must be on alot of doctors’ minds right now.
Well it’s a cool looking phone with a great screen and revolutionary interface. But it’s not a smartphone – you can’t install third party software in it unlike the Treo. I’d be disappointed with the inability to sync email with your Desktop client and even basic things like customise your ringtones to play any MP3 you want. I’d greatly miss the ability to screen phone calls with apps like Call Block. The i-Phone is i-Candy. That’s about it and here’s 20 disappointing reasons about the iPhone Steve Jobs did not tell you.
WM and iPhone users may now flame away 
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About the author, Alan: Alan Teh is a Malaysian Physician who specialises in Hematology-Oncology & Stem cell Transplantation. He has been using Palm PDAs since 1997 and is absolutely reliant on them. His current PDA is a Palm Pre and is a strong advocate of the webOS platform, Palm's latest operating system. Caught the blogging bug in 2004 and has been addicted ever since… |
Excellent article. I love Palm and the Treo 68o is an excellent phone.
I stood in line last Friday to get my wife and iPhone for 3 hours- we returned it on Sunday. My wife is a PA and works in a GI practice. She really, really wanted to like the iPhone, but ultimately got a Treo 680 like me.
Thanks for the feedback. Glad your wife made the right choice!
so u use a SD wifi adapter? any good?
No dirvers for the SD Wifi card. I can connect wirelessly using Bluetooth over ADSL broadband using mRouter on a PC though.
I currently use a Palm T3 and T610 phone. I recently compared iPhone alternatives and likewise decided that the Treo 680 would be the device I would go for if I had to converge at this time.
Hi doc… Farique here from good ol MyPDAcafe…
I agree that the iPhone is just another “pretty face”
I’ve been using PPC for a while but personally banned WM5.0 because of its sluggish performance. so ive been staying on WM2003SE for as long as I can. until recently I bought my wife a palm Tx because she loves her phone and only wanted a PDA.When tried it out myself and blown away buy the Tx’s simplicity… I only wish that Palm would do a Palm phone but with the specs of the Palm Tx (with WiFi)
Hi Doc,
Thanks for the correction on my page. In regards to the iPhone, I had the opportunity to use it last weekend and liked the graphical interface. It is a revolutionary device, albeit version 1.0. My reason for not purchasing it however was due to the “crazy” family plan pricing and the inability to use any of my Palm programs with it. I am looking for 1 device to carry around, instead of 3 — ipod, telephone, lifedrive.
I dislike the Treo on so many counts that I cannot list them here, but I am hoping that the new Palm devices will answer many of the questions that need to be answered.
Keep up the good work, your site is wonderful, as is the information provided.
ldd.
Thanks. Palm should not abandon the LD path. They could have made a LD2 with 4Gb Flashram instead of a drive. Make it slimmer, put in a 5MP camera and you would have an Uber multimedia PDA!
Treo vs iPhone head to head
http://www.palminfocenter.com/news/9491/palm-treo-vs-the-iphone-10-rounds/
Any comments on Palm Treo 750? I heard its WM instead of Palm OS…does this mean that 680 would still be better for physician day-to-day needs?
Yes, the Treo 750 runs on WM5 (a WM6 upgrade is in the works) and it has a faster data connection – 3G vs the 680′s GPRS/Edge.
It has a lower resolution though – 320×240 and the Treo 680′s is noticeably better at 320×320.
I think either the 750 or 680 is fine for doctors – depends on what software you prefer to run.
My recommendation for the 680 is based on value for money.
hi doc,
i’m a medical student..but will b done in about 2 mnths time…meaning i’ll b plunging in 2 working life really soon…am planning 2 get a pda..but am just not 2 sure which one 2 get as there so many in the mareket…i solely need it for medical references..and as a fresh graduate facing 2 diagnose patients all by myself which would be the suitable progs 2 install?thanx a lot doc..
As for the device, my personal choice would be
Purely a PDA
- iPod Touch
PDA Phone
- choice of iPhone, Palm Pre or Centro depending on needs and budget
As for apps check the freebies and recommended software listed in this blog
Will the new HTC HD2 coming out be able to use pepid off line?
I don’t see why not, being a WM PDA but best check with Pepid.
Hi doc,
I’m starting my housemanship in a month.
Any recommendations for a HO?
My phone broke down on the 01012010.
I’m thinking is it necessary 4 me 2 get a PDA phone?
I would appreciate ur advice.
THANKS A loT! HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Well, it all depends if you want to carry one or two devices. Don;t forget you will also have a pager when you are on call.
Having said that the problem with most of the smartphones is that the battery life is poorer compared with regular candy bar phones so you would have to take the charger with you when you are on call.
For housemen, a viable option is actually the iPod Touch which has come down in price considerably. You get to run iPhone medical apps and it has great battery life. Best thing is you don’t need to spend so much for an iPhone.
If you want a smartphone for the ubiquitous Internet access then the choices a iPhone 3GS or a good WM phone. The Palm Pre is another choic but it is not yet officially supported in Asia Pacific.