A Doctors next toy and why

We have seen many new innovations over the past few years in terms of personal digital assistance (PDA's) with the palm pilot and the IPOD and IPhone, then the android based phones. These latter devices could do "almost" everything your computer can do, however we wanted a device that wasn't as big as a laptop, but had the power and ability to function as a desktop.

Android has done this. My first tablet was an Adam Notion Ink which I purchased because I was excited about the computer and their young CEO. Their product was not like all the others and was in fact one of the first to come out with the pixel Qi screen among other components you don't find on your other tablets. However, you may face pitfalls when deciding to buy a tablet from a new start up company. Shipping, support, warranty and software updates are a few areas where there may be problems. Despite this I purchased the Adam Notion Ink NVidia Duo Core Tegra 250 device. This device was one of a kind in its beginning. It came with a transflective screen, 185 degree panoramic perspective camera, FULL HD 1080 P video playback, 2 Full Size USB ports, min-usb, Full HDMI port, mini-SD card slot and 3G. Moreover, it had 3G, Bluetooth, GPS and 802.11n. I was satisfied with the product, however the software was not being updated at the rate I would had liked. I had installed the updates from the company, but then I did a little research and found AdamComb1.2 which provided me with a more stable honeycomb operating system which would allow me to run program more efficiently. I might add I have always been happy with the battery life as it gives me at least a full day with wifi (not playing games.

I utilized the tablet through the end of my year as chief resident. I was able to access the citrix driven POE through firefox. I took full advantage of Googles free services including their android apps. I created forms in Google Documents, and used them to take attendance. While rounding on the floors or in morning report I could look up information on google or a specific android app and instantaneously have the information. I was able to take notes or record video at high enough quality to upload it for other residents to view.

At home I had the ability to plug my Adam tablet into my HDMI cable to my HDTV along with a keyboard and mouse and use the tablet as a fully functioning computer. My external hard drives would seamlessly connect and be recognized by the device and I could use drop box if I needed access to documents on the go. The 16 GB of onboard memory was plenty for me at the time.

MY NEXT TABLET IS ON ITS WAY


Here are some of the specs

SPECIFICATIONS
NVIDIA® Tegra™ 2 Dual-Core 1GHz processor
Android™ 3.1
10.1” WXGA (1280x800) 16:10 IPS panel with Corning® Gorilla® Glass
Multitouch display with digitizer input (pen optional)
Starting at 1.65 lbs
Up to 8 hours battery life (with WiFi enabled)
Up to 64GB storage
Bluetooth®, WiFi and 3G connectivity
Native USB 2.0 and micro-USB ports, full-size SD card slot and mini-HDMI output

I have been reading the blogs and have supported IBM, now known as Lenovo for many many years. I have only bought thinkpad laptops because of their durability, high quality customer support and backup software. I then heard they were coming out with a tablet unlike their Windows based tablets. They were coming out with a Thinkpad Android 3.1 Honeycomb based system. I knew they were not going to produce a product like all others. I was correct.

The Thinkpad Android tablet has its pros and cons. First the negative. The thickness and weight. It is approximately 1.6 lbs and 0.6 cm thin. The reason being it is thick is because of all the ports you don't see on other tablets.

The Thinkpad Android tablet is in a league of its own and its application in industry will soon be recognized one of innovation and productivity.

Transfer media files and documents from USB keys and SD cards
View and edit MS Office documents
Project 1080 video to External Displays
Handwriting and text conversion
Jot down handwritten notes
Securely connect to corporate e-mail

For Business Professionals:
Stay connected to colleagues and friends with easy
e-mail, pre-installed social networking applications;
a 2MP front-facing camera for video calls and Social
Touch—a unique application that pulls it all together in an
easy to use widget View and edit Microsoft® Office documents with Documents to Go by DataViz
Write naturally and jot down handwritten notes, that automatically convert to handwritten text, mark up documents, and draw pictures with the accurate pressure sensitive ThinkPad Tablet Pen*

Comfortably type long e-mails, create documents and enter data in forms or spreadsheets, thanks to the convenient ThinkPad Tablet Keyboard Folio* with built-in optical TrackPoint®

Here are full specs

You can probably guess, I have purchased one and expect to find new ways of implementing this new tablet into the healthcare industry. The most important advantage of this tablet is the digitizer pen which converts handwriting to text. This can prove to be a useful tool in integrating EMR's with android tablets. A big Plus for the Thinkpad is the additional docking and famous thinkpad keyboard along with the Gorilla Glass screen by corning.

I will keep you updated on the new Lenovo Thinkpad Android 3.1 Tablet when it arrives.

My next post will be on my Top Free Android Applications for Medical Professionals