• State of the Market
• What should I buy?
• iPhone & iPodTouch
• Windows Mobile Devices
• Blackberries
• Android
• Palm Smartphones
• Other things to consider *** HIPAA
• Memory Cards
  

The State of the PDA/Mobile Device Market ( last updated September 2011)

A few years ago the major consideration was whether to buy a Palm or a PocketPC. After settling on an operating system, the choice was then between a standalone PDA and a combination PDA/mobile phone. The landscape has changed dramatically over the past few years:

• Standalone PDAs - Long dominated by Palm, they have largely disappeared from the market. Nearly every device is a mobile phone with Internet and other features. The biggest selling non-phone device is now Apple's iPodTouch.
• iPhones have sold extremely well since their introduction in June 2007 and is clearly the standard by which all other smartphones are measured. The iPhone and its cousin iPodTouch now boast the largest number of installable medical applications.
• Android phones, the newest OS option, began picking up speed in late 2009/early 2010. The number of medical applications available on the Android platform is growing though apps still lag significantly behind the Apple devices.
• The most recent variant of the Windows Mobile OS has lost ground to the iPhone and Android. As this is written, Microsoft is prepared to release Windows 8, their first OS to run on desktops, tablets and smartphones. This may get them a larger share of the smartphone market.
• Blackberry, long the leading smartphone platform, has lost significant market share to the iPhone and Android OS devices. While the number of medical applications has grown in the last few years, installable applications still lag behind most other platforms.
• Carrier Exclusivity - Although there is still some carrier exclusivity in devices, this is less an issue than before. The iPhone is only available on the AT&T network in the United States as of this writing. Verizon will begin to carry the iPhone in February 2011. Palm WebOS and Android devices, previously limited to one or two carriers, are now available from most U.S. providers.
• Broadband Internet and WiFi are common on most devices. Cellular carriers typically require you to purchase some type of data plan along with your phone service. This is certainly true for the iPhone on AT&T. Most Verizon phones now require some type of data plan. You need either WiFi or a data plan to install applications on most devices so that a device without a data plan is quite limited even in the area of installable applications.

"So what should I buy?"

There are many things to consider including your mobile service carrier, the OS of your computer, whether you often travel internationally and what specific applications you want to run. These recommendations are generally for devices that will maximize your access to medical resources available; specifically those that allow you to use resources available through the Medical Library.

• What devices are approved for storage and transmission of Protected Health Information?
• HIPAA policies cover the use of smartphones to access ePHI. Any Smartphone used by Yale faculty, staff or students that access ePHI must comply with the Yale University HIPAA Security Policy & Guidelines for Smartphones. Note that not all models of smartphones are acceptable devices for accessing or storing ePHI. At this point, Android phones are not compliant. Blackberry devices must be bound to the Yale Blackberry Enterprise Server to be compliant. Consult the ITS pages or contact ITS staff for further information on ePHI acceptable devices.

The iPhone, iPodTouch and iPad

The iPhone is one of the top rated and best-selling smartphones ever. It has one of the best, if not the best, Web browser of any handheld mobile device. Since it was opened up to 3rd party applications in the summer of 2008, the number of quality medcial applications has expanded exponentially. WiFi connectivity is excellent and with native support for both WPA/WPA2 encrypted networks and support for the Yale VPN. The iPodTouch is a good option for those who don't want the monthly cost of 3G service but like the look, feel and performance of installable apps and WiFi-accessible resources on Apple's popular mobile devices. The iPhone is not available on all carriers but the addition of Verizon to AT&T pleased many consumers.

The iPhone and its cousin iPodTouch have quickly become the preferred handheld mobile device for medical students and clinicians. The rapid expansion of the iPhone has been matched by the tremendous growth of the iPad since in introduction in April 2010. While not "handheld", the form factor has the advantage of making it possible to browse many websites and web-based applications in ways not possible on the small screen of the iPhone or iPodTouch. 3G versions on both AT&T and Verizon allow users full Internet access in many locations not served by WiFi. Although programs written for the iPhone run on the iPad, many applications have been rewritten to take advantage of the larger screen size of the iPad.

Consult our Medical iPhone & iPodTouch page for more information.

Windows Mobile Devices

Windows Mobile devices continue to have a smaller but loyal following in the medical arena. HP, Samsung, LG and HTC all manufacture Windows Mobile devices. Almost all are PDA/Smartphones but HP still offers a few standalone handhelds in their IPAQ line. As with most smartphones, customers in North America purchase one through their mobile phone service provider or an authorized reseller.

Continually changing OS with variants has led to a lot of confusion and likely hurt the acceptance of the devices. Until recently there are 2 main variants of the Windows Mobile software: "Windows Mobile Professional" (formerly WindowsMobile PDA/Smartphone) and "Windows Mobile Standard" (formerly WindowsMobile Smartphone Edition). The easiest way to distinguish between the versions is the lack of touch screen support on the "Standard" OS devices. Why is this important? Many medical applications will not run on the non-touch screen devices including the Motorola Q, Blackjack, T-Mobile Dash. Keep this in mind if you are considering a WindowsMobile device. The impending release of Windows 8 may help Microsoft get back into the market but only time will tell

Blackberry

Blackberries are especially valued for their connections to corporate scheduling and email systems but have not had the penetration in the healthcare field they have enjoyed in business, finance and law. The number of medical applications available on Blackberries has grown in recent years although they still lag behind many other platforms in the number of available programs. Furthermore, the small screen size on most models makes the device less desirable a platform for these applications. A limitation for many Blackberry users is the lack of VPN or proxy service that would allow access to the Medical Library's restricted Web-based resources such as UpToDate. Yale Faculty whose Blackberry is attached to the Blackberry Enterprise Server (BES) may access IP-restricted resources.

The free EpocratesRx database is available for the Blackberry as is a paid premium version, EpocratesRx Pro. Content from UCentral, the Medical Library's primary platform for mobile device resources, can be installed on a Blackberry with an SD memory card.

It is essential to have an unlimited data plan to make use of medical applications on a Blackberry. Many programs such as UCentral and Epocrates require that installation be done through the Blackberry's data connection.

Android

The Android operating system is an open source mobile platform based on the Linux operating system. Google assembled a consortium of companies under the Open Handset Alliance to develop the software and devices. Initially more popular in Europe, the Android began expanding in the U.S. market in late 2009 and it is now the best selling mobile platform The number of medical applications continues to grow but it lags behind iOS devices UCentral, the mobile resource provided by the library to all Yale affiliates. In December 2010 Epocrates released their premium versions for the Android. There are more than enough medical Apps to satisfy most Android users

Unlike the iPhone which is only manufactured by Apple, there are a number of manufacturers of Android devices. While all devices are based on soem version of the standard Android OS, some manufacturers such as HTC add additional functionality with a layer of programming.

Android Apps are available through the official Android Market but there are also "non-Market" apps. For more information on medical applications, check out Android Medical Apps - http://androidmedicalapps.com/

Android Tablets - 2011 is poised to see significant expansion of Android tablet devices. The success of the iPad as well as the Kindle and Nook bookreaders has spurred a number of manufacturers to capitalize on the interest of this devices which sit in between a smartphone and a laptop. Whether they will eat into the market for the iPad remains to be seen.

Palm Smartphones

Palm has two models of smartphones running their current Palm WebOS, the Pixi and the Pre/PrePlus. While these phones have received very good reviews overall, the small number of medical applications have not made them a popular choice in healthcare. There is a beta version of EpocratesRx for the PalmPre and a premium versions of that popular application is scheduled to come out sometime in 2010. Future prospects for WebOS devices may be brighter with the recent acquisition of the company by Hewlett-Packard in April 2010.

There are still a large number of applications written for the old Palm OS that can be run under. the"Classic" Emulator software. This $30 application will allow you to install many medical applications including the premium Epocrates Essentials and UCentral. For more information on installing classic Palm medical applications to your Palm Pre, consult the document "Installing Medical Applications on the Palm Pre".

Where to Buy: Palm smartphones are sold by Verizon, Sprint and AT&T or directly from Palm.

Some other things to consider when choosing a Mobile Device

• Any Smartphone used by Yale faculty, staff or students that access ePHI must comply with the Yale University HIPAA Security Policy & Guidelines for Smartphones. Note that not all models of smartphones are acceptable devices for accessing or storing ePHI.
• Consider purchasing an UNLOCKED GSM phone if you travel internationally. That will limit your choices and may cost your more money. Of the two U.S.-based GSM carriers - TMobile and AT&T - TMobile is generally much more willing to unlock your phone so that it can be used with SIM cards from carriers in other countries..
• Ask your mobile service provider for a discount on your monthly voice and data charges. They may say no at first (especially for students) but be persistent. Discounts range from 6% to more than 20%
• Choose the right data plan. A LIMITED data plan (e.g. $10 or 20MB) is almost never a good idea. That said, many users don't need the highest plans offered. Check your device or your bill to see how much data you are using and get the plan that is right for you.
• Be aware of what's around the corner. New models may present an opportunity for a good price on an older device but if your priority is to get the latest and greatest then you may choose to wait for the new model to come out.

Memory Cards

These are a must for devices that use external memory. iPhone and iPodTouch do not use a memory card but these devices have between 8 and 32 GB of space for programs and data. WindowsMobile, Android and many Blackberry devices use some variant of the SD memory card. The optional memory card is still useful even in devices like the HTC Incredible which has 8GB of internal memory as extra storage or an easily removable storage device. Be sure to purchase the right card (size and capacity) for your device