Tell me about your PDA

FirePup · Apr 18, 2004

Hi everyone!
I'm delurking finally and starting to post a bit more :) I am curious to hear from those of you with PDAs. Please tell me what model you have, about how much it cost (if you know), and the features you love about it. Also tell me what you WISH it had that it doesn't. Thanks!!!!

Hello! I got my PDA in early January of this year and I absolutely LOVE it. It's an iPAQ 1910 (hewlett-packard), not really sure of the cost (my wonderful boyfriend bought it for me for christmas, but if I were to guess I would say around $200).

What I love about having a "pocket PC" is that it's basically just like running your at home computer, same type of start menu and such. I enjoy the fact that there is Solitaire on it (I play on class breaks just to get me through the next hour). It also has a "tasks" list, which I absolutely love. I am definately a list person, so jotting it in my PDA is wonderful because it's always right there with me. I also like how small it it. It's really thin and light...probably about the size of a deck of cards. It also has a bright colorful screen which is also nice. The battery life is actually quite good. I can get through 2 full days without a charge on moderate use. I am planning on getting a med. program soon. The iPAQ also has a pretty decent microphone. I sit in the second row and can pick up instructors pretty well. I also enjoy that the "pocket pcs" have microsoft office just like regular PC's. I am also looking into getting a small keyboard that is available for the iPAQ, just so I can take some notes if I want or type of a paper instead of dragging along my laptop.

I haven't to this day found anything that I don't like about this little gadget. Definately one of my lifelines!

Sorry so long. Hope this helped some

Maggie :)

PennyLane, RN · Apr 18, 2004

I have a Sony Clie PEG-SJ22 (I don't think they make it anymore), but I love it! Color screen, very handy size, Palm OS (most of the medical software is for Palm it seems). I downloaded ePocrates for free and I bought a lab values program. Other students are lugging around their drug books, and I can quickly look them up in my PDA!

Altra, BSN, RN · Apr 18, 2004

Hiya SCMomof3:

I just got my PDA last week - an early birthday present. I have a Dell Axim X3. It was about $250. I love it. I went with the Pocket PC/Windows CE operating system instead of a Palm because it looks just like the Windows environment that I've been dealing with on desktop/laptop computers for over 10 years - maybe I'm just getting old & set in my ways, but I wasn't crazy about the look of the Palm interface, although I'm sure it's great for those who are less old/cranky than me! :chuckle

I have to disagree with the earlier statement about there being more medical software available for Palms - see skyscape.com - more downloadable software than you could probably ever use, and from the browsing I've done it seems that most are available in both Palm & Pocket PC format.

I downloaded the trial version of what they call the RN Constellation of programs. It includes the Davis Drug Guide, RNotes, a lab test reference, and references for dosage calculation & ICD-9 coding. I'm torn between keeping that (the bundle is a very good value, IMO) or dumping that and just getting the Davis Drug Guide and the Taber's Medical Dictionary. Either way, it beats the heck out of having to break out the drug book when you need to look up something.

There have been a number of PDA threads - if you do a search I'm sure you'll come up with some more info. Good luck! :)

Megsd, BSN, RN · Apr 18, 2004

I got an HP iPAQ 2210 for my 21st birthday (cost $400 -- though the extra money is mostly extra memory, I think), and I love it. I'm notoriously bad for not putting things in my planner, so when assignments creep up on me, either I never wrote them down, or I did, and I never look at the planner again. This prompts me to look at my calendar daily (mostly because it's fun to play with my gadget) and I feel MUCH more organized since I got it.

I have a wireless keyboard for it, but I've not used my PDA for note-taking yet because I'm not used to the keyboard yet and I always mis-type.

Meghan

bluesky, BSN, RN · Apr 18, 2004

I just luuuuuuuuuuuuuuv my Palm Tungsten T3 (hubbie got it for me... $400)!

I have never been an organized person but this keeps all my appointments and medical software (drug book, ACLS, even the physician software). It even has a recorder and MP3 player that came free with it. I don't really use the "stretch window too much but I would recommend this PDA to anyone.

waves · Apr 18, 2004

i have a tungsten E (Palm product) with a 128 megabyte storage card

i choose it because of speed, memory space, size, and price. i am a nursing student, so i have downloaded reference books mainly. the word is that the hospital i'm doing my clinicals at will soon (random amount of years in the administrators minds) be having the nurses using them for recording patient care info.

i tried the free epocrates drug program, but it didn't have the patient teaching and nursing consideration info that i needed. i have switched to the NDH04 drug reference. it has served me well for the 3 months i've used it. i recently added the RnDx_Int reference. we are getting to the point in school where we do lots of care planning. i'm hoping this helps me focus my care planning. i've also recently loaded a trial of the RnDx Tests. this program gives explanations of diagnostic tests and what the pre/during/post procedural roles of the nurse may be with lots of patient teaching.

i purchased all three programs from Skyscape. they have the ability to link information. i'm still a bit fumbling in my linking, but general navigation within any of the programs is fairly straight forward. i tried the tabers, because it is my favorite reference book...but the pda program cannot compare to the book. and the hospital has a tabers at every nurses station anyway. i did download the Merck manual. it has been a handy reference at times. it is very good for background information on dieases and conditions.

i know some pda have cameras. i decided it wasn't worth the hassle... especially since it is so illegal to take a picture of any part of a patient without some serious paperwork! and the tungsten E is smaller than most. i do have a aluminum case on it. i was warned that the screen is what will go first if you are going to have it in your pocket, etc. the case is easy to open, doesn't add much bulk. and in a way...i'm probably less likely to leave my pda somewhere and loose it...i can fell it in my pocket. not like a big weight, just a good friend.

hope this helps. i really like having references without the weight of many books! and you can download most programs as a trial. only part of the program will be accessible, but you get an idea how it generally works before you buy. the programs cost anywhere from $29.95 to $495.00! just like anything else, the general references are under $60, but more specialized information goes up in price.

epg_pei · Apr 18, 2004

It's an AudioVox Thera, a PDA/cellphone. It's not great at either task, especially being a cellphone, but it does save you the chore of carrying two devices. It's also a good value from my perspective. Our local wireless company charges ~$1300 Canadian for the unit. I got it on eBay brand-new for ~$200. It's made by Toshiba, and uses their proprietary SDIO interface, so none of the stuff like WiFi or cameras will work with it. Toshiba sucks! :angryfire

It's a Pocket PC device, and so far I'd say Palm has the better selection of software. Sometimes Palm software can be had for free, rare with Pocket PC. I'm happy with it, although I wish I had more application for it right now. I also want to wear it on a lanyard , under my scrubs, for easier access. The belt mounted case isn't going to work with a pair of scrubs.

nursepearl · Apr 18, 2004

I have the palm zire 71. Its great and has everything I want for personal and nursing. I have a nurses guide, and several other nursing related programs that were free. It also has a color screen, camera, and MP3 player that i use at the gym. I have it in a metal case so if i drop it, its protected. I LOVE it and has been a great help in nursing.

Pearl

#1rnstudent · Apr 19, 2004

I have the palm zire 71. Its great and has everything I want for personal and nursing. I have a nurses guide, and several other nursing related programs that were free. It also has a color screen, camera, and MP3 player that i use at the gym. I have it in a metal case so if i drop it, its protected. I LOVE it and has been a great help in nursing.
Pearl

Hi. Where did you get a metal case? I have been looking all over for one and have only found plastic. :)

nursepearl · Apr 19, 2004

My boyfriend got it for me off of eBay. I think it was $20. Its great and it has storage for extra memory cards.

Hi. Where did you get a metal case? I have been looking all over for one and have only found plastic. :)

bigmona · Apr 19, 2004

i know veeerry little about PDA's so if someone could enlighten me - where do you get all these drug/pharm/nursing programs from? do you download them from somewhere? how do you know what's good? is a palm OS or windows OS better to have?