PDA users...? RE: installing Davis Drug Guide for Nurses

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I am having a lot of fun w/my new tool/toy. I am also running into some issues and I hope you can enlighten me. I notice that a few of the applications I am trying to download in trial version are *.exe files. They are automatically defaulted to the "expansion card" field (in the quick install feature...I have a Palm TungstenT3). Is this just for the trial version? Will the purchased version be able to install directly to the PDA? For those of you who run expansion cards...what issues do you have in reference to battery life when running from them? Can one just keep the memory card always inserted? Will always keeping it inserted (if possible) drain battery life?

Thanks in advance for your input :)

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Specializes in IMCU/Telemetry.

I don't know the answer myself, but the answer my brother, who is a computer tech, would be RTFM. This loosly means read the manual.:)

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Specializes in OB.

You may not have enough memory to run the program thats why they are automatically being defaulted to your memory card. OR maybe it is something in the settings that is defaulting them to the memory card. I have a pocket PC and when I downloaded the trial version I had no problems. I ultimately chose the Lippincott's drug guide only because I had been using the book version for years and was really comfortable with it.

Can you run the program even with the files being defaulted to the memory card? You can run the PDA with the memory card in I don't know what it does to the battery life though.

Good Luck! And if all else fails call the tech support number for the PDA or the program.

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I also have a pocket pc (Toshiba e310) and prefer it to the palm os' that my classmates have. Why? My ppc has all of the programs on it that I have on my desktop pc and it runs off of the Windows platform. I am able to use my ppc as a laptop - writing papers (it recognizes my handwriting) in Word, doing care plans in Excel, etc. All I have to do when I get home is sync with my desktop and print. Very handy for doing homework when you are out of town and way cheaper than a laptop.

I also ultimately chose Lippincott's 2003 Drug Guide (bought in a combo with Griffith's 5 minute clinical consult). I have tried Pepid RN, Davis, and epocrates. I found that Lippincott's had the MOST information relevant to a nursing student. The other programs did not cover everything that I needed to know for each medication or disease.

As for downloading programs directly to the pda rather than the memory card... I wouldn't do that. As with all computers, there are little glitches every now and then. #1 - if your battery drains when you are away from your sync cradle or an adaptor to recharge, you will lose your programs out of your main memory and have to reinstall them each time this happens (happened to a classmate on a regular basis - she got rid of her palm because of this) and some programs will only allow you to download from their website a certain number of times. #2 - the little glitches that sometimes require resetting a pda may also lose the programs stored in main memory.

I have a 256 san disk for a memory card and will probably never use all of that memory. It was about $130 Canadian and definitely worth it.

Another thing about the pocket pc's - they also have Windows Media Player, Powerpoint, etc... these can come in handy with presentations, not to mention bored children on a long drive.

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I keep my SD card in at all times. It has no effect on battery life. I download everything I can to the SD card (except for certain utilities that must be put into main memory to work properly).

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Specializes in Trauma ICU, MICU/SICU.

Lydia,

I also have a pocket pc (Toshiba e310) and prefer it to the palm os' that my classmates have. Why? My ppc has all of the programs on it that I have on my desktop pc and it runs off of the Windows platform.

Do you find that there is a good selec tion of Pocket PC software? I'm toying with the idea of leaving the Palm platform and buying a PocketPC. I'll be a first year RN student in January.

Thanks!

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Specializes in OB.
Do you find that there is a good selec tion of Pocket PC software? I'm toying with the idea of leaving the Palm platform and buying a PocketPC. I'll be a first year RN student in January.

I too have the toshiba pocket PC, the only diff. I have found is that there is not much free software for pocket pc, but almost everything there is for palm there is for pocket pc. You have to look online. I have not seen any pocket pc software in stores. I love that it is so easy to sync to my computer. Although I never had a palm so I don't know what that is like. My suggestion is get one with lots of memeory or the ability to use memory cards otherwise you will limit yourself to the amount of software you can get.

I didn't buy the drug software until my last semester in school (financhial reasons, something else allways came up) and I am kicking myself for that. I love it. It makes looking up drugs so easy!

Good Luck!

Congrats on getting inot nursing school! You will love it and hate it!:D I anly have 6 more days of class and I am all done!!!

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