One of the confusing issues when it comes to medical programs installed on the PDA is the
availability of installable and online applications. In this article we attempt to explain the
differences for better understanding of how we get applications on our PDA.
Installable Apps: These are programs that we install onto our handheld devices and once
they are installed they stay there and we can use them without the need for internet connection [offline
access]. These programs can be installed by executing the set up file (.exe) which can be downloaded
from the developer website and should be executed using the desktop computer and in the mean time
the PDA should be connected "synced" to the desktop either via cable or via Bluetooth through the
appropriate sync software ActiveSync for Pocket PC, Hotsync for Palm, or iTunes for iPhone.
Sometimes there can be another version of the set up file called CAB (.cab) these files do not need the
sync connection and can be copied directly to the PDA file folder and executed from there.
CAB files would be perfect if you want to download the program [Over The Air, OTA] using your PDA
internet connection without the need for your desktop. In the case of the iPhone/iTouch you may also
install programs from the App store over wireless connection and no need for iTunes.
Online Apps: These are applications and programs that we don't need to install and that can be
accessed while the device is connected to the internet. This type of applications can be further sub-
classified into two types:
a) Mobile websites: These are websites designed to be accessed using the small PDA / Phone small
screen internet browser. These websites are usually compatible with any device that has internet
connection [few exceptions where the website is designed to be used by the iPhone only as it exploits
the finger-touch technology of the iPhone and is not compatible with the stylus-tap interface of the
Pocket PC or Palm].
Most of the big technology companies have already made their mobile version of their websites
such as Google Mobile and Yahoo! Mobile. This applies to the developers of medical applications also
such as Unbound Medicine. There is a list of available pediatric mobile sites in this website.
b) Online Apps: These are true applications which can be executed online but there is a very
small number of such applications available for the medical PDA currently.
It is postulated that such apps will be the norm in the future as we switch from the World Wide Web to
the World Wide Computer where we shift from local hard drives to the clouds and you may even get rid
of your PC!
NOTE) It is important not mix-up the online apps designed specifically for the PDA screen with the
online apps that are designed to be accessed by the large screen [laptop or desktop].
Nevertheless, the desktop version may also be accessed by the PDA browser but the resultant user
experience is usually bad as you have to go up and down and right and left to navigate
through the same web page.
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Installable and Online Applications:
What's the difference?
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Blackberry (Rx only) +
iPhone (Rx only) + Palm +
Windows Mobile
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Available but not
for the full Epocrates
Essentials.
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Blackberry + Palm +
Symbian + iPhone
Windows Mobile
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Not Available [But they have
desktop versions of their
products].
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iPhone-only Website,
deemed to close after
starting the native App.
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Blackberry + Palm +
Windows Mobile
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Available with
full functions.
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Wireless access compatible
with all platforms.
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Blackberry + Palm +
Windows Mobile
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Available for most of their
products.
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Wireless websites for each
product compatible with all
platforms.
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It can be concluded from the above table that currently Pepid and Unbound Medicine are the best
developers in terms of online applications but they are not as powerful as Skyscape and Epocrates when
it comes to installable compatibility with the various operating systems. It is very likely that in the near
future most developers will develop their online apps and make them ready for access by any device and
any operating system.
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May consume significant
device memory and usually
requires a good amount of
RAM and processor speed
to work fine.
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Any device with internet
connection is OK and no
need for memory and usually
no need for processor speed.
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Is not required except for
updates if the program is
designed to do so.
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Can not run without
internet connection.
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Device [OS]
Compatibility
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Developers have to write
OS specific applications.
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Usually not platform specific
[any OS can do].
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Usually have to install
updates and new versions
manually.
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Automatically updated and
usually better updated.
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Installation
& Uninstallation
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Sometimes problems with
installation and need to be
manually un-installed if we
choose to stop using them.
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No installation required.
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Here's a table of some pros and cons of installable versus online apps
It's quite obvious
from the table on
the left that
Online Apps
are greener than
the installable
apps and
so they
have more
advantages.
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Now let's see some examples of medical PDA software developers and what do they provide for us
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