Tech Time with Dr. Adams

Can it be that we've reached the convergence of handheld devices - my pager, phone, email, and web access? And, what's happened to "voice over IP?"

Are interns really getting smartphones?

Recent hearsay from med students who are interviewing for internships is that several institutions are handing out smartphones to interns - Harvard, Columbia, and Penn, the Treo, iPhone, and Blackberry. Is this really true?

Testimonial
Personally I own a Blackberry Pearl and I'm very satisfied because of the physical keyboard. But, I also carry an iPod Touch in my opposite pocket because the Apple apps are just too tempting. Not to mention, ePocrates Essentials, the drug look-up, is now available for Touch and iPhone and Duke gives me free access to the ePocrates upgrade. The smartphone supports my personal space/workflow - I can forward my pager to the phone, check my email and look up something on the fly via the web browser.

Quick Reads
Both major financial newspapers have reputable resources for quick reviews of personal technology, including videos:

• WSJ, Walt Mossberg
  http://online.wsj.com/


• NYT, David Pogue and Matt Richtell
  http://www.nytimes.com/

Here I am, first time in the blogosphere myself. Will I regret?
~Martha Adams, MD