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News Week of February 25, 2007First Look HP tx1000 Entertainment Tablet PC I'll have a full review for you in the coming weeks, but for now I can tell you that the tx1000z is a lightening fast entertainment and Tablet PC that is for those who want all of the features of a Media Center PC along with the ability to use the pen and ink features of a Tablet PC. The tx1000z is not intended for the road warrior or business user who needs Tablet functionality 24/7. It's designed for those who want to have fun and get a little work done on the side. For those who are wondering, about battery life, I have not had time to do any battery life tests yet, they will be in the full review. and I'm still blown away by the speed........ (Source: Linda A. Epstein, TabletPC2.com) The 'Porsche' of portables Toshiba Portege R400 - empty your wallet and turn some heads There's no arguing it's a head-turner -- I got so many second glances while tapping away in the airport one day that I started to wonder if I'd accidentally left the house without wearing pants. Again. But I found that I dearly missed having a built-in DVD drive, and I was caught off guard by other little things too. Like the annoyingly hit-or-miss fingerprint scanner (I eventually just disabled it) and the lack of any sort of built-in memory card reader. Where did I put that damn USB adapter? If you're flush with cash and you want a small, sleek and sexy portable that you can slip easily into a carry-on or briefcase, the Portege R400 might be worth a look. (Source: Steve Tilley, Edmonton Sun) HP Touch-Screen Computer Sparks Debate Nevertheless, analysts on Thursday said HP is on to something. It's the first major computer maker to launch a finger-controlled touch screen computer, and gets the thumbs up for going to market with something different in human-computer interaction -- an area that's been lacking in creativity for the 30 years PCs have been around. "In many ways, it's a revolutionary device," Sam Bhavnani, analyst for Current Analysis, said. "It highlights innovation from HP." The less-than-stellar reviews the machine has gotten have focused on failures in the software, which Bhavnani said should improve in subsequent generations. "It's the first go around, and the software will improve over time," he said. "It's not like the touch screen doesn't work." While agreeing that HP is on the right track, Harry Wang, analyst for Parks Associates, bristled at the price. People are unlikely to pay $1,800 to replace post-it notes on refrigerators, or to watch TV, which is another function of the TouchSmart. "It's really based on whether [HP] can provide a low-cost alternative to the kitchen TV that can also offer relatively easy access to applications." (Source: Antone Gonsalves, InformationWeek) HP Pavilion tx1000 Review Unfortunately the screen lacks an antireflective coating--strangely, it seems to have another kind of coating with a smoky hue that makes seeing anything on the screen from an angle unduly difficult. The tablet produced unimpressive results in our performance tests. On a beta version of WorldBench 6, the tx1000, equipped with a 2-GHz AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-60 processor and Windows Vista Premium Home Edition, managed a score of 74, a middling mark. It ran down quickly on our battery tests, too, lasting just one hour and 47 minutes. (Because our benchmark is still in beta, we can't assign the notebook a PCW rating.) Nevertheless, it's nicely designed and comfortable to use, despite the screen glare. Just be sure to pack the AC adapter. (Source: Kalpana Ettenson, PC World) Fujitsu offers embedded HSDPA in an ultra-portable tablet PC form factor The new era of mobile computing dawned with the launch of the stylishly slender LifeBook Q2010 with HSDPA in 2006. Having gained industry and consumer affirmation, Fujitsu now offers this new-found freedom to LifeBook P1610. Fujitsu PC Asia Pacific today announced the release of LifeBook P1610 with embedded HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access), extending their HSDPA-embedded notebook PC range to a tablet PC form factor. Imagine not having to search for Wi-Fi hotspots and/or LAN ports when you only have ten precious minutes before rushing to your next meeting. Or not having cables, additional drivers or portable modems sticking out of your notebook PCs and adding to your burden. Even better, imagine wireless connection on a stylishly- and intelligently-designed notebook PC anytime and anywhere you may need. All you need to do is to subscribe to the service provided by your local Telco and slot in a SIM card into the notebook PC. This is as close as anyone can possibly and realistically get to the widely hyped adage of true mobile freedom. Launched in Q3 2006, the petite LifeBook P1610 added excitement to the ultra-portable PC market with its amazingly light weight of only about 1 kilogram. It also features an 8.9-inch WXGA transflective LCD, which, with the convenience of its bi-directional hinge, can be easily converted for use as a tablet PC. In addition, features like touch screen LCD which provides easy navigation, and pen input capabilities make this machine an even more functional tool. Finally, in order to provide users with cutting edge technology the LifeBook P1610 with HSDPA is Windows Vista™ ready and can be fully upgradeable to this much anticipated operating system. Fujitsu remains firmly committed to the promotion of a cleaner environment, implementing the European Union’s Restriction of Hazardous Substances directive (RoHS) across our entire range of products, allowing Fujitsu to stay keenly focused on our customers’ health and well-being, embracing a healthier environment for all. 78% growth of Tablet PCs in schools projected Aiming for Innovation, HP Fails for Usual Reasons HP's worthy but unsuccessful experiment sinks for the usual reasons. It costs too much and runs too slowly. And its surface ease-of-use is not matched by the Windows Vista software underneath. HP should have stopped with the touch screen. Unlike the displays of tablet PC laptops, which require you to tap with a special stylus, the TouchSmart lets you use your fingertip. (Source: Rob Pegoraro, The Washington Post) Device Profile: Nokia N800 Internet tablet Fujitsu LifeBook P1610 Tablet PC Video Preview Philips, Intel design PDA for medics Philips and Intel are to develop a tablet computer for doctors and nurses, in the process creating what they claim is a new category of device: the Mobile Clinical Assistant (MCA). Presumably, Portable Doctor's Assistant* is already taken... The MCA is built around a 10.4in, 1024 × 768 touch-screen display. An internal investigation reveals Bluetooth and Wi-Fi wireless connectivity, along with the ability to read barcodes and RFID tags. There's a digital camera too, for snapping symptoms. (Source: Tony Smith, The Register) END OF THE PAPER TRAIL So, when he walked into Dr. Mukaram Gazi's office in Lakewood, he expected to be asked to fill out extensive paperwork with a pen. Instead, he was handed a tablet PC and a stylus — initiating an administrative technology that allows electronic prescribing of medications and makes for a near-paperless world for physicians. "It is really very easy to do," said Rotondo, tapping away on the small computer screen. "You just follow the directions and answer the questions. If a new system like this gets medications to you quickly and helps save lives, I am all for it." (Source: Michael, Amsel, Ashbury Park Press) Canovo Dual-TouchScreen Tablet/Notebook Should Dell Buy Acer? Something to Think About With all the problems Dell has been having lately, this analysis comes as no shocker. Sanford Bernstein analyst, Toni Sacconaghi, laid out a plan for Dell to revive its fortunes by purchasing Acer. This would actually be a relatively cheap buy for Dell and the benefits may be well worth it. A move like this could give Dell broader access to Asian and European customers where Acer does better, a stronger notebook line and a massive indirect sales channel. At the moment Dell does not sell in bricks and mortar retail stores, but Acer does, and this is something many analysts say Dell needs to move to doing. (Source: Tiffany Boggs, NotebookReview.com) Asus R2H: A Geek's Dream Come True The Good: Nifty features like GPS, fingerprint reader, and USB mouse; multiple connectivity options The Bad: Some of the Asus-specific software isn't very intuitive The Bottom Line: A great PC for the geekier of the species, though maybe not the average consumer (Source: Olga Kharif , Business Week) Service solution uses tablet PC and camera Collier's Mobile Tech( Collier Consulting Group, www.collierflatrate.com, 800/739-9025) is a complete tablet PC application designed for field service technicians. The solution includes a tablet PC, which features a 101/2-in. screen and accepts handwritten input via an electronic pen. It packages a wireless printer, vehicle-mounting brackets, a camera for help in diagnosis by off-site personnel and for before/after pictures, a credit card processor, service software and Collier's Flat Rate tables for pricing service work. The user supplies the wireless phone service. The flat-rate database, which comes preloaded on the tablet, culls from nearly 10,000 HVAC repairs; 90,000 parts and equipment; 2,500 plumbing repairs; and 45,000 plumbing inventory items. Conveniently, contractors can either accept the HVAC/plumbing database as-is or can customize any of the tables and pricing before the package is shipped by logging onto the Collier Website and making changes before the database is loaded onto the tablet. (Source: William and Patti Feldman, Computer Authorities, ContractorMag.org) Lies, Damn Lies, and Marketers There's a classic conundrum, most often found in politics, but frequently applicable to business as well. When someone says that they can cut a budget but increase spending, or they make predictions which are clearly impossible... Are they lying, stupid, or simply crazy? Take, for example, the extreme hype built up by Microsoft and Intel leading up to the launch of their UMPC initiative. The two companies proxies spent so much time talking about pocketable devices with 12-hour battery life priced at $500 and under that, when the real thing showed up, it was a complete flop. In one case, I had to actually go through the math with someone to convince them that I wasn't lying or mistaken when I said that a UMPC was six times the size of a Windows Mobile Pocket PC, because the marketers had been so adamant in their pushing the idea that they were the same size. (Source: AdamaDBrown, Brighthand) Tiny Nokia computer needs more polishing But, like the 770, the new N800 is a good example of how hard it is for a company that grew up in one business to migrate successfully to another. I can't imagine many people carrying around this device. For one thing, the N800 is a tweener - smaller than a laptop, but too big for a pocket. It's 5.7 inches long, 2.95 inches wide and 0.5 inch thick. It weighs 7.27 ounces. Apple's iPhone is smaller and lighter. More importantly, the N800's software seems unpolished and unfinished. There's no calendar application, no method for synchronizing data from a PC, no software for using the camera to record videos or snap still pictures, though Nokia says that's coming. And there's no simple way to use the camera for video conferencing with a PC, unless you get somebody else to download a special Nokia program. The company hopes to solve this later with a Skype program for the device. You can make a video call to another N800. (Source: Walter S. Mossberg, Wall Street Journal via HeraldNet) School making use of tablet PCs in classroom The nine students scribbled down their work for a moment before Jake Orthwein, 14, raised his hand and asked if he could show off his answer. But that wouldn't require Donnalley duplicating the work on a chalkboard or Orthwein describing step by step how he solved the problem. Instead, Donnalley tapped a few buttons on her tablet computer, which is similar to a laptop computer but has a screen that can be written on with an electronic pen. She and all of her students have the computer, each connected wirelessly to the Internet and to each other. Donnalley instantly connected to her student's computer, and Orthwein's scribbled equation, which he wrote on his own computer screen, popped up in front of the class on a large screen. It's a small example of the latest technological innovation introduced this year at the preschool through ninth-grade private school. The software program, DyKnow, transforms each tablet PC into an interactive tool that lets teachers and students connect with each other's computers to show off work and information or to communicate using instant messaging. School officials say Greenwich Country Day is the first school on the East Coast to be using DyKnow in a classroom. "It's magic," Donnalley said. (Source: Andrew Shaw, Greenwich Time) Bake-Off: Convertible Tablet PCs Lenovo garnered points for being the smallest and lightest unit tested here (excluding its expansion base), giving it a boost for ease of use. But by leaving out a built-in optical drive, that win came at the expense of features. Toshiba's choice to include a built-in optical drive—a key decision that in the eyes of Test Center engineers creates a more versatile tablet PC—made it heavier than Lenovo's X60 but on par with the weight of the HP unit, giving the M400 the advantage on features. Users seeking the combined functionality of a notebook computer and tablet PC in a single unit will prefer the Toshiba Portg M400-S4032 over the HP Compaq tc4400 and Lenovo's ThinkPad X60, which affords the lowest estimated partner margins among the three. But if low weight is a priority, then Lenovo is the way to go. (Source: Marc Spiwak, CRN Tech) Lenovo's Talented Tablet After spending two weeks with the Lenovo ThinkPad X60 Tablet, I am strangely reminded of Goldilocks' assessment of the baby bear's porridge as "just right." That's my appraisal of the device after testing several tablet personal computers as part of a series on tablet and ultra-portable PCs (see BusinessWeek.com, 2/22/07, "Pepper Pad 3: A Taste of the Future"). Of the units I reviewed, the ThinkPad X60 best combines performance, price, and portability—a sign that IBM's (IBM) former PC division is in good new hands. While it may not boast some of the flashy features of its competitors, the X60 Tablet turned out solid performances both as a traditional laptop and a tablet. I would have given it an even higher rating if not for the $2,500 price tag my review unit carried. (Source: Ian Sanger, Business Week) Fujitsu Siemens Lifebook P1610 tablet PC Review Tablet PC has never really caught the imagination of the average computer user. It’s great for business, where the interactive screen can be shared by a couple of people for writing notes. Alternatively, for form filling it’s handy and because you can send the hand written notes as email attachments, it is flexible. However, the main problem has always been size, in that they’ve always been too heavy. Fujitsu Siemens has gotten around this problem by giving the P1610 an 8.9-inch screen. So, instead of being the size of a sheet of A4 it feels and acts more like a sheet of A5. It’s a reasonable size but we felt that any smaller and it would be too small. You have to write notes quite small and drawings are a bit of a problem. It’s much better when you’re using it in notebook mode, but then again, any smaller and you wouldn’t really be able to see too much. On the plus side, weighing in at 990g, it’s less than a bag of sugar in weight so is light enough to carry about without being a burden. Along with the compact size there are a number of features that help this standout. Biometric fingerprint scanners are common enough on the latest business laptops but built-in 3G, supporting HSDPA, is still something waiting to catch on. Suddenly, the notes you wrote in the meeting away from the office, can be sent for instant approval. (Source: Stephen Patrick, Pocket-Lint) Optio Healthcare Introduces New QuickTablet(TM) Solution Optio(R) Healthcare, a leading provider of affordable electronic health record (EHR) and forms automation solutions for the healthcare community, announced today that it will be introducing a new Tablet PC forms-management module as an optional component of its subscription-based QuickRecord(R) EHR solution suite. Optio QuickTablet, which is now available for demonstration at this week's Healthcare Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS) conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, will be available to the general public by the end of April 2007 and is Optio's first software solution intended for use on the lightweight, keyboard-free Tablet PC. QuickTablet's "ink-on-glass" technology enables healthcare administrators, nurses and physicians to easily fill out and directly submit pre-loaded forms into a patients EHR in a fraction of the time it would take to process, file and distribute paper forms. Optio QuickTablet: -- Streamlines EHR processes by providing a fast and simple way to securely update patient information -- Reduces the cost of forms-intensive processes by eliminating file storage, manual scanning and indexing, as well as the costs of associated labor and resources -- Provides an inexpensive alternative to clinical health information systems "We're excited to offer customers a new way to optimize EHR processes with Optio's QuickTablet solution," said Mike McGuire, senior vice president and general manager of healthcare sales and services, Optio Software. "Optio's latest technology, which can be used on any standard Tablet PC, will help hospitals and healthcare facilities to increase patient safety and quality of care by reducing the amount of time and resources required to assess the patient's condition, update the patient's electronic record and deliver the appropriate treatment." Optio's QuickRecord Suite consists of the following standard components: -- Intelligent Hub Optional components include: -- QuickScan(TM) For more information about any of the Optio Healthcare solutions mentioned above, visit www.optiohealthcare.com or contact a local sales consultant at 770 576-3500. (Source: Press Release) iMedica Corporation Demonstrates New iMedica Patient Relationship Manager 2007 at HIMSS 2007 DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--At this week’s HIMSS conference in New Orleans, iMedica® Corporation announced the release of iMedica Patient Relationship Manager™ (PRM) 2007, the latest version of its integrated electronic health record (EHR)/practice management (PM) system. Since its original release in 2005, iMedica PRM has been impressing physicians with its charting speed, flexibility, and innovative, time-saving design. Now the iMedica team has updated this system to make it even easier and more powerful: iMedica PRM 2007 supports Microsoft Office 2007 and leverages the advanced features of this new release. “Microsoft’s partners are building incredible solutions on these new technologies,” said Allison Watson, corporate vice president, Worldwide Partner Group, Microsoft. “Our partners are the critical link to delivering customer value and solving complex industry, research and core business challenges. By working closely with partners like iMedica, we are transforming the way people work and delivering on the promise of People Ready software.” iMedica is demonstrating new release at the national HIMSS conference this week. Physicians, practice managers, and healthcare information technology specialists are invited to stop by Booth 2811 to experience the ease, flexibility, and speed of iMedica PRM 2007. iMedica PRM unites iMedica’s award-winning electronic health records system with practice management functions, all in one application and one database. iMedica PRM version 6.0 (the EHR component) has been certified by the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHITSM). CCHIT certification helps physicians who have been overwhelmed by the number and variety of EHR systems available. iMedica PRM helps practices manage the entire patient relationship in one system and one database. Uniting clinical and practice management data lets iMedica PRM do things that other systems can’t, such as showing health maintenance reminders in the schedule and avoiding interface issues between disparate systems – just a few of the many ways iMedica PRM helps physicians streamline their practice workflow and achieve a fast ROI. Optimized for a Tablet PC, iMedica PRM allows doctors to hold the computer like a clipboard, maintaining eye contact with the patient throughout a visit. Physicians have the flexibility to work in whatever way suits them best: type, click, talk, or even hand-write and draw. iMedica has posted the fastest time in the TEPR Documentation Challenge – which clocks real physicians charting a Level 4 visit using different EHRs – every year it was offered since 2002. And just as important, the resulting visit note was determined to be accurate and complete. (Source: Press Release) The ablet Factory Product Update—OneNote EMR WorkBench ($500) The OneNote EMR WorkBench is a combination of OneNote EMR Toolkit ($295) and OneNote eScript Toolkit ($295) Users have requested that we combine both programs into one. Centralized Patient and Provider databases are now easily accessed and shared. Template preview, support for multiple prescriptions, historical tracking have all been updated or added. Full working Trial available 1. Creates a complete SOAP Note |
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