Despite reports that twice as many doctors have iPhones this year than last year, a post over at WirelessDoc predicts that since many doctors have all their contact data and text files on the Palm Desktop software a good number will continue to carry Palm branded devices. That’s good news for the Palm Pre.
Dr. Bill Koslosky over at WirelessDoc writes: “I’ve seen a couple of posts on the mostly inactive palm-med listserv about MDs looking to replace their old Palm Tungsten PDAs as the batteries no longer keep a charge. They have all their contact data and text files on the Palm Desktop software, but need a new handheld to re-sync.”
Certainly anecdotal, but it makes sense. By many accounts the Palm Pre is the first true contender in the iPhone era, and those Palm Tungsten PDA batteries are not removable — no option but to upgrade.
“Of course, the Palm Pre and the new WebOS are about to be released,” Koslosky writes. “I’m switching. I’ll lose the third party apps that I’ve enjoyed using on my Treo 700p like Agendus, but I’m willing to move on. I’m hoping that porting the old data to the new OS won’t be much of a problem.”
According to a new report from Manhattan Research, the percentage of physicians in the U.S. using smartphones increased to 64 percent. The group increased by 20 percent between 2008 and 2009, the study found. The number of physicians using iPhones doubled, Manhattan Research found.
Read the WirelessDoc post for more thoughts from Koslosky.
UPDATE: This article was posted over at Pre Forums and it sparked some good discussion. Read more here
ALSO: Scott Farmer from AAI writes in the comments below that for doctors looking to hang onto their old Palm devices, there is help for replacing those batteries, after all. See the comments for more…
April 20th, 2009 at 4:09 pm
I hope Palm is ready to sink resources into making the Pre a success. Apple and RIM have done a great job penetrating the healthcare market and I would be very surprised if Palm will be able to gain enough traction to be successful. With these next generation of phones, it is all about the 3rd party applications. If Palm does not have a solid strategy to lure developers to its platform they are done.
April 20th, 2009 at 5:36 pm
[...] Doctors and the Pre Here’s another article for discussion – for you healthcare professionals here: Will doctors stick by Palm? | mobihealthnews [...]
April 21st, 2009 at 2:05 am
Many doctors have invested a lot of money into palm os applications such as skyscape books etc. The classic application which will emulate the palm os will enable their use on the new Pre.
I think the Palm Pre is a true contender in that regard.
April 21st, 2009 at 12:50 pm
In reference above to the older Tungsten PDA’s batteries no longer holding a charge and therefore MD’s are looking to replace the devices… we have found a majority of our clients like to re-use the PDA’s and we are able to replace the batteries for them with new batteries enabling them to get another 3-5 years out of their device.
April 21st, 2009 at 7:06 pm
I’m a attorney. My office management program syncs only with a Palm OS. What do you have for me other than Centro?
May 8th, 2009 at 7:29 am
[...] Will doctors stick by Palm? Read it form mobiHealthNews.com. [...]
May 22nd, 2009 at 10:06 am
[...] is it worth jumping off the iPhone bandwagon to try out the Pre? Depends on what you’re looking for, but the Palmdoc Chronicles blog has [...]