Back to the UX-50 from VZ-90

[loki2486]

Well after using the VZ-90 for about 5 months, I've decided to go back to the UX-50.

I loved the VZ-90, I think that it's the best and most advance Palm OS devise created. The screen is awasome, the combination of CF and MS is sweet as I have all my medical references, sound, video files in a 2 gig CF card, and using a 1 gig MS to watch my daily news and sports videos that I recorded with the VR 100K during my lunch break. The wifi works well and the unit sounds great.

The things that I didn't like about the UX were the small screen, short battery life, and limited 16mb RAM.

Why switching back?

#1: Size: despite my best to adapt to the chunky VZ-90, it's just to big and heavy to carry around. The VZ's blocky shape makes carrying the thing uncomfortable no matter how you carry it. I've tried a belt pouch and pocketing the unit. The belt pouch made me look like a geek, and pocketing the unit made me look like I'm very excited... :p The UX on the other hand fit the pants pocket comfortably, even my shirt pocket.

#2 Functionality: I wanted the VZ because of the longer battery life, larger screen, better multi-media capabilty, and stronger wifi. Well, I just brought a Sony Vaio U71P (http://www.dynamism.com/u71/) :cool: that I now carry in a small shoulder bag. The U71 is awesome and met my multi-media/wifi needs. So PDA-wise I just needed something for medical reference look-up.

So.... guess I'm back in the UX camp. What did I miss?

[glassman]

... guess I'm back in the UX camp. What did I miss?

Portrait mode utility by Mobile Stream, FAT32 driver for MS larger than 2GB, some alternatives to the EB40 using battery extenders and other battery replacements...just to mention a few.

By the way, are you keeping your VZ.

[JAmerican]

Portrait mode utility by Mobile Stream, FAT32 driver for MS larger than 2GB, some alternatives to the EB40 using battery extenders and other battery replacements...just to mention a few.

By the way, are you keeping your VZ.

Yay. UX50 is the best!! LOL. As for the battery mod, I added the TH battery to my UX. Now it lasts way longer.

I created a forum for mods I've performed on my UX for the CLIE or for the UX. Check it out here (http://www.jamerican.net/forums/viewforum.php?f=3).

Welcome back (http://tvland.classictvhits.com/WelcomeBackKotter/Sounds/WBKTheme.wav). :)

JAmerican :)

[LupeValenz]

I want your VZ :)

[JAmerican]

I want your VZ :)

I'd take it as well. LOL. But depends on if I can afford it.

JAmerican

[sonypenguin]

I think Loki is one who sold the VZ90 on Ebay at $600.
Good move loki, but I'm keeping my VZ90. I have small shoulder bag (Fluke) and my TR3AP, VZ90, UX50 .... all fit in together.
I'm planing to move to VZ90 eventually, but not ready yet.

[salesrep]

Sounds like what you need is the TH55, and maybe the Euro version if you need bluetooth (unlikely since you went to the VZ. . .)

It's got that big screen, longer battery life, and double the RAM of the ux50 (not counting the Internal Media. . .which I usually don't, because it won't work for AvantGo or ePocrates or Griffith's 5MCC--you need at least 32MB RAM.)

The only hurdle is overcoming the fact that you probably already have the ux50. But I know of a little site you can sell it on and get a TH55 as well--eBay!

HaHaHa

[loki2486]

I think Loki is one who sold the VZ90 on Ebay at $600.
Good move loki, but I'm keeping my VZ90. I have small shoulder bag (Fluke) and my TR3AP, VZ90, UX50 .... all fit in together.
I'm planing to move to VZ90 eventually, but not ready yet.

No that was not me. I'm still keeping the VZ. It's in my bag along with my U71P. The U71P is awesome, a full windows XP pro computer in a unit a little bigger than the PSP. Sweet :cool:

The TH55 sounds interesting...

[sonypenguin]

U71 looks cool but it's too much high price and have an attached keyboard..... :(

[salesrep]

Loki2486--are you a physician? Where do you practice?

If I saw a doc in my territory with a vz90, I'd pass out. You're WAY ahead of the curve on that one. . .most docs I see use basic Palm machines--T|E, T|T3, Zire72, maybe an SJ30, but I've never seen one with a ux50 or th55, much less a vz90.

Do you ask sales reps to sponsor the ePocrates (or other) for you?

[loki2486]

Loki2486--are you a physician? Where do you practice?

If I saw a doc in my territory with a vz90, I'd pass out. You're WAY ahead of the curve on that one. . .most docs I see use basic Palm machines--T|E, T|T3, Zire72, maybe an SJ30, but I've never seen one with a ux50 or th55, much less a vz90.

Do you ask sales reps to sponsor the ePocrates (or other) for you?

Hey salesrep,

What company are you with?

Yes I'm a pediatrician. Finished my residency a year ago at LSU and currently practicing in Jackson, MS. Always a techo-phile, converted most of my fellow residents to Palms, although few ever used them to their potential.

I have accumulated a vast medical reference library in my Palms. I really believe that handhelds will be a valuable tool to the future of medicine, and one day be as indispensable as a stethoscope. I don't think that the Palm OS in its current state will be that future, probably handhelds like the U71 with full computer capabilities.

Now in private practice, the group that I'm in is not techno advance at all. Everything is still done with pen and paper although we do have cable internet ascess and hopefully wifi soon. They are amazed about the stuff that I can do on the internet (MD consults, etc) and on my VZ. I'm trying to get everyone (the old-schoolers) to the electronic medical records, but the process is slow.

Anyway, most of the drug reps that visit our offices know very little of palms or any cut-edge tech. No one has offered eprocrates to me yet, but did get a year of sanford and PDR from a rep.

[sonypenguin]

LOL,,,

I was able to download eprocrates free from the site. That is really good drug application.

Yes, it's really hard to bring old-schoolers to these technology era, but many of doctors have willingness to do so step by step.

[salesrep]

I work for GSK--Flonase, Augmentin, PediaRix, Advair. . .those would be the main ones you'd know. I sell Advair, but don't call on Pediatricians because the other drugs I sell are for the 18-and-over crowd. The dedicated respiratory reps would call on you whereas I call on Psychs.

I've bought numerous ePocrates certificates in my almost 4 years with the company. I get pretty pumped up when I come across some of the doctors that use a PDA, particularly PalmOS, and yes--mainly younger docs fresh from residency. Sometimes I feel I'm selling the wrong thing--I think I like selling technology more than drugs! But I don't think there's as much of a market for technology sales as pre-2000 before the tech bubble burst.

I've only seen maybe 4 offices in Fort Worth, Texas that have the paperless patient file systems, and they did go through some growing pains to get there in terms of archiving the existing medical records for the new system--each page of a patient's file had to be scanned as a photo and loaded into the system--but once they were done the payoff in space alone must have been just unbelievable. If you can take your practice there, it would be worth it in the long-run, and difficult to convince any doctors that might be close to retirement.

BTW--most reps can spend up to $100 per doctor per year on medically-relevant items for your practice. This would include ePocrates-like software as well. I would advise you to ask some of your reps that call on you frequently for any items like this you might need--they've got the budget for it, and it falls within PHRMA guidelines! I'm glad to be able to do this for many of my doctors, because the restrictions placed on the industry have made it tough to do much else.