Palm PDA Computing Seminars on Academic Computing Snowmass CO

Palm/PDA Computing Seminars on Academic Computing Snowmass, CO August 7, 2001 Kay Sommers – ksommers@vcu. edu Richard H. Falk – rfalk@vcu. edu Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA

The Trend • Background of VCU – Medical and academic campus – 15, 000 undergraduate and 6, 500 graduate students – Many IT groups • What’s driving the PDA movement? – Good management tools and useful applications – Mobile users

PDA Projects at VCU • • Allied Health Professions– Nurse Anesthesia Surgery – Grand Rounds Virginia Institute for Developmental Disabilities Department of Pharmacy Beaming Kiosks CBIL (Computer Based Instruction Lab) Occupational Therapy

Nurse Anesthesia • Grant for simulator-based training videos for graduate students • Short instructional videos on a PDA • HP Jornada 540 Pocket PC selected • Technical challenges of running videos on PDAs (Adobe Premiere, Windows Media Player 7. 1, HP Encoder) • Test video is 7. 3 MB and runs for 6: 43

Dept. of Surgery • Need to take attendance during Grand Rounds • Requirements for mobility, accuracy and ease • Scan VCUCards with Mag Stripe Reader/Palm application • Sync to Access database • Pendragon application available

Palm Magnetic Stripe Scanner

Virginia Institute for Developmental Disabilities • • University affiliated program Initial approach and project proposals VIDD staff generate many ideas Project selected – Autistic individuals – Han. Dera 330 and Memo. Plus

School of Pharmacy • Residents and faculty using PDAs in clinical rounds • Plans to provide PDAs to 4 th year students • Development of applications , suites and presentations • Wireless project is part of student laptop initiative – access points on all 5 floors of Pharmacy’s main building

Beaming Kiosks • Infrared communications – PDAs and laptops • Kiosks use Clarinet Systems equipment • Avant. Go channels, email, calendar syncing on-the-go, web surfing • Kiosks placed in public lab as a pilot • Pictures of a beaming kiosk …

Clarinet Systems Ir. Da Infrared www. clarinetsystems. com

Beaming

Beaming Kiosk Javits Convention Center, Manhattan, NY

First Impressions

Conversion

Mass Conversion

Computer Based Instruction Lab • Targeted Participants • CBIL provided – Handspring Visor Deluxe PDAs, software, eval forms, group meetings, technical support • • Participation requirements and selection process Software selected Support services Results

Occupational Therapy • Support call from a faculty member…

PDA Connections to the Internet • Modems – serial modem devices or CF modem cards • LAN – CF Ethernet Card • Infrared connections – Cell phone with Ir. DA port <-> PDA • Wireless – Fixed wireless with access points – Remote via wireless services

Capabilities of PDAs • • Pocket Internet Explorer Windows CE’s Inbox (POP 3 and IMAP 4) Accessing web content – streaming or offline Blazer “proxy” server (www. bluelark. com) – Resize and dither web pages for small screen – Graphics, color and caching • Web Clipping • Avant. Go Channels – Pocket PC and Palm OS devices

PDA Applications • Word documents – Pocket. PC Word – Documents to Go • Han. DBase Relational Database – Pocket PC and Palm compatible • Ebook – Microsoft Reader; other free versions – Ebooks download (www. memoware. com) -cross platformats and free – Audio books – www. audible. com – Mint your own e. Books

The Wireless Connection • Fixed wireless – PC and CF cards used to connect to LAN – Modules for Handspring and Palm M 500 series PDAs (Xircom Wireless Ethernet Module) • Remote wireless – PC Cards (CDPD, Ricochet 128 and CDMA wireless networks) – CF digital phone card (Socket Communications) – Bluetooth – connect without cables • WAP Gateways

Development • Web programming – HTML, Java, XML, etc. • C and C++/Java (Palm conduits); Assembler; Visual Basic (App. Forge), Microsoft e. Mbedded Visual Tools • Forms programs – Pendragon and Satellite

VCU PDA Projects • VCU POPS (Pockets of Progress Site) http: //www. vcu. edu/ucs/POPS/

Other Issues • What about security? – Extensible Authentication Protocol – Security utilities • Crypt. Info, Read. This!, Teal. Lock, etc. • What about cost? • What about limitations – Why not just buy a laptop?

Finale • Other issues? • Q&A • Thank you for coming.

References • VCU POPS: – http: //www. vcu. edu/ucs/POPS/ • VCU Library – Personal Digital Assistants • • • – http: //www. library. vcu. edu/tml/bibs/pda. htm CMU Pittsburgh Pebbles: – http: //www. cs. cmu. edu/~pebbles/ Dynasys Copilot (interface for mag stripe reader) – http: //www. dyna-sys. com/ Clarinet Systems (Ir. Da switches) – www. clarinetsystems. com/ Blazer Palm compatible browser – http: //www. handspring. com/software/blazer_details. jhtml Fireviewer (media web portal for Palm OS devices) – http: //www. fireviewer. com/index. html