New computing platforms were in the HIMSS spotlight
New computing platforms were in the HIMSS spotlight
Last month’s HIMSS conference was a showcase for some interesting new computing platforms.
Most interesting were the new Jupiter-class devices. Avio showed its CLIO, the prototype for the Windows CE Jupiter class, which it had first shown at last fall’s American Medical Informatics Association conference.
Mitsubishi (Cypress, CA) showed off its three Amity Series products. All of these sport 7.5-inch active color displays in a very portable 2.2-pound package. The engine is a 166 MHz Intel Pentium, which can address up to 96 Mbytes of RAM. This is barely adequate for speech-enabled applications. The units have a 1.6 Gbyte hard disk. The thing that sets the Amity series apart is that it is pen-based, although two of the models the "cp" and "vp" add a numeric keypad, set of cursor/arrow keys, shift, alternate, tab, backspace, and return keys to the user interface. This expedites user interactions with the device, particularly when "smart" cursor positioning is implemented.
One serious disadvantage of all of these devices is the lack of a convenient, medically-oriented handle.
This disadvantage is partially overcome by the new Data General (Westborough, MA) Win-Pad computing platform. This is a 2.7-pound unit with a VGA active matrix display. It also includes Wireless LAN spread spectrum radio capability and an optional keyboard, for when it is not roaming around the healthcare enterprise. A built-in video camera on the back is ideal for documentation of patient physical characteristics in the emergency department (when abuse is suspected), or for use as a telemedicine exam device (given the limitations imposed by its resolution). The unit is Windows CE-compliant, accepts up to 64 Mbytes of memory, and up to a 72 Mbyte FLASH (non-volatile) file system. Its low power design provides about eight hours of operating time, and it is Citrix-enabled, making it a useful platform for thin client/server applications. Priced less than $1,000 including the radio and camera, it represents a very interesting platform for medical CPR and perhaps monitoring applications in a wide spectrum of healthcare environments (inpatient, home, MD office, emergency, SNF, etc.). And the handle makes it easy and secure to carry around.
3Com showed some of its new Palm Pilot VII models, with built-in cellular and Internet capabilities, but the device has too small a display, and unacceptable handwriting recognition to be really interesting.
The emergence of Windows CE for healthcare is a very interesting development, and one which was just beginning to become apparent at HIMSS.
Arthur Gasch
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