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Palm/PDA Computing Seminars on Academic Computing Snowmass, CO August 7, 2001. Kay Sommers – ksommers@vcu.edu Richard H. Falk – r falk@vcu.edu Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA. The Trend. Background of VCU Medical and academic campus
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Palm/PDA ComputingSeminars on Academic ComputingSnowmass, COAugust 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
Virginia Institute for Developmental Disabilities • University affiliated program • Initial approach and project proposals • VIDD staff generate many ideas • Project selected • Autistic individuals • HanDera 330 and MemoPlus
School of Pharmacy • Residents and faculty using PDAs in clinical rounds • Plans to provide PDAs to 4th 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 • AvantGo channels, email, calendar syncing on-the-go, web surfing • Kiosks placed in public lab as a pilot • Pictures of a beaming kiosk …
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 IrDA port <-> PDA • Wireless • Fixed wireless with access points • Remote via wireless services
Capabilities of PDAs • Pocket Internet Explorer • Windows CE’s Inbox (POP3 and IMAP4) • 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 • AvantGo Channels • Pocket PC and Palm OS devices
PDA Applications • Word documents • PocketPC Word • Documents to Go • HanDBase Relational Database • Pocket PC and Palm compatible • Ebook • Microsoft Reader; other free versions • Ebooks download (www.memoware.com) -cross platform formats and free • Audio books – www.audible.com • Mint your own eBooks
The Wireless Connection • Fixed wireless • PC and CF cards used to connect to LAN • Modules for Handspring and Palm M500 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 (AppForge), Microsoft eMbedded 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 • CryptInfo, ReadThis!, TealLock, 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 (IrDa 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