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Wednesday, August 20, 2003
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GENERAL WIRELESS
BLACKOUT STORY
I recently did a phone interview with a writer for Health Data Management magazine about possible medical applications for cell data service using a smartphone.In my case, I'm using the Sprint PCS Vision 1x CDMA network on my Treo 300. I have to say that I'm constantly surprised about the utility of this device. If you begin to talk to most people about wireless access to the Internet, they automatically assume you're referring to wi-fi. But, in almost all cases with wi-fi, you're utilizing an access point connected to a T-1 line with it's own backhaul limitations, not the 11 Mbps touted with 802.11b. It's more in the range of 1.5 to 0.7 Mbps at most public hotspots, or even lower depending on site factors and usage.
Briefly, I was in my hotel room across the street from the Staten Island University Hosp. doing some paperwork when the power flickered then died. Going down to the front desk I was told that this blackout had occurred throughout Staten Island. My first thought was that I'd drive up to the ferry terminal and spend some leisure time in Manhattan, maybe see a movie and then come back to SI. Having no traffic lights on busy Hylan Blvd. was intimidating, but everyone was cautious and as I made my way up to St. George, dutiful citizens were directing traffic in several intersections.
From the ferry terminal parking lot I could see two ferries, loaded with passengers still in the waters of NY harbor waiting to dock. I was told that the retractable gangplank was driven by an electric but could be operated manually. At this point, I was willing to pitch in to crank away, just for a chance to escape into Manhattan.
In the terminal I saw a group of people with cell phones, some saying that they couldn't connect. (This was the case with my phone also.) I got the really bad news when someone told me that he had been listening to WNYC (on generator power) and that this blackout extended from Toronto to Cleveland and Detroit. I was still thinking about going into Manhattan when I realized that this meant no subways. One women chimed in, "I'd rather be stuck on the ferry than in a subway." Shades of Das Boot ran through my head.
Back at the hospital neighborhood, people were clamoring into the deli's, dark, humid trying to find items in the refrigerator cases, making deals on soon to spoil meat. As time wore on, it become evident the services that were in the blackout: no ATM's, gas stations unable to pump gas, etc. Around the neighborhood you could smell the grills firing up. Now what?
I had some fruit and tuna fish and I gave in, went to sleep, hoping that this would all resolve when I awoke. I was able to open the windows of the room, but there were no screens. Later on, I would hear the buzzing in my left ear, which meant a mosquito. With concerns about the West Nile virus that he again been detected in this area, this was something to think about.
I opened up Treo, the only electronic device that I was able to use except for going out to my car to start it up just to hear the radio. This was just after midnight, and I didn't know what services I'd be able to use. I tried placing a call to the hotel room's phone. No luck. I tested the cell data service, and sure enough I was able to get my email and surf the Web. In fact, it was working faster than ever before. I started up my BMeter program and was able to clock speeds averaging 80 Kbps with a high point close to 100 Kbps. It was great because I was able to get some work done. Usually, I can count on a connection supplying me with around 60 Kbps when I'm lying here in my bed. This much better than the dial-up service for my PC which tops out at 28.8 Kbps.
Around, 3:30 am, a bright rectangle of light was now present on the wall. The streetlights started to come on. Not more than ten minutes after that power was back on in my room. The traffic lights were now working again, and the ATM's and the gas pumps, although later in the morning there multiples lines of cars at each gas station. People were arguing, not coping well with this break in their routine.
8:58:19 AM 
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CLINICAL TECHNOLOGY
"Churning Things Up" by Andy Grove
"What industry is the next candidate for nonlinear strategic actions? My favorite choice is the health-care industry."
You should be able to find this article on the Fortune magazine web site, however it is a premium service. I came across this article in Fortune - The Power Issue, Aug 11, 2003. A few weeks back I remember watching the Charlie Rose show where Grove was talking about the prospects for technological change in healthcare, but I didn't have time to watch him develop his thesis.
"As a technologist with an interest in business strategy, I have long been intrigued by what happens to industries when a new technology changes the rules of the game, usually by providing an order of magnitude--'10x'--improvement in cost-effectiveness. The history of technology-based industries--communications, computing, and health sciences--is marked by such transformations."
A Google search provided this blog entry courtesy of Rajesh Jain's blog, Emergic.org. It seems Grove description of 10x changes was presented in his 1996 book, "Only the Paranoid Survive." (more to come...)
8:18:19 AM
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8:17:11 AM
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CLINICAL HANDHELDS
Savannah Hospital Gets Wired (and Unwired)
This report about a Savannah, Georgia hospital describes how its Physicians IT Committee is developing plan to use physician input to help design and implement an IT strategy for "increasing use of wireless devices for doctors to make their rounds with and more easily share updates with the patients."
"'If we build it correctly, they will come,' Dr. John Hungerpiller at St. Joseph's/Candler said. 'And if we make it efficient and save them time, they will absolutely use it.'"
Each time I talk with different vendors seeking to tap into the medical vertical market of wireless networks, I emphasize the need to establish a relationship the clinicians who would be the end users. The ultimate success of any implementation requires the support of all participants, from management, the IT Dept., and all healthcare professionals.
8:16:09 AM
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GENERAL WIRELESS
Brighthand Reviews the SanDisk SD Wi-Fi Card
This review starts with the pronouncement: Two things are certain: everything's getting smaller and everything's going wireless. I would claim that the optimal handheld can't be as small as the typical smartphone form factor, but the wireless phenomenon is certainly accelerating.
Steven Bush reports on performance: The SanDisk SD Wi-Fi Card maintained a strong signal up to 100 feet away from the access point. I tested it and a Symbol Wireless Networker CompactFlash card in an HP iPAQ h2210 Pocket PC and experienced about 20% less signal strength in the SD card than the CF card. Battery drain was not tested at this time, but is major consideration.
The release of this SDIO card for the Pocket PC is slated for August 1 (a combination wi-fi/256MB flash memory card is anticipated in December). Support for Palm 4.1 may arrive in October, and for 5.x in December. The Treo 600 will have a SDIO slot according to reports.
8:14:31 AM
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TreoCentral Reports on Release of Treo 600 SDK
Their article gives a look into the possibilities for expanding the utility of the soon to be released Treo 600.
"A significant part of delivering the best possible smartphone to customers is enabling third-party solutions to run seamlessly on Treo," said Calin Pacurariu, director of developer solutions for Handspring, Inc.
One of the tools presented is the Treo 600 Simulator - a Palm OS 5.0 Simulator bundled with the Treo 600 ROM file. The simulator and developer kit is available for free at www.handspring.com/developers.
8:13:44 AM
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CLINICAL WIRELESS
IBM and PatientKeeper collaborate to bring wireless solutions to hospitals
This is an article published on PDA Live.com: IBM and PatientKeeper, Inc. have announced a significant expansion of wireless capabilities to help hospitals enhance patient care, reduce medical errors, and increase the job satisfaction of physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals.
8:12:25 AM
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GENERAL WIRELESS
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Cellular. The Ultimate Convergence Device?
Texas Instrument is introducing their WANDA (Wireless Any Network Digital Assistant) reference design courtesy of Brighthand. This includes Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GSM/GPRS in a single device, and will support the Pocket PC platform. If anything, it demonstrates the growing demand for wi-fi in all new handheld product. Dell (formerly Dell Computer) is also announcing that an "upcoming member of the Axim line will probably offer 802.11g, " as well as Bluetooth. Again, courtesy of Brighthand.
" Sprint Unveils Wi-Fi Strategy," an article posted at the WirelessWeek web site, shows that even the cellular services are accepting the importance of wi-fi. They can easily incorporate this service into their billing structure. Verizon has also been offering free public hot spots in Manhattan to its DSL customers.
8:08:55 AM
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© Copyright
2003
Bill Koslosky, MD.
Last update:
9/1/2003; 1:07:34 AM.
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