How to select the right Tablet PC for your medical office:

These days Tablet PCs are the most popular choice for physicians.

This is not to say that Tablet PCs are always the best choice. The technology has a number of drawbacks including limited battery life, cost, steep learning curves and moderate durability. When selecting a Tablet PC you’ll need to consider which features are most important to you.

Tablet PCs come in two styles: slate and convertible. The primary difference lies in the built-in keyboard sported by the convertible-style model.

The slate-style Tablet PC, on the other hand, lacking any keyboard, requires the use of a stylus/digitizer pen. Although the convertible style has full Tablet PC capabilities such as hand-writing recognition, speech recognition and mobility, it tends to be thicker and heavier because of the weight of the keyboard. The weight difference between the two models is usually about one to two pounds.

Some EMRs contain very extensive clinical content databases, rendering them more point and click friendly. These EMR systems usually operate better with slate style Tablet PCs as handwriting recognition and typing are used less frequently. In most cases, however, the slate-style Tablet PC, being lighter, (usually 3.5 lbs), easier to carry, and offering more advanced features, proves to be the better choice.

However, if you think you will be using the Tablet PC out of the office or if your work requires frequent keyboard use, the convertible model is the more robust option.

What type of CPU is best for Tablet PCs?

Tablet PCs come equipped with three types of CPUs, the Intel Celeron®, Intel Pentium® M and the Intel Core 2 Duo®, also called the Centrino Duo®. While the Celeron® is significantly less expensive, it lacks a number of important features, including integrated wireless, faster performance, improved stability, and advanced power-saving controls, all of which do come with Centrino Duo® or Core 2 Duo® technology.

The wireless chipset included with the Centrino® and Core 2 Duo® platforms contains generally high-quality wireless circuits that function in both 802.11b, 802.11g and 802.11n environments. A physician office setting will see heavy use of wireless technology, therefore selecting a Tablet PC with solid wireless capabilities is vital.

How long will the batteries last?

Battery life for a Tablet PC ranges from two to four hours depending on the model. While many of the Tablet PC manufacturers claim to have higher battery life, they often do not take into account actual Tablet PC use. For example, the built-in wireless networking, as well as larger applications such as Electronic Medical Records software tends to drain the battery's life at much faster rate.

Even under these operating conditions, almost all Tablet PCs have a minimum battery life of two hours and some Tablet PCs offered by Motion (www.motioncomputing.com), HP (www.hp.com), Fujitsu (www.fujitsu.com) and Electrovaya (www.electrovaya.com) can achieve a consistent battery life of over 3.5 hours during heavy use.

Many of the Tablet PCs now feature an extended or second battery option. In Motion's case you can attach their extended battery to gain an extra 3 to 4 hours of battery life, giving you at least 7 hours of continuous use without a recharge. Motion also features replacement batteries which can be hot swapped throughout the day. Fujitsu, IBM and ASUS all make convertible notebooks which feature a multi-use bay that supports a second battery, giving the computers at least 5 hours of battery life.

Which Tablet PCs are best for use in physician offices?

Although there is no clear choice when it comes to purchasing a Tablet PC, there are a few models that have become very popular among physicians and generally prove to be effective choices:

The new Motion LE1700® Tablet PC by Motion Computing and Fujitsu ST5000® Tablet PC are arguably the best slate-style Tablet PCs on the market; both range between $1700-$2500.

The Fujitsu T2010®, ASUS R1F, Lenovo X61 are all great convertible Tablet PCs. All three range in cost from $1500-$2200.

The newly released Motion C5® from Motion is another option. Designed especially for healthcare use, the Motion C5 includes a built-in bar code scanner to track patients and medications, a video and still camera for documentation, and radio frequency identification technology which can automatically retrieve chart information and record vitals using wireless technology. The tablet is also enclosed in a durable case which can be easily sanitized without damaging the system. Unfortunately, the monitor is only 10.4”, making it difficult to use with applications that use smaller fonts. The unit is also expensive at approximately $2,300.

How do Tablet PCs connect to my network?

Tablet PCs come equipped with built-in wireless networking functionality. Some Tablets, for example the Motion LE1700 feature a built-in Sprint wireless card. In order for a Tablet PC to send or receive data in real-time, you must be connected to a wireless network. (More information on wireless networking can be found in the “Networking” section below.)