Comments on: Tom’s Tuesday Tech Tip: iPhone®, Blackberry® or Droid®? What’s the Best Smart Phone for a Legal Nurse Consultant?

By: Tom_Ziemba

Tom_Ziemba — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 13:56:08 +0000

I’ve already weighed in on the side of the iPhone for the Institute and am sticking to that choice.

For an individual user running Outlook and syncing directly to their computer I think a Blackberry is a great choice. For those Certified Legal Nurse Consultants “living in the cloud” with Google and using Gmail and Google’s calendar I’d go with a phone running Android. What it comes down to is whichever works best for you in terms of need and cell coverage.

Thank you for all the great comments!

By: Lynda Consiglio, RN, CM, CLNC

Lynda Consiglio, RN, CM, CLNC — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 02:30:32 +0000

I have a Blackberry that I’ve used for over 2 years and have decided I want to try something different as I feel as though I pay for a lot of features that I don’t use. I love the calendar features for keeping track of my appointments and the password protected area where I have all my passwords and user names, but I’ve always felt the phone features on the Blackberry are definitely not of the quality or ease of use as other phones. I’m waiting for Tom to read all of the feedback and make his recommendations.

By: Errol Rupp, RN, CLNC

Errol Rupp, RN, CLNC — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 02:10:54 +0000

I have used a Treo 650 for 4-5 years and have had no problems with it even though I suppose it is considered a dinosaur. I do not like having to be hooked into all the network stuff and have to pay for stuff that I don’t use. I am currently looking for a Treo 750 or 850 which come either Palm based or Windows based. Both work well on my computers; my XP desktop and my Vista laptop.

By: Rita Murray

Rita Murray — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 05:22:20 +0000

New Droid geek & lovin it! All in one, easy, intuitive. Gmail, calendar, facebook, phone, pandora & great photos. Works for me!

By: Christine Rheaume

Christine Rheaume — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 00:58:55 +0000

I’d like to add another recommendation for battery back up for the iPhone. I tried the Mophie Juice Packs and they didn’t work for me at all. Had to return 2 of them for a refund. I just bought a product called the Gum Plus mobile battery pack by iMobile. When it’s fully charged, this unit is capable of providing 3 full charges to your iPhone (or other compatible devices). I don’t have issues with iPhone battery capacity as a rule, but certain usage of the iPhone can drain the battery a bit faster, such as brightening the screen, using on “PUSH” email notification, and the location feature (which you need for the GPS functions, or to tag pictures with your location.) The Gum Plus (and Gum Pro) get good reviews. Not an absolute necessity to purchase such a device, but when you begin to depend on the iPhone’s many features, there’s great peace of mind knowing there is extra juice available if needed when you’re out and about.

By the way, I am very interested in the comments from others regarding the apps they find useful for business (or pleasure). I’d love to somehow continue this discussion, to communicate with other CLNC^® iPhone’rs for the purpose of sharing more tips. If anyone has a similar interest, get in touch! Thanks.

Congratulations, Tom on your very excellent decision!!!

By: Deborah Amato, RN

Deborah Amato, RN — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 22:31:54 +0000

O.K., I am totally intimidated. I use a Palm pilot, hot sync to my PC, carry my cell phone, and just received a hand held GPS for Christmas; I find my car by hitting the panic button on my remote start. I better get with the times or buy a bigger hand bag. I never realized just how technologically challenged I am!

By: Nicole Johnson, RN, CEN, CLNC

Nicole Johnson, RN, CEN, CLNC — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 20:51:50 +0000

As all iPhone users say everyday – I LOVE MY IPHONE! I started out with the first gen, moved on to the 3G, and now have the 3GS. I feel this is the most comprehensive device on the market today and frankly couldn’t spend a day without it.

It allows me to do everything I need in a device: phone, calender, email, text pictures and video, contacts (complete with their individual pictures, info, ringtone, link to their website, link to their Facebook acct, address links directly to googlemaps, and notes), iPod, 3mp camera, all my photos, notes, surf the web with a great sized screen while on the phone, googlemaps with turn by turn listed directions (no need for separate GPS any longer), a compass, records voice memos, and has enough memory to allow me to watch movies while I fly! And so much more.

Some of my favorite apps in addition to all the wonderful apps listed by other users here would include eReader, Davis Drug guide, Wells Fargo, Wallet (for all your passwords – encrypted and linked to each website you visit), bing, Epocrates, MSNBC.com, Pandora radio, Facebook, RingCentral to manage my faxes, even Lose It to track my daily calories and nutritional information!

I have never had a problem with AT&T customer service or getting 3G reception ( I live in the Sacramento, CA area).

For those who have problems with short battery life, I would suggest the Richard Solo backup battery. It’s very compact and adds 80% more battery if you run out.

Hope this review helps!

By: Tom_Ziemba

Tom_Ziemba — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 20:51:06 +0000

Thank you everyone for the great recommendations. The staff here at the Institute were waiting to see if we’d get iPhones or Blackberries and they’re ecstatic that you’ve motivated me to move to iPhones (I’m excited too!).

By: Carol Bohnacker

Carol Bohnacker — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 18:50:22 +0000

iPhone!!!!
It is the best phone ever. I have had very limited coverage issues. I love the fact that it is also a iPod. I have music and books downloaded. I have had it for over 2 years and have not had a problem. The best feature is it sync to my Mac and my husbands. Therefore, nothing is ever double booked.

By: Kadie Lacore

Kadie Lacore — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 15:56:31 +0000

I was a previous Blackberry owner and made the switch to an iPhone last year and have no regrets. In fact, it’s one of the best techno purchases I have ever made. Yes, you are correct in that you are somewhat limited in multitasking (depending on the apps you are using), but I consider that a minor issue. After all, too much multitasking can make you unproductive. The AT&T coverage issue has only come up for me a few times early in my purchase, but because of pressure in the market, many improvements have been made.

I agree with the comments from the other iPhone users but here is my addition to that. I’m also a flight nurse in the Air National Guard and I have many large PDF files that I need to refer to quickly and multiple times during any given mission. GoodReader is an amazing app that I can have all of my files on my phone rather than lugging around 25 lbs of publications (yes, I’ve weighed it). It does so much more than I even need.

Another great app is USAA. I live in Kansas but USAA is my bank and it’s in Texas. On the rare occasion I receive a check from someone, I can take a photo of it on my USAA app and it’s instantly deposited.

The iPhone isn’t the most perfect phone in existence, however, it comes very close in my book. The apps are incredible and there is something for everyone.

Good luck in your search!