It’s generally hard to find a place where the Intel Core i7 and Intel Atom meet. You might have seen the Intel Atom processor featured in a netbook (a cheap, small lightweight and light use laptop). On the other hand you might have seen a new high end laptop advertised with the Intel Core i7 processor.

You’ll also find Intel Atom processors in the current crop of Ultra Mobile PCs (UMPC – small touch screen tablets) and most of the current range of full Tablet PCs feature the Intel Core i7 or Core i5. Occasionally the Intel Atom and the Intel Core i7 meet up with products like:

• Rugged Tablet PCs – Motion F5v (Intel Core i7), Motion J3500 (Intel Core i7), Panasonic Toughbook CF-19 Mk 4 (Renamed Toughbook 19 – Intel Core i5), Trimble YUMA (Intel Atom) and Panasonic Toughbook CF-U1 (Intel Atom)
• Mobile Clinical Assistants (MCA) - Motion C5v (Intel Core i7) and Panasonic Toughbook H1 (Intel Atom)

In these categories you might be considering a product with an Intel Atom processor against a product with the Intel Core i7. These overall product ranges are in a much higher price category compared to regular notebooks and tablet PCs, so the processor cost is insignificant in the overall price. In other words, cost is not a factor.

So why would you go for Atom over Core i7?

Certainly not based on performance. As the following video shows, the Intel Core i7 demonstrates up to 40 times the processing performance of the Intel Atom.

Of course performance is not just about whizz bang 3D animations. It directly relates to how responsive your computer is and there’s nothing more frustrating than a computer that is constantly working to catch up.

What we have found is that Tablets that are slow and frustrating are usually sitting at the back of someone’s draw or at the bottom of the cupboard. A rugged tablet or MCA would make an especially expensive paperweight!

What about battery life?

Power consumption is usually a big part of the decision to go with an Atom processor in a rugged Tablet PC or MCA. Unfortunately much of the discussion gets lost on battery life run times. The reality is that all manufacturer’s claimed run-times are based completely unrealistic scenarios.

Yes, real battery life is important and you may squeeze and extra few minutes of battery life from an Atom based processor. Our testing with the Mobile Clinical Assistants shows that while the manufacturers claimed run times for Atom based tablets might look good on paper the real use run time is not much different to the Intel Core i7 due to the fact that Atom has to work so much harder at all times. Certainly the power savings are not usually enough to justify computer that is up to 40 times slower!

What is more important is battery management. Things like fast charging and hot-swappable batteries are critical to ensure that your Tablet PC continues to work goes through the day uninterrupted.

Why does it matter?

Tablets, particularly the rugged ones are usually deployed into companies for very specific jobs. And your testing might show that an Atom is passable for that one job. What you don’t know is that Tablet PCs open up possibilities… “What if we did…?” What your tablets will be used for in one, two or three years is likely to be much more than you ever imagined.

For example, a physiotherapist might look at a Tablet PC as a way to eliminate paper notes in their practice, and its note taking capabilities will be perfect for that job. Over time the physio will learn how to prepare exercise sheets, book appointments or even demonstrate conditions to their customers using 3D anatomy modelling software.

The Atom based Tablet might be fine for taking the notes on, but it will be a painful experience for any of those other tasks. So the task that you want your Tablet computer to achieve today is only 1/10th of its usage scope over its lifetime. You need to plan for that.

The following quote from a Toms Hardware article sums it up for us:

“we recommend staying away from Atom if you have the slightest expectations for how systems should perform, if you’re impatient, or if you regularly run workloads through your system” – Toms Hardware – Efficiency Analysis: Core i3 Trumps Atom On The Desktop

In most cases our advice is: If you want a good Tablet PC experience for yourself and your staff, stick to the Intel Core i7 or i5 processor.

For a real simple explanation, check out this video discussion on Intel Core i7 Vs Atom at Tekzilla @27 mins.

We take an up close look at the new Motion Computing C5 MkII MCA (Mobile Clinical Assistant) Tablet PC. We take the C5 outside to show of the capabilities of the new Hydis AFFS+ display with Gorilla Glass.

The Motion C5 includes a powerful Intel Core 2 Duo processor and huge array of options like:

• RFID
• Smart Card Reader
• Bar Code Reader
• Solid State or Traditional Hard Drives
• Telstra Next G certified mobile broadband
• GPS.

Of course it also carries the best screen technology currently available (Hydis AFFS+) making the C5 the most comfortable Tablet PC to read indoor and outdoors without sacrificing battery life.

This is an exceptional Tablet PC and thanks to the strong Aussie dollar, it is currently very well priced.

We have a demonstration unit available for you to get your hands on anywhere within Australia. Contact us for demonstration today on 03 9012 6602 or via our website today.

Encountering Tablet PCs in the wild is becoming a daily event. The following video from Motion Computing shows staff at the Salford Royal Hospital in the UK using the Motion C5 MCA on their daily rounds.

It is a very interesting demonstration of the efficiencies that can be gained by adopting Tablet PCs.

They key is that Tablet PCs and MCAs can be easily taken into places where laptops and netbooks don’t fit well – where you don’t have the convenience of a flat surface and a chair to use.

Whether it be at a patient bedside or in a panel beaters workshop, Tablet PCs like the Motion C5 MCA can help to make your business far more efficient. The make their investment back many times over… and very quickly too!

Thanks to the stronger Australian dollar prices on Motion Computing products have fallen significantly.

If you have spoken to us about motion products in the past, please contact us for a new quote.

Motion Product Detail links:

• J3400 Tablet PC
• Motion C5 MCA
• Motion F5 Field Tablet PC
• LE1700 Tablet PC

For more information, contact us on 03 9012 6602 or 0400 687 887.

Most GPs in Australia now use a computer with a practice management system like PracSoft and a system like Medical Director for reference, prescriptions and EMR. According to research published in Australian Doctor, our GPs are way ahead of other countries with computer use:

Computers are now used in 95% of practices, mainly for prescribing (83%) and billing (79.9%), although more than two-thirds of practices (68.8%) use computer-based medical records, according to the BEACH study of general practice activity in Australia 2003-04.

That compares with about 17% in the US (WSJ Article). However, some US practices are leading the world by adoption truly mobile systems so that they can spend more time with patients, and less time tapping away at a keyboard.

The following video from the Wall Street Journal follows a doctor from Ohio, USA making visits with his Tablet PC and EMR. This doctor is using a regular Tablet PC, not a At about the 2:50 mark the doctor swivels the screen and uses it as a tablet.

According to the doctor, he can review patient results and tests remotely, answer their questions, refill their medications.

The beauty of Tablet PC technology for patient interaction is that:

• There is no barrier between doctor and patient (you can see in the video that the Tablet PC screen is a barrier when used in laptop mode)
• It is easier to share information with the patient
• It can be more convenient for the doctor to write notes and annotate images
• It can create transparency which could foster a better relationship with doctor and patient.

The caveat here is that GPs must be confident with using this type of technology before using it with patients. According to the Australian Doctor article referenced earlier, if a doctor uses a computer but does not seem savvy with it, the patient may conclude the doctor is not only lacking in computer skills, but in clinical skills.

That said, a GP usually does not need to go to the extent of an MCA (Mobile Clinical Assistant) device. The best way for a GP to try out a Tablet PC may be a convertible Tablet such as the HP 2730p or the Lenovo X200t. As shown in the video, you can use a convertible as both a Tablet and a notebook.

If you’re pretty healthy you probably would not have noticed that Mobile Clinical  Assistants are gradually being deployed across Australian hospitals.

The MCA or Mobile Clinical Assistant is a type of Tablet PC that is specifically designed for the healthcare environment. It is a lightweight and portable slate Tablet PC that can be combined with software to enable bedside note taking, patient record retrieval, accurate treatment administration and faster response times.

The MCA is intended to replace more than the patient clip board. Just some of the applications for the MCA include:

• Clinical Documentation
• Practice Management
• Electronic Health Records
• Patient Education

Motion Computing launched the first MCA device in 2007. It was based on a “reference design” by Intel. Finally in 2009, a number of large tablet vendors have caught onto the MCA concept.

The new devices bring in dual hot swap battery setups and Intel Atom processors to increase battery life. There is now a good variety of hardware available, and competition in this sector will lead to further innovation.

All of the devices in the category include  ruggedized designs, disinfectable surfaces and integrated ergonomic carry handles.

Although they represent the new category of mobile devices called MCAs, they are in fact really 5th generation Tablet PCs. In that sense, they leverage the experience of vendors like Motion Computing who have been involved in Tablet PC technology for the last 7 years.

The adoption of these devices has been gradual due to the fact that this is a massive shift for healthcare. Healthcare practices usually have long standing and well functioning paper based systems, and it takes time to develop a digital solution to supplement or replace these.

Now that there are a number of hardware options available, there are 3 key elements needed to enable the widespread adoption of the MCA:

• Software to enable the shift
• Staff training and adoption
• Good hardware support

Much of this is already available. There are numerous software solutions across a wide range of healthcare specialties. Watch this space…