General
How do I delete a file from my Pocket PC?
Hardware
I've got a Mac... What are my options for synchronizing with a Pocket PC?
What are the primary uses of the PDA as a 1st/2nd year Vet Student?
Which PDA should I buy?
Software
How can I move a UCD application to a storage card?
How did you create VetPDA? How can I create my own?
How do I import my UCD schedule into my PDA?
How many applications can I fit on my PDA
I'm not a UC Davis Vet Med student. Can I get a copy of VetPDA?
What veterinary programs are available for my PDA?
Troubleshooting
I've heard of some problems with the Toshiba. What are they?
My calendar is off by n hours on my Pocket PC
My device keeps losing all of it's data. What can I do to keep my data safe?
When I try to browse the internet on my Tungsten C, I get a fatal error message and I have to reset the device. How can I fix this?
Wireless
How can I send email from my Pocket PC?
How do I find my MAC address?
How do I set up an email account on my Pocket PC?
How do I set up my laptop or PDA to use Moobilenet?
I keep getting kicked off of Moobilenet. What can I do to maintain my connection?
I'm trying to use Moobilenet, but I can't see any web pages. Why doesn't it work?
Where can I connect to the UC Davis MoobileNet?


How do I delete a file from my Pocket PC? (4/14/05) Top
  1. Click on Start
  2. Click on Programs
  3. Click on File Explorer
  4. Navigate to the directory where the file is located
  5. Tap and hold on the filename
  6. Select Delete
I've got a Mac... What are my options for synchronizing with a Pocket PC? (11/12/03) Top
You have several options for dealing with this issue.
  1. PocketMac which has created a synchronization conduit which will allow Mac users to synchronize files, calendar, and contact information with their PocketPCs. PocketMac Pro 3.0 has an impressive feature list. There were some complaints about the reliability of version 2 of the PocketMac Software. The new version (3.0) seems to be much more reliable.
  2. Missing Sync for Pocket PC from MarkSpace. I haven't had a chance to test it out yet, but it should allow you to synchronize iCal and the Address book with your Pocket PC.
  3. Buy a copy of Virtual PC (~$220). Then you can use Outlook to synchronize your calendar and contacts. The main problems with this approach are that you have to start Virtual PC every time you want to synchronize with your Pocket PC and the cost.
  4. Buy a PC / Use a friend's PC to synchronize. - Have them set up a new 'User' which will allow you to maintain separate calendars.
  5. Use the Pocket PC for the Veterinary Software and don't try to synchronize it with your Mac.
  • NOTE: getting the UCD calendar and contact information into Entourage and Address Book is not easy. Entourage can import the info if you buy a ~$30 applescript.
Palm users can synchronize using use Palm Desktop to synchronize with their Mac.
Sony Clie users must buy a ~$30 program called 'The Missing Sync' in order to synchronize calendar and contact information.
What are the primary uses of the PDA as a 1st/2nd year Vet Student? (6/1/04) Top
PDAs are not a requirement. You don't NEED a PDA to survive your first 2 years. One of the reasons that I have a booth during 1st year orientation is so that I can inform people of what IS available to them -- what CAN be done with them. We started sending out VetPDA information to the incoming students before they arrive to inform the students about what is available to them. As an incoming 1st year student facing a complicated schedule that changes every week, I'd be very interested in some type of customized download that showed me my classes. Whether it is worth $350 (more or less) in the face of lots of books, syllabi, and increasing tuition... I don't know. That is up to the individual student to decide.

PDAs may be "Completely Unnecessary" to some and might be an "indespensible tool" to others. I would suggest that people who aren't sure which camp they fall in talk to several people that have them and see how they're using them. If you don't see yourself using the device... don't buy it.

To get back to the original question though... "What are the primary uses of the PDA as a 1st/2nd year Vet Student?"
-- You can use the custom calendar download tool - this tool figures out which classes you're enrolled in and creates a custom schedule for you. You import this into either Outlook or Palm Desktop and synchronize it with your PDA. Many people have found this to be extremly useful since the class schedule is different every single week.
-- You can use the contact download tool - get digital contact information for the students and faculty in the school.
-- Parasitolog-PDA - During the 3rd quarter of your 1st year, you'll be in paraisitology. This PDA app contains information on all of the parasites you'll be studying and can act as a quick lookup or study aid.
-- VetPDA / VetPDA-Rx / VetPDA-Labs - Might be useful if you decide to participate in summer clinics.

These are just the apps we've designed. PDA owners are also able to purchase digital references such as the 5 Minute Veterinary Consult (Canine/Feline/Equine) and the Plumb Veterinary Drug Handbook.
Which PDA should I buy? (6/6/06) Top

Like all things in life, 'It Depends'. If you are a junior or senior student at UC Davis, you should probably buy a Pocket PC or the Palm T|X. The applications that we are developing (specifically, PDA access to patient records) are optimized for use on these devices. If you are a freshman or sophomore, you may consider one of the lower cost PDAs, as Wi-Fi is not being used extensively at this level. Keep in mind that you may want to upgrade once you become a junior or senior. The downside to buying a more expensive device now is that it is possible that technology will have advanced far enough by the time you're a senior that even if you bought a high-end device today, you might still feel the need to upgrade down the road.

If you are not a UC Davis student, there are several factors which go into that decision which include familiarity with handheld devices (ie. have you owned a Palm previously), what type of computer you have, what you want to be able to do with the device, and how much money you're able to spend.

We chose to focus on the Pocket PC platform for it's higher resolution screen, multi-tasking ability, expansion options, and development potential.

Pocket PC devices are all based on similar processors, so they should have roughly equivalent speeds. The primary differentiators are the expandability of the devices, the screens the manufacturers chose to use, and the reputation of the manufacturer.

For general PDA information, I recommend going to www.brighthand.com. They have excellent reviews of current Pocket PC and Palm devices.

At this point, for PC owners, we have several sets of recommendations...
For devices with integrated wireless, go for one of the Dell Axims (x51 series). The only downside to these devices is the cost and the battery life. In terms of battery life, if you used these devices with the wireless on and were CONSTANTLY downloading content, you would get about 1 1/2 hours of battery life. If you use it in a 'normal' fashion, the battery should last substantially longer - but you'll still want to charge it regularly. If you find that you're going through the batteries too fast, each offer spare batteries (~$50) that can be swapped in and out. There are also extended batteries available (~$100) that will offer roughly double the runtime.

For MAC owners who want to go wireless, choose the Palm T|X. If you don't care about wireless, consider either the Tungsten E2.
How can I move a UCD application to a storage card? (3/24/05) Top
You can move UCD apps (except for VetPDA-Rx) to a memory card this way...
  1. In File Explorer, navigate to the folder MyDevice\Program Files
  2. Tap and hold on the folder you want to move, select cut.
  3. Navigate to your memory card (typically MyDevice\StorageCard)
  4. Select 'Paste' from the Edit menu (bottom left)
  5. Go into the directory that you just pasted and locate the 'home page' for the application
    • A-Z = az.htm
    • Parasitolog = ppclist.cfm.htm
    • VetPDA = VetPDA.htm
    • VetPDA-Labs = VetPDA-Labs2.htm
  6. Once you've located the file, tap and hold to copy the file
  7. Navigate to MyDevice\Windows\Start Menu\Programs
  8. Delete the old shortcut (Tap and hold, select delete)
  9. Select 'Paste Shortcut' from the edit menu (bottom left)
How did you create VetPDA? How can I create my own? (8/5/03) Top
VetPDA was created using only HTML and some Javascript (for the calculators). I used a program called Dreamweaver to edit the HTML pages and maintain all of the links. Anyone can do it. To use it on the Pocket PC, you just copy the .html files to the device. To use it on the Palm, use a program such as iSiloX to grab and condense the content.

Current projects such as VetPDA-Rx and VetPDA-Labs have been created using ColdFusion and a database and require a little more computer knowledge. It could also have been done using ASP or PHP, but I started with CF... Most of the time involved in getting a project like this finished is in the content creation aspect rather than the creation of the framework. Be sure you decide initially what type of data you want to save, as modifying the data structure at a later date can be cumbersome.
How do I import my UCD schedule into my PDA? (6/30/03) Top
PC Instructions for import can be found here
Mac Instructions for import can be found here
How many applications can I fit on my PDA (4/14/05) Top
It depends on the size of the applications… but with a 64 MB PDA, you should be able to fit all of our applications, 5MVC, and Plumb -- just as a point of reference.
I'm not a UC Davis Vet Med student. Can I get a copy of VetPDA? (6/1/04) Top
At this time, VetPDA and it's kin are not available to the general public.

You can, however, download VetPDA-Calculators, Parasitolog-PDA, Palm Veterinary Calculators, and the A-Z cram guide.
What veterinary programs are available for my PDA? (3/3/04) Top
Application Source Description Platform Cost
Palm Veterinary Calculators Here Collection of useful calculators designed specifically for Veterinarians and Veterinary students. N/A
Parasitolog PDA Here Information on 180 common veterinary parasites N/A
Pocket VMACS Here Pocket VMACS is the PDA version of VMACS. It was designed to allow students, faculty, and staff to access patient records via their Pocket PC from anywhere in the hospita N/A
VetPDA* Here Digital hyperlinked Veterinary nerdbook. N/A
VetPDA-Calculators Here Collection of useful calculators designed specifically for Veterinarians and Veterinary students. N/A
VetPDA-Labs* Here Replaces the Clinical Laboratory Handbook. Sample requirements, submission locations, and prices for all VMTH clinical laboratory tests. N/A
VetPDA-Rx* Here VetPDA-Rx is a veterinary drug formulary designed for use on Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and based on information proviced by the Faculty of the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. It was originally designed to provide students, staff, and faculty at UC Davis with an up to date, easily accessible, pharmaceutical reference for use within the VMTH. N/A
5 Minute Vet Consule:Equine LWW PDA Version of the 5 Minute Veterinary Consult: Equine $94
5 Minute Vet Consult:Canine & Feline LWW PDA Version of the 5 Minute Veterinary Consult: Canine and Feline $89
ANMLDR Calcs ANMLDR Formulas for over 60 different calculations and over 100 conversion factors. $75
ANMLDR Emergency Drug Calculator ANMLDR There program contains a list of approximately 50 different drugs each for the dog or for the cat. $55
Capsule Report ANMLDR "Each issue of the written edition has 20-25 timely EXTRACTS that are right on the cutting edge of information available to the practitioner, technician and now the non-professional. These are EXTRACTS of veterinary medical articles, not abstracts...Just the heart of the article, not all of the unnecessary things. Many of these extracts are from sources not available to many professionals and certainly not to the average animal lover." Varies
Common Small Animal Diagnoses Saunders "This valuable PDA program presents an algorithmic approach to the differential diagnosis of multiple medical presentations commonly seen in daily veterinary practice." $60
Dermatology Exam Form ANMLDR "The dermatology exam form is a database created in HanDBase. It has a place for entering case number, owner information, animal name, DOB, exam date, primary lesions (with pop-up choices for common findings), secondary lesions (with pop-ups), findings for comments on nails, haircoat, footpads, parasites, puritis, Wood's light, etc. There is a section for entering comments about findings in the ears and cytology. Also there are sections for descriptions of lesion distribution, laboratory tests results, differentials, and even a place for you to try your hand at drawing lesion distributions. A section is also included for entering a follow-up date and plans for the follow-up appointment." $5
ECG for SA Practitioner ANMLDR E-Book for ECG interpretation (ISilo) $35
Exotics Formulary ANMLDR Contains dosing information for reptiles, and amphibians based on literature search of ARAV. All information is editable by the user and new information can be added. $60
Misc. Freebees ANMLDR There are numerous free files, eBooks, databases and programs available here. N/A
Pain Management for SA Practitioner ANMLDR E-Book for Pain management (ISilo) $38
ParasitedDC Skyscape "A concise, easy to use and accurate means of diagnosing commonly seen parasites of dogs and cats." $45
Pearls ANMLDR "This program was created in an effort to organize information that I gain from continuing education sources of all kinds and make it so that it would always be available for easy retrieval when I needed it. I found that when I attended conferences, read good journal articles, surfed the VIN message boards I usually found a few tidbits of information that I knew would be useful in practice. Sometimes I wrote this stuff down, sometimes I would tear out the journal article, I would print out info from the computer---and all of this stuff would get filed away somewhere to collect dust usually. I would occasionally remember that I had this info somewhere but often couldn’t find it. Very frustrating!" $50
Plumb VDH ANMLDR "The Veterinary Drug Handbook is the 'goldstandard' of veterinary drug references on the market today. It contains essential information that veterinary practitioners and students need to know about hundreds of systemic drugs that are currently available. The Veterinary Drug Handbook covers drugs approved for use in veterinary medicine as well as non-approved human drugs routinely used in veterinary practice today." $70
Pocket VetGo PocketVetGo "While Pocket VetGo is primarily a charge-capture/point-of-care billing system, it also offers a rich set of features previously found only in large practice management systems." Varies
PocketDVM ANMLDR "The PocketDVM® is a veterinary hypertext e-book for students, interns, residents, etc." $40
Purina Veterinary Diets Clinical Nutrition Purina "A search engine that allows you to quickly review key nutritional considerations for various canine and feline health conditions and choose the appropriate Purina Veterinary Diet(s)

A feeding calculator that tells you how much to feed your patient - just enter your patient’s weight, select a diet, and the program will calculate a suggested amount to feed for adult maintenance

Information on our entire Purina Veterinary Diets® line, including indications, average nutrient composition, and metabolizable energy for any given diet"		 Free
SA Internal Medicine Notes ANMLDR E-Book for Internal Medicine (ISilo) $25
Saunders Handbook of Veterinary Drugs Saunders "Provides quick access to information needed in everyday practice for more than 440 generic drugs" $60
Small Animal Drug Handbook Saunders "Drawn from the drug formulary inside Morgan's Small Animal Drug Handbook, 4th Edition, this convenient tool offers quick access to essential drug information." $35
Small Animal Veterinary Nerdbook ANMLDR "With The Small Animal Veterinary Nerdbook® you'll go from mild-mannered regular student to brilliant master student in under 500 pages. You'll find information fast, understand concepts easily, and finally see the Big Picture. Use it in clinics or for Board Exam review." $60
Stedmans Medical Dictionary Skyscape "Get quick access to thousands of medical terms, drug names, eponyms, procedures and protocols--all at the touch of your stylus! " $50
Stedmans Medical Dictionary (Concise) Skyscape "Stedman's Concise Medical Dictionary has earned the respect of demanding instructors and students alike as a medical reference of both substance and concision for the health professions. " $40
Stillinger Dosage Calculator Handango "Stillinger's Dosage Calculator 2 is designed to calculate most all drug dosages found in the common veterinary hospital. Created with the working doctors and technicians in mind to simplify daily operations." $35
Surg/Anest Record ANMLDR "Date, client info, case #, Anesthetist/Surgeon, Tech/Assistant, Procedure, Exam findings, Species, Pro-op details, Preanesth Lab results, Preanesthetic drugs, Time administered, Time anesth off, Time ET removed, Time Sternal, Time at standing, support (fluids, heating, oxygen etc.), complications, recovery notes. surgery comments, signature fields for tech/assistant and vet. The anesthesia monitoring database is linked to the first database and includes a place for entering information about the surgery and for data gathered during the procedure. There is a place for entering the information at 10 minute intervals from 0 minutes to 120 minutes. It includes a field for entering event notes and for anesthesia complications. If the procedure lasts for more than the 120 minutes, it is simple to just add another record that will be linked to that patient." $5
Tabers Medical Dictionary Skyscape Over 55,000 entries, including 2100 new terms reflecting the latest advances in health care $50
VetDrugs LWW "Providing instant access to updated information on drug therapies for most animals." $55
Veterinary Virology ANMLDR Database with 318 viruses (HanDBase) $5
I've heard of some problems with the Toshiba. What are they? (10/4/04) Top
More than a few Toshiba PDA owners have had some problems with their devices. The following is a list (and their possible workarounds).
1. Battery issues. This is probably the biggest problem that people have with this device.
* Data Loss due to discharged battery: It is VERY important that you charge the device regularly. Even though it is off, it still requires power to keep your information stored safely. If the battery is allowed to completely discharge, you will lose your data.
* 1% battery: Occasionally, even though the device has been sitting in the cradle overnight, it will read 1% battery remaining and issue 'Critical Battery Level' alerts. You can often resolve this by leaving the device in the cradle until the charging light turns green. Turn the device on and go to the Power screen (Settings, System) and wait until the status bar changes to 100%
* Device won't turn on: This is usually caused by the battery lock switch being in the 'hold' position. To fix, simply slide the switch toward the top of the device.
2. Menu issues. On some devices, the text which describes each of the menu items will disappear. You can often resolve this with a 'soft' reset. Place the stylus in the small hole on the lower left hand side of your device.
3. Voice recording issues. The button on the left side of the device at the top is set to start the voice recorder by default. Unfortunatly, it is very easy to depress this button when removing the PDA from it's case. To fix this problem, you can change which application is started when you hit that button. To do this, tap on 'Start', then on 'Settings', then on 'Buttons'. Here, you can tap on 'Button 5' then choose another application (or 'None') from the drop-down list.
Regardless of these problems, it is still very important to back up your device regularly to CF or SD card. There is a utility under 'Programs' for doing that. Use it.
My calendar is off by n hours on my Pocket PC (4/12/05) Top
This usually occurs when the 'Automatically adjust clock for daylight saving changes' checkbox is NOT checked. To fix this, double click on the time in the lower right hand corner of the screen, click on the 'Time Zone' tab, and then select the 'Automatically adjust…' checkbox. You should also make sure that the timezone is set correctly on both your computer and your PDA.
My device keeps losing all of it's data. What can I do to keep my data safe? (11/12/03) Top
PDAs require a small amount of power even when they aren't turned on. Most of the data loss occurs when someone doesn't use their PDA for a couple of weeks (sometime shorter) and the battery has completely discharged. The best advice I can give is to:
  1. Keep your device sitting in the charger when you're not using it.
  2. Use either the built-in backup program on your device to save data to a Compact Flash (CF) or Secure Digital (SD) card. These cards are relatively inexpensive and can be purchased from almost any electronics vendor (such as CompUSA, Frys, Office Depot, Costco, etc.).
I have used Pocket Backup for the Pocket PC and Backup Buddy for the Palm with much success (and much relief when I was able to restore easily).
BACK UP YOUR PDA TODAY!
When I try to browse the internet on my Tungsten C, I get a fatal error message and I have to reset the device. How can I fix this? (7/6/04) Top
This occurs when the cache & history files get corrupted on the device (I don't know why this happens), but it can be fixed.

Head to PalmGear and download FileZ. This application will allow you to delete all non-ROM based files named "Web *". Be careful not to delete any OTHER files.

Soft reset your TC and it will should clear up the issue.

How can I send email from my Pocket PC? (4/14/05) Top

Unfortuantely, at this time it is not possible to send email from the Messaging application which is built in to the Pocket PC operating system. The built-in email client doesn't differentiate between the incoming and outgoing email servers with respect to SSL (to securely send email). The incoming server REQUIRES SSL and the outgoing server DOESN'T SUPPORT it. Sigh.

You have 2 options:
1) Use geckomail to send your email
2) Buy an alternate email broswer for you PDA (I've heard good things about webIS mail) for ~$25
How do I find my MAC address? (10/25/05) Top
NOTE: This is no longer required to access the UC Davis wireless network

Desktops & Laptops
Win 95/98: Click on the Start menu, select Run, and type 'winipcfg' then click OK. Click the down-arrow in the pull-down box and select your Wireless Ethernet adapter from the list. Your MAC address is the 12 digit number in the 'Adapter Address' line. Write it down.
Win 2000/XP: Click on the Start menu, select Run, and type 'cmd' then click OK. Type ipconfig /all at the prompt and press Enter. In the Physical Address section, of the 'Ethernet adapter Wireless Network Connection' you will find your 12 digit Hardware Ethernet Address. Write it down. Type exit to close the command window.
Mac OS X: From the Apple menu, choose System Preferences. Click the "Network" icon. Choose your computer's Airport adapter from the Configure pop-up menu, below the Location menu. Click the "TCP/IP" tab. Locate the "Ethernet Address" field. You will find your 12 digit 'Hardware Ethernet Address'. Write it down. Click the "Save" button on the Network preferences panel.

PDAs
Dell Axim x3i: Make sure that the wireless is turned ON. Click on the start button, then on Settings. Click on the 'Connections' tab, then on Dell WLAN Utility. Click on the 'Status' tab, then on 'More Info'. Your MAC address is listed near the bottom of the screen.
Dell Axim x30i: Make sure that the wireless is turned ON. Click on the start button, then on Settings. Click on the 'Connections' tab, then on Dell WLAN Utility. Click on the 'Advanced' tab, then on 'Network Troubleshooting'. Then click on 'Advanced'. Your MAC address is listed near the top of the screen.
Toshiba e740: Make sure that the wireless is turned ON. Click on the start button, then on Settings. Click on the 'System' tab, then on Wireless LAN Utility. Click on the 'Info' tab. Your MAC address is near the top of the screen.
HP IPAQ with WiFi: Start > Settings > System > Asset viewer > WLAN
Palm Tungsten C: The MAC address is printed on the back of the device.
Sony Clie with WiFi: From the launcher, select Preferences. Select 'Network' from the options in the upper right corner. Select 'Wireless Lan' from the Service dropdown. Click on 'Details'. From the menu, select 'Connection Status'. Your MAC address is near the top of the screen.

Using External Wireless Cards
The MAC address is usually printed somewhere on the card. Look for a 12 digit alphanumeric string.
How do I set up an email account on my Pocket PC? (4/14/05) Top
Follow the directions in this tutorial
How do I set up my laptop or PDA to use Moobilenet? (6/30/04) Top
There are detailed instructions on the wireless page...
I keep getting kicked off of Moobilenet. What can I do to maintain my connection? (5/16/05) Top
If you're using Windows XP with Service Pack 2 installed, you need to Enable Ping for XP Firewall
I'm trying to use Moobilenet, but I can't see any web pages. Why doesn't it work? (2/28/06) Top
The most likely cause of this is that you haven't authenticated with Moobilenet yet. Moobilenet can't deal with secure pages as the starting point, so make sure that the first page you try to visit isn't a 'secure' page (https...). Try Google first.
Where can I connect to the UC Davis MoobileNet? (1/14/04) Top
The campus wireless network is still in it's early stages of development, but they are starting to expand it's coverage area. You can find maps of the coverage here