5MVC

SUPPORTED DEVICES
Palm devices running PalmOS version 3.x with at least 8 MB RAM, Windows CE devices (Pocket PC) running version 2.x or later.

HARDWARE USED FOR REVIEW
Compaq iPAQ 3670 (64 MB RAM) with PocketPC 2002 Upgrade Patch Applied
Handspring Prism (8 MB RAM)

INSTALLATION
Installation is handled via download of the AvantGo Enterprise Client software which provides greater functionality and control over intellectual property than the standard AvantGo software. Customers can also purchase a CD with the client software to avoid the initial download.

During installation of the AvantGo client, the customer selects which device the software will be installed on. After this is set up, the customer initiates a Hot Sync (or ActiveSync) and the LWW synchronization system is contacted. Information is then downloaded via the web to the device. The PocketPC process took 5 1/2 minutes while the Prism took more than 9 minutes to download. Keep in mind, this download is from a University computer, and so will likely be faster than if one were to install from home over a 56K dial-up modem connection.

USER INTERFACE
LWW has done a good job of porting most of the usability from the CD-ROM version to the PDA. Navigation is very straightforward, making it easy to get from where you are to where you want to be.

From the main screen, the user can choose to enter the main contents, the formulary, or whether to change which channels are installed. Selecting '5MinVet' takes the user to a table of contents. From here, they can choose to look for a specific topic (an index), review a specific subject (Cardiology, Dermatology, etc.), or browse by special sections (Lab Tests, ECG, Presenting Complaint, etc.).

Once inside Topics, the user chooses the letter corresponding to they topic they are interested in, and a list is presented. Choosing from this list brings the user to the primary book content. Navigation buttons are present at every main heading which allow the user to jump forward and backward within the text of the entry. Occasionally there are hyperlinks within the text which will take the user to either another disease/condition/test, or to an entry in the 5MVC formulary.

The 5MVC Formulary contains information on over 500 drugs including synonyms, precautions, dosing information, and formulations.

One of the main advantages of the Pocket PC is it's high resolution screen. This screen is capable of displaying significantly more information than the screen of most PalmOS devices. The screenshots below illustrate the use of the Font Size feature available from the View menu. Notice that even with the text set to the largest size, there is still roughly twice the visible information on the Pocket PC.

The Avantgo Client has a built-in 'find' feature which allows the user to search for a specific term. On the iPAQ, it takes ~25 seconds to search the entire database. When using PalmOS devices, the find feature is a little different. In an effort to improve performance, only one screen of search results are displayed at a time. You need to tap on 'Find More' to continue searching. On the Prism, it took approximately 3 minutes to find the first 4 (out of 8) items. Tapping on 'Find More' resulted in what appeared to be an infinite loop (It was still looking for additional entries after 15 minutes.) Just to be sure, I tried it again with the same results. At this point, I wouldn't recommend doing a site wide search on the Palm.

The PDA version lacks the tables which are included in the print and CD-ROM versions. These tables include topics such as normal values, conversion tables, toxic agent/treatment information. Most of these started in large tables and likely didn't convert well. Some type of reformatting should probably be considered for future releases, as the information in those tables can be very valuable.

The PDA version also lacks some of the internal links present in the desktop version. For example, when viewing the entry for Oxymorphone, the text for precautions and dosing information suggest that the user "See Morpine." The desktop version has hyperlinks to morphine, making it easy to navigate to the additional information. Getting from Oxymorphone to Morphine on the PDA takes 3 taps. Links of this sort would be especially valuable on the PDA.

Other features in the desktop version which are missing from the PDA include bookmarking and the ability to take notes.

CURRENT ISSUES
When it was initially released in December 2001, there were three channels available to download, topics, formulary, and images. LWW has temporarily removed the images channel while they work to optimze the image compression, and keep the channel size as low as possible. Once completed, the images will be made available to all customers at no charge.

Due to the use of AvantGo, there have been some issues with space requirements on the Palm devices. The publisher recommends only using this product on devices with at least 8 MB of RAM. PocketPC users have little to worry about, as the minimum amount of RAM is 16 MB (with most new devices having 64 MB). Older (or low-end) PalmOS devices such as the Palm III can have as little as 2 MB of RAM. Newer 16 MB PalmOS devices such as the Palm m515, Hanspring Visor Pro, or Treo, Sony PEG-T615C or PEG-S360, have more breathing room.

One of the "advantages" of using AvantGo is that the content can be updated automatically. So, if an error is discovered somewhere in the text, it can be automatically corrected. The "cost" of this dynamic content is that the data needs to be stored in main memory. If you want to use storage cards such as the Sony MemoryStick or CompactFlash memory, additional software is required.

Something else to consider is that while the packaging claims that it is compatible with both PC and Macintosh computers, the Macintosh-Pocket PC combination is not currently supported (although this is being worked on).

CONCLUSIONS
The goal of this review was to provide some additional information on what is included in this application as well as to provide some comparison between the CD-ROM, Palm and Pocket PC versions.

Overall, this is a very good product. There were initially some growing pains, but LWW seems to be working hard to give us the application that we've been asking for. The biggest concern at this time seems to be the large memory footprint required for the main section of 5MVC, and Palm memory limitations. Hopefully, with the release of newer PalmOS devices with larger amounts of RAM, the need for additional memory management software will be eliminated.

BOTTOM LINE
So, should you buy it? If you've got a Pocket PC, yes. If you've got a 16 MB Palm, yes. If you've got an 8 MB Palm (+/- expansion), probably, but you really have to look at what other applications you might have to live without. The Plumb VDH, for instance takes up roughly 3 MB.

If you're considering buying a new PDA, keep products like this in mind. Additional titles will likely be available in the future, and memory limitations will likely come into play. Be sure to get a PDA with as much internal memory as possible. If you're a die-hard Palm user and feel that a Palm upgrade is in order, be sure to get one with at least 16 MB of RAM.

One final consideration - if you decide to purchase this software for one PDA type and decide to upgrade at some point, you WILL be able to transfer your account to the new device. You won't have to buy it again.