iPhones and Kindles and Droids, Oh My!

With the holidays and New Year come the tradition of gift-giving. And this year, like many previous years, the hot gifts were tech devices. But not just any tech devices -- smartphones and e-readers were top-selling commodities. Apple reported hot sales of the iPod Touch (and to some extend the iPhone), Amazon was no doubt pleased that the Kindle was the "most-gifted device", and the Google Android OS based Droid phone by Motorola was also a hot holiday seller. But is it too much? On one hand, competition tends to help create better products; on the other hand, we find ourselves immersed in tech device overload as much as information overload.

Each of these devices has their fans and critics, but there's no denying that smartphones and e-readers are providing new content and channels for existing content that didn't previously exist. ACCP is interested in finding ways to provide its educational material to our members and other customers on these types of devices. We have already developed an iPhone/iPod Touch app for the ACCP-SEEK content and are looking into providing other content on iPhone/iPod Touch and other mobile and smart devices. We know this is just the tip of the iceberg. But with so many items to choose from, and so many different operating systems, iPhone/iPod Touch made sense for ACCP-SEEK because it's so granular and image-heavy. We've looked into the Kindle and other e-readers, but the current iterations do not support graphics in any appreciable manner, so we may have to wait until the next generation of e-readers is developed in 2010, or hold out for the rumored Apple tablet.

My question to you, our members, is what tech devices are you using and why -- and which ones would you be interested in use for receiving or accessing educational content?
 

About the Author

Stephen Welch

Senior Vice President, Communications
Executive Editor, CHEST

This blog, "It Ain't Rocket Surgery" is intended to help busy health-care professionals find useful online and mobile resources that will enhance their self-education and professional research efforts, or point out important topics of discussion related to online information and content. The blog's title is a Yogi Berra style mash-up of two common phrases, "it ain't brain surgery" and "it ain't rocket science". I hope it will be casual, fun, insightful, and -- most of all -- educational.

You can follow me on Twitter. 

I currently serve ACCP as the Senior Vice President of Communications, as well as the Executive Editor of CHEST, the ACCP’s flagship journal. During my 15 years here, ACCP has focused on growing and developing the editorial, technological, and business aspects of the College. We are constantly striving to make the journal and other ACCP educational content as accessible and useful to clinicians as possible.

When not at work, I like to spend time scuba diving with sharks, collecting original comic book artwork, exploring the digital world, and searching for good BBQ.

Your feedback about the blog is always appreciated. So are tips on good BBQ joints.