PDA/Web-Enabled Phone Users
e.g., Palm OS or Windows CE devices, or internet-able phones

You can browse through this site on your device, at the point-of-care! There are several options:

  1. Online. If you have a live internet connection, then you can simply use this site as any other: just use whatever browser came with your PDA or phone. All the pages are formatted to be readable on even a small Palm-sized screen. In some browsers the (few) tables may not display correctly. However, this option may be inconvenient because browsing will be limited by the speed of your connection, and many hospitals have restrictions on use of wireless devices in the OR.
  2. Offline. Offline browsing is available through several programs. These programs can be set up to automatically or (semi-automatically) download any web site(s) you want. Then, the pages are put onto your PDA the next time you syncronize with your desktop computer. There are at least three options:
    1. AvantGo: RECOMMENDED. Windows or Macintosh. Probably the easiest to use. You download "channels" of information - these can be any web site you choose; AvantGo has several available. This may not be the best choice: they recently emailed with a plan to charge web site owners if more than 8 people are subscribed to their site. A subsequent change increased that number to 1000, so it is unlikely to affect users of this site. However, since they are free to change their rules (again) at any time, and since I am unlikely to pay for their services, you may be better off choosing another program for off-line browsing.
    2. Pendragon Browser: Windows only. Very easy to use, but just a little harder than AvantGo. However, for those of us paranoid about having third parties know too much about us (i.e., AvantGo - their servers store your cookies, web site preferences, form submissions, etc.): all the work is done on your computer, without need of a separate server. Another advantage: it can be used to create "books" from web sites - .pdb files that can be emailed/downloaded, and viewed through the Browser application. In fact, I may start distributing these books with the monthly emails (join list)..
    3. Plucker: Windows only. It is free (general public license) and guaranteed to remain free. It has gotten a lot easier to use with the latest release, although still requires more work than AvantGo. Also, like Pendragon Browser, all the work is done on your computer, so no one else gets any information about you.
    4. iSilo: A nice, very popular program that reads both HTML and DOC format files. Have only tried it a little (free trial download), but seems to be a very nice solution. However, I prefer using Wordsmith (as my DOC reader and fully functional word processor) and AvantGo (for HTML). I think iSilo can also be automated somewhat, for periodic downloads. If someone tries it and likes it, please send a "how to" for inclusion on this page!
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AvantGo

1. If you haven't already done so, download the AvantGo software:

2. You can either put the entire site on your device, or just selected parts. I have set up several channels, to make this easier: 3. If you have enough memory available on your PDA, you may also want to add these channels to AvantGo (just follow the links): Back to Top of Page
 
 

Pendragon Browser
1. Download Pendragon Browser and install as directed. Will need to hotsync twice - first to put the Browser application on your Palm, then to get the web site(s). I had to restart my system between these syncs to get it to recognize the Pendragon Browser conduit that the installer adds to your Palm folder.
2. Add (import) a channel for this web site. NOTE: if you have AvantGo installed on your computer, simply clicking on the links below will make Windows add these channels to AvantGo, not the Pendragon Browser. To use these on the Browser, right-click on the links and save the files somewhere on your computer. Then, import as noted below.

3. Similar to AvantGo users, you may want to put only parts of the site on your PDA. Choose which areas you would like, then download the appropriate .subs file and import as described in (2). 4. Some other channels you may consider, if you have enough memory available. Again, download the appropriate .subs file and import as described in (2). 5. Syncronize your PDA! (Not sure, but may need to run the Browser Desktop application to have it download all the pages right away, instead of waiting for the next scheduled time)

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Plucker

1. Download the program. Follow the installer instructions: it will place the Plucker program in your C:\Program Files folder, and put appropiate icons in the Start menu.
2. You may want to try using ConvertIt, a graphic front end for Plucker. I don't think it will work with my site, but it may be useful for other sites.

OR

2. You will need to add the URLs for the sites you would like to download. For this site, add these:

3. Run the Plucker application: Start menu: Start menu/Programs/Plucker/DB 'Default'/Hotsync
4. Sync your Palm
5. If you want to automate this process, you can set your computer to download your Plucker sites whenever you start up: Just place a shorcut to the Hotsync application (in #3, above) in your Startup folder. You're done!

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