"Personal digital assistants (PDAs) and other handheld devices are soon expected to become even more valuable to radiologists. Recent advances in PDA technology, including high-resolution screens, increased storage capacity and wireless networking, are leading to the development of more sophisticated radiology-specific applications.

'I think we're at a turning point where the applications are just starting to catch up with the technology that's available,' said William W. Boonn, M.D., a radiology resident at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and also the founder of the Web sites MedicalPocketPC.com and MedicalTabletPC.com.

Dr. Boonn and Adam E. Flanders, M.D., a neuroradiologist from the Department of Radiology at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, conducted a survey of RSNA members to gauge the use of PDAs in radiology and compare it with other medical specialties. Their article appears in the March-April issue of RadioGraphics."