New Moby MED tablet looks to challenge iPad in healthcare

Some of the most common criticisms of Apple's new iPad are that it lacks a camera, doesn't support Flash technology and that the memory is not expandable. A new product from Santa Clara, Calif.-based Marvell could offer an alternative for the healthcare market.

Called Moby MED, the planned tablet computer line will feature a camera that can capture 1080p high-definition video, supports Flash, has a built-in microphone and can accommodate external memory cards. It also supports multitasking in side-by-side windows, 3D graphics and can serve as a mobile wireless hot spot for as many as eight devices.

"Marvell's Moby MED tablet platform is designed to allow physicians to consult with patients remotely in real-time, allow consumers to manage their own health histories in a highly secure, encrypted environment, make it possible to send and read high-resolution diagnostic imagery and give consumers access to online medical information in a light-weight, long-running device," Marvell explains in a press release. Company co-founder Weili Dai goes so far as to say, "I believe the Moby MED solution could ignite a telehealth revolution in America."

Stepping back from the corporate hyperbole, MedGadget calls the Moby MED "mildly reminiscent of the Apple iPad." What's unclear is how it might differ from Intel's Mobile Clinical Assistant platform.

For more information:
- read this MedGadget post
- see the Marvell press release

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