The University of South Florida (USF) College of Medicine (COM), Division of Infectious Disease and International Medicine is pleased to announce the release of version 2.0 of IDPodcasts Mobile Viewer, one of the first infectious diseases applications ever developed for the iPad. It is the first iPadcompatible universal application developed by the University of South Florida and the first iPad application developed within the State University System.

Co-developed by Dr. Richard Oehler, USF associate professor of medicine, and Dr. John T. Sinnott, director, Division of Infectious Disease and International Medicine, the original iPhone application (Ver. 1.0) permitted on-demand streaming of infectious disease-related podcasts to any iPhone or iPod touch through a Wi-Fi connection.

Version 2.0 greatly improves upon the original application, released in May, 2010, by being universally compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad devices, adding support for the iPhone 4 and fourth generation iPod touch’s high-resolution “Retina” display, and having full portrait and landscape modesupport on iPad devices with a scrolling onscreen index and iPad friendly menu accessibility. The appis now available as a free download from the app store, permitting users to enjoy more than 100 hours of infectious diseases educational content almost anywhere within range of a Wi-Fi connection.

“The original ID Podcast mobile viewer was a tremendous success. In a little over 5 months since it was made available on the app store, we introduced almost 1,000 iPhone/iPod touch owners in
50 countries to the spectacular teaching we do here at USF,” Dr. Oehler said. “However, with the release of the iPhone 4 and the iPad, we knew that our users wanted us to take full advantage of the latest devices. The iPad has been the most widely adopted non-phone electronic product ever, far surpassing the original iPhone and even the DVD player. Some 7.5 million units will be sold in its first 6 months. The iPad is the future of mobile computing, and to be one of the first infectious disease applications for this groundbreaking device is truly gratifying.”

“The iPad is truly the best mobile experience for watching podcasts,” Dr. Oehler said. “The display adapts to whichever way you hold it. You can access the most recent podcast selections from the
lower portion of the screen or switch to a full index categorized by title, author, or subject. Podcasts play in a small window for complete menu access or full screen, taking advantage or the device’s gorgeous 9.7-inch display.”

For on-the go viewing, ID Podcasts Mobile Viewer 2.0 now has full support for the iPhone 4 and fourth generation iPod touch’s “retina” display, an astounding 326 pixels per inch — the most ever for a smartphone, bringing USF’s dynamic teaching into the sharpest focus possible.

The USF Health Division of Infectious Disease partnered and developed the application with Tampa Bay area company Absolute Mobile Solutions, a leading provider of mobile strategy design and execution.

“We feel privileged to continue to develop applications that serve health care providers and work in partnership with the physicians and educators that make up USF Health,” said Alfred Goldberg, president of Absolute Mobile Solutions.

The IDPodcasts Mobile Viewer application can be downloaded from the iTunes app store (keyword is “id podcasts”). For more information, please contact USF’s Dr. Richard Oehler at Richard.oehler@va.gov or call (813) 972-2000, ext. 6184.