Welsh wizardry keeps chemists in touch

community pharmacists in Wales, and potentially anywhere in the world, will soon be able to keep in touch with the latest pharmaceutical advances using a handheld computer.

The pioneering educational package is being developed by the Welsh Centre for Postgraduate Pharmaceutical Education at the University of Wales Cardiff, with multimedia company Memory Palace and a local pharmacist, Simon Whitaker.

Pharmacists will receive information over the Internet from a server in Cardiff, and study it at their leisure on A5-sized Apple Newton Messagepad computers. They can also use the machines to keep in touch with colleagues. The Messagepad is controlled by touching its screen with a special pen, and can turn handwritten entries into text.

An award of Pounds 30,000 from the Department of Trade and Industry's Multimedia Demonstrator programme will cover approximately half of the project's costs.