A preview of the emerging health care companies profiled in the current issue of Start-Up. This month's profile group, Handheld, Wireless Healthcare Techology, features profiles of ePocrates Inc., LogonHealth Corp., MedCompanion Inc. and Pocketscript. Plus these selected Start-ups across Health Care: Cambridge Drug Discovery Ltd., MacroGenics Inc., Pan Pacific Pharmaceuticals Inc. and TissueLink Medical Inc.

In a crowded field of companies marketing web-based handheld devices that allow physicians to perform a myriad of functions, ePocrates Inc. is trying to differentiate itself by offering less than its competition. That is, its idea is to ease physicians into using web-enabled devices with a package of prescription drug information.

As bleak as times may be for e-health start-ups, there's certainly no dearth of companies trying to get personal digital assistant devices into the hands of physicians. Although most of the buzz has been about e-prescribing, that's only the beginning of what start-ups aim to offer.