Gmail for Android gets updated to v2.3.5

I use Gmail all the time on my Android smartphone. The latest update is v2.3.5 and it allows you to sync only important mail like your priority inbox to reduce data usage and save battery life. It also allows you to customize notifications for Inbox and other labels. These are nice enhancements since we're now living in an era where data plans have limits (unless you've grandfathered your unlimited data plan, but then you won't get Wi-Fi Mobile Hotspot unless you switch to a limited data plan).

In any case, I find that Gmail is a very robust email service and I have several different email addresses that all converge to a single Gmail account. It certainly simplifies my life.

MobileDDx™ - Differential Diagnosis Tool

MobileDDx™ - Differential Diagnosis Tool

Special offer: For a limited time, get the MobileDDx Differential Diagnosis Tool for only $9.95 (a $19.95 value!)

With MobileDDx™ you can choose to explore topics by organ system, symptoms or diseases only, or search across all topics. For example, if you wish to review the causes of a patient's chief complaint, simply select the symptom or sign from the main index. If you have made a diagnosis and wonder what other disorders to consider, select your diagnosis from the list to see its differential diagnoses.

Includes over 1,000 medicine and surgery differential diagnoses derived from the most trusted Current Lange series.

And only with Skyscape, any MobileDDx™ differential diagnoses topic can be quickly and easily cross-indexed to related drug, disease or diagnostic topics across your entire mobile reference library!

Learn more here.

Mobile Health Venture Fair — Presented by HIMSS

Mobile Health Venture Fair — Presented by HIMSS
Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Looking to Invest with Emerging Mobile Health Companies?
Look no further... join us at the HIMSS Mobile Health Venture Fair (separate registration fee required). Hear from 10 emerging Mobile Health companies seeking funding, networking opportunities and Venture Fair Information Guide.

Read more »

Yoritex Medical Network HUB prototype – a medical diagnostic accessory for BlackBerry smartphones

Yoritex Has Produced Medical Network HUB® Prototype

Toronto, Canada, July 27, 2011 --(PR.com)-- Yoritex Inc. today announced that its engineers have completed a development of the first-generation Medical Network HUB® prototype – a medical diagnostic accessory for BlackBerry® smartphones. This is a great step forward to the mass production manufacturing of these type of devices.

Production of a fully functional prototype means that the development of Medical Network HUB® has reached a new important stage. The stages of research and design are completely finished and the design documentation is available.

Read more »

Westbank Urgent Care Launches iTriage App to Give Mobile Users Greater Access to Medical Information

Mobile users can pre-register for their appointment and access symptom, disease and physician information in the palm of their hands with iTriage

Gretna, LA, July 27, 2011 --(PR.com)-- Westbank Urgent Care announced today that they have joined the growing number of medical facilities across the country reaching out to mobile users by launching the iTriage® smartphone application developed by Healthagen, LLC. To access iTriage, consumers can download the free application from the app stores for their iPhone® or Android™ smartphones, or access it through any Web-enabled device at www.iTriageHealth.com.

Read more »

Force your MiFi 4510L Mobile Hotspot into 3G (EVDO) or 4G (LTE) mode (WWAN Settings)

The other day, I wrote about how my Verizon MiFi 4510L Mobile Hotspot was stuck on 3G (EVDO) and was not switching to 4G (LTE). If you're experiencing similar issues, make sure to read this.

For those of you wanting to manually switch your Wi-Fi Mobile Hotspot from 3G to 4G (or vice versa), here's a simple tutorial that outlines the steps that will help you do that.

• Connect to your MiFi
• Log in to your MiFi by typing this URL into your browser: http://192.168.1.1/
• Click on "Setup Wizard"
• The default password is "admin" (unless you've changed it)
• When it asks you to set up a new password, click "cancel"
• Now you'll see that you have several new menu options at the top red horizontal navigation bar: Home, Wi-Fi, LAN, WWAN, Security, Advanced

Read more »

Forrester Analyst on Mobile Insights for Health Insurers – Drive Adoption and Improve Access to Care

Here's another upcoming webinar on mobile health:

Forrester Analyst on Mobile Insights for Health Insurers – Drive Adoption and Improve Access to Care

Date: August 18, 2011
Time: 2pm ET / 11am PT
Duration: 1 hour

Mobile handsets have become nearly ubiquitous, and consumers are using them for everything from talking and texting to games and Internet access. Health insurers realize that mobile will be part of their consumer engagement landscape, but the industry still has a lot of uncertainty about where to start, what drives value, and how to ensure that their investments in mobile pay off.

Read more »

Verizon MiFi 4510L Mobile Hotspot on 3G (EVDO) & not switching to 4G (LTE)? Here's a solution.

I have a Verizon MiFi 4510L Mobile Hotspot and recently I experienced the issue where my device was stuck on 3G (EVDO) and was not switching to 4G (LTE) even though I knew that 4G service was available. The device indicator light was blinking purple/violet instead of green. This is apparently a known problem for this device. So, if your device isn't switching to 4G, it's not defective. Resetting the device won't do anything.

Here's how I got it back to 4G (LTE):

• Connect to your MiFi
• Log in to your MiFi by typing this URL into your browser: http://192.168.1.1/
• Click on "Setup Wizard"
• The default password is "admin" (unless you've changed it)
• When it asks you to set up a new password, click "cancel"
• Now you'll see that you have several new menu options at the top red horizontal navigation bar: Home, Wi-Fi, LAN, WWAN, Security, Advanced

Now, you'll want to click on WWAN -> and then go to the "WWAN Settings" at the bottom of the page.

• Under the WWAN Preferred Mode, select "LTE only"
• Then, click "apply" and the device will reboot.

My understanding is that this is a temporary fix. Therefore, you may need to do this periodically if you move into areas where you only have 3G coverage. The MiFi could have a tendency to get "stuck" in 3G mode and it needs to manually get moved back to 4G using the steps outlined above. 

Test your clinical knowledge! MD Challenge

The MD Challenge is a new contest presented by MD Consult. How strong is your clinical knowledge? Complete a clinical case each week from diagnosis to treatment and you'll be registered to win an iPad 2 each week or a grand prize of a Club Med Vacation.

The contest runs for 10 weeks and there are 10 different cases. To play, visit: http://mdchallenge.com

Developing Effective Multi-Store App Pricing Strategy – Free Report By Research2guidance

From Research2guidance

Average best-selling application prices vary greatly in different stores.

Berlin, July 21st – Mobile app developers nowadays face new challenges regarding the distribution of their apps such as setting a price for a download, comprehending the individual needs of their potential customers and the market of online stores.

Developers can take advantage of existing users’ willingness to pay more for apps in these stores. Our research shows that there are applications that cost a significantly higher price in independent app directories, compared to the original MNO stores.

Read more »

Search #FDAApps to read about the FDA Twitter chat regarding mobile apps

The FDA held a Twitter chat yesterday on mobile apps. Search for the hashtag “#FDAApps” to view comments, tweets, and short discussions regarding the FDA and mobile apps.

FDA's Twitter account is @FDADeviceInfo.

FDA Releases Draft Guidance on Mobile Medical Applications

The FDA has released a Draft Guidance document on Mobile Medical Applications. Here's a snippet regarding the definition of a "mobile medical app" here:

C. Mobile Medical Application (Mobile Medical App)
For purposes of this guidance, a "mobile medical app" is a mobile app that meets the definition of "device" in section 201(h) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act)4; and either:

• is used as an accessory to a regulated medical device; or
• transforms a mobile platform into a regulated medical device.

The intended use of a mobile app determines whether it meets the definition of a "device." As stated in 21 CFR 801.4,5 intended use may be shown by labeling6 claims, advertising materials, or oral or written statements by manufacturers or their representatives. When the intended use of a mobile app is for the diagnosis of disease or other conditions, or the cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease, or is intended to affect the structure or any function of the body of man, the mobile app is a device.

Read more »

Your iPhone® is Now Your Pager

OnPage™ is a pager and priority messaging application for your iPhone® or iPad®. It combines the simplicity and urgency of a conventional pager with the power and functionality of an iPhone. Users can receive priority messages and respond securely and reliably. Currently, the application is commonly used by Healthcare professionals and First Responders worldwide.

· Hosted iPhone app instead of bulky pager device
· One device for everything; voice, email, pager
· No lost messages
· Audit trails with delivery & read confirmation
· Integration with exiting pager consoles
· Privacy of individualized OnPage ID – Your OnPage ID is your pager number
· Group broadcasting
· No servers or IT involvement
· Guaranteed lowest cost

Read more »

Jawbone Up: a digital bracelet that connects to smartphone fitness apps

Forget pedometers. Soon, you may see people wearing fitness bracelets that collect information about your activity levels. Jawbone, a company traditionally known for its Bluetooth headsets, is coming out with a fitness bracelet called Up. This device will connect to smartphone fitness apps and it will track your physical activity. Here's the press release that went out last week:

Jawbone® Unveils Vision to Help People Live a Healthier Life
UP™ by Jawbone to Launch Later this Year

TEDGlobal, SCOTLAND – July 13, 2011 – Jawbone®, a leading innovator of products and services for the mobile lifestyle, today unveiled its vision to inspire people to live healthier with UP™ by Jawbone– a new product the company plans to launch later this year.

Read more »

Take the MD Challenge to win some exciting prizes!

The MD Challenge is a new contest presented by MD Consult. How strong is your clinical knowledge? Complete a clinical case each week from diagnosis to treatment and you'll be registered to win an iPad 2 each week or a grand prize of a Club Med Vacation.

The contest runs for 10 weeks and there are 10 different cases. To play, visit: http://mdchallenge.com

CPT® E/M Quick Reference App

CPT® E/M Quick Reference—now available for the Apple iPhone®, iPad® and iPod Touch®

Fast. Easy. Reliable. This on-the-go reference guide helps you easily determine the appropriate CPT Evaluation and Management (E/M) billing codes. Featuring both decision-tree logic and quick search options, this critical app allows you to digitally track the codes you select and then email them anywhere.

This app provides suggested codes. Final code selection remains the full responsibility of the individual user.

Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Requires OS version 4.0 or later

Find it in the App Store.

MyVirtualHealthCheck Launches Windows Phone 7 Personal Health Application

Health and disease management comes to Windows Phone 7 supported by MyVirtualHealthCheck.com. One app to manage glucose, heart rate, blood pressure and weight.

San Antonio, TX July 13, 2011 -- With the launch of its Windows Phone 7 App, MyVirtualHealthCheck expands its offerings of mobile health and disease management applications. Those looking to improve their health can securely record, monitor and share vital sign information directly from their mobile devices. One versatile app allows users to manage glucose, heart rate, blood pressure and weight, while making a healthier lifestyle easier to achieve with the aid of a robust set of Web-based tools.

Read more »

Skyscape’s CardioSource App Experiences Record Number of Downloads

In just over three months, CardioSource has been downloaded by more than 14,000 cardiologists and other HCPs

Marlborough, MA (July 12, 2011) – Skyscape, Inc., a subsidiary of Physicians Interactive Holdings and leading provider of mobile apps trusted by more than one million healthcare professionals, recently partnered with the American College of Cardiology (ACC) to develop the CardioSource Mobile App. Since its April 2 launch, CardioSource has been downloaded more than 14,000 times by healthcare professionals looking to make smarter decisions in real-time by accessing the most current content and studies in the field of cardiology.

Read more »

Confusion and Skepticism May Impede 4G Adoption

By Andrew Eisner, Director of Community and Content at Retrevo.com

As Verizon continues to roll out their 4G LTE network across the country at an accelerated rate and AT&T also picking up speed in their 4G deployment it would seem that widespread 4G adoption is a foregone conclusion. Unfortunately, it looks like consumers may be so confused over 4G that they become hesitant to move to 4G, at least in the near term. In a recent Retrevo Gadgetology study only a little less than a quarter of the respondents say they're going for 4G. With so many potential 4G customers expressing concerns about cost and performance providers of 4G phones and services could be in for some disappointment.

- A Third of iPhone Owners Mistakenly Think Their Phones Have 4G
Maybe the "4" in the iPhone 4 name gives iPhone owners (34%) the false impression that they already own a 4G phone but the fact is Apple doesn't offer a 4G phone at the moment. Coincidentally, a suspiciously large percentage of Android and BlackBerry owners may be suffering from the same delusion. BlackBerry owners (24%) are almost as confused as iPhone owners since RIM doesn't currently offer a 4G phone. At least some Android owners could be answering correctly as Android 4G phones like the HTC Evo 4G or Samsung Infuse 4G have been available for some time. If nothing else this large number of misinformed phone owners serves to emphasize the fact that consumers are quite confused about 4G.

Read more »

Improved battery life on my updated HTC ThunderBolt

Verizon recently released a system update for the HTC ThunderBolt. Although this update doesn't bump up the Android OS to Gingerbread (2.3), it does appear to have made a significant improvement on battery life. In the past, I was switching to 3G mode all the time because 4G LTE was draining my battery way too quickly. Now, it seems like I can keep it on 4G LTE and the battery is lasting much longer. I'm also not experiencing any problems with random reboots (a problem that was reported in an earlier update that was released, then pulled from Verizon).

For more information about this update, you can visit the Verizon support page here.

Read more »

Live Webinar: iPhone vs. Andoroid for the Health Care Professional

Choosing the right smartphone for personal and professional use can be tricky. With a host of features, plans and other options to decide on, and a seemingly infinite amount of useful apps to add to the mix, the more knowledge before you buy the better.

Whether you are a first time smartphone user or are investigating whether to choose a new device, we hope this webinar, brought to you in conjunction with our friends at iMedicalApps will help separate fact from fiction and ensure a well-educated decision for health care professionals when it comes time for them to take the plunge.

This one-hour webinar will cover topics like:

* The advantages and disadvantages for clinicians between the iOS (iPhone & iPad) and Android operating systems
* The difference between the iTunes and Android marketplaces
* Which commonly used medical apps are also available on Android
* How to market your practice/organization using social media

Wednesday, July 27, 2011 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM EDT

You can register here.

Learn how mHealth can improve medication adherence

I invite you to join me in this series of CME activities: "Medication Adherence: The Evolving Role of Technology"

• Video Roundtable 1: Electronic Health Records to Improve Medication Adherence
• Video Roundtable 2: Mobile Health and Digital Communication to Improve Medication Adherence
• Video Roundtable 3: Social Media to Improve Medication Adherence

Medication adherence remains a persistent and pertinent issue in health care. Nonadherence poses challenges to adequate control of the target condition and often leads to further unnecessary complications. Many of the latest practice management and communication technologies afford clinicians the opportunity improve patient medication adherence.

This online series will focus on:

• How EHR tools and functions can improve medication adherence
• How to use mobile and digital communication to promote medication adherence
• How social media can help you communicate and work with your patient population

Temple University uses text messages to reach underserved communities with health information

Here's a great story on MobileHealthWatch about Temple University using text messages to reach underserved communities with health information:

Temple is using a $100,000 grant from the Verizon Foundation to push cardiovascular health information out to neighboring communities through text messaging.

Given that people living in underserved communities often have mobile phones, it's no surprise that the folks at Temple University would choose this method to reach this patient population. Here are a few additional snippets from the Temple news story:

Much of the area around Temple is classified as medically underserved, which is defined by the Department of Health and Human Services as having too few primary care providers, high infant mortality, high poverty and/or a high elderly population. Further, medically underserved populations may face economic, cultural or linguistic barriers to health care.

William Santamore, Professor of Medicine and Director of Telemedicine Research, said the goal of Telemedicine Light is to get around those barriers to disseminate health information effectively.

Mobile Projects at Hesperian

Hesperian is a non-profit publisher of books and newsletters for community-based health care. Support their mobile project campaign to help people in poor and remote areas access health information on their mobile phones. Here's a short video that describes this:

The United Nations Foundation Mobilizing Development through cell phones

As the UN Foundation and Vodafone Foundation Technology Partnership marks the milestone of its five-year, £15 million (approximately $28 million) program, the Mobilizing Development report looks back at the accomplishments of this public-private alliance, highlighting both the achievements and lessons learned through on-the-ground stories and interviews with staff, grantees, partners and beneficiaries.

The report explores the latest trends in this area and identifies shifts in public-private partnerships that will help improve humanitarian response, development aid and the health of millions of people around the world.

Read more about this here.

WebLib Launches Free HealthMash iPhone and Android Apps

HealthMash, the advanced semantic health search engine developed by WebLib, is now available as a free application for iPhone and Android users, providing access to more than a million health topics from trusted sources.

Bethesda, MD, July 07, 2011 --(PR.com)-- WebLib LLC (http://weblib.com), a company specializing in search technologies and natural language processing tools, has released new versions of its consumer health search engine HealthMash for users of iPhone and Android mobile phones. These free applications allow users to find relevant health information from a wide variety of trusted medical sources. The apps work as full-scale, portable versions of the HealthMash website.

HealthMash combines universal search and discovery technology with semantic web solutions to find relevant health information about diseases, symptoms, treatments, drugs and alternative medicine approaches, from reliable sources on the Web. HealthMash fuses its own high quality vertical search results with mash-ups of images, videos, news, blogs and tweets from the World Wide Web.

Read more »

Mobile Health (mHealth) Economics

In this TEDx talk, founder of ClickMedix and Click Diagnostics, Ting Shih, describes how to create mobile health (mhealth) economics in order to provide affordable healthcare to all.

Take Travel Med with you this summer

Travel Med is an application that describes common and uncommon medical issues that can arise before, during, or after traveling. This application was created with the non-medical professional in mind. Travel Med will guide travelers through pre-travel preparation, in-travel emergencies, and post-travel health and medical problems when immediate access to medical care may not be available. Details are provided for travel risks to all countries and continents. Immediate management of common and uncommon illness and injury that might occur while traveling or vacationing is described. Indications, dosing and side effects of commonly used medications are described. Contacts and weblinks for medical resources and travel assistance are provided. Links to government requirements for vaccines, passports, and visas, and World Health Organization and Center for Disease Control sites that describe current health issues within each region and country are provided.

What you’ll learn from Travel Med:

* Where to find the documents, visas, licenses and vaccinations required to travel internationally
* Common diseases in every continent and every country
* How to know which foods and beverages are safe while traveling
* How to sterilize water
* When it is safe for children and pregnant women to travel
* How to PREVENT dangerous illnesses: high altitude sickness, bites & stings from bugs, mosquitoes, snakes, ticks, and animals, hypothermia (cold weather injury), traveler’s diarrhea, diving & decompression illness, malaria, meningitis, heat related illness (e.g. heat stroke), influenzae, SARS, tuberculosis, and a multitude of different types of infections
* Commonly used medication information: Indications, Dosing, Use during Pregnancy and for Children, and Side Effects

More information here.

Get the Sermo mobile app for iPhone

Ever wish you could have a colleague’s opinion on a tough case, unusual rash, EKG, or Xray finding? Now you can on Sermo - the largest online physician-only network.

Created in 2006 by physicians, for physicians, Sermo is the largest online physician network and the only real-time medicine™ platform. Sermo membership is exclusive to US physicians. Sermo is always FREE, private and secure.

Join over 125,000 US physician members across 68 specialties and all 50 states to:

* iConsult –With 3 touches on your iPhone, you can instantly share clinical images and ask questions to capture feedback and advice from colleagues across the United States.
* Discussions - Share insights and expertise on clinical cases, practice management, healthcare policy, and more.
* Popular Posts – Follow discussions around the hottest topics in American healthcare and your specialty.
* Followed Posts – Easily locate and read the newest comments on your favorite conversations.

**100,000 discussions and 2 million comments to date and counting. Thousands of clinical cases solved on Sermo**

Learn more about the Sermo mobile app here.

Texting to quit smoking: txt2stop

Here's a study published in The Lancet that looked at the role of texting to help smokers quit:

"Smoking cessation support delivered via mobile phone text messaging (txt2stop): a single-blind, randomised trial"

Background
Smoking cessation programmes delivered via mobile phone text messaging show increases in self-reported quitting in the short term. We assessed the effect of an automated smoking cessation programme delivered via mobile phone text messaging on continuous abstinence, which was biochemically verified at 6 months.

Methods
In this single-blind, randomised trial, undertaken in the UK, smokers willing to make a quit attempt were randomly allocated, using an independent telephone randomisation system, to a mobile phone text messaging smoking cessation programme (txt2stop), comprising motivational messages and behavioural-change support, or to a control group that received text messages unrelated to quitting. The system automatically generated intervention or control group texts according to the allocation. Outcome assessors were masked to treatment allocation. The primary outcome was self-reported continuous smoking abstinence, biochemically verified at 6 months. All analyses were by intention to treat. This study is registered, number ISRCTN 80978588.

Read more »

Samsung GALAXY S II reaches 3 Million global sales

SEOUL, KOREA--(Korea Newswire) -- Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, a global leader in digital media and digital convergence technologies, today announced that the Samsung GALAXY S II(Model: GT-I9100), has reached global channel sales of 3 million units.

The GALAXY S II is Samsung's flagship smartphone device; a beautifully thin (8.49mm) and lightweight, dual-core smartphone that combines an unmatched Super AMOLED Plus viewing experience with incredible performance, all on Android, the world's fastest-growing mobile operating system. The next generation smartphone also includes exclusive access to Samsung's four new content and entertainment hubs, seamlessly integrated to provide instant access to music, games, e-reading and social networking services.

Read more »

Free Pocket Medical Spanish App for iPhone (limited time)

Download Pocket Medical Spanish with Audio*, featuring 400+ visual, text, and audio pronunciations of key point-of-care questions and other helpful phrases for medical treatment and diagnosis. Simply tap on the phrase so the patient can hear it. Communicate with, diagnose, and treat your Spanish-speaking patients more effectively.

Available FREE for one week only. Offer ends July 8, 2011.

Get it here.

Sermo mobile app for iPhone coming soon

Sermo is developing an iPhone app and it should be available soon. Stay tuned...

Sermo is the largest online physician community in the US. It’s where practicing US physicians—spanning 68 specialties and all 50 states—collaborate on difficult cases and exchange observations about drugs, devices and clinical issues.