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.

How will the FDA regulate mobile health apps?

I doubt that the FDA will regulate every mobile health app that makes it to the Apple App Store, the Android Market, or the BlackBerry App World. How will the FDA choose which apps to regulate? What will this regulated environment look like?

We’re all still waiting for the FDA to explain how they plan to regulate mobile health apps. Here’s a critical question/equation that will determine how the FDA will regulate this space:

mobile device + mobile health app = a medical device ?

If the combination of a mobile device plus a mobile health app results in a “medical device,” then the FDA will be involved in regulating these types of apps. So, is a symptom checker running on a smartphone considered a medical device?

How does Section 201(h) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act define a medical device?

“… an instrument, apparatus, implement, machine, contrivance, implant, in vitro reagent, or other similar or related article, including any component, part, or accessory, which is … [either] intended for use in the diagnosis of disease or other conditions, or in the cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease, in man or other animals … [or] intended to affect the structure or any function of the body of man...”

Based on this broad definition, it would seem that computers and smartphones will be classified as medical devices if physicians are using computers to diagnosis or treat a disease.

Amazon launches Android App Store

Author: Thuc Huynh, MD

This morning, Amazon ruffled some feathers when it opened it's own App Store for Android.  It launched with 3,800 apps priced between $0.99 cents and $45 dollars.  Of those apps that are currently listed, 121 apps are health related and only 42 of those health apps are specifically for medical professionals.

Amazon's App store has some big shoes to fill with Google Market as a direct competitor.  But Amazon is approaching the apps business differently.  Unlike Google Market, Amazon will be screening every application to ensure it meets certain standards of quality.  In addition, Amazon is markedly undercutting Google's prices.  With Google, whatever price a developer sets, that's what the price will be.  With Amazon, it's the company who will ultimately decide the price based on their own market research.

The implications of Apple's new subscription model

Author: Riley Alexander, MD, MBA

There have been many articles written recently on this blog about the versatility of the iPad as a media consumption device--including medical textbooks and journal articles. Well, just very recently, Apple has announced some rather large changes that may affect this sector of iPad/iPhone usage in a large way--dictating terms of subscription.

This "term" is essentially that Apple requires all subscriptions based apps, of which many are some of the most popular in the App Store, that they have to at least offer the subscription from within the app--and therefore allow Apple to take a 30% cut of not only the app, but the media subscription--periodicals, journals, texts, music, etc.

Doctors Will Replace App Stores As Main Distribution Channels For Mobile Health Apps By 2015

Berlin, 24 November 2010 – A global survey by research2guidance amongst leading mHealth developers and healthcare companies shows that mHealth apps will predominantly be distributed through traditional healthcare channels by 2015.

In the years to come mHealth applications will cease to be distributed primarily through the app stores survey participants anticipate. At the moment app stores are still the distribution channels of choice but in the future it is expected that traditional healthcare distribution channels like hospitals and specialized healthcare product vendors will become the predominant distribution channels. This would represent a significant shift when compared to the market today, as the smartphone app store model has been the key driver behind the initial success of mHealth applications over the last two years.

Interesting stats about the "mobile device explosion"

I'm borrowing this from a presentation developed by Sesh Kumar, CEO or Emantras Inc.

• “By the end of 2013 more users will access the internet on mobile devices than on desktops.” - Morgan Stanley
• “14.7 million smartphones were purchased in the U.S. last quarter.” - Canalys
• “120 million devices running iOS have been sold so far.” - Apple Keynote 2010
• “New smartphone subscribers choosing Google phones accounted for 27 percent of U.S. smartphone sales” - Nielsen Company
• “Sale of the iPad and other tablets will hit 19.4 million units in 2010” - Gartner
•  6.5 billion downloads have been recorded on the App Store - 200 per second.

These are exciting times, aren't they? We're certainly living in the mobile technology revolution!

mHealth Regulatory Commission

Have you heard of the mHealth Regulatory Commission? The FDA currently does not regulate mobile apps on devices like smartphones. Recent discussions between the FDA and the FCC suggest that they're planning on forming some type of regulatory framework, but we don't know when or how this will get rolled out. So, in the meanwhile we will rely on the private sector's mHealth Regulatory Commission to govern what's happening in the mobile health space. This organization will probably only exist temporarily, but it's desperately needed given that so many new medical and health apps are appearing on various types of smartphone app stores.

American Medical News mentions Dr. Joseph Kim in a smartphone article

American Medical Association published an article titled, "Who made the app for that? Tale of 3 app developers."

Behind every smartphone application is someone with an idea. Here are people who created some of the most popular medical, health and wellness apps.

This is a great article featuring these doctors who also developed medical apps:

1. Dr. Gregory Moore
2. Dr. Pascal Pfiffner
3. Dr. Pieter Kubben

I come in when the writer asks the question: "Are apps always reliable?"

We know that smartphone apps are not regulated, so anyone can develop and publish an app (like a swine flu detector). The app stores are getting crowded with useless medical apps. In some cases, junk apps remain popular among consumers who find them fun or entertaining.   Will the FDA and FCC intervene to regulate medical and health apps?

Click here to read the amednews.com article.

New medical apps from Tarascon

Tarascon has released 3 new titles recently for the iPhone/iPod touch, and iPad:

1. Stroke Essentials
2. Tarascon Hospital Medicine
3. Hypertension Essentials

The Stroke Essentials App is a concise, authoritative and practical guide to the detection, evaluation, and treatment of stroke including the latest guidelines, common pitfalls, comprehensive film library and clinical management algorithms.

The Tarascon Hospital Medicine App is a quick reference tool providing inpatient clinicians with critical information about the evaluation and management of all common medical disorders found in the hospital setting.

The Hypertension Essentials App is a concise, and practical step-by-step tool to diagnose, evaluate, and treat hypertension including over 50 clinical trials, common management pitfalls and cardiovascular risk reduction measures.

You can find these apps in the Apple App Store. Learn more by visiting: http://www.tarascon.com/

Labs & Formulas for iPhone

Labs & Formulas By USBMIS, Inc is available for the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch. You'll find it on iTunes in the App Store.

Labs & Formulas provides quick access to relevant lab values along with a set of useful calculators and decision making tools.

Features:
• Rapid access to over 1,000 common lab values
• Useful calculators and decision tools
• Bookmark feature
• Automatic updates
• Calculators include:
--Common unit conversions (weight, length, pressure, etc.)
--Apgar Score
--Creatinine Clearance
--Glomerular Filtration Rate (Adult & Pediatric)
--Glasgow Coma Scale
--Wind Chill & Heat Index
--…and many more
• New calculators and other useful tools will be added in future updates

The price is $3.99 and you can get it here.

Tarascon Adult Emergency Pocketbook

Tarascon Adult Emergency Pocketbook By USBMIS, Inc. is now available on the iTunes store. So, if you have an iPhone or iPod touch and you're working in the field of emergency medicine, you should take a look at this $19.99 medical app.

All of the vital information from the Tarascon Adult Emergency Pocketbook is now available for the iPhone or iPod Touch! The Tarascon Adult Emergency App is part of the popular Tarascon® Series which is an imprint of Jones & Bartlett Learning.

The Tarascon Adult Emergency App is the ultimate portable reference for the busy emergency physician or internist! Packed with essential lists, figures, & tables, this App provides instant reminders of hard-to-remember yet vitally important clinical information. Convenient searchable reference sections include dysrhythmia protocols, emergency drug infusions, antibiotic therapy, rapid-sequence intubation, toxicology, trauma care, burn care, and much more. Busy physicians now have all the information they need from the Tarascon Adult Emergency Pocketbook at their fingertips!

Click here to view the Tarascon Adult Emergency Pocketbook on the iTunes store.

CaringBridge iPhone app

CaringBridge is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing free websites that connect family and friends during a serious health event, care and recovery. A CaringBridge website is personal, private and available 24/7. It helps ease the burden of keeping family and friends informed. The websites are easy to create and use. Authors add health updates and photos to share their story while visitors leave messages of love and support in the guestbook.

iPhone Application
A free CaringBridge application is available for download from the App Store for iPhone and iPod Touch users. This streamlined version of the website makes it easy to visit a personal CaringBridge site as well as leave guestbook messages.

Coming Soon: Mobile-Optimized Website
The CaringBridge mobile website will provide a streamlined experience for anyone visiting CaringBridge from their web-enabled smartphone. It is formatted to fit smartphone screens and provide CaringBridge users with quick access to their loved one’s health news.

Learn more by visiting CaringBridge.org

iTunes 9.1 brings iPad support

I just upgraded to iTunes 9.1. This upgrade now provides support for the Apple iPad. Now, if you purchase an iPad, you can "organize and sync books" you've downloaded from iBooks on iPad or added to your iTunes library.

So, whether you're running a PC or a Mac, you can get iTunes 9.1 on the Apple website or your computer may simply automatically update the software. 

How to Write a Smartphone App Review

This is a guest post by Greg Friese, MS, NREMT-P. If you're interested in submitting a guest post, please contact me.

How to Write an App Review 

Amazon book and product reviews have changed the way I shop. Instead of reading the publishers description I immediately scroll to reviews from other shoppers. I read the five and one star comments to learn the best and the worst about a product. Since smartphone apps require time to select, download, install, and learn a well written review helps me decide if an app is worth my time and effort which is often secondary to the negligible price of the app.

A smartphone app review is a good topic for your own blog or to submit as a guest post to blogs in your niche. Reviews tell readers about the apps you find useful. This is the format I use and recommend for organizing an app review:

Top medical and health apps on the Android Marketplace

The Android Marketplace is the App Store for Android powered smartphones. If you're running Android 2.0, then here are the "top" medical apps under the "health" section of the Android Marketplace as of March 2010:

Top Free Health Apps:

1. Calorie Counter by FatSecret
2. Diet & Food Tracker
3. BodyFitness
4. CardioTrainer
5. Favorite Recipies
6. White Noise Lite
7. Lightning Bug - Sleep Clock
8. Best Self-Help Quotes
9. Epocrates
10. Medical Spanish - AUDIO (Lite)

Top Paid Health Apps:

1. Racing for CardioTrainer
2. ICE: In Case of Emergency
3. HappyCow VeginOut Guide
4. White Noise
5. Weight Loss for CardioTrainer
6. Calorie Tracker by LIVESTRONG
7. Men's Health Workouts
8. GymBook
9. Fast Food Calorie Counter Pro
10. Baby ESP

I wonder if we'll eventually see a "Medical" category in the Android Marketplace. As you can see from this list, many of these apps really aren't professional medical apps. They're really geared for the consumer. What's also interesting is that I don't see medical apps like Skyscape, Unbound Medicine, Lexi-Comp.

Mobile MerckMedicus for iPhone

Did you know that Mobile MerckMedicus™ is available on the Apple® iTunes® App Store?

Mobile MerckMedicus, which gives you 24/7 access to clinical resources, helpful tools, and medical content wherever you go, is now available for download at the Apple iTunes Store. Registered users can simply download the application to their iPhone® or iPod touch® and log in with their username and password for MerckMedicus.

Use Orkov for PubMed searches on your iPhone or iPod touch

Search PubMed from your iPhone with Orkov's powerful and advanced search capability. All the options of PubMed's web pages are wrapped into a powerful iPhone app that is easy to use and navigate. Search journals and review abstracts. Bookmark, download and save PDFs of Full Text articles whenever available and email the abstracts, search results, full text and downloaded PDF articles with notes.

FEATURES include the following:

• Search PubMed (Basic and Advanced Searches)
• Retrieve full text articles and PDFs from PubMed, PubMed Central and other sources when available.
• Link to other full text article sources
• Retain Search History
• Save searches, abstracts and full text articles
• Keep notes with your full text articles, PDF downloads and abstracts
• Link to LoanSome Doc to borrow journals
• Navigate lengthy full text articles quickly with our exclusive "Jump" button. Our ‘Jump’ button dynamically populates main sections of an XML based full text article
• Zoom in on Figures
• Find related articles (to multiple levels)
• Find related articles by authors (to multiple levels)
• Built-in browser (No need to leave or close Orkov) for viewing documents available through other services
• Immediate, Complete and FREE 30 day instant access to all the features of Orkov

Readers Are Devouring Apple Book Apps

On BusinessWeek, there's a story titled, "Readers Are Devouring Apple Book Apps." Demand for digital book applications on Apple devices gives developers and publishers fresh ways to make money—a mixed blessing for Amazon. Do you agree?

How many books have you read on your iPhone or iPod touch? If you already have a smartphone that is capable of being an e-book reader (or e-reader), then why would you go out and invest several hundred dollars for a dedicated e-book reader like the Kindle, Nook, or QUE? Does it really make sense?

With the new Apple iPad on the horizon, the digital book industry may get revolutionized as devices like the iPad offer much more capabilities that extend beyond traditional e-book readers. Having a multimedia interface and Internet access on your iPad could change the way consumers and even health care professionals access both work-related and personal books.

Top medical apps on the iPhone App Store

Right now, Medscape (from WebMD) is the #1 free medical app and iPharmacy (by SigmaPhone LLC) is the #1 paid medical app on the iPhone App Store.

You'll also notice that both Epocrates and Medscape both have over 2,000 ratings and they each have 3.5 stars (out of 5).

It's always interesting to see how these medical apps rank in the App Store. If you don't have an iPhone or iPod touch, you can view these same apps on iTunes by visiting the App Store.

ER Doc creates some iPhone apps

Dr. Harvey Castro is an emergency medicine physician who has created some iPhone/iPod touch apps. Call it a hobby, call it a supplemental non-clinical job. Here are the details:

Lantana, Texas - Deep Pocket Series LLC has released Pink Reminder 1.0, their unique pretexting utility for iPhone and iPod touch devices. Designed to take advantage of the iPhone's unique capabilities and interface, Pink Reminder serves to help busy individuals keep track of their birth control by texting them reminders on the date and hour they choose. Never forget to take your birth control again or to change your vaginal ring on time.

The app will allow the user to set up reminders at any point in the medical regiment. The app will display what day pill the user is on and will display the time the next pill should be taken.

At any time, users can cancel any future tasks from within the app. The app can be set up for someone else For example using your iPhone you can set up to have these reminders for your spouse. Other carriers include, but not limited to, Verizon, T-mobile, Sprint, and many others. The users can text other users in Canada and most major cell phone providers in the United States.

Feature Highlights:
* Comfortable and simple User Interface
* Reminders can be set to be delivered at any time (up to a year in advance)
* Pretext reminders for doctors appointment, medication refill.
* Snooze feature, will text up to 3 times after the time alloted. 
* Supports alternative carriers outside the AT&T network

We have had patients in the emergency room complaining that they needed a reminder to take their medications., I decided that using text messages as a reminder would be the ideal way to address this issue." said Dr. Harvey Castro, founder and CEO of Texas based Deep Pocket Series LLC. "The idea came to me when working on his a Love reminder app. "

System Requirements:
* iPhone or iPod touch 2.2.1 or later. * Must have a cellphone available to activate the application.

Pricing and Availability: Pink Reminder 1.0 is only $0.99 (USD) and available for United states and Canada users exclusively through the App Store in the Medical App category. Pink reminder will request a code that is delivered by text to a cellphone. Review copies are available upon request.
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