The marketplace of smartphone apps - whitepaper by research2guidance

Research2guidance has released a complimentary whitepaper titled, "Whitepaper: Smartphone App Market 2013"

Some findings include:

While Apple’s market share of app downloads constantly fell from 81% in 2008 to 39% at the end of 2012, Android’s app downloads increased year over year reaching 42% at the end of 2012.

Microsoft, BlackBerry, Firefox, Ubuntu or Jolla have come up with fresh and new app platforms which will challenge the two market leaders.

About research2guidance:

research2guidance is a Berlin-based mobile app economy specialist. The company’s service offerings include app strategy consulting, market studies and research.

Where is Windows Phone going?

I find myself wondering what the mobile folks are doing at Microsoft. Where is Windows Phone going? How will it differentiate itself from iOS or Android to really make a significant impact? Windows Phone 8 resembles Windows 8 in many ways. But, that's not going to be enough to get people to switch. Windows Phone is an elegant OS, but right now there are not enough apps for Windows Phone. This is especially true if you look at professional medical apps for medical students, residents, and physicians.

My mobile ecosystem uses so many cloud-based apps that I work in a device-agnostic fashion. I can grab almost any device - iOS, Android, Windows 8 - and get my work done. I have access to all my critical files and my applications.

Perhaps eventually we will all work like this. If we rely on web apps that are running on any web browser, then the issue of native apps will become irrelevant. However, the native app vs. web app (HTML5) debate will probably never end in my lifetime, so I will find myself testing and playing around with a wide variety of mobile devices to keep up with them.

Heritage Open mHealth Challenge

Heritage Provider Network (HPN), in collaboration with the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and Open mHealth, are pleased to launch an open challenge that will seek submissions demonstrating innovative uses of the Open mHealth architecture, and the power of integrating mobile applications and data for more effective management of clinical conditions.



While thousands of mobile and web applications have been developed for different health conditions, a fundamental issue is that these applications are developed independently and are not easily integrated into a coherent user experience or clinical tool. Someone who may need to manage several conditions -- such as congestive heart failure, COPD and diabetes – could use several applications to help them manage each condition, but would find it difficult to co-ordinate their use and gain the deeper level of insights that would come from integrating the data collected. The goal of the Open mHealth architecture is to allow patients and clinicians to combine existing and emerging applications and devices to create integrated, personalized health solutions that enable improved disease management and better health outcomes.

Open mHealth is a non-profit organization that is a project of the Tides Center and a recipient of lead funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Pioneer Portfolio. Open mHealth also receives in-kind development support from the Center for Embedded Network Sensing, Cornell NYC Tech, and a growing developer community.

Learn more about the Heritage Open mHealth Challenge here.

RWJF Announces $200,000 Developer Challenge

Winning software developers will receive cash awards to create game applications to improve personal and community health

Princeton, N.J. – The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) has announced an Aligning Forces for Quality (AF4Q) $200,000 Games to Generate Data Challenge—a competition among technology developers to create game applications that generate useful health care quality data to improve health and health care.

research2guidance looks at enterprise mobile apps

The following is a research2guidance press release about enterprise mobile apps:

Enterprise mobile apps: 200.000 in stores, but only 14% address core enterprise needs
The number of enterprise-relevant apps has doubled from 100.000 to 200.000 over the past 12 months (Q1 2011 to Q1 2012).

There will definitely be a market for mobilizing core enterprise functions, like sales and services. “What we see today is just the tip of the iceberg. There will be lot more innovations within the next 2-3 years” states Ralf-Gordon Jahns research director at research2guidance who just released their “Enterprise Mobile App Status Report 2012”.

Following the successful adoption of customer-focused mobile applications, companies are increasingly deploying mobile apps to connect to partners and employees.

A nice list of hematology/oncology mobile apps by @mtmdphd

Michael A. Thompson, MD, PhD, (@mtmdphd) is Medical Director, Cancer Research ProHealth Care Regional Cancer Center.

He has posted his personal list of favorite hematology/oncology mobile apps on ASCO Connection. You can read his commentary here.

Mobile app rating system based on content and context

CTIA-THE WIRELESS ASSOCIATION® AND ESRB ANNOUNCE MOBILE APPLICATION RATING SYSTEM

Provides Parents and Consumers Reliable Information about Age-Appropriateness of Applications Based on Content and Context

WASHINGTON, D.C. – CTIA-The Wireless Association® and the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) today announced a newly-developed rating system that six mobile application storefronts will voluntarily support as part of their application submission (or onboarding) process. The CTIA Mobile Application Rating System with ESRB will utilize the well-known and trusted age rating icons that ESRB assigns to computer and video games to provide parents and consumers reliable information about the age-appropriateness of applications. Today’s announcement is an extension of CTIA’s 2010 Guidelines for Application Content Classification and Rating.

My list of 25 free essential Android apps

I just wiped out my smartphone and I was going through the process of installing apps all over again. I decided that I would share my list of 25 free apps that I'm running on my smartphone.

I'm not including apps that are built-in like Maps, Facebook, Gmail, etc. I'm only listing apps that you have to download and install through the Android market.

Here's my list of 25 free essential Android apps:

1. Advanced Task Killer
2. Alarm Clock Plus
3. Astro 
4. Battery Indicator
5. Bible
6. Blogger
7. Business Calendar Free
8. Chrome to Phone
9. Documents To Go
10. Doximity
11. Epocrates
12. Google Docs
13. Google Voice
14. LinkedIn
15. Medscape
16. OI Safe
17. OI Shopping List
18. OpenTable
19. Opera Mobile
20. QuantiaMD
21. RealCalc
22. Technology Review
23. TweetDeck
24. Uninstaller
25. WeatherBug

So, that's my list. Every time I get a new phone, I install these apps. 

Submit your mobile health idea to Rock Health

Do you have a mobile health idea or startup that’s working to solve a health-related issue? Apply to join Rock Health, a group of dedicated individuals working to catalyze innovation in the interactive health space, and gain to access our unrivaled community of experts and seed-accelerator program.

Rock Health is the first seed-accelerator exclusively for health startups, providing capital, mentorship, operational support and office space in San Francisco.

Here's what they can offer:

• $20,000 startup grant to each team
• Expert medical support from the Mayo Clinic Center for Innovation, Harvard Medical School, UCSF, and Cincinnati Childrens Hospital
• Mentorship and weekly workshops from experts in design, health policy, lean startup methodology, financing, and more
• Office space in San Francisco
• Office hours with startup counsel lawyer Michael Esquivel and legal workshops with the Fenwick team
• Design strategy, workshop, and office hours with Cooper Design
• Support from our in-house staff
• A passionate community of like-minded individuals solving meaningful problems

You can submit your idea to Rock Health here.

I'm diving into the world of Quantified Self (QS) monitoring with my smartphone

Are you familiar with the Quantified Self (QS) movement?

After attending the Medicine 2.0 conference where I learned more about the Quantified Self (QS) community, I've decided that I want to get a QS device and I want to start tracking some of my own biometrics so that I can share that information with the QS community. When I exercise at the gym, I usually wear a Polar heart rate monitor, but that's about the extent of collecting quantifiable biometric data on myself.

There are a number of QS devices out there ranging from clips, arm bands, keychains, and watches. Which one should I get? Should I wait for some of these newer devices to get released? Or, maybe I'll end up using 2-3 of them simultaneously. That's my style of testing devices. That wouldn't be a true comparative study, but it would give me some qualitative data on these different digital tools.

Stay tuned. I'll share more information as I research QS devices and pick one (or two) out. Several of these QS devices communicate via Bluetooth with your smartphone. There are a variety of apps available on the iPhone and Android for some of the major QS devices. I plan to test some of these over the coming weeks, so stay tuned. One of the first devices I plan to test is the BodyMedia FIT armband that has Bluetooth so that I can use my smartphone to track my biometrics. The BodyMedia FIT will help you track:

• Total Calories Burned
• Total Steps Taken
• Total Time Spent In Physical Activity
• Sleep Duration and Efficiency

You can learn more about the BodyMedia FIT armband here.

Institute for e-Health Policy Turns to Mobile Apps

This came out recently from HIMSS:

Institute for e-Health Policy Turns to Mobile Apps

The Institute for e-Health Policy held its seventh event of this year on July 28th at the Russell Senate Building in Washington, DC. The event, “Rapidly Advancing Mobile and Wireless Applications Toward Improved Chronic Disease Management,” focused on the latest advancements in mobile and wireless applications that aimed at improving chronic disease management.

Build Android Apps Free with 4 New Templates from iBuildApp

iBuildapp.com just release 4 new app templates including one for small business, restaurants, musicians, and E-book publishers. The apps are free to build and are available for a variety of mobile platforms.

Foster City, CA (PRWEB) August 02, 2011

iBuildApp presents four new, amazing, free and professional app templates for small business. With the apps, it’s simple to build Android apps, with no programming skills. The apps can also be built for the iPhone and Andriod phones.

Go to http://www.iBuildApp.com to try out the new templates.

4 new templates on iBuildApp include:

1. Mobile App for Restaurants and Bars
Simple and elegant, this design is perfect for any restaurant or bar. Impress your clients before they walk in the door. Include menus, take reservations, or post pictures of dishes.
2. Mobile App for Musicians
Anyone can build an app to let their fans listen to and follow their music. Add videos, songs and concert dates. Also tie a blog into the iPhone App.
3. Mobile App for E-book Publishers
Publish your book on iPhone! Tell your story and stay connected with your readers.
4. Mobile App for Small Business
With this mobile app a small business can tell their customers everything they need to know about the business.

Happtique

Happtique is the first mobile application store developed by healthcare professionals for healthcare professionals. Happtique offers healthcare enterprises—like hospitals, continuing care facilities, and physician practices—the ability to create individually branded, secure substores that support employee and patient mobile technology use.

Founded in 2010, Happtique is powered by AppCentral™, a mobile application management company.

Build an iPhone or Android app: no programming skills required

Here's an interesting press release that came out last week.

iBuildApp Announces New Android App Creator
Now anyone can build an iPhone or Android app free then submit it to an app store with no programming skills required.

San Mateo, CA (PRWEB) June 09, 2011

iBuildApp announced today a new Android app creator called Android Builder. The tool simplifies creating an iPhone and Android apps for smartphones.

The iPhone solution has been live for a few months and has over 10,000 users. Small and large businesses can now easily create apps for Android devices without the need to hire expensive developers.

New ways to find mobile apps on the Android Market

A few weeks ago, Google shared 5 new ways you can find some great mobile apps for your Android smartphone. Here are those 5 ways (from the Google Mobile Blog):

• New top app charts - We’ve revamped our top app charts to be fresher and country-specific, so you get the most current, relevant results. We’ve also added top new free, top new paid, and top grossing lists, all right on the Android Market home page.
• Editors’ Choice - These are some of the very best apps available for Android, as chosen by the Android Market staff. They span everything from games to productivity and beyond.
• Top Developers - We’re also recognizing those developers creating the highest quality, most popular, and most notable apps available on Android Market. They’ll get a special icon on our Android Market website, appearing wherever the developer name is shown, starting today for an initial set of over 150 developers.
• Better related apps - On the left side of an app page, you’ll now see two groups of related apps: apps frequently browsed by people who viewed this app, and apps that people tend to install alongside this app. For example, people who view ScoreMobile, my favorite sports score app, often also view other sports score apps, while those who install ScoreMobile tend to also install apps for specific sports leagues or teams. We’ll also show you related apps once you decide to install an app.
• Trending apps - Finally, we’ve added a new section to the Android Market homepage showing trending apps – those apps that are quickly growing in daily installs. Look here to stay ahead of the curve and find new apps as they get hot.

Read more on the Google Mobile Blog.

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.

Top mobile apps for health IT students and professionals

Healthcare IT News has a story about the top mobile apps for health IT students and professionals. They interviewed Hertencia Bowe, the national health information management program coordinator for Rasmussen College about mobile apps that can help health IT professionals be "more knowledgeable, prepared and organized when they're on the job."

Here are the top 10 apps that she recommends for health IT students and professionals:

1. Drug Flashcards
2. New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM)
3. Awesome Note
4. ToodleDo
5. Living Medical Textbooks
6. Dragon Medical Search
7. mSecure Password Manager
8. Google Fusion Tables and health data
9. ICD 9
10. Skyscape Medical Resources 

To read the entire story on Healthcare IT News, click here.

Personally, I think this is a fair list, but it doesn't include some of the most popular medical apps like Epocrates or Medscape. Then again, health IT students and professionals may not need to access clinical apps as frequently as medical professionals. However, if you're doing to include apps like NEJM and Skyscape in this list, then we shouldn't forget about others like Epocrates, Medscape, Unbound Medicine, PEPID, etc. I realize that it's difficult to limit a list of "top apps" to 10 apps when some of these apps also overlap in terms of content and functionality. 

I was also a bit surprised that Healthcare IT News published this story and this list of apps when it doesn't even include their own Healthcare IT News app! (I suppose they didn't want the story to appear to be too self-promoting. You could include the Fierce Markets app to provide some fair balance).

15 iPhone Apps for Medical Professionals

Author: Bailey Harris.

There are many different medical-related apps for the iPhone. Some of the best are either free or low-cost and include multiple features that can be used throughout the day. Here are 15 apps that almost any medical professional would find helpful.

mHealth apps: 8 reasons why it matters for Pharma

The following is from research2guidance:

The pharmaceutical industry is one of the world’s largest. The market has always been cash-rich, as it needs to be given the investment required to continue the research and development behind the medical advances which have made such a difference to humanity, but nonetheless increasing pressure from regulators, thin pipelines and the patent cliff which has seen the rise of generics is a threat to continued prosperity. Innovative business models will help pharmaceutical manufacturers to remain competitive amidst these challenges.

mHealth market and mobile apps market

The potential of mHealth solutions has been discussed for many years, but only recently, with the advent of the new smartphone application based mHealth model, have pharmaceutical companies begun to realize how mobile services might be instrumental in the development of exciting innovations in their own businesses.


Why mobile apps matter to pharma

We see 8 good reasons why smartphone apps matter to Pharma:

1.      Potential reach:  Today the smartphone and mHealth markets are still small, but enormous growth rates will enable pharma companies to reach out to every 5th citizen on earth in 2015. Most of these smartphone users will be in developed countries with above average private healthcare spending. The mobile screen, particularly that of the smartphone, will become after the television and computer the third screen via which to communicate with customers and patients.

To Do (tasks) apps for Android

The Android Marketplace now has over 100,000 apps. The App Store has grown very rapidly and continues to expand at a phenomenal pace. The other day, I wanted to explore some "to do" apps so that I could do a better job managing all my daily tasks. I'm currently playing with these 3 free Android task apps:

• Taskos
• Astrid Task
• GTasks

I'm going to start with these 3 and see where they take me. Some of these "to do" apps will synchronize with Google Tasks so that you can view and manage your To Do list on your smartphone and on your computer.