TremorCheck - an iPhone app that measures the strength and frequency of tremors

Here's a novel iPhone app that may be useful if you're evaluating a patient who has a tremor:

TremorCheck
By DocCheck Medical Services GmbH

TremorCheck applies a clinically and scientifically proven method to measure and analyze human shaking, the so-called tremor. Measurements are made with the iPhone which has a very sensible 3-dimensional sensor measuring acceleration, recording the values of all three directions in space.

TremorCheck calculates a number of values from the measured data:

• Dominant frequencies in Hertz: Number of vibration of the hands per second
• Performance / strength in mWatt: The strength of the shaking
• Amplitude: The maximum deviation of the tremor
• Synchronization: "Steepness" of the peak of dominant frequency

Should you store all your passwords on iCloud?

Apple iPhone users are probably getting excited about all the new features that will be introduced in iOS 7. For example, there is the iCloud Keychain: 

Lots of things you do on the web require passwords. Now iCloud can remember your account names, passwords, and credit card numbers for you. And Safari can enter them automatically whenever you need to sign in to a site or shop online. It works on all your iOS 7 devices and your Mac computers running OS X Mavericks. And with 256-bit AES encryption, it’s highly secure.

Or, how about: Password Generator.
Every time you create an account, you can have Safari generate a unique, hard-to-guess password. And remember it for you.

So, what happens if your iCloud password gets compromised and someone gets access to all these accounts and passwords?

Given that so many people still use the same password for multiple accounts, these new iOS 7 features ought to be beneficial for the average user.

My iPhone 5 replacement story

I purchased my iPhone 5 last October through Verizon. I rarely drop my iPhone and I always carry it in a protective case. My iPhone 5 practically looks brand new when you remove it from the case - no scratches, dents, dings, or other blemishes.

The other day, I noticed that the vibration (vibe) motor had stopped working. So, I took it to my local Apple store and they did something to repair it. I'm still not entirely clear what they did. They replaced the vibe motor but informed me that the problem wasn't the motor. They didn't replace the phone or the circuit board, so I retained all my data.

Then, today I noticed that the vibration had stopped working again! I was frustrated, but a few hours later I noticed that the vibration was working again, so I remained puzzled.

Nevertheless, I took my iPhone 5 to the Apple store because of a different problem: the sleep/wake button wasn't being too responsive. If you press the button on the left corner, it works fairly well. If you press it towards the right corner, it works less than 30% of the time. Failure of the sleep/wake button seems to be reported by other iPhone users. The Apple store replaced my iPhone with a new phone. Thank you Apple.

So, here's the bottom line: if your iPhone is still under warranty and you've noticed that the sleep/wake button isn't as responsive as it used to be, you may qualify for a replacement. Take it to the Apple store. Make an appointment online for the Genius Bar to reduce your wait time.

FDA issues an inquiry letter to mobile medical app uChek urine analyzer

uChek by Biosense Technologies Pvt is a mobile medical app for the iPhone. Originally designed and used in India, Dr Abhishek Sen from the Biosense team said, "If it can work in India, it can work anywhere"

uChek urine analyzer is designed to use the iPhone camera to read urine test strips and analyze the urine for glucose, urobilinogen, pH, ketone, blood, protein, bilirubin, nitrite, leukocyte, and specific gravity.

According to the FDA: The uChek Urine analyzer appears to meet the definition of a device as that term is defined in section 201(h) of the Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act.

The FDA recently issued an inquiry letter to Biosense Technologies Private Limited, saying:

We have conducted a review of our files, and have been unable to identify any Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance number for the uChek Urine analyzer. We request that you provide us with the FDA clearance number for the uChek Urine analyzer. If you do not believe that you are required to obtain FDA clearance for the uChek Urine analyzer, please provide us with the basis for that determination. Please provide the requested information within thirty (30) business days.

This may be the first example of the FDA issuing a letter regarding a mobile medical app/device. Will we see other examples in 2013?

An unusual way to deter iPhone theft

We know that iPhone theft is a major problem. How can we deter thieves from stealing iPhones? One way is to eliminate the market. Eradicate customers who would be willing to knowingly purchase a stolen iPhone. Police say stolen phones bought here are often resold overseas in places like China.

Undercover cops in San Francisco are walking around approaching unsuspecting customers to see if they would be willing to buy a stolen iPhone. When a customer says yes, they make an arrest. It's illegal to buy stolen equipment. You can read about this interesting story on the Huffington Post.

OtterBox rugged iPhone and iPad cases here at the HIMSS conference

Here at HIMSS, you'll find a variety of rugged cases for smartphones and mobile tablets on the exhibit floor. Since these mobile devices are being used so much in the health care setting, it's important to protect them from damage and to have an easy way to sanitize these devices.

OtterBox makes a wide selection of fairly robust cases for the iPhone, the iPad, and most other smartphones and tablets. As I walked through the exhibit hall at the HIMSS conference, I had a chance to play around with some of the newest OtterBox rugged cases including:

• Armor series
• Defender series
• Commuter series

Are you looking for a rugged case for your mobile device? In addition to OtterBox, take a look at the rugged cases made by Griffin, LifeProof, Body Glove, and others.

HIMSS13 coverage is sponsored by HP. HP’s extensive portfolio of products, solutions, services and relationships can help your healthcare organization achieve quality business practices and provide quality patient care.

First Speech-Enabled Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE) App for iPhone and iPad

Wouldn't it be great if you could speak your order into your mobile device? Well, the folks at Intermountain Healthcare will have that luxury soon . Here's a snippet from a press release that came out today:

Franklin, TN – February 22, 2013 – M*Modal, a leading provider of clinical documentation and Speech Understanding™ solutions, today announced an agreement with Intermountain Healthcare to jointly develop innovative mobile technology for speech-enabled Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE), enabling physicians and hospital staff to conversationally order patient medication and other medical functions using iOS® devices, including iPhone® and iPad® mobile digital devices. This mobile application (app) will benefit healthcare providers by allowing physicians to quickly, easily and securely place orders at the point of care.

M*Modal (booth #6647) and Intermountain (booth #1810) will be demonstrating the order entry app for medications at the 2013 HIMSS Conference, being held March 3-7 in New Orleans. Intermountain is an internationally recognized healthcare provider network of 22 hospitals, 185 clinics and an affiliated health insurance company, SelectHealth.

You can learn more about this here.

Apple releases iOS 6.1.2 update

Have you noticed strange problems with your email? How about reduced battery life? Apple just released the iOS 6.1.2 update for the iPhone. I'm installing it now.

SNOMED browser for iPhone

Familiar with SNOMED? Then you may want to get this app for your iPhone:

Dataline Launches New iPhone App for Healthcare Professionals

Dataline Software is proud to announce version 2.0 of Snomobile, the first SNOMED browser for handheld devices. The new version released in January introduces support for the NHS UK extensions, plus enhancement to its search engine.

Brighton, United Kingdom, January 24, 2013 --(PR.com)-- Dataline Software is proud to announce version 2.0 of Snomobile, the first SNOMED browser for handheld devices. This innovative iPhone/iPad App is designed to aid healthcare professionals find and organise SNOMED and CTV3 codes - and provides a variety of techniques to search, sort and retrieve clinical terms. The new version released in January introduces support for the NHS UK extensions, plus enhancement to its search engine.

SNOMED Clinical Terms (CT) is the most comprehensive, multilingual clinical healthcare terminology in the world. It enables Electronic Healthcare Record software to record clinical information in a standard format that allows meaning-based retrieval - providing effective access to information for decision support and consistent reporting and analysis. This facilitates better communication, leading to improvements in the quality of care.

Google Maps is back on the iPhone

As some of us all expected, the official Google Maps app is now available for the iPhone. So, if you're looking for hospitals or medical offices, you shouldn't have any problems finding them on your iPhone. The Maps app by Apple hasn't been too accurate when it comes to identifying hospitals.

The Google Maps app also provides turn-by-turn GPS directions

My iPhone 5 upgrade plan

I've been a Verizon Wireless customer for over 10 years and I'm on a family plan where I manage several lines. Being on a family plan has its advantages - I can transfer an upgrade from one line to another. So, even though I bought my iPhone 4S less than 1 year ago for $199, I'm upgrading to the iPhone 5 for $199 and making a profit by recycling the iPhone 4S through the  Apple Recycling Program for an Apple gift card worth $255. I'll be using that gift card to get

The new iPhone 5 is $199 (+ an upgrade fee of $30 that Verizon started adding). I'm waiting for mine to arrive. In the meanwhile, I'm back to using an old Android smartphone temporarily, but at least I still have Google Maps!

iPhone 5 battery life on 4G?

Here's what I want to know about the iPhone 5: What type of battery life will the iPhone 5 have when you're on the 4G network?

Apple currently claims: Internet use: Up to 8 hours on 3G, up to 8 hours on LTE, up to 10 hours on Wi-Fi

Up to 8 hrs on 3G and 8 hrs on 4G? Wow! Maybe my perspective is very biased because I'm a former HTC ThunderBolt owner. That was the first 4G phone on the Verizon Wireless network and battery life was TERRIBLE when it was using 4G. When you switched it to 3G, battery life was more "normal."

So, I really want to know if the new iPhone 5 will truly have 8 hrs of battery life when you're on 4G. I don't want to know the "up to" battery life. I want to know the average, real-world use battery life that most people can expect to see if they're using the iPhone 5 on 4G.

We'll be seeing the new iPhone 5 on Sept 12

It appears that Apple is getting ready to announce the new iPhone 5 on Sept 12. For many of you, this is the iPhone you've been waiting for: 4G LTE speed, 4" screen, smaller dock connector, a metal back, slimmer design, and much more. Of course, some people will be a bit disappointed because the larger 4" screen is not wider when you're using the device in portrait mode. It's merely "taller." I actually find myself more excited about the possibility of an iPad mini over the new iPhone 5.

The first iPhone was released in 2007 and Apple has released a new or updated model every year. So, we're actually waiting on the 6th version of the iPhone this fall.

Can we expect larger text font on the new iPhone 5?

One of the general complaints I often hear about the iPhone is: "the font is too tiny." That's what you get when you're using a high-resolution display and you only have 3.5" to work with. Compared to Android handsets that use screens as large as 5", the iPhone display is small.

So, what's going to happen when you now have a 4" display? It appears that the screen size is not getting larger - it's getting taller (or wider, depending on your context). In portrait mode, the screen will be taller. In landscape mode, it will be wider. My assumption here is that the text will be roughly the same size when you're viewing emails in portrait mode. When you rotate the screen to landscape, you should expect the text to get larger.

The following video shows you a rumored preview of what the new iPhone 5 might look like:

Get ready for the larger iPhone (4" screen)

Why do I love Android smartphones? You can get them with LARGE screens. 5" is a bit too big, but 4" or even 4.5" is perfect for someone like me. If you need to pull out your reading glasses every time you use your smartphone, then maybe a device with a larger screen is what you need.

I think we can all anticipate a new iPhone that will come with a 4" screen instead of a 3.5" screen.

I've been using an iPhone for the past few months and I find myself constantly missing the larger screen on my HTC Android smartphone.

How do you expect the larger screen to improve your productivity? For me, I hope to spend less time pinching-to-zoom when I'm going through my emails.

My personal iPhone 5 speculations

Everyone is publishing iPhone 5 speculations these days. Larger 4" screen, smaller dock connector, 4G/LTE,  thinner body, etc. So, we know that iOS 6 is coming this fall. Naturally, we're also anticipating the iPhone 5 this fall. Will it be called the iPhone 5 or something else?

Personally, I agree with a few of these rumors. Primarily, I think that we'll see a larger 4" screen and 4G/LTE. Those changes make sense. If the phone ends up being too thin, then it will have terrible battery life on the 4G network.

I'm not entirely sure that I buy the idea behind the smaller dock connector (which closely resembles a micro-USB port in some photos). I think there's a possibility that the new iPhone will have a different dock connector, but I'm not holding my breath on this one. It would make the most sense to go with micro-USB which is now the standard across most of the mobile phone market. However, Apple is different. So, let's wait and see.

In the meanwhile, I'll continue to use my iPhone 4S and I'll keep it in new condition (by keeping it covered) so that I can get ready to put it on eBay if I upgrade this fall.

5 Android features I really miss, now that I'm primarily an iOS user

I continue to use both Android and iOS devices, but recently I switched my primary device: my smartphone. I went from an Android smartphone to an iPhone 4S on the Verizon network. I still use my iPad and my Android tablet, so I'm staying up-to-date with the latest versions of apps.

The iPhone is really nice, but I find myself continuing to miss these key Android features because I've grown so accustomed to the Android way of doing things on a smartphone:

1. The "back" button on Android. This button is the intuitive way to "go back" when you're navigating on such a small screen. On the iPhone, to "go back," you have to tap on different buttons depending on the application you're using. Hence, it's not as intuitive to go back to your previous screen when you're using the iPhone.

2. The "menu" button on Android. Once again, the iPhone has most of its application settings under one place: Settings. Some apps have a separate "settings" button within the app. Once again - not consistent across the different types of apps. On Android, all the app settings are controlled within the app.

5 initial thoughts after switching from Android to the iPhone

I've been an Android smartphone user for several years. I've owned a few different Android smartphones running almost every version of Android. In parallel, I've been an iOS user with an iPod touch and an iPad. So, you can say that I've been living in both worlds.

I recently decided that it was time to make the transition from an Android smartphone to an iPhone. I had been debating this for a while since the iPhone 4S is not on the 4G network. However, I wanted to hang on to my "unlimited data" on Verizon wireless for as long as possible, so I decided to use up my device upgrade and get the iPhone 4S.

Here are a few of my initial impressions:

1. I don't really miss the fact that I no longer have 4G. I'm not a heavy user of uploading/downloading content, plus I can simply switch to Wi-Fi to sync my photos and videos.

2. Compared to most Android smartphones that have larger screens, the font on the iPhone 4S is tiny. The screen on the iPhone is smaller (3.5 inches vs. 4+ inches on Android devices). That 1/2 inch can really make a difference. I find myself pinch-to-zooming more just to read my emails on my iPhone. I never had to zoom to read emails on my Android.

3. Battery life on the iPhone 4S is not sufficient. Then again, most Android smartphones aren't either, but at least you have the option of getting an extended battery. I've concluded that I need to carry my iPhone 4S in a battery case (which adds to bulk and weight).

4. I really miss certain features on my Android. I miss the free GPS turn-by-turn navigation provided by Google Maps. I'm using the MapQuest app on my iPhone, but it's not nearly as nice. GPS navigation is coming in iOS 6, so let's see how that works. I also really miss the fact that my Android had a built-in microSD slot so that I could switch cards and move files around very easily. I also really miss the navigation buttons my Android: Menu, Back, Search. These buttons really improve my productivity and workflow. The Apple iOS is designed to be simple, which is great for most people. Sophisticated users may get frustrated by the simplicity of the Apple iOS. In that regard, I'm probably more like Steve Wozniak and less like Steve Jobs.

5. Finally, it's nice to have access to a wider range of apps on the iPhone. Of course, Android is catching up rather quickly, but Android developers are definitely behind when it comes to professional medical apps. Most popular consumer apps are available on both iOS and Android.

I'm still hanging on to my Android smartphone because I may switch back. I'm going to use the iPhone for a few weeks before I make that final determination. If I decide to go back to Android, the only substantial thing I'll really miss is the inability to carry around an ECG in my pocket (because I carry my iPhone 4S in an AliveCor iPhone ECG case).

I need to get a battery case for my iPhone 4S

I recently made the switch from Android to the iPhone 4S as my daily workhorse smartphone. I've been using iOS devices for years, so I'm familiar with all the apps (because they're already running on my iPod touch and iPad).

After using the iPhone 4S for a few days, I've concluded that I need to get a battery case. The built-in 1,432mAh battery in my iPhone 4S doesn't provide enough power for my type of use and there is no option for a removable or extended battery on the iPhone. I'm frequently using the built-in GPS, taking photos and videos, and doing a lot of uploading/downloading (since I still have unlimited data on Verizon).

So, now I'm on the mission to test a few of the battery cases made for the iPhone 4S. Some are bulkier than others and I don't need the one with the largest battery. So, stay tuned as I give these a spin.

To wait or not to wait (for the next iPhone)... that is the question

I'm currently an Android user, but I think my next smartphone will be the iPhone. I've been on the Verizon network for over 10 years and I would have been an iPhone adopter, but I got stuck with Android. Current Android smartphones offer several advantages to the existing iPhone 4S on Verizon. Namely, the Android smartphones have 4G, they let you talk + surf simultaneously, they have bigger screens, and they offer better wireless hotspot capabilities (if you need such features).

So, I'm somewhat torn and I'm debating whether I should get an iPhone 4S (which I got for my wife about a year ago). Or, should I stick my existing Android smartphone and wait for the next iPhone? I'm sure that one will have 4G, will let you talk + surf simultaneously, and will be a nicer device than the existing iPhone 4S.

The iPhone 4S has one of the best digital camera/camcorder features on a smartphone, and that's another big reason why I feel so compelled to give up my Android. I find myself envying the quality of the photos and videos on my wife's iPhone.

I'm eligible for an upgrade on Verizon. To wait or not to wait... that is the question.

If you're a fan of technology then the new iPhone will be a step above the rest. Sadly without a release date it's hard to decide whether to get a different model or just to wait. If you're wanting a new phone for the meantime there are some great cheap mobile phone deals from Dialaphone.