An app to check your cholesterol is the latest way smartphones are evolving into medical devices

On mobile phones, health, and fitness are rapidly becoming big business. The latest idea? A concept from researchers at Cornell which demonstrates how your phone could be used to check your cholesterol levels, no visit to the lab required. In a paper published in the medical technology journal Lab on a Chip, the researchers describe a simple test strip that users drop a bit of blood on. You then snap a photo of this strip (using a special flash diffuser to correct for light levels) and use an app to analyze the results. Because blood changes colors ever so slightly based on the amount of cholesterol in it, the app can determine your cholesterol level through a simple image analysis of the picture of the test strip. That's good news, since Yahoo! reports that up to 60 percent of American adults suffer from high cholesterol. Presumably a good portion of them aren't even aware of it and don't want to undertake the hassle of a doctor visit. As Bloomberg Businessweek notes in the above story, cholesterol testing is hardly the first example of a medical or health-related technology being developed into app form. Today's app-based heart rate monitors make old-fashioned finger clips look like medieval gear, and you can now download an app that diagnoses what's wrong with your sleep patterns. Expectant mothers can get a daily report on their fetus's development, and that's not even mentioning the scads of apps that let you manage your workout and diet routines. Medical related... Continue reading at 'PC World'

[ PC World | 2013-12-21 00:00:00 UTC ]

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This Week in Children's Apps: July 10, 2014

This week in children's apps, we feature apps from the world of Dr. Seuss and Little Critter that explore shapes, holidays, and what life is like on the farm. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-07-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon's Latest Proposal Rankles Hachette and Authors

The acrimony between Amazon and Hachette does not appear to waning. And their battle, over ebook sales terms, continues to play out in newspaper headlines. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-07-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Check it Out with Michael Kelley: The Rise in Digital Pricing

Pricing has always been a sensitive topic for publishers and libraries, dating back to the advent of “big deal” style e-journal packages and the so-called serials crisis. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-07-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Houghton Unveils Educational App for iPad, Chrome OS

Houghton Miffllin Harcourt is releasing the HMH Player, an interactive educational app designed for the iPad and Google’s Chrome OS that allows teachers to access HMH school content, customize materials and communicate and collaborate with students. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-07-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New mobile app for Milwaukee taxis challenges disruptive competitors

Facing industry pressure from mobile ride-booking applications Uber Technologies Inc. and Lyft Inc., American United Taxi Services is pushing back with an app of its own. "TAXIMKE" is designed with its competitors' concept in mind: order, book and track a taxi through your smartphone. Unlike... Continue reading at Silicon Valley Business Journal

[ Silicon Valley Business Journal | 2014-06-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The real 'fire' in Amazon's smartphone? A shopping spree

You’d be forgiven for thinking Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos wants to compete with other phone makers with his company’s new Fire smartphone. But forget the multiple cameras and pretty 3-D-like effects, the device is really about selling more stuff.The Fire comes with close ties to Amazon’s online... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2014-06-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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7 Crowdfunded Comics to Check Out

Seven new and notable comics-related projects that are worthy of attention—or support, including "transmedia" storytelling, a "Cringe"-worthy collection, Tezuka on Mars, and the truth behind the fall of Rome. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-06-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Lonely Planet to evolve children's list

Lonely Planet is relaunching its children’s list, Not for Parents, as a cross-platform... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-06-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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RosettaBooks Debuts Mobile E-book App

E-book publisher RosettaBooks is launching an interactive e-reading app for mobile phones and tablets that allows consumers to buy an inventory of backlist classics from Rosetta's retail partners. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-06-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This Week in Children's Apps: June 5, 2014

This week we feature an app from Moonbot Studios, founded by picture book artist William Joyce, and another app approved by the folks at the Smithsonian. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-06-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Disney's Frozen Coming to Messaging Apps in Sticker Form

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[ AdWeek | 2014-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Wowio Launches New Mobile App

The mobile version of its ebook distribution platform will have more than 350,000 titles from IngramBooks. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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For Soothing Relief, Dr. Oz Loves iPad Apps

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[ AdWeek | 2014-05-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This Week in Children's Apps: May 22, 2014

This week in children's apps, we feature apps with familiar characters who go on two different kinds of explorations—one of the alphabet, and the other of the ocean's waters. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This Week in Children's Apps: May 8, 2014

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Joy of Cooking' App Unveiled

Scribner, which publishes the iconic cookbook "The Joy of Cooking," has gone digital with the title. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Thrillbent 3.0 Debuts Subscription, iPad App

Thrillbent, the digital comics platform launched by comics writers Mark Waid and John Rogers, has been upgraded to Thrillbent 3.0, introducing a new subscription plan for $3.99 per month as well as an integrated iPad app. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2014-04-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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