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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Check It Out With Michael Kelley: The Digital Public Library of America

When it was first proposed, the Digital Public Library of America—a visionary project that aims to make discoverable and accessible online the gems of local library collections nationwide—drew many questions. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-03-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Dell Venue 11 Pro review: Tablet plus accessories makes three good devices

Dell's Venue 11 Pro is the first Atom-powered computer that I can picture as a replacement for my current laptop. With its two optional accessories, this 10.8-inch tablet can transform into either a small notebook or a diminutive all-in-one PC. The two-day battery life—with the optional keyboard... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2014-03-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Learnist Releases App, Debuts Digital Bookstore

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-02-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bodice-ripping Mills & Boon novels? There's an app for that

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[ The Guardian | 2014-02-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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With Latest, Eliot Schrefer Takes YA to Endangered Africa

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-02-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Check Is in the Mail: Patterson Sends over $267,000 to Booksellers

This week James Patterson mailed the first installment of his $1 million pledge to 54 indie booksellers and the NCIBA for California Bookstore Day. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-02-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-02-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon extends Coin use to Android devices

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[ The Bookseller | 2014-02-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Meredith’s latest mobile ad strategy: rewards for taps

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[ Digiday | 2014-02-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Rakuten to buy Internet messaging app Viber for $900 million

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[ PC World | 2014-02-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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VIDEO: Actor's app on Kubrick film

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[ BBC World | 2014-02-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Independent publishers evolve to survive - and thrive

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[ The Bookseller | 2014-02-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-02-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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VSCO Cam app for iOS adds more 'community' features in a bid to take on Instagram

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[ Engadget | 2014-02-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-02-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ PC World | 2014-02-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Editor & Publisher | 2014-02-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-02-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Advertising Age | 2014-02-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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