It has become an article of faith in some health policy circles over the past 20 years that the "solution" for our health care system's woes is to make us better health care consumers -- the so-called consumer-driven movement. After all, we've known for at least forty years that increased cost-sharing does influence how much health care we consume, so, in theory, higher deductibles and coinsurance, plus better cost/quality information, should give us the right incentives to shop. Most health care professionals are equally convinced patients aren't, and are never going to be, "consumers" in any meaningful sense. Health care is too scary, relies on too much specialized information, and is too often "consumed" at times when we are least able to make thoughtful decisions...
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Patients Are Not Consumers...But Who Is?
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Pentagon App Store Is Open, But The Shelves Are Pretty Bare
The Defense Information Systems Agency’s new Mobile Applications Store is open for business, but don’t expect to shop there for military-grade killer software...But of the 19 apps available in the store as of April 30, only one is a unique military application—DoD Safe Helpline...
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Pentagon Approves Use Of Samsung Android And New BlackBerry Devices
The Defense Department has approved the Android Knox smartphone made by Samsung and new BlackBerry smartphones and tablets running Enterprise Service 10 software for use on its networks. Read More »
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Phablet, Schmablet: Let's Refocus On Real Innovation
Last night, Samsung delivered a flash-mob style performance in Times Square ahead of its Galaxy 4S device unveiling tonight at Radio City Music Hall. Literally, turning the U.S. wireless communication competition into a circus... Read More »
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Pharma, Data Veteran Stephen Friend Bites At Apple’s Health Offer
Consumer tech giant Apple, which has spent considerable effort positioning its products as health and fitness helpers, has just hired someone who knows Big Pharma and Big Data. Stephen Friend, a veteran of drug R&D and, more recently, a nonprofit effort to foster more collaborative biomedical research and more data sharing, is joining Apple in an unspecified capacity. The news emerged today from Sage Bionetworks, the Seattle nonprofit that Friend founded after leaving drug giant Merck, where he was a senior research executive for eight years...
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Post-PC Microsoft Signs Its Death Warrant -- With An iPad
A leaked report claims Microsoft [MSFT] intends bringing Office to Apple [AAPL] iPads -- but not until 2014. Meanwhile IDC informs us that PC sales have slumped to a 20-year low. Microsoft's refusal to follow trend means it has signed its own death warrant, and here's why: Read More »
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Red Hat CEO: Go Ahead, Copy Our Software
While most companies fight copycats, Red Hat embraces its top clone, CentOS. Here's how that helps it fight real enemies like VMware. Read More »
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Regardless Of Latest Verdict, Samsung Has Already Won The Battle With Apple
The jury is still out on the latest Apple-Samsung patent trial, but Samsung has already won the larger battle...For all its legal victories, including a roughly $1 billion verdict in the last patent trial, Samsung has continued to grow its share of the smartphone market, both in the U.S. and globally.
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Rotten To The Core: Apple Stole The Idea And Name For Their New HealthKit App From Us, Claim Australian Tech Designers
...An Australian start-up company is considering launching legal action against US tech giant Apple, alleging it stole the name it trades under for a mobile app...
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Rwanda: Smartphones Still Not Fully Exploited in Rwanda
Siri has limitations [in Rwanda]...With increased penetration of smartphones, thanks to the fact that relatively cheap models are now becoming available, it is a pity and a nuisance that some of these quite useful apps are not available. And it can be pretty basic, too. iPhone owners, for example, will know the frustration that when one of their contacts sends them an SMS, what appears on the screen will be the number of that person, not his name - what is known as "ID mismatch."
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Sage Bionetworks Releases First-of-its-Kind Data from Parkinson’s iPhone Study
Sage Bionetworks, a nonprofit biomedical research organization, today released an unparalleled dataset that captures the everyday experiences of more than 9,500 people to help speed scientific progress toward treatments for people with Parkinson’s disease. The dataset, which consists of millions of data points collected on a nearly-continuous basis through the iPhone app mPower, will provide researchers with unprecedented insight into the daily changes in symptoms and effects of medication for people with Parkinson’s.
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Samsung's New Weapon Against Apple: Its Own Developer Conference
Samsung hopes to woo developers away from Apple right in its backyard. Read More »
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Say Goodbye to Your Smartwatch
Just because Steve Wozniak takes a shot at Apple doesn't mean he's wrong. Woz recently declared that the current generation of wearables, including the Apple Watch, are "not a compelling purchase." He says that his Apple Watch is "an expense that has brought me a few extra niceties in my life," but generally is frustrated that wearables don't have enough computing power and are mostly still dependent on a linked smartphone for many of their functions. He's not alone in his skepticism. A trio of analysts from Pacific Coast Securities see trouble ahead for many wearable manufacturers, as "value creation shifts away from the thing itself, while the associated ecosystem, software and/or service tend to deliver the real intelligence that the things provide"...
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Seeking Prior Art Where It Most Often Is Found In Software
Open Invention Network plans to mine open source projects for patent busters Read More »
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Smartphone Operating Systems: The Rise Of Android, The Fall Of Windows
While Android and Apple's iOS continue to rise, the arrival of Windows Phone 8 actually saw Microsoft's share of the smartphone market fall. The race for the number three smartphone operating system is wide open. Read More »
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