Month: May 2017

Apple appears to be working on blood glucose monitoring as a way to address Type 2 Diabetes

Dan Uff May 22, 2017 0

“Apple appears to be working on blood glucose monitoring as a way to address Type 2 Diabetes,” Jean-Louis Gassée writes for Monday Note. “‘Glucose monitoring’ is a code word for fighting the growing scourge of Type 2 Diabetes. Unlike Type 1 Diabetes, which is unpreventable, the Type 2 variety is, to be polite, a ‘lifestyle’ disease, meaning we eat too much and don’t exercise enough. (As usual, the French are more brutal: for them, Type 2 is Diabète gras, Fat Diabetes).

“A 2016 Harvard School of Public Health study places the global cost of Type 2 Diabetes at $825B per year and growing,” Gassée writes. “Devices that tell you your blood sugar concentration, once the province of the lab, have moved into the home. With just a minuscule drop of blood — as little as .3 microliter — you can get an answer in seconds. The subject is immediately alerted to an anomalous rise in blood sugar, a circumstance that could result in limb amputation, blindness, and kidney failure if left untreated. But drawing blood, even in minute quantities, is painful, and pain, or fear of it, limits acceptance.”

“This leads us back to the rumor[s and reports] that Apple is getting into the blood sugar monitoring business,” Gassée writes. “Put the pieces together and this is what we have: The Type 2 Diabetes epidemic has created a broad (pardon the heartless expression) ‘consumer base.’ Apple is serious about blood glucose monitoring. The glucose monitor would be a separate device, an accessory to the Watch. And it would be ‘bloodless.'”

Read more in the full article here.

Press Release: Nike announces new Apple Watch bands that work with new running shoes

Dan Uff May 22, 2017 1

In April of this year, Apple and NikeLab launched the limited edition Apple Watch NikeLab. Today, Apple and Nike take their partnership a stride further, with four new Nike Sport Bands for Apple Watch Nike+ in colorways inspired by the Nike Air VaporMax Flyknit "Day to Night" collection.

The "Day to Night" collection celebrates runners whenever they choose to run – at twilight, sunset and everything in between. Each of the colors is inspired by a shade of the sky, from dawn to dusk, and allows runners to – for the first time – make a statement by matching their Apple Watch Nike+ bands to their footwear.

Nike Sport Bands are crafted from a strong, flexible fluoroelastomer material that is lightweight and perforated for ventilation and sweat management.

The four new Nike Sport Bands are priced at US$49.00 each and are available starting June 1 on nike.com and at select Nike retail stores, and early June from apple.com, Apple Stores, select Apple Authorized Resellers and select specialty stores and department stores.

Alexa, Show me Mom

Dan Uff May 22, 2017 0

(AARP.com): Amazon is upgrading its popular Echo smart speaker, adding features — including a screen that supports video chats and video phone calls — that may make the digital personal assistant more attractive to older consumers and those who care for them.

The newest iteration of Echo, called the Echo Show, sports a seven-inch screen that lets users make and receive Wi-Fi video calls with others who own the device or who have the Amazon Alexa app installed on their smartphone.

There’s also a feature called drop-in, which allows preselected users to video in to another person’s device at any time. Users will create a list of people who have permission to do such video drop-ins to their device, and any unexpected video calls using the feature will be preceded by a 10-second “frosted glass” image in order to, theoretically at least, avoid popping in on embarrassing situations.

Though some reports have referred to drop-ins as “slightly unsettling,” for friends and family members who could use it to check in on faraway (or even just across town) older relatives and loved ones who live by themselves, the feature, if implemented and used correctly, could be hugely useful.

Echo Show will be officially released June 28 and is available now for preorder. It’s priced at $229; for a limited time you can buy two for $360. In addition to video calls, its screen allows users to call up video news briefings and YouTube and Amazon Prime videos using just voice commands.

The new screen will also display your daily calendar entries and answers to questions posed by the users, such as driving directions or movie showtimes, that may be easier to follow by reading rather than listening. And the device, like its predecessors, offers games, news and information, smart home integration and — since it’s tied in to your Amazon account — the ability to place your Amazon orders using only your voice.

Since Amazon launched Echo, the smart speaker market has gotten more crowded. Google debuted Google Home last year, and there are rumors that Apple has plans to release a Siri Speaker soon.

But Echo Show, with its video chat capabilities, keeps Amazon a bit ahead of the game. And it’s not the only recent enhancement that has broadened the appeal and reach of the Amazon Echo. The device received little fanfare upon its initial release in late 2014 but proved surprisingly popular: The Echo Dot, a mini, hockey puck-sized version of the original cylindrical speaker, was one of the most-sought-out tech devices during the 2016 holiday shopping season.

Last month, Amazon also introduced the Echo Look, which includes a built-in camera that photographs a user’s outfit and offers fashion advice. And this week, Amazon unveiled its new Alexa-enabled Element 4K smart television, which also features the Amazon Fire TV streaming services baked right in.