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Smart phone app can now diagnose you for skin cancer

A mobile phone app that allows people to analyse their moles for cancer risk is a good tool, but should not be relied on in isolation, the Cancer Society of New Zealand warns.

Skin Scan, an application for iPhones, allows users to take photos of their moles and find out whether they are likely to be cancerous.

Released by Romanian company Cronian Labs, the technology

can be downloaded for $5.49.

The Cancer Society of New Zealand has applauded the technology as a way of reminding people to look after their skin and seek medical help for any changes to the appearance of moles.

Using specific mathematical algorithms, the tool calculates the mole’s shape and surrounding skin by building a structural map to reveal tissue growth patterns that help to identify abnormal developments.

It also takes into account the user’s age and gender.

It returns with a green, yellow or red result – showing whether the lesion is a low, medium or high risk of being cancerous.

Cancer Society health promotion manager Dr Jan Pearson tried the device and was impressed that it included the recommendation of visiting a doctor, but said more could be done for consumers.

“It listed some doctors’ surgeries, but not many. It’s designed more for an Australian market.”

But it also stores photos, so any changes to the mole over time can be monitored.

Pearson said that’s what people need to be aware of most, for everyone’s skin looks different.

“For melanoma, which is the most serious skin cancer, there are a number of different things that might be a melanoma. There’s a whole range of changes.”

But while the application makes it easier for people to monitor their moles, they should not rely on the technology alone, Pearson said.

“It could miss stuff, so my advice would be that if you’ve noticed any changes, see a doctor.

“You do need to detect it early.”

Those more at risk of developing skin cancer – particularly people with a number of moles, who have been seriously sunburnt in the past, or who have a family history of melanoma – should be extra careful, she said.

“Get someone to check the areas you can’t see yourself.

“That’s one of the things with skin cancer is you can see it.”

Specific changes to be wary of were a changed or new freckle, a mole which won’t heal, a spot which looks different from those around it and a spot which has changed size, shape or colour within the last few months.

One pitfall with the application was that it was not compatible with all iPhone cameras, because older models did not provide the quality image required.

“I tried it with an iPhone 3 and the camera wasn’t good enough, but I might have another play,” Pearson said.

“We’d be cautious to recommend it, but hopefully, it will make people more aware that they have to look after their skin and look for any changes.”

Monday, January 23, 2012

ARE WE ON THE WAY TO A DOCTOR SMARTPHONE?

Burg Neon watch phones launch at CES

Despite the fact that it’s getting more and more difficult to find someone who doesn’t carry a smartphone with them at all times, the notion of the Dick Tracy style watch phone isn’t dead yet. In the past few years, we’ve seen examples from companies such as LG, Samsung, Hyundai and Orange, just to name a few. This week at CES, watchmaker Burg officially added its Neon line of watch phones to that list by announcing two models that will be coming to the U.S. market.

Sourced & published by Henry Sapiecha

Liquipel nanocoating adds invisible waterproof coating to mobile devices

We all know that water and mobile electronic devices aren’t a good mix. But living on a world whose surface is around 70 percent water can sometimes make it hard to keep the two separate. While wrapping your device in a waterproof case will provide protection, they add bulk and can sometimes affect usability. California-based company Liquipel claims to have developed a hydrophobic nanocoating one thousand times thinner than a human hair that can be applied to a smartphone to protect it from accidental spills without affecting its functionality.

Sourced & published by Henry Sapiecha

SMART PHONE APP HELPS FIND YOUR LOST DOG VIA COLLAR FITTED

GEODOG GPS-enabled collar lets you find your dog using your smartphone
We’ve all experienced that moment of panic when we open the back door to let the dog inside only to find that he’s not there. Technology has provided a solution to this dilemma with GPS tracking devices designed specifically for our four-legged friends entering the market in recent years, but this offering from GEODOG claims to improve on those that have gone before with a new slimline design that’s shockproof, waterproof, user-friendly and unobtrusive.

NOKIA LUMIA 900 SMARTPHONE LATEST RELEASE

Hands on with the Nokia Lumia 900 at CES

More from CES 2012, Sin City, where we’ve briefly had a chance to get familiar with the Nokia Lumia 900, the Finnish corporation’s sacrificial offering at the increasingly cluttered LTE altar to the gods of 4G. The Windows smartphone features a large 4.3-inch AMOLED touchscreen, 8-megapixel camera with a wide-angle Carl Zeiss lens and seven hours of talk time, according to Nokia. First impressions? Really rather good, actually.

Sourced & published by Henry Sapiecha

SMARTPHONE RELEASE IN EUROPE SLOW IN MOVING BECAUSE OF ECONOMY DOLDRUMS

(Reuters) – Weakening economies and falling prices of rival smartphones are hurting sales of Apple iPhones across Europe, data from research firm Kantar Worldpanel ComTech showed on Thursday.

The October roll-out of Apple’s iPhone 4S boosted its position in Britain and United States, but the new phones failed to excite interest in continental Europe, where Apple’s share of the fast-growing smartphone market slipped.

The smartphone industry is dominated by Google, which has stormed the market with its free Android platform.

“In Great Britain, the U.S. and Australia, Apple’s new iPhone continues to fly off the shelf in the run-up to Christmas. However, this trend is far from universal,” said Dominic Sunnebo, global consumer insight director.

Apple’s market share in the 12 weeks to end-November rose to 36 percent in the United States from 25 percent a year earlier and in Britain to 31 percent from 21 percent, Kantar said.

However, in France its share slipped to 20 percent from 29 percent and in Germany to 22 percent from 27 percent. Similar drops were seen in Italy and Spain.

“The French market is showing increasing signs of price sensitivity,” Sunnebo said.

In part, the European sales of the expensive Apple model were hit by weakening economies across the continent.

Euro zone GDP grew just 0.2 percent in the third quarter and most economists expect it to contract in the fourth and also in the first three months of next year, sending the bloc back into recession after its two-year recovery from the worst global financial crisis since the 1930s.

The euro zone’s own crisis with government debt has scared off investment and eaten into business and consumer confidence, particularly since August when investors intensified their scrutiny of the bloc’s problems.

European consumers are keeping a lid on their expenses as government spending cuts and job losses deprive companies of demand for goods and crush exports.

Google had market shares of between 46 and 61 percent in all markets. Cellphone makers like Samsung Electronics, Sony Ericsson, LG Ericsson and Motorola Mobility all use its Android platform in their phones.

“In Germany, Android achieved a dominant 61 percent share of smartphone sales in the latest 12 weeks, with the Samsung Galaxy S II the top selling handset,” Sunnebo said

Sourced & published by Henry Sapiecha

A brief three-page contract  establishing Apple has sold for $US1.59 million at Sotheby’s auction house in New York.

A phone bidder acquired the document, signed on April 1, 1976, by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne. The price, which includes the buyer’s premium, soared past the estimated presale range of $US100,000 to $US150,000.

The contract was initially owned by Wayne, who met Jobs while working at Atari Inc. Wozniak, a friend of Jobs, worked at Hewlett-Packard Co. Jobs enlisted Wayne to persuade Wozniak to join Apple. His success in doing so earned Wayne a 10 per cent share in the new company.

Eleven days after signing the contract, Wayne withdrew from the partnership… The move is documented by a County of Santa Clara, California, statement and an amendment to the contract, both of which were included in the Sotheby’s lot. Wayne received $US800 for relinquishing his 10 per cent ownership of Apple, according to the document. He subsequently received an additional payment of $US1500, according to Sotheby’s.

Based on Apple’s market capitalisation today, Wayne’s 10 per cent stake would be valued at more than $US36 billion.

Jobs died at 56 on October 5.

In an October 7 interview with Bloomberg, Wayne, 77, called Wozniak and Jobs “intellectual giants”, but “also felt it was going to be something of a roller coaster”, adding, “If I’d stayed with them, I was going to wind up the richest man in the cemetery.”

Sourced & published by Henry Sapiecha

WHEN BUYING IN A RETAIL STORE USE THE LATEST IPHONE APP TO COMPARE PRICES INSTANTLY ELSEWHERE

Amazon, a mover & shaker at the very forefront of online retailing in the United States is to make a compelling offer this coming Saturday for one day only – use its smartphone app (Android or Apple app) to compare prices, and they’ll effectively pay you $5 if you walk out of the store.

Certainly an historic move in the evolution of retail sales.

Mobile sales make up around 5% of American retail sales currently, but with the population heading for blanket smart phone penetration, the price comparison app might go mainstream quite quickly from here and retail advertising may never be the same again. Several such apps exist, but none with this level of promotional upbeat effort behind them.

The Price Check by Amazon App is designed to let users compare prices with Amazon.com and its merchants when you are standing in front of a real product in a bricks and mortar store. Products are identified by scanning a barcode, taking a picture, speaking the product name or using text search, then compared to Amazon prices. You can then, of course, purchase the product online if you want.

On Saturday December 10 Amazon is sweetening the deal by giving customers who use the app (with geolocation switched on) a discount of 5 percent (up to $5) if they buy the item they price checked through Amazon (within 24 hours) instead of accepting the price in front of them for the convenience of taking immediate possession of their purchase. The offer is valid for up to three items per customer.

The advantages of getting a customer to use a mobile app are obvious from the point of view of the customer, but in grabbing the lion’s share of attention on a critical shopping day, Amazon’s move seems well calculated.

A mobile app gives online retailers the ability to make a bid on a customer’s patronage at the time- and point-of-sale, inside a competitor’s bricks and mortar. Offers can be made and thresholds established for changing behaviors with incentives, at the same time as creating a marketing intelligence tool par excellence.

The offer could cost the company a lot of money if everyone downloads the app and plays along, though its move establishes it clearly as an online thought leader and with the news coverage likely to be massive. The stunt offers good value for money, particularly when you consider the price comparison app looks set to go mainstream as a new weapon in the war between bricks-and-mortar retailing and online retailing and Amazon will be leading the charge. The knowledge it gains will enable it to discern patterns on the exact deals their bricks and mortar competitors are prepared to do, and react in real time.

For bricks and mortar retailers, this could be a telling blow, and it is a fact that the industry is very aware of:

“The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) reacted to a new smartphone App from Amazon.com that encourages holiday shoppers to use brick and mortar stores as showrooms to then purchase merchandise online from inside the store. Central to this tactic is Amazon’s continued practice of using a pre-internet loophole to avoid state sales tax collection, a move that gives them an unfair competitive advantage over Main Street retailers.” (RILA)

Regardless, it’s going to be worth watching the take-up of the app, as the news of this offer will focus enormous attention on Amazon’s shopping comparison app and its abilities to tell you where you’ll get the best deal.   The app is available at the Apple App Store and Android Market.

This is big! Mobile phone retail purchasing is about to become a significant factor in buying decisions.

Sourced & published by Henry Sapiecha

ip.access unveils “unique” portable Advanced Femtocell Concept
Femtocell and picocell manufacturer ip.access unveiled its fully functioning ‘Advanced Femtocell Concept’ (AFC) at the no doubt riotous Femtocells Americas 2011 conference in San Diego on Monday. A relatively new technology, femtocells essentially provide mobile phone network access via a local broadband connection. It’s a technology that might interest homes and businesses in signal-blocking buildings, remote areas, or anywhere where cellular signals are patchy. But how is the AFC different? In a word: portability.

Sourced & published by Henry Sapiecha