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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.

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

NUCLEAR APPS FOR IPHONE

A Japanese company has unveiled a cheap Geiger counter for the iPhone to enable people worried about the Fukushima nuclear accident to check their environment for radiation.

The probe, 14 centimetres long by 5cm wide, connects to the iPhone and the screen displays radiation readings in combination with a special app such as the Geiger Bot.

The device was developed on the initiative of a young researcher who wanted to make a cheap and easy-to-use Geiger counter available following the world’s worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl.

“Immediately after the disaster triggered by the earthquake and tsunami of March 11 in the northeast of the archipelago, the cheapest Geiger counters cost Y60,000 ($765) and were hard to find,” said Takuma Mori on the origins of the device made by Sanwa Corp.

The first models for iPhones will go on sale in the next few days priced at Y9800 ($124).

Japan has been on alert for the impact of radiation since the devastating tsunami crippled the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

Its cooling systems were knocked offline and reactors were sent into meltdown, resulting in the leaking of radiation into the air, oceans and food chain and causing concern among the population.

Radiation hotspots have been discovered in various regions, some of which were unrelated to the nuclear disaster.

QUICK OVERVIEW ->

What Is Spy Phone Software?

How & why does it work?

How to spy on a cell phone using cell spy phone software?

Have you ever wanted to secretly spy on your spouse’s cell phone due to signs of cheating? Or perhaps you’re worried about your children, and want to monitor their cell phone for evidence of sexual activity or drug abuse?

Now you can, and it’s a lot easier to do than you think. All it takes is for you to purchase spyphone software available from several online cell phone spy vendors. Within minutes of your purchase, you can be reading your suspected cheating spouse’s sms messages, find out who they are calling or who is calling them, know where your children are, listen in on their surroundings or even intercept a live phone conversation.

**It’s worth mentioning that another option is to buy a cell phone with mobile spy software pre-installed for you. These phones are usually referred to as “spyphones” and are sold by many online spy phone vendors. However, watch out for the cost. I’ve seen some of these spyphones selling for $500 – $1,500, and all you are getting is an old cell phone with spy phone software pre-installed.

What is spy phone software?

Used by suspicious spouses who are looking for cheating spouse software, parents who want to monitor the kids, or employers who want to monitor phone usage by their staff, spy phone software such as Flexispy, Mobile Spy, MobiStealth is software built for cell phones that you download into a mobile(cell) phone of the person you want to spy on. Once installed, the software then secretly records all cell phone activity, giving you complete visibility of everything that occurs on the phone. Installation is done via the phone’s web browser, and usually takes anywhere from 10 – 30 minutes, depending on the skill level of the person installing the software.

How does spy phone software work?

After installation, the spy phone software is completely hidden from the user and starts to collect all available data such as SMS Messages, ingoing/outgoing call history, GPS coordinates, photos, videos, GPRS usage, etc. and uploads the collected data to a remote server using 3G, GPRS, or WiFi.

You then simply access the webpage of the spyphone vendor, enter your account details, and then you have full access to all the data collected 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, regardless where you are in the world. You can read all text messages (both incoming and outgoing), know who they are calling or who is calling them, where they were when the call was received, view photos stored on the phone, and more. Once armed with this information, you can use a reverse cell phone look up service and find out the identify of the person calling or sending messages.

Here is an overview of the entire process:

Imagine if you are a wife who suspects her husband is cheating on her . Now you can listen to their conversations, listen in on their surroundings (essentially be a fly on the wall), read all their incoming and outgoing text messages, find out who is calling them and where they actually are when they say, “Honey, I’m at the office.” or if you are a parent worried about their children and want to monitor their sms messages. No more guessing what happens when your loved ones leave the house.

IMPORTANT TIP! You MUST install the spy phone software on the cell phone you want to monitor. There is no way around this. No spy phone vendor on the market sells spy phone software with a remote installation feature. Don’t trust any company that says they offer spy phone software that does not require physical access to the phone. It DOES NOT exist!

Sourced & published by Henry Sapiecha

??CHECK OUT THE WORDWIDE SMARTPHONE PHOTON 4G

If you frequently travel overseas for business or pleasure, a smartphone with world-roaming capabilities is a good thing to have in your travel kit.

Not only do these phones allow you to stay in touch with friends and family back home, but with their built-in functions and various apps, they can also organize your travel itinerary, provide recommendations for things to do, capture memories, and much more. So which phones make good travel buddies?

Well, first, you’ll need a world phone that supports the four GSM networks (850/900/1800/1900). T-Mobile and AT&T phones already offer this compatibility, but Sprint and Verizon Wireless customers will have to check their carrier’s respective lineup for a handset that offers dual-mode CDMA/GSM technology.

To make it a bit easier for you, below you’ll find a selection of some of the latest and greatest smartphones that will support international networks. You’ll also want to check and sign up for international calling and data plans, so you don’t return home to a shocking cell phone bill. Alternatively, you can purchase an unlocked phone, which isn’t tied to a service provider, so you can insert a prepaid SIM card from a local carrier while overseas to save money. Some of the U.S. carriers will also unlock the SIM (for example, Verizon has a policy where it will unlock the included SIM if you’ve been a customer for more than 60 days and are in good financial standing) so you can do the same.

Our quick guide to world phones provides a more in-depth explanation on the topic and is definitely worth a read if you’re new to the subject, but if you’re simply after some recommendations, head on over to our roundup of the latest world phones.