An app a day . . .

An app may be able to keep you
out of the doctor's office.

Many people have heard the phrase: "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." But what happens when a smartphone app can do the same thing? As the FDA approves more health related apps for smartphones, health apps are becoming more popular.

The market for health apps has increased significantly as more people purchase smartphones and more apps are created. MedCity News discovered that within the last year, the market increased from $100 million to over $700 million annually. A Business Week article estimates that health apps will be used by 30 percent of smartphone users by 2015.

Harvard Medical identifies blood pressure, CPR, ICE (in case of emergency), and heart rate apps to be increasingly important. Not only do these apps help you stay healthy, but they also allow action to be taken if something does happen. The CPR app teaches you how to perform CPR on someone if needed, and the ICE app allows you to enter relevant health information about yourself and contact information so paramedics can find it if something happens to you.

A new app allows doctors to employ a mobile ultrasound.

One new app used by doctors is an ultrasound app that works when a small device is plugged into it (image of device to the right). An article from Business Week tells a story about how a doctor used this pocket-sized ultrasound when he responded to Joplin, MO after the tornado hit. He "used it to examine a pregnant woman who came to a temporary hospital complaining of stomach pain." The mobility of this item allows for convenience in emergency situations.

Maybe you think that you have no need for a health related app. You have no known health problem, so why should you care? Well, there is more to health than just health problems.  

Japanese programmers created an app to repel mosquitoes. 

One app I found particularly entertaining is called "Mosquito Buster". Japan Trends identifies an app that causes your phone to emit three levels of high frequency sounds in order to drive away mosquitoes, rodents, and (my personal favorite) children. That's right . . . children. As we get older we are said to lose our ability to hear the high pitched sound, so only children will be bothered and will stay away (perfect for the screaming children in the department store).

However, with the increasing creation of health related apps, the FDA has begun to regulate some medical apps as they would any other medical device. As people implement the use of smartphones in the place of regular equipment, they are becoming medical devices, so they must be examined in the same way.

So whether you want to keep track of your blood pressure, have a doctor give you an ultrasound with their smartphone, or just want to relax away from mosquitoes (or your/someone else's children) smartphone apps are increasing in the health field. What once was done with large devices can be done with a device that fits in the palm of your hand, making mobility and convenience a possibility for health.

Networked

Facebook has become a popular app for smartphones.

Smartphones have become more and more popular in recent years. As that happens, more apps come out that allow you to update others on your life whenever you feel the need. However, having the ability to upload thoughts and pictures at whim can have both positive and negative affects on your life.

Twitter and Facebook both have mobile apps that allow users to update their profiles from wherever they find themselves; whether this is in class, at work, or maybe even on a date. Recent statistics show that 59% of smartphone users have used their phone in order to access a social networking app.

Twitter has become a
popular app among young
users. 

Although all of these options allow us to stay connected to our friends and family, the apps on smartphones also pose some risks. When information, pictures, and videos can be uploaded from a phone, anyone can post something with ease that they might regret later. Facebook and Twitter are two common ways for people to update their profile. In 2010, 40% of tweets came from a mobile phone, with the number likely rising due to advances in technology.

Statistics from 2011 show that about one fourth of smartphone owners are under the age of 24. As many people many know, people in high school and college do not always make the most responsible decisions. Pictures taken at a party or a bar could be uploaded not only by the people in the picture, but also by anyone with them who has a smartphone. This could cause a loss of privacy, as well as embarrassment, as pictures that were not meant to be seen by others are suddenly broadcast to everyone on a friends or followers list.


A quote from a recent article on CNN says it best: "Not everyone is cut out to use social media . . . Some people just don't know how to handle themselves in public."

Not only have apps such as Twitter and Facebook become popular, but companies are also creating phones that take advantage of the users need to constantly update their profile. The HTC Status from AT&T (seen in the commercial to the left) is one such phone; it features a Facebook button that glows whenever there is content that can be uploaded.

There are also reports that Facebook may be creating their own smartphone with extra Facebook capabilities. They are hoping to take advantage of the 350 million mobile users they currently have in order to create more business.

Although technology is making it easier to upload content to social networking sites, it not always a good idea to do so. With technology right at your fingertips, it might be wise to consider what you are tweeting or posting to see how it will affect your image. Take a few minutes to decide if that angry tweet or funny picture is how you want to present yourself to others.

Stay Connected

People are able to stay connected through smartphones.

One of the greatest features of the smartphone is the ability for people to stay connected. Whether someone is in a long distance relationship, traveling, or just has friends in many other places, this is one reason that he or she may choose to buy a smartphone.

Smartphones offer not just regular phone calls to stay connected, but so much more. These features include texting, email, and apps such as Facebook, Twitter, Skype, Foursquare, and Google +. While not all smartphone owners choose to download or use all of these apps, they are common ways to stay connected.

According to a Commscope, "In 2012, consumers around the world are expected to take possesion of more than 450 million new smartphones." This shows how many people are going to be connected through social networking and other features that can be found on smartphones within the next year. Simply sending a picture to let another person know you are thinking about them when you are away can help the two of you stay connected. 

I use my smartphone for texting and phone calls to stay in touch with my friends and family, email to take care of school and work, and Facebook and Twitter to update friends far away on my life (and to keep track of their lives). I also use Facebook to keep in contact with my friend who is serving overseas. Being able to send a message wherever I am to let him know I care or get a message from him to let me know he is okay is one of the bonuses of having a smartphone. Many of my friends have used their smartphones to maintain long-distance relationships with their significant other when they can't see each other often. 

Not only have smartphones been used for personal relationships, but they are also being adopted by company executives and employees. They have become tools in order to get work done without having to be in the office. According to an article from the New York Times, "Employees are using their smartphones and other devices to connect with corporate e-mail, applications and data wherever they happen to be — whether at home, on the go or even on vacation." By being able to connect to work, smartphone owners are able to be at home at a decent time but take care of the things that need to be done at work. 

Mothers are also using the smartphone in order to maintain their household and family. A March 2011 study done by BabyCenter shows that moms are more likely to use smartphones than the average population. Almost 60% of  moms use smartphones, compared to 35% of the US population as mentioned in my last post. They often use them to keep track of their children, as well as track the plans for the day. My mom uses her phone to contact my brothers and me while we are away at school. 


There are many different people who use smartphones, for many different reasons. Whether people are keeping in touch with a loved one or using it for business interactions, smartphones allow them to stay connected to those around them. 


How do you use your smartphone to stay connected to your loved ones?

Unglue

UCLA graduates couldn't put down their phones.

That horrible moment: as you are heading to class you realize that you left your smartphone in your room and think: Oh crap. What do I do now? Do you risk being late for class in order to retrieve your phone? Do you continue on without it and risk going through withdrawal?

Odds are this has happened to you. But what do you do? Your answer to this may be influenced by your dependence on your phone. Some people may not be able to last a day without it, while others may enjoy the peace and quiet of ungluing themselves for the day.

A 2011 study found that 35% of American adults own a smartphone; that's over one-third. This is a rather large increase from the 21% found in a study done just two years earlier. Times are changing as more people (myself included) find themselves glued to their smartphones day and night. 

However, this dependence may actually lead to distractions in your everyday life. An article from the Herald Sun states "The psychologists found that some users become obsessive and upset when they do not receive notifications, such as Facebook or Twitter alerts, and email." They may repeatedly check their Facebook, Twitter, Email, and text messages in hopes to find something new, which just adds to their distractions. 

With so many apps available to download to your phone, it is easy to become distracted and lose track of the real world. An app even exists to help you see where you are walking while texting. This shows that many people don't want to put down their phones long enough to walk to their destination. Microsoft Corporation made fun of this fact with a series of commercials for their Windows Phone.

With so many apps available on your smartphone, you may feel that you have everything you need in the palm of your hand. It may be convenient, but think of the things you are losing out on: quality face-to-face conversations, going outside instead of checking the weather on your phone, or being at an event rather than hearing about it in text messages and Facebook statuses. Think of all of the memories you are losing out on by being permanently glued to your phone.

So how could unglue and become independent from your smartphone? Next time you find yourself:

• holding a phone conversation with someone while using the restroom,
• forgetting where you parked only to be reminded by your phone, 
• running into a door you didn't see while texting, 
• losing your phone and having an instant panic attack,
• realizing that your whole life is stored on that one small device 

Put down the phone; shut it off for the night. Interact with people. Trust me, people can be more fun to spend time with than your smartphone. And once you learn to let go, forgetting your phone might not be that bad of a thing after all. Who knows, you might even end up paying attention in class.