Tag: Health

Jawbone Up To Connect With Other Apps

Posted on by Lab Team

With so many wearable devices, it can be hard to keep up which is why Jawbone is integrating with other apps to become the centralized quantified self platform. Leveraging their API, Jawbone could integrate with other services like Nike+ or Withings to begin aggregating every piece of health data imaginable.  The result would create an incredibly powerful health tool that could produce a wealth of content and experiences brands could be a part of.

HealthTap Links Physicians With Patients

Posted on by Lab Team

HealthTap, having recently emerged from beta, is an app that links nervous patients with physicians. The network has expanded to include over 35,000 doctors waiting to answer any question from any user. The service only costs money if the question exceeds 150 characters, at which point a 99 cent charity donation is required; if you want to have a private conversation with a doctor, that will set you back $9.99. But for free, most users can find answers to pretty much any medical question imaginable. And although doctors aren’t paid, they’re signing onto the service almost as fast as users – partly because of the incentives HealthTap have enabled. They’ve created a rating system for doctors, called “Docscore,” that boosts the online reputation of any M.D., that takes into account the number of patients reached, reviews from other doctors, and more. In short, DocScore is a readymade system for young doctors to extend their reputations into the digital world, and for some, as a resume-padding tool. And by incentivizing the system for doctors, more potential patients are drawn to the network, and so the cycle continues. 

Pew Research: Tracking For Health

Posted on by Lab Team

Pew Research has released a new study on health tracking habits among Americans, reporting that seven in ten adults monitor a health indicator for themselves or a loved one. Additionally 21% say they use some form of technology to track their health data, whether via apps, devices or websites. Fitbit and Nike Fuelband have been some of the devices leading the way, leveraging community, achievements and powerful visualizations to motivate behavior.

GeoPalz Announces Ibitz Line

Posted on by Lab Team

GeoPalz, the health tracker for children, has announced the ibitz product line that includes new gamification features and increased connectivity.  As part of the quantified self movement, GeoPalz gathers useful data like steps walked, bmi and overall activity levels and creates a digital experience aimed at shaping behavior. The new ibitz PowerKey and Unity come with accompanying iOS and Android apps that sync via bluetooth and include an in-app GeoBotz character which needs water, exercise and sleep to stay healthy, mirroring children’s activity. There is also an adult-facing app which helps parents’ monitor their progress and integration with some third-party scales and heart rate monitors.

CES Health And Fitness Trends

Posted on by Lab Team

Health and fitness innovation is poised for major growth at CES 2013. We’ve seen wearable devices like Nike Fuelband and Fitbit take off and we anticipate more companies will get in the mix at this year’s show. Actually, over 220 to be exact. From measuring glucose levels to REM sleep, the amount of trackable data seems endless and marketers can certainly benefit from reaching health enthusiasts on these platforms.