Lifescan’s New Diabetes iPhone App
While I was off at spin class this morning, I’ve been bombarded with emails about this exciting announcement at the iPhone OS 3.0 preview event going on now:
Lifescan has unveiled an iPhone application that lets users upload glucose readings from their connected blood glucose monitors to their iPhone. “The meter will transmit your data over Bluetooth or the dock connector,” according to the device experts over at Engadget, who are liveblogging the event. Cool! I believe it’s the OneTouch Ping model we’re talking about here, based on the posted photos and the fact that that meter is already wireless-enabled.
Mobile Health News explains further:
“The app then lets users send their readings and a message about how they’re feeling to caregivers like their parents, children or physician. The glucose reader app also includes a meal builder and insulin schedule for easy tracking by tagging readings as pre- or post-meals. The iPhone app can even estimate, based on diet, how much insulin is needed after each meal. The app also shows glucose levels in a chart form and lists each previous reading.”
A few more views, again from the Engadget team. That’s Anita Mathew of Lifescan, presenting:
OK, we all know I’m gadget geek. But this looks amazingly cool and useful (love the roll-screen selections, shown above!). Certainly it’s going to be a lot more useful than most current iPhone apps for diabetes, like DiabetesLog, which require you to enter a bunch of numbers manually. Not useful, sorry!
Of course you have to be a current OneTouch Ping system user to take advantage of this app, so that cuts out a lot of people. Still, kudos to Lifescan for moving in this direction. Looks like they’re the first, but certainly won’t be the last. From Engadget’s live-blog: “A cool idea, but we’d like to see just a small dock connector that functions as the finger pricking device. Are we asking too much?”
Nope, if you ask me: it’s got to eventually be all-in-one for true utility…
Anyway, I’m delighted. This is the closest thing I’ve seen so far to Apple getting into diabetes.
btw, thanks for the tips, everyone!
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Comments are now OPEN on this post — sorry, I didn’t realize the system had defaulted to closed.
Posted by: AmyT | March 19th, 2009 at 12:22 pmAlthough they used a One Touch meter in the demo I don’t think this product will necessarily be limited to One Touch Ping users. The Ping uses RF (radio frequency) to communicate with the pump, and the iPhone only has bluetooth, so they will have to come out with a new meter that uses bluetooth. In the video, they just had the meter plugged in to the iPhone, so they haven’t even resolved the wireless communication bit yet.
Posted by: Todd Shirley | March 19th, 2009 at 8:47 pmYou like to spin, check out what we are doing in canada to raise money for diabetes.
brian
Posted by: Brian | March 20th, 2009 at 1:32 pmThe I-pod Touch is the same thing as the I-Phone except it doesn’t have a camera and doesn’t make cell phone calls. It should be noted that almost all app’ss in the app store can be used on the I-Phone touch. It communicates wirelessly via bluetooth and also wifi. People don’t seem to realize that there is this option of just purchasing an I-pod touch.
Posted by: Jules | March 20th, 2009 at 2:13 pmThis is a good move from lifescan, however this is nothing new. This has already been done in the past. Therasense had a handspring module for the Visor that did glucose monitoring with the PDA. Also Accuchek have a Palm OS application (pocket compass) that does logbook and graph plotting from IR uploads from the meter (and accuchek pumps) to the handheld. Lifescan should make instead a 30pin ipod module that does glucose monitoring, and use the ipod as a meter.
Posted by: Marco Bianchi | March 23rd, 2009 at 6:47 amWill I be able to upload my readings to any tracking software or will it be proprietary. Thanksfully, it looks like I’m not the only one who finds all the diabetes apps useless with manual entry? Can’t the monitor manufacturers build in some hooks to the OS to allow us to upload readings to a wide variety of apps?
Posted by: Robert Holman | March 25th, 2009 at 9:05 amThanks for posting! This is exciting for a mom with a T1 kid. I’d love to get a text “automatically” from him with his reading so that I can make adjustments when he is at school or at a friends house. Think they can integrate the CGM info in there too?
I agree with Engadget?s live-blog: ?A cool idea, but we?d like to see just a small dock connector that functions as the finger pricking device. Are we asking too much?? Seems like that would be easier for LifeScan to address…a meter that plugs into my iPhone.
Posted by: Jodie Heflin | March 25th, 2009 at 12:23 pmAnd how about integrating it into my pump? If I could test my blood sugar wit hthe meter, have it sent to the iPhone, input the carbs via the database on the iPhone and then send that to the pump, I could really get excited. That would be awesome!!
Posted by: BTR | March 26th, 2009 at 9:18 pmThere actually is a meter that is bluetooth enabled out there already. (www.Myglugohealth.net)This meter will work with any phone that has bluetooth and it sends your results to a website that logs all of your readings for you.
Posted by: Jennifer | March 28th, 2009 at 9:48 amHi there, this is more then great. But also it is a little bit strange. I also watch a video on youtube, and now I’m wondering where is my active insuline? How I’m able to add my own food on the list. From where is it listed now?
Posted by: Gregor | April 5th, 2009 at 1:51 pmI’m not sure the itouch has bluetooth. It does have wifi, but not bluetooth.
Posted by: Luke | April 16th, 2009 at 1:55 amThe 2nd gen iPod Touch does have bluetooth.
Posted by: JNGold | April 23rd, 2009 at 11:09 pmthe Ipod touch 1st or 2nd generation doesn’t not have Bluetooth. I went to the apple page and talked to a apple genius.
Posted by: ken | May 5th, 2009 at 7:56 pmIt would be amazing to see Apple involved in diabetes management!
Posted by: sanjeev bhadresa | May 27th, 2009 at 6:43 pmApple are not getting involved in glucose management, a third party has made an application to run on the iPhone & Touch.
Posted by: drew | June 8th, 2009 at 8:42 pmSorry to be pedantic, this is a good development for people who can afford the meter & an iPhone.
Ken,
That Apple “Genius” has no clue. BT functionality will be unlocked with version 3.0 of the Operating system. Confirmed by Apple.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/17/2g-ipod-touch-to-have-bluetooth-capability-unlocked-by-iphone-os/
Posted by: JNGold | June 8th, 2009 at 8:44 pmApparently, this isn’t actually a product, nor does it have any immediate prospect of being a product. It’s July now, 3.0 is out, yet no iPhone LifeScan app. A closer googling of the excitement back in March discloses an interview with LifeScan:
“… not of a commercially imminent product …”
“… there’s still some refinement that needs to take place …”
“… Well, again, it’s still very early for us …”
” … That hasn’t been determined yet …” (how to share results with your doctor)
Hype.
Posted by: Jack | July 10th, 2009 at 3:17 pmHere’s the video:
Posted by: Ellen | July 27th, 2009 at 2:43 pmhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noQYcx8tnQ8
I am wondering what type of food databse is install within the program. Does the program have ethnic food database? how responsive is the data and calcuation to a person’s height, weight change, sex, BMI, body type, etc…? How effective is it to historical data check, relationship and stress base? Does it also take into account of other health factors, high blood pressure, activity function, etc… please respond to my email.
Posted by: gordonyow@gmail.com | August 24th, 2009 at 8:06 pmYou might remember me Chris Cracolice I did the Diabetic Dude book. Well I now have it published and it is sold through Amazon. I would be most thankful if you can direct parents to createspace.com/3407373. Thank you and how have you been. I am doing good now with living with diabetes 48 years now.
Posted by: Chris Cracolice | November 15th, 2009 at 8:57 amI have a 3G iphone I would like to list my medication as checking in all Dr require that you tell what you take. I would just had them the phone
Posted by: Jim Rogers | March 9th, 2010 at 8:01 am