Smartphones aim to help improve your health
iPhone apps, Android, and Sprint are extending smartphone functionality into the medical field, making the handsets even more indispensable
Follow @infoworldEntertainment holds a place of high value in our technology; the number of game apps in the Apple App Store are a key example that we're using our handsets for fun and not just functionality. However, more and more, smartphone technology is being utilized in areas beyond spreadsheets and VoIP. Doctors can now store patients' records on their iPhones, diabetes forums are debating about which app best helps monitor blood sugar levels, and there's even an application to monitor your blood pressure.
This month has already seen a few announcements that push the boundaries of how we use our handsets. Sprint announced the latest handset in its line of CapTel phones, the CapTel 800i, designed specifically for deaf or hard-of-hearing users. Part of Sprint's line of Relay services, the CapTel 800i automatically routes incoming calls to a captioning service where operators use voice-recognition technology to transcribe everything the caller says into text. The text is instantly transmitted to the CapTel 800i over the Internet and appears on the phone's 5-inch, tilting LCD screen. The CapTel 800i works on any telephone line (digital PBX systems will require an analog port) and requires a landline and an Internet connection, preferably high-speed. Interested parties are also hopefully patient, as Sprint says the release date is "in the near future." However, there is a waiting list.
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