Last year, a team of engineers in Oulu, Finland set out to create an open-source mobile device platform for the OEM/ODM market. Now, the company they formed--Aava Mobile--has rolled out Virta Android, a hardware-enhanced software developer kit (h-SDK) for Android developers who want to write apps for smartphones and tablets running the newest Intel Atom Z6xx Series processors. Given the sheer volume of mobile apps available for healthcare's Blackberry and iPhone users, the arrival of this h-SDK could be significant as competition among devices makers continues to grow. Read »

If you're among those uncertain as to the iPad's place in healthcare, there's a company in Illinois that's set on changing your mind. Empower Systems is bringing its Empower ED and Empower Hospital + Office offerings to the Apple iPad. Touted as "software built by doctors for doctors," the company's apps can now be seamlessly accessed on the iPad from any location sporting Wi-Fi or 3G connectivity. Read »

Just when the results to the latest MHW poll question suggest that the iPad may eventually prove a game-changer in healthcare, along comes Dell with news of a forthcoming Android device, which the computer maker plans to market as a tablet featuring a five-inch screen. Read »

We've seen the data from Juniper Research and others claiming significant savings can be had from remote patient monitoring over cellular networks. We've even seen the documentation showing how the implementation of smartphones in healthcare can save money and help prevent staffing shortages. But despite the fact that within the next five years, mobile phones, sensor technology, portable medical devices, and wireless health applications are bound to play a larger role in connecting patients with their healthcare providers, many healthcare CIOs have put off plans to accommodate this surge. Read »

I saw a job announcement this week from a supplier of revenue and payment cycle solutions requiring the desired M&A strategist to relocate to the city of the company's headquarters. I immediately thought, "Why?" I reviewed the duties, and they can be completed anywhere. It dawned upon me that mHealth will never advance beyond the vision of the HR department. Read »

While I strive to be data-driven in my blogging, I think being a participant in the Tennessee Floods of May, 2010 may have taken the testing of the eHealth paradigm a bit too far. The experience comes with priceless wisdom. Read »

The upcoming roll-out of a mobile Personal Emergency Response Service (PERS) is being touted as a harbinger of major advancement in connected location-based services. Read »

One of Canada's largest regional acute care hospitals is deploying RTLS technology to better manage emergency department real-time patient flow across two locations. Read »

A broad mix of mobile healthcare stakeholders are set to converge on San Diego this week for a three-day conference on wireless health, just as a report assessing the state of the industry concludes that mHealth is still emerging and not yet ready for mainstream adoption. Read »

Bar code systems have proven themselves highly useful and reliable over the past several years, but a study that just came out in the New England Journal of Medicine pinpoints just what a critical difference this technology can play at the mobile point of care. Read »