WirelessDoc

ABI Research predicts $4.9B worldwide sales of Wi-Fi health care products in 2014

Wi-Fi Health Care Systems to Hit $4.9B

There are two caveats, though. It's expected that this surge will be due to the $20 billion in stimulus funds, but also by the fact that: "...government security requirements including HIPAA often mean replacing older wireless equipment with modern versions." Who's to say that the system you'll be heavily invested in is "modern" enough, or will need upgrading later on? Yesterday, during a computer security Webinar, there was talk of HIPAA 2.0 as new standards of compliance are developed.

The second is ABI Research VP Stan Schatt's remark about health care wi-fi systems: "It is truly a Tower of Babel," meaning that multiple vendors are required to put together a system.

UPDATE: I just finished a phone conversation with Ken Kousky of IP3, Inc, a company that provides computer security training. During his Webinar yesterday "Zero Day Attacks and Bot-Nets in the Age of Compliance," he spoke of the idea that one of the consequences of ARRA will be the emergence of HIPAA 2.0, which led to the point I made above.

He also told me that he felt that HIPAA does a disservice by concentrating on privacy while not paying enough attention to data integrity (I would call authenticity) and data availability. We've all heard about the MRI systems that became infected with conficker because they were running Windows-embedded systems that were not being updated with security patches supposedly because of FDA regulations. It seems that the stories I read seemed to put the onus on the FDA. My question is why isn't there a mandate that these systems be air-gapped (not connected to the Internet)?

Regarding the topic of medical wireless, Ken told me that Wi-Fi security implemenation 802.11i is inadequate and a broader view of wireless security, broader than the IEEE connection, is needed to include cellular packets. He called this a holistic approach to security, which I think would be harder if multiple vendors are required to build this clinical wireless systems. Maybe I'm wrong on this. There are other issues to be addressed such as user authentication and VoIP handsets in the hospital setting.

Thoughts on Google's Chrome OS announcement

Ross Rubin helps deflate the inevitable overreaction to Google's announcement of their new Chrome OS to be released next year in his piece "Switched On: With Google, this is not your father's OS war." Besides, Scoble says that this a pre-emptory maneuver to try to overshadow an expected big announcement by Microsoft this coming Monday.

The real war is happening on another battlefield, namely that of mobile search and advertising. In many ways the announcement that Microsoft signed a 5-year deal with Verizon making Bing the default search engine for their connected mobile devices.

Qualcomm's 802.11n single chip for mobile devices

Their press release.

The WCN1312 chip is part of an integrated device which is expected to support data rates up to 72 Mbps, "significantly higher than previous 802.11a, b, and g Wi-Fi solutions...."

“As demand increases for wireless LAN connectivity in handsets and other mobile devices, carriers are migrating to higher-performance, more integrated solutions,” said Mike Concannon, senior vice president of Connectivity and Wireless Modules for Qualcomm CDMA Technologies. “The new WCN1312 solution gives our customers an extremely compact 802.11n solution with leading-edge performance and full system-level integration with other Qualcomm chipsets, which minimizes design time and reduces manufacturers' time-to-market.”

Qualcomm introduces industry's first dual-band 802.11n chip supporting 4x4 MIMO with peak data rates of 600 Mbps

(Based on Qualcomm's press release)

Qualcomm [introduces] the N-Stream™ Wireless LAN WCN1320™ chip, the industry's first dual-band 802.11n standards-based wireless local-area networking (WLAN ) solution with 4x4 multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology. Offering industry-leading performance of 600 Mbps, the new chip is designed to enable users to distribute multiple simultaneous streams of high-definition video, voice and data throughout the home, without the hassle and cost of installing cables or the interference and range problems of previous wireless technologies.

The significance of this chip will be a reduction in the cost of implementing a 4-radio, 4x4 antenna solution for that data rate.

The iPhone's top competitor (maybe): the Palm Pre, says Walt

Walt Mossberg's review of the new Palm Pre, slated for release this weekend, is framed by the overwhelming success of Apple's iPhone. Since the WWDC begins this Monday, a new model of the iPhone should be revealed for the new OS, and it's likely that Walt has one already. He described these as "super-smart touch screen phones," but your could consider these new handheld computing platforms that go beyond what any smartphone could do, and certainly any feature phone. Just like the iPhone, the Pre is $200, but that after you receive your $100 mail-in rebate. The Sprint network is superior to ATT&T in coverage and speed, and for the same $70 per month, Sprint throws in unlimited SMS. For me, the Sprint support would the main advantage.

Now some backstory. If you look at the second embedded video in the review, you'll see Walt and Kara Swisher at their D7 conference last month interviewing Roger McNamee of Elevation Partners and John Rubenstein, formerly Apple but now leading the development team at Palm. Walt called Roger out about the exaggerated predictions that got him in hot water he has made about folks switching in droves from the iPhone to the Pre at the two-year anniversary of the first shipment of the iPhone when all those two-year contracts with ATT&T will expire.

Rubenstein quoted Palm's CEO Ed Colligan saying that their company's position was "sufficiently dire," and required an immediate re-invention. The focus of this makeover was to be based on the consumer appeal of their new smartphone, by emphasizing industrial design and taste, Rubenstein states. Hey, it worked for the iPhone.

On the hardware side, Walt says that the Pre's physical keyboard might make the difference for some users, but he still likes the virtual keyboard of the iPhone. His only positive seems to be that the Pre fits well in your hand. There also the $70 Pre accessory called the Touchstone, which allows you to charge the Pre just by setting it on top of the charger.

But, it's the software or lack thereof, that makes all the difference for Walt. Palm's new webOS is the selling point for establishing a new computer platform for this device and those that follow, depending upon the success of the Pre. The Pre wins over the iPhone by supporting multi-tasking. It can backup your phone over the air (and you might need this if you use the Palm applications store--see below). It also has a feature called Synergy that can sync contacts for various sources such as Facebook and Gmail, collectively seen as The Cloud, an important buzz term these days.

Walt talks about the immaturity of the implementation of software and Palm's application store. One of his download completely wiped his Pre, and it wasn't able to contact the Sprint network. He was able to correct the problem with his backup, but this doesn't bode well for competing with Apple's App Store. It seems the webOS sdk is still not finished, and only a limited number of developers have been allowed to create apps so far. However, to say that while Palm only has about a dozen apps ready now while Apple has tens of thousands for the iPhone doesn't face the reality that only about a handful of those apps would you want to use on a regular basis.

I guess you could buy the Pre and just be resigned to the fact that the software bugs will be worked out some time in the future. You could pick up the Classic app that will run the old Palm OS programs, but it's strange that Walt didn't mention this at all. In a way I agree, I wouldn't want to run the old Palm OS apps, especially since they can't utilize the contact database of webOS.

But what is really strange is that for syncing media such as photos, videos and music, the Pre uses iTunes. Syncing with a PC or Mac has also been a source of problems for Palm, but by using an Apple app I wonder how easy it would be for Apple to muck with this in their next iTunes update, even if there were some licensing aggreement.

This review is not good news for Palm. It was Walt who helped promote the Treo right from the first model with his glowing review. That was when smartphones were seen as appropriate for a niche market, especially the business world, and top-down marketing seemed to be the way to go.Then, Palm didn't hold much interest in "fan sites," but it was Apple who demonstrated that buzz starts below and works it way up. Now, it's all about pleasing the fanboys and fangirls as well as the road warrior who use their phone for work and play.

Palm Pre's new ad re-invents Apple's 1984

Yeah, it's a SWF leading a revolution, but in this Pre ad, it's seems a little overworked. Crowd choreography was done better at the last year's Beijing Olympics, which seems to be the inspiration for this ad. Also, the association of Asian spirituality (a Jobsian reference?) with a smartphone doesn't gel.

Quick links for medical wireless topics and related

"Conficker worm hits hospital devices"

"A few weeks ago, we discovered medical devices, MRI machines, infected with Conficker," said Marcus Sachs, director of the Internet Storm Center, an early warning system for Internet threats that is operated by the SANS Institute.

I went to the SANS Website and did some searching to find more about this story with no luck. I did look at their Internet Storm Center which told me that Adobe has released patches for the zero day threat associated with PDF readers.

"Implementing an Electronic Medical Record at a Residency Site: Physicians’ perceived Effects on Quality of Care, Documentation, and Productivity" (this links to a virtual viewer of the entire journal issue, but you can select certain pages and download as a PDF)

Published in this month's Wisconsin Medical Journal is this study that surveyed 38 physicians at a single family medicine residency clinic in which the NextGen EMR was installed. They "were surveyed at 3-month intervals regarding perceived impact of the EMR on quality of care, documentation, and productivity."

From the Abstract:

Conclusion:  Not only did physician production rise immediately, it stayed as the increased level for the duration of our study period. This may be due to improved documentation supporting more appropriate billing. However, physicians also perceived the EMR as taking up more of their time.

Pulse pen picks up sound and scribbles

I tried to order the Livescribe Pulse Smartpen when it first launched, but on checkout was told that it would take months to fill the order. Then I began to wonder if its microphone would really be capable of recording a lecturer's speech distinctly enough to make this purchase worthwhile. Recently, I've had several people recommend this product, but I'm still not sure if it will improve my workflow or just be another quirky gadget with another set of batteries I need to babysit.

The above link is to a review by a Vancouver reporter who vouched for the sound quality:

In one-on-one interviews, the recording is flawless—as good as any digital recorder’s. Writing with the pen has no effect on the audio, as expected. What surprised me, however, was how well the mike muffled background noise and picked up sound from speakers. When former prime minister Paul Martin made a speech at a noisy Chinese restaurant during the recent campaign, the Pulse picked up every word.

Maybe if I'm in a situation where I need to do multiple live interviews this product will be useful, but it seems intrusive if you want to engage in conversation. Mighty be too high on the scale of nerdiness for me.

NOTE: I keep updating this page throughout the day. I know that's not very blog-like, but it's more Twitter-like but with some permanence.

"Apple Introduces Revolutionary New Laptop With No Keyboard"

"I'll buy almost anything if it's shiny and made by Apple."

JavaScript zero day threat found in Adobe Reader and Acrobat

I'm listening to Steve Gibson's Security Now podcast #195 where he alerts his audience to the JavaScript zero day threat found in Adobe Reader and Acrobat that can be used for a remote code execution exploit. He mentions that he can think of no reason why a PDF reader should require JavaScript, but I'm guessing that it's to support some of the multimedia functions which aren't used for the typical PDF file. I could be wrong.

Adobe addressed this problem on their blog on April 28 where they provide the temporary fix:

1. Launch Acrobat or Adobe Reader.
2. Select Edit>Preferences
3. Select the JavaScript Category
4. Uncheck the ‘Enable Acrobat JavaScript’ option
5. Click OK

Leo Laporte, the host of the podcast, says that he's happy with Foxit Reader, which "is notable for its short load time and small filesize." But alas, pshaw and regrettably, you also have to disable its JavaScript option.

"Try to imagine that you have two phones: one is Pre and the other one is Palm OS device"

This is the response from the folks at MotionApps when I asked a question about using Agendus, a contact manager program from Iambic. This PalmOS app will run on the new Palm Pre through the use of Motion Apps' Classic software, I'm told, but it won't be able to access the contact manager that comes with the Pre.

OK, so I buy and new phone and can't use its contact manager. Or, I can give up on Agendus and use the new contact manager. This is assuming that I will be able to port my old PalmOS contacts without a glitch to the new phone. Wouldn't that be a kicker if that becomes a problem?

Another assumption is that the Palm Pre will be a smashing success enough so that the WebOS platform will be around in the next couple of years.

Unless I can see somehow that the Pre will increase my efficiency in the near future, I'll wait.

UPDATE: I updated my Agendus desktop software for Windows, and now it's completely unusable since it crashes everytime. Since this is the faster way to enter data, I'm back to the old Palm desktop software. It's pretty vanilla, but it's been the most reliable.