The unfortunate three-day BlackBerry message service outage in Africa, Europe and the Middle East last week had the interesting unintended side effect of demonstrating the contribution of texting/emailing-while-driving to automobile accidents and deaths. The National reported that Dubai officials reported data which indicates that:
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Launch a social media campaign that will build your brand and deliver results in our online Social Media Marketing Boot Camp starting June 7. Speakers include Abigail Cusick (Bravo Digital), Gregory Galant (Sawhorse Media), Alex Leo (Thomson Reuters Digital), Jim Tobin (Ignite Social Media), and many more. Read the reviews. 
Original Fitbit (top) and new Fitbit Ultra (bottom).
Image courtesy of Sprint.
A new infographic from fitness, health and happiness guide Greatist, the Complete Guide to Tracking Your Health & Fitness Online, provides all the details you need to know about how to use the web to stay in shape.
Nexercise is a free iPhone app that encourages you to exercise by providing three carrots:
1. Earn points to quantify your activity and qualify for daily and monthly prizes.
2. Redeem points for discounts at nearby locations.
3. Social: Exercise with friends to earn bonus points. Share information on Facebook.
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Please don’t take this the wrong way, but would you like to live a little longer? Assuming the answer is “yes,” here’s some encouraging news published in The Lancet that is mobile gadget and app actionable.
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I’ve been using a Fitbit activity tracker since May 2010. And, while I’ve found value in using it, I often wish there was a way to check activity information directly on a smartphone. The Fitbit comes with a proprietary wireless transceiver that get data from the Fitbit, transfers the data over a USB cable to a PC or Mac which then uploads the data to Fitbit’s servers.
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I’ve been wearing and using the Fitbit wireless activity tracker for well over a year now. And, in that time I’ve found the the information it provides beyond a daily step counts to be invaluable information and motivation. The fitbit provides estimated activity based on the kind of movement it detects as you walk, run or otherwise move about. It also provides summary information such as average number of steps walked per day.
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The iPhone/iPad and, to a lesser extent, Android health app category is a big one ranging from calorie counters to professional tools for radiologists. Its that high end of the category that has attracted the attention of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) according to Reuters.
FDA plans oversight of some mobile medical apps
But, don’t worry! The proposed FDA oversight of health apps should not affect the vast majority of health related apps. Reuters reports that the FDA’s focus is on two specific categories of apps:
1. Apps that serve as an accessory to an FDA-regulated device
2. Apps that turn a mobile platform into a medical device.
The FDA has already become involved in approving some medical related apps. I reported on one in February of this year.
Mobile MIM for iPhone & iPad Approved by U.S. FDA: Remote Diagnostic Medical Imaging Tool
If it is one thing we’ve learned from the social network boom, it is that people are fascinated by numbers: Number of followers on Twitter. Number of check-ins on Foursquare. Number of people in Google+ Circles. The ultimate in numbers is, of course, numbers about yourself. I’ve been using a Fitbit wireless activity tracking device for over a year now.
Fitbit Wireless Activity Tracker Initial Impressions (May 2010)
The Fitbit, which already has a number of competing products, is about to get another one from a company best known for its Bluetooth headsets.
Jawbone Takes on Health Market With New Sensor Wristband (ReadWriteWeb)
The marketing slogan used for this Jawbone UP wristband is: A revolutionaary new system that tracks your movement, sleep patterns, and eating habts and puts that information in the palm of your hand.
Here’s what I know about this unreleased product based on the meta-tags on the product’s website:
1. It uses Bluetooth
2. It will work with the iPhone
3. It will work with Android phones
Other key words in the tag set are: Jawbone, Up, Health, Wellness, Lifestyle, eat, Food, Nutrition, Sleep, Move, JAMBOX, headset, band, live, life, bracelet, weight lost.
If the Jawbone UP is able to transmit information from the wristband directly to an iPhone or Android device, it will have a big advantage over the Fitbit which requires wireless sync to a Mac or PC desktop or notebook.
The Fitbit has an active community of users who can compare their activity both anonymously and identified with social groups. It would not be surprising if the Jawbone UP develops a similiar social network.
