Today's Top Stories As we mentioned last month, most smartphone users want to interact with their physician using a mobile device or smartphone. Given the potential for the mishandling of sensitive information, there are a few privacy obstacles to overcome before such a thing becomes common practice, but consumer interest is there. Arranging a doctor appointment or checking insurance benefits are a couple of low-risk ways patients can engage with the healthcare supply chain via mobile without putting too much of their personal data at risk. Now, the Guardian's Conor Farrington wonders if mobile technology can also be used to offer people better access to mental health treatment. "[M]any existing capacities of tablets, smartphones and even 'dumbphones' can be repurposed to serve diagnostic, monitoring, and therapeutic functions," explains Farrington. "At the lower end of the scale, researchers at Oxford and elsewhere have shown that SMS and voice-calls can be used to assess mental health status, deliver talking therapies (eg cognitive behavioural therapy) and stimulate behavioural change." Farrington notes that tablets and smartphones on the higher end of the technology spectrum are even better equipped to assist in the diagnosis and treatment of mental health issues--"for instance through multimedia apps, [that] draw on a wider range of sensors and capacities--eg accelerometers, GPS and camera--to generate richer data and smarter interventions," he says. A study published last year in the Journal of Medical Internet Research reviewed a series of mobile apps aimed at people struggling with depression, anxiety and substance abuse. Researchers found a "significant reduction" in the symptoms of people who used the apps, concluding that "mental health apps have the potential to be effective and may significantly improve treatment accessibility. However, the majority of apps that are currently available lack scientific evidence about their efficacy." The idea is not without hurdles that, again, relate back to privacy issues. Of equal importance is ensuring that the use of mobile apps, smartphones and tablets don't remove the human element from mental health treatment plans.
For more:
- read the article about technology and mental health
- read the study about the use of mobile apps to treat mental health issues
- get statistics about the prevalence of mental health issues in the U.S.
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Security firm Gamma Group recently ran a test of all the major mobile phone platforms to see if its surveillance software, FinSpy, could tunnel in and wreak havoc on smartphones without being blocked or detected. According to an allegedly leaked document, the only platform that withstood the attack was Apple iOS--as long as it wasn't jailbroken. FinSpy's goal was to attempt to grab hold of contact lists, phone calls, texts and the built-in microphone, as well as locate and track the device's location. The list of vulnerable platform versions is a bit disheartening but not entirely unexpected since no mobile device is really considered to be bulletproof. The dead ducks were: -
Android: v2.x.x to 4.4x -
BlackBerry: v5.x, 6.x, and 7.x -
Windows Mobile: 6.1 and 6.5 -
Symbian: Symbian ^3, Anna, Belle, S60 v5.x and v3.x -
iOS: 4.3x, 5.x, 6.x, and 7.0x (untethered jailbreak required) According to The Washington Post, the document was leaked by someone who "appears to have gained access to sensitive corporate documents." The obvious takeaway message is that iOS is more secure than its counterparts, but the reason why is open to a bit of speculation. For one, Apple controls the behavior of third-party apps much more stringently than, say, Android does via Google Play. On top of that, the sheer magnitude of Android models and manufacturers make the platform much more difficult to button down than iOS, what with all the uber-control Apple exerts over its handsets. As the Post's Craig Timberg points out, "It's also worth noting that just because Gamma Group has trouble getting FinSpy onto iPhones doesn't mean they are impregnable. Other surveillance companies may have better intrusion technology. Or an intelligence service could hack into the computer that syncs up with an iPhone. Or maybe Gamma has found a way in since that document was published in April."
For more:
- read The Post's article about the FinSpy
- check out the details of Gamma Group's test
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The Internet of Things, or IoT, is the next frontier for the enterprise and mobility. While many companies, new and old, have entered the market in the past few years, others saw the potential for a connected world early on. Jahangir Mohammed, CEO and founder of IoT company Jasper, has been working to link the digital world since 2004. He sat down recently with Business Insider to talk about his company's beginnings, what effect the IoT will have and the future of the industry. Like most things, the inspiration for Jasper came from an everyday experience. Mohammed was on his way to a fishing trip in Tahoe, when his check engine light switched on. He then needed to make a 3 hour detour, just so the mechanics could flip an analog switch. "So that's the very first incident that got me thinking, 'Why is this car not connected?' And then I started seeing so many different things that made sense to connect," he says. While many companies take a ground up approach to the IoT and create wholly new products, Jasper looks to adapt those that already exist for the companies that make them. Ten years later, that method has led the company to be valued at about $1.4 billion. Mohammed says the industry is still in the "2nd inning" of its lifespan, and production and growth will only ramp up from here. Jasper has grown 100 percent the past few years, Mohammed says, and will do so again this year. And that's not an anomaly, as IDC and Frost & Sullivan both have the IoT market surging internationally, and there's room enough for many players. "We're not going after anybody's lunch," Mohammed says. "The IoT service is a new paradigm, and that's why many people say this is a net economic value creator."
For more:
- read the Q-and-A from Business Insider
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IoT stands for 'Increase of Threats' for many CIOs Read more about: IoT, Frost & Sullivan
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