Google's Doctor

If you're searching Google for information on a health issue, you may see a window pop up that invites you to have a video chat with an expert -- for free. Google is testing a system for linking searchers to healthcare professionals offering consults through its Helpouts service. Normally, there's a fee attached, but Google is picking up the tab during its search feature trial period.

Google is offering a limited trial of a feature that offers people conducting searches of medical terms the opportunity to engage in a video chat with a health professional via its Helpouts service. Helpouts, which launched last November, connects users with experts in a variety of fields such as Art & Music, Fitness & Nutrition, and Health.

The experts typically charge a fee for their service, but Google will cover all fees for users who engage with a health professional via the new search feature during its test period.

The new feature initially was reported on Reddit. Google subsequently confirmed the tests were taking place.




"When you're searching for basic health information -- from conditions like insomnia or food poisoning -- our goal is to provide you with the most helpful information available," Google spokesperson Liz Markman told the E-Commerce Times. "We're trying this new feature to see if it's useful to people."
Take 2 Pills and Chat in the Morning

Google Helpouts has not attracted widespread media attention, but it currently has more than 420,000 followers.

"This is really just leveraging social networking for the purposes of medical assistance, but it is an important step to providing 24/7 access to medical providers, and it could provide access to doctors anywhere in the world, eventually," said Jim McGregor, principal analyst at Tirias Research.

 

"This could change the face of healthcare," he told the E-Commerce Times.

"There are so many aspects of healthcare that need to be improved, including the use of big data for analysis and feedback, the use of mobile solutions for real-time diagnosis, and low-cost services on a global basis," McGregor said. "This could be the first step to implementing a platform that can address all these issues and provide real accountability."
Remote Care

Advice provided through the Helpouts service would be limited by its very nature.

"The doctor is not there is person and is limited to the information the patient provides. So, the diagnosis may be limited and has the potential to be inaccurate," McGregor noted.

"However, for many cases, this could save consumer and the insurance industry time and money, especially if you can leverage doctors in other regions," he suggested. "As mobile tools advance -- such as though the tricorder X-prize sponsored by Qualcomm -- these tools, in conjunction with easy access to doctors, could change the face of healthcare."

Though a Helpouts chat won't replace a visit to the doctor, it could help determine if a follow-up office visit is necessary, or if a medical issue has the potential to be serious.

"Google's new Helpouts chats with doctors is meant to address one of healthcare's most pressing problems: determining if or when a patient should schedule time for an actual office visit," said Charles King, principal analyst atPund-IT.

"At this point, the issue is handled in a piecemeal fashion with everything from online FAQ lists for specific ailments to calling centers where medical assistants answer basic questions and refer patients for follow-up calls with nurse practitioners or doctors," he told the E-Commerce Times.

"The primary benefit of Google's solution appears to be the promise of simplifying and streamlining this process by providing patients ready, secure access to actual MDs," King pointed out. "That could, and should, help patients make quicker, more accurate decisions about follow-up care."



Nokia N1 Tablet



Nokia on Tuesday announced the N1 Android tablet, the first offering under its own brand since Microsoft's acquisition of its mobile phone business.

The N1, slated for Q1 2015 release in China, will be made by Foxconn, which also will handle sales and distribution.



"There are two Nokias now, the cellphone unit, which Microsoft bought, and the networking unit, which this [N1] announcement seems to have come out of," said Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group.

Microsoft is migrating away from the Nokia name, having just brought out the Microsoft Lumia 535, the first Lumia associated with its own name, and "my understanding is that [it] won't be releasing any more Nokia-branded tablets," Enderle told the E-Commerce Times.

The Lumia 2520 may not have sold well in China, where prices are "far lower" on the average, Enderle pointed out, so "these are very different products at very different prices, and I wouldn't expect to see the 2520 in the market any more when the N1 is launched."


Under the N1's Hood

The N1 has a one-piece aluminum body with a sandblasted soft finish. It has a 2.4 GHz 64-bit Intel Atom quad-core processor and runs Android Lollipop.

The 7.9-inch Gorilla Glass 3 display has an IPS panel with LED backlighting and 2048 x 1536 pixel resolution. It is fully laminated.

The N1 has an 8-MP rear-facing camera with autofocus and a 5-MP front-facing fixed-focus camera. It can record 1080p HD video.

It has a micro-USB 2.0 port with a Type C reversible connector, two 0.5 W stereo speakers, and a 6-axis combination gyroscope and accelerometer. It supports WiFi and Bluetooth.

The N1 also has the Nokia Z Launcher, a home screen that lets users scribble a letter with their finger to find what they want. This adapts to the user's location and actions and appears to be self-learning.

Some media reports have likened the N1's design to that of the iPad mini, which is "not surprising ... since there are few available design parameters that consumers find acceptable, and the iPad mini has proven to be acceptable," said Wally Swain, a senior vice president at451 Research.



5G network change the world.

100 times faster
5G will also run faster, a lot faster.
Prof Tafazolli now believes it is possible to run a wireless data connection at an astounding 800Gbps - that's 100 times faster than current 5G testing.
When Samsung announced in 2013 it was testing 5G at 1Gbps, journalists excitedly reported that a high-definition movie could be downloaded in less than half a minute.
A speed of 800Gbps would equate to downloading 33 HD films - in a single second.