D2

Annalyn S. Jusay

Technews
t around 11 a.m. last December 30, from his office in Oklahoma City, an inventor named David Albert uploaded a webcam video in which he demonstrated how to obtain an electrocardiogram with an iPhone. Opening his shirt and white lab coat, he placed the phone against his chest. Now you will see a very clean ECG, Albert explained, as a heart rhythm pulsed across the screen. I am detecting and storing, wirelessly transmitting, and storing locally in real time. Its being analyzed, beats are being identified. By noon, the video had 10,000 views. Three days later, it had 100,000. Bloggers and online commenters were insisting the iPhone ECG was a fraud. That was enough to impress Alberts 12-year-old son. Dad, youve made it. You have YouTube haters! The story of the iPhone ECG may also be remembered as an early demonstration of how mobile technology made medicine faster and cheaper. U.S. industry delivers constant advances in high-tech medicine, including new drugs and million-dollar medical scanners. But it does so at a staggering cost. After posting the video, Albert was flooded with thousands of inquiries from first responders and doctors all over the world, as well as from executives at big medical-device firms. Its very clear the established companies view this as a threat, says Albert, 56. A serial inventor with 33 issued patents, Albert says that for much of his career, including as a top cardiol-

EVERY MONDAY September 19, 2011

Your heartbeat on an iPhone

Blogging makes working from home on your laptop so easy

ver since I became enamored with blogging, my dreams have been punctuated with images of me working from home in my pajamas, meeting clients on Skype while sporting my freshfrom-bed pigtails. What I like about this: it doesn't matter what car you drive or make-up label/clothing brand you wear. You're not stressed with office politics or time spent on the road dealing with traffic. It's good to know that a few of my friends are already adopting the work-fromhome lifestyle, especially fellow moms who need to stay home to be with their young kids. I envy them inasmuch as am still tied to the corporate jungle. But someday, with more focus and determination, I know I can work from home like the rest of them. Blogging is certainly a good starting point if your goal is to live the digital lifestyle someday. If you maintain your own blog with its own profitable niche, it can be good for you since you get to keep your own hours and be your own boss. Plus you get invited to snazzy events and earn in dollars. Having your own blogging portfolio can also lead to greater things like being an in-demand virtual assistant or content writer for established websites. Having said this, here's just a few tech-related, work-from-home jobs that's really hot in 2011 and onwards: Social media manager. This person has the enviable job of being paid handsomely to hang around sites like Facebook and Twitter. With social media being the ultimate playground of consumers, it's understandable for businesses to veer away from traditional means of advertising and resort to new services like blogs

and the social networks. This is why they hire a social media manager for people to populate their brand's Facebook page, tweet by the hour or generate as much Likes for an online promotion. Search engine optimization (SEO) specialist. Okay, this sounds more complicated than we think but this is usually the person to go to if you want the heads-up on things like web analytics, web usability and conversion rate optimization. Usually, you can become an SEO expert by having good knowledge of XHTML and CSS since the job involves editing the HTML coding of a website to increase page ranking and backlinks. The SEO's main mission is generally to improve the visibility of a website in searches. Mobile application developer. With the increasing popularity of mobile tablets and iPhones, there's a growing demand for specially skilled people with knowledge on how to run the iOs and Android operating systems. Yes, popular games likes Angry Birds were made by these people and they have the luxury of facing their computers all day, trying to craft the next game that will change the world. Familiarity with programming languages like ColdFusion, J2EE, C-Sharp and HTML5 are usually required. Web designer. This job requires that you make a website that's not only pleasing to the eye in terms of theme and design, you also have to ensure that it works properly through programming techniques. Knowledge of Adobe and CSS is always considered a plus. There you go folks. Just some of the jobs (out of many!) where telecommuting is a privilege. Moral lesson here: polish your skills in the internet and who knows, you may just Facebook your way to your next salary!

ogy scientist for General Electric, he was part of the problem. The job was to create 10 percent improvements in performance for 100 percent price increases, says Albert. For 25 years, I designed ever more expensive technology. The ECG reader being developed by Alberts company, AliveCor, will cost around $100. While not as accurate as a hospital-grade 12-lead ECGthe kind that uses many electrodes pasted to the chest, arms, and legsAlbert calls his phone ECG almost as good and disruptively less expensive. ECGs are used to diagnose irregular heartbeats, or arrhythmias, a common type of medical problem that can also be the result of a heart attack. AliveCors monitor is built into a case that slips onto an iPhone. It has two electrodes that pick up volt-

age changes on the skinthe ECG signalproduced by the contraction of the heart. A low-power wireless transmitter sends the signal to the phone. Power comes from a lithium watch battery that Albert claims will last for 180 hours of continuous use. Its quite a nifty device, says Eric Topol, a cardiologist and chief academic officer at Scripps Health in San Diego who has been testing it. Instead of doing a cardiogram, I just have them put their fingers on my phone. Its really frugal and is a cost savings. The phone ECG, which AliveCor manufactures in China, is being studied in clinical trials in Oklahoma and at the University of Southern California and will need approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration before being sold in the United States. Albert says it will go on sale in Europe this fall. (NYT)

BlackBerry App World 3.0 here

lackBerry App World 3.0 is now out of beta and available for all BlackBerry smartphone users. The BlackBerry App World 3.0 storefront makes discovering and downloading apps, games, and themes easier than ever. Users can personalize their BlackBerry smartphone, find the hottest games and entertainment and get apps to stay connected with the people who matter.

Globe Business teams with local group for quality, affordable housing

New features include: Sleek New Design - The BlackBerry App World experience has been enhanced to help users discover the latest and greatest apps and content, starting right on the BlackBerry App World home screen where rotating spotlight banners show off all thats new and exciting. New Channels - Apps, Games, and Themes now have their own channels so users can get to what they want even faster. Introduction of My Account - My Account makes managing BlackBer-

ry ID and payment options easy with direct access to all account information from the home screen. New My World Features - My World gives users a streamlined view of their apps and status, and now at a glance, in addition to seeing which apps are installed and uninstalled, users can manage subscription content and services. When new updates or subscription renewals are available for apps, users will be notified using push technology. App Social Sharing when a user finds an app they cant live without, they can share it directly from the app details screen through BBM (BlackBerry Messenger), Facebook, Twitter, email and SMS Evolved App Details Screen - At a glance, users can get a quick summary, check out reviews and star ratings, take a look at screen shots, and more More Search Options - Quickly find apps with a Search Bar now appearing on the storefront home screen and search results are presented across Channels as well as My World. Search Bars are also

within each Channel and users have the ability to filter by App Name, Price, Rating, Newest, Best Match, or Popular BlackBerry App World is free and works on BlackBerry smartphones running the BlackBerry 5 OS (Device Software) or higher. For more information or to download immediately, please visit http:// ph.blackberry.com/AppWorld.

MMDAs hi-tech public service

lobe Business, the corporate and Smalland-Medium Enterprise (SME) customer unit of Globe Telecom, is appointed the Official Communications and Solutions Provider of the Organization of Socialized Housing Developers of the Philippines (OSHDP). OSHDP is a national association of private developers that aims to consolidate efforts in the development of socialized and low-cost housing, with focus on delivering quality and affordable housing to Filipinos. Now on its 16th year, OSHDP has 110 very active regular members and 35 affiliate members nationwide. The partnership between Globe Business and OSHDP kicked-off during the 2nd National Convention of the OSHDP and the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC), held last August 25 & 26 in Holiday Inn, Clark Free Port, Pampanga.

We are one with the OSHDP in their goal of providing more Filipinos with decent housing. What we would like to do is to help lowend developers rationalize their cost by providing information and communication requirements that are relevant and tailor-fit to their scale and scope of work, said Manny Aligada, Head of the Corporate and SME Segments of Globe Business. Photo shows Aligada (right) with Engr. Jefferson Bongat, OSHDP National President of the contract signing between Globe Business and OSHDP last August 23, 2011. Globe Business aims to provide the best products and solutions for small, medium and large enterprises. Experience the benefits of having customized solutions to support your business. Consult a Globe Business Account Manager, visit Globe stores, call the Globe Business Hotline or log on to www.globe.com.ph/negostar today to find out more.

Here in the Philippines, many government offices are still a bit conservative in utilizing technology to provide efficient, helpful public service. Maybe it comes with the age of officials, or perhaps the lack of budget to hire the right people and purchase the appropriate equipment in order to operate new services. While some are just starting to engage us Filipinos through Internet tools, it is good to recognize the efforts of Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), which has made use of technology to really make our lives better, at least in Metro Manila. How did I say that MMDA provides good public service with the use of technology? Because of their Website The rise of mobile users subscribed to data plans makes it very convenient to surf the web and gather information on a day to day basis, if needed and when needed. Having this in perspective, MMDAs website (mmda.gov.ph) is a good tool for information dissemination.

They make sure that news items are always timely and updated. Information on new regulations, messages from the head of office, list and photos of violators, and applications forms for different purposes are easily accessible through their website. Because of their Social Media efforts People are hungry for information. Whether in transit, at home or at work, we always make it a point to check Twitter or Facebook for updates from friends and helpful entities. In this way, we get acquainted to whats happening and what to expect out there. As such, the MMDAs fast, reliable responses and updates on Twitter (twitter.com/MMDA) and Facebook (facebook.com/ MMDAPH) only signify their good intention of providing the Filipinos the best possible kind of help they can extend. Because of their Traffic Navigator Obviously, not everyone has

gone with the flow of Twitter and Facebook. So when we want to pull information about the traffic situation in several parts of Metro Manila, theres the MMDA Traffic Navigator (mmdatraffic.interaksyon.com) that provides helpful tips on which roads to spare and what streets to drive through instead. Accessible in any computer or tablet, traffic monitoring has never been this hi-tech, especially that the application is color-coded, easy to navigate, and updated once in every few minutes. The MMDAs effective use of technology has definitely helped a lot of people lessen the problems on traffic and accident tracking day in and day out. Matched with their efficient public service, the MMDA has surely set a positive tone for other government offices to follow. What other government offices have provided good public service with the help of technology? Share your thoughts via email at glenn@glennong.com or Twitter @GlennOng. (Glenn Richmond Ong)