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Selasa, 26 Maret 2013

What Advocacy Means to Me--Perspectives from PALS about going to Capitol Hill

What Advocacy Means to Me--Perspectives from PALS about going to Capitol Hill

reprinted from Pathways Newsletter, ALS Association Greater Philadelphia Chapter Spring 2011


Have you considered becoming an ALS Advocate? Join hundreds of people from across the country on May 8-11, 2013 at the National ALS Advocacy Day and Public Policy Conference in Washington DC, and see for yourself the difference you can make in the ALS community!

The conference includes breakout sessions about research and other issues affecting people with ALS, and culminates in a Day on the Hill, where we meet with our members of Congress to share the ALS message and enlist their help with legislation to improve the lives of those living with this disease.

For more information or to register, visit http://www.alsa.org/advocacy/advocacy-day
Here’s what others are saying about becoming an ALS Advocate:

Advocacy doesn‟t require skill or a huge time commitment. The only knowledge you need is the personal experience you have had living with the disease. Advocacy may seem intimidating at first, but once you have faced a diagnosis of ALS, nothing can ever truly frighten you again.

– Jayne Cawthern, Boalsburg, PA

Being the "face of ALS" to our Congressman and Senators has been a really positive experience for me and my wife. We've had the opportunity to support the ALS Registry Act , increased federal funding for ALS specific research through the National Institute of Health and increased funding for research through the Department of Defense. It is truly empowering to help our elected officials understand how ALS impacts PALS and their families.–Keith Canady, Wilmington, DE

We are keenly aware of how uplifting it has been to meet with ALS people from all over our country, joined in an incredible effort to clearly present our special needs to Congressional representatives. No matter how cynical you might be about our ability to have any impact, you first notice that the Senators, Representatives and their staffs with whom you meet do listen and try to understand.–Kathryn & Gerry Voit, Cheltenham, PA

Spending a day moving between the offices on Capitol Hill is an excellent way to get to know more people involved with the fight against ALS. It is good to know that we are not alone and there are so many people working every day in the effort to find a cure and to treat ALS patients.–Stephen Potter, West Chester, PA

I was empowered by the experience of going with others to congressional offices to advocate for ALS. It was fascinating to learn so much about how government works and gratifying to realize that I was having an impact on getting research money for ALS. And throughout all these activities, I was moved by the kindness and solidarity of the ALS community - patients and their families, medical caregivers and researchers; I heard so many stories and made so many friends.– Mary McConaghy, Philadelphia, PA

I went to Washington to let our Congressional representatives hear about my experience as an ALS patient. Getting additional funding for research and also the National ALS Registry, will provide much needed research data that will help all ALS patients. Our representatives were very receptive to our needs, and willing to help in our efforts.
 – Arlene Gordon, Downingtown, PA

Being involved with Advocacy work for the ALS Association gives me the opportunity to give back to an organization that was a lifeline when my best friend struggled with her battle with ALS.– Maureen McPeak, Carlisle, PA

One of the frustrating things about being diagnosed with ALS is the feeling that there's nothing that can be done about it. However, I've found that participating in advocacy can be a way to do something about a situation that nothing can be done about. Through state and national advocacy efforts, I've been able to make a tangible difference in the fight against ALS.– Wes Rose, Glenside, PA

Adaptive Apparel for People in Wheelchairs

Adaptive Apparel for People in Wheelchairs

 Designed especially for the physically challenged
or wheelchair users
My husband and family members have a difficult time getting regular clothes on me now that I am in a wheelchair. Are there any special clothes I can purchase that will make getting me dressed easier?

Getting dressed is a challenge for the mobility impaired, but clothing options combining comfort and quality continue to grow for those in wheelchairs and assisted care. For the disabled, including those in wheelchairs, finding clothes that fit and are easy to put on is difficult. Finding esteem-enhancing garments is harder still. As the Disability movement has matured, specialty companies have emerged offering clothes and accessories that afford the disabled dignity and independence and enhanced efficiency to caregivers and institutions. Mobility Advisor says: Don‟t limit your wheelchair fashion wardrobe to smocks or ill-fitting clothes. Looking good means feeling good. What you wear reflects your personality, so it is important to buy clothes that you like and enjoy - to look your best.

Yet, sometimes disabled people have difficulty finding properly-fitting and fashionable clothing. Bodies change when they are in wheelchairs and standard clothing can gap and bunch in the wrong places. Clothing off the rack does not take wheel chair fashion into account.

Fortunately, some clothiers have realized wheelchair fashion is a specialized need. Clothes made for wheelchair users can be found on the internet, through mail order companies, and in specialty clothing stores. And you can find wheelchair clothing in everything from casual to formal styles.

Many types of clothes for wheelchair users come with Velcro instead of zippers or buttons. These easy on and easy off outfits are perfect for folks with limited mobility. When shopping for your wheelchair wardrobe, consider:

 Buy short coats and jackets; otherwise you sit on the coattail.

 Short capes and ponchos are easily slipped on.

 Wear loose fitting, longer skirts; tight garments look short.

 Separates are useful and better than a dress; buy tops, matching jackets, trousers, and skirts.

 Jogging outfits are attractive and can be worn many places.

 Stretchy fabrics, such as knit, move and give.

 Elastic waistbands in front-pleated trousers make dressing easier.

Keeping these points in mind when you‟e on your shopping spree will make it easier to find comfortable, trendy clothing styles that will make you feel good about yourself and make others take notice.

A full list of specialty clothing companies can be found at:

http://www.disability-resource.com/adaptive-clothing/index.php#URruTKpsNHW4APtE

Senin, 25 Maret 2013

It’s Like They’re Reading My Mind--How next-generation apps will market your brainwaves.

It’s Like They’re Reading My Mind--How next-generation apps will market your brainwaves.

via Slate.com

By and
Posted Monday, March 25, 2013, at 5:49 AM
 
 
 
Patient Marc Andre Duc wears a cap with electrods next to a computer during a presentation of brain-machine interface by the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology of Lausanne on January 23, 2013 in Sion.
Information from BCI devices could offer new value to developers, advertisers, and users alike.
Photo by Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images
 
 
Whether it's our location, contact lists, calendars, photo albums, or search requests, app developers, advertising companies, and other tech firms are scrambling to learn everything they can about us in order to sell us things. Data from smartphone apps, aggregated by third-party companies, can indeed paint an eerily accurate picture of us, and data miners are increasingly able to predict how we will behave tomorrow. For example, as Future Tense blogger Ryan Gallagher reported for the Guardian, Raytheon, the world’s fifth-largest defense contractor, has developed software called RIOT (Rapid Information Overlay Technology) that can synthesize a vast amount of data culled from social networks. By pulling, for instance, the invisible location metadata embedded in the pictures our cellphones take, RIOT tracks where we’ve been and accurately guesses where we will be—and provides all of this information to whomever is running the software. Other companies are increasing the accuracy of such forecasts by comparing our travel habits against our friends’ locations.
Amid the growing popularity of data mining, governments around the world are taking action on perceived misdeeds, like the $7 million fine Google faces for collecting unsecured information. But the stakes are far higher than lawmakers realize. New consumer devices are emerging that, left unchecked, could enable violations of our personal privacy on a far more intimate level: our brains.
Brain-computer interfaces have been widely used in the medical and research communities for decades, but in the last few years, the technology has broken out of the lab and into the marketplace with surprising speed. (Will Oremus recently explored the potential of BCIs in Slate.) They work by recording brain activity and transmitting that information to a computer, which interprets it as various inputs or commands.
 
The most commonly used technique is electroencephalography, which is widely known as a medical diagnostic test (especially for detecting seizures) but now has more potential uses. An EEG device is typically a headset with a small number of electrodes placed on different parts of the skull in order to detect the electrical signals made by your brainwaves. While EEGs cannot read your mind in the traditional, Professor X-y sense, it turns out that your brainwaves can reveal a great deal about you, such as your attention level and emotional state, and possibly much more. For instance, the presence of beta waves correlates with excitement, focus, and stress. One brain signal, known as the P300 response, correlates with recognition, say of a familiar face or object. This response is so well documented that it is widely used by psychologists and researchers in clinical studies. The popularity of EEG devices over other brain scanning technologies, like fMRIs, stems from their low cost, their light weight, and their ability to collect real-time data.
 
The medical research community has long been interested in BCI technology as a means to treat patients with paralysis, like those with “locked-in” syndrome (a neurological condition that results in total paralysis but leaves the brain itself unaffected). Through a simple, noninvasive EEG headset, scientists are able to interpret signals from the patients' brains—for instance, lift left arm or say: "hello"—and relay these messages to a peripheral device such as an artificial limb, wheelchair, or voice box.
Scientists are also researching the use of BCIs to treat psychiatric disorders like ADHD and depression. In fact, in the summer of 2012, OpenVibe2 released a new attention-training game for children with ADHD. Based in a virtual classroom, kids perform various tasks like focusing on a cartoon or finding an object, while the game introduces various stimuli (a truck driving by outside or a dog barking) to try to distract them. An EEG headset measures their level of focus, and objects on screen become blurry as attention wanders, forcing them to refocus their attention.
 
In the last few years, the cost of EEG devices has dropped considerably, and consumer-grade headsets are becoming more affordable. A recreational headset capable of running a range of third-party applications can now be purchased for as little as $100. There is even an emerging app market for BCI devices, including games, self-monitoring tools, and touch-free keyboards. One company, OCZ Technology, has developed a hands-free PC game controller. NeuroSky, another EEG headset developer, recently produced a guide on innovative ways for game developers to incorporate BCIs for a better gaming experience. (Concentration level low—send more zombies!)
 
Likewise, auto manufacturers are currently exploring the integration of BCIs to detect drivers' drowsiness levels and improve their reaction time. There is even a growing neuromarketing industry, where market researchers use data from these same BCI devices to measure the attention level and emotional responses of focus groups to various advertisements and products. Scientists remain quite skeptical of the efficacy of these tools, but companies are nevertheless rushing to bring them to consumers.
 
zombies license your brain.
Courtesy of Grady Johnson and Sean Vitka
The information promised by these devices could offer new value to developers, advertisers, and users alike: Companies could detect whether you're paying attention to ads, how you feel about them, and whether they are personally relevant to you. Imagine an app that can detect when you're hungry and show you ads for restaurants or select music playlists according to your mood.
 
But, as with data collected during smartphone use, the consequences for data collected through the use of BCIs reach far beyond mildly unsettling targeted ads. Health insurance companies could use EEG data to determine your deductible based on EEG-recorded stress levels. After all, we live in a world in which banks are determining creditworthiness through data mining and insurance companies are utilizing GPS technology to adjust premiums. With these devices in place, especially with a large enough data set, companies will be able to identify risk indicators for things like suicide, depression, or emotional instability, all of which are deeply personal to us as individuals but dangerous to their bottom lines.




 
These problems aren’t entirely hypothetical. In August, researchers at the Usenix Security conference demonstrated that these early consumer-grade devices can be used to trick wearers into giving up their personal information. The researchers were able to significantly increase their odds of guessing the PINs, passwords, and birthdays of test subjects simply by measuring their responses to certain numbers, words, and dates.
 
BCIs invoke serious law enforcement concerns as well. One company, Government Works Inc., is developing BCI headsets for lie detection and criminal investigations. By measuring a person's responses to questions and images, the company claims to be able to determine whether that person has knowledge of certain information or events (leading to conclusions, for instance, about whether that person was at a crime scene). According to one BCI manufacturer, evidence collected from these devices has already been used in criminal trials. Although the jury is still out on the reliability of these devices, as psychics, predictive psychology, lie detectors, and unreliable forensics have taught us: Voodoo convicts.
 
We don’t want to delay or block innovation—we’re excited for the day when we can open doors like a Jedi or play Angry Birds entirely with our minds. Or even better, when double amputees can. But now is the time to ask serious questions about who ultimately controls our devices, who has access to the data stored and collected on them, and how those data are ultimately used. Real-time data that reveal one's attention level and emotional state are incredibly valuable—to buyers, prosecutors, and us data cattle. The question remains as to whether it will simply be the next grain of personal information bought, taken, volunteered, or stolen in the name of more accurate advertising and cheaper services.
.
And it's evident that today's privacy standards are woefully inadequate. You might assume health privacy laws would offer protection for this category of sensitive data. But you’d be wrong. Those rules apply only to a select group of people and companies—specifically health care providers, health insurers, and those who provide services on their behalf. Thus, most companies' ability to use BCI data or sell it to one another—even real-time data from your brain—is essentially unchecked.
The Department of Justice's legal opinion is that law enforcement can access any data a user provides to its cellphone company without a warrant, even if no person at the service provider would regularly see that information. This includes passive background data, like the location of the cell towers used to complete a call. Despite their loss on a similar issue at the Supreme Court last year, the DOJ continues to argue that they can access months of a user’s location data stored by phone companies and further that they can compel these companies to provide prospective location information. The deliriously old statute controlling these law enforcement tools was passed in 1986 (though thankfully, legislators like Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., are trying to update it).
 
Tomorrow's Yelp may be interested in more than just your location. Your brainwaves might help it provide more appealing results, and we may volunteer that information without understanding the implications of the data collection. Prosecutors could turn around and use this information as circumstantial evidence: Johnny says he wasn't angry at the victim, but his brainwave forensics say otherwise. Do you expect the jury to believe the robot lied, Johnny? If our laws remain outdated when these issues begin to come up, this new, incredibly intimate data will be guarded just like our current data: not at all.
 
This article arises from Future Tense, a collaboration among Arizona State University, the New America Foundation, and Slate. Future Tense explores the ways emerging technologies affect society, policy, and culture. To read more, visit the Future Tense blog and the Future Tense home page. You can also follow us on Twitter
Boston Children's Hospital model for patients who are Communication Vulnerable

Boston Children's Hospital model for patients who are Communication Vulnerable

A MUST read/watch for any healthcare professional working in a hospital, nursing home, etc...

The Boston Children's Hospital service delivery model for patients who are Communication Vulnerable was recently highlighted in the AAC-RERC spotlight on Supporting Effective Patient-Provider Communication Across Health Care Settings


http://www.childrenshospital.org/clinicalservices/Site2016/mainpageS2016P15.html

Secretion Management in ALS

Secretion Management in ALS

 
Some people with ALS will have difficulty with what feels like excess saliva in their mouths, which may result in drooling (sialorrhea), choking and disrupted sleep.

Saliva is a normal substance in our bodies, used to help moisten the oral cavity (our mouths and throats) so that we can swallow more easily. It also plays a role in early digestion of our food. Saliva production is increased anytime we smell, taste, chew and swallow food. For the person with ALS who has weakened mouth, tongue and throat muscles, swallowing normally-occurring saliva can be difficult, resulting in drooling and/or choking. Medications commonly prescribed to decrease saliva include: amitriptyline, robinol ®, levsin ® and Scopolamine® patches. Possible side effects of these medications include dry mouth, constipation, and urinary hesitancy. These drugs should be used with caution if you have glaucoma, an enlarged prostate or problems with memory loss. Botox® (botulinum toxin) is often prescribed if the medications noted above, are ineffective. Botox is injected (by a physician who has received special training in this area) directly into the parotid and submandibular glands, where the saliva is made, causing a decrease in saliva production. It often takes 1-2 weeks for maximum effectiveness, and if it is successful, will usually last (decrease saliva production) up to 12 weeks.

For sleeping difficulties due to the build-up of saliva, try elevating the head of the bed with pillows or by placing a bed wedge under the mattress.

Thick sputum in the back of the throat can be another concern for the person with ALS who has weakened throat muscles. Clearing sputum can be difficult, often leading to choking and/or the fear of choking. Medications used to treat this problem include: Guaifenesin (which is plain Robitussin®), Albuterol® and Mucomist®. The latter two medications are usually administered via a Nebulizer; a Nebulizer is a machine that changes the liquid Albuterol® and/or Mucomist® into a mist, which is then inhaled via a mask.

Two other pieces of respiratory equipment may be helpful in battling thick phlegm—the suction machine and the cough-assist device. The suction machine may help in loosening and clearing sputum by placing a large catheter, or wand (called a yankeur catheter), in the front part of the throat. This both stimulates a cough reflex and some of the sputum will be suctioned out via the wand. The cough-assist machine produces a pressure that helps the person with weakened throat and mouth muscles produce a stronger, more effective cough. The Nebulizer, suction machine and cough assist device are usually covered under most health insurance policies. A respiratory therapist (RT) should be involved in teaching how to use the respiratory equipment properly.

Jumat, 22 Maret 2013

Tobii Unveils Ultraportable Computer-Access Peripheral, Bringing Gaze Interaction to Standard Laptops and Computers

Tobii Unveils Ultraportable Computer-Access Peripheral, Bringing Gaze Interaction to Standard Laptops and Computers

 


Today Tobii announced the release of the next-generation Tobii PCEye eye trackers. The Tobii PCEye Go and PCEye Pro bring gaze interaction to standard laptops and computers, allowing individuals with communication and rehabilitative disabilities to control all the functions of their computer using only their eyes.

The Tobii PCEye Go and PCEye Pro are peripheral eye trackers that connect to standard laptops and desktop computers through a single USB connection, allowing users to navigate and control the computer with only the movement of their eyes.

The PCEye provides users who suffer from Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS), stroke, MND, spinal cord injuries, Rett syndrome or cerebral palsy access to the full suite of computer applications. With the PCEye, users can surf the Web; play games; use environmental controls; connect with friends via email, Skype and social networks; and even work with spreadsheets and create documents.

 
“With the PCEye and Gaze Interaction, individuals with disabilities are no longer confined to a controlled computer environment; instead, they can enjoy the full freedom and access of a standard PC,” said Oscar Werner, executive vice president of assistive technology at Tobii. “We give individuals new ways to connect with others, make their voices heard, stay informed, and live more fulfilled, independent lives. We even give them the opportunity to continue employment.”

Extremely portable
The PCEye comes in two sizes. The smaller Tobii PCEye Go is primarily meant for laptop use and smaller desktop screens. The larger PCEye Pro is optimized for those working with bigger screens.
Both easily attach to and detach from the desktop or laptop using magnetic mounting plates and a USB connection. This makes it easy to take the PCEye along at all times: to school, to work and back home.

Relaxed and almost pixel-precise computer access
The PCEye comes with the Tobii Gaze Selection software, which makes it easy to control the computer and significantly reduces the risk of unwanted clicks, giving the user more relaxed, almost pixel-precise computer access. To write texts, messages or URLs, users can use the on-screen keyboard that is built into Gaze Selection or any of the keyboards that come with the optional Tobii Communicator.

“We’ve listened to our users saying they want more portability and the ability to access modern computer apps and programs with ease,” said Tara Rudnicki, president of Tobii ATI. “With the PCEye, our users are able to advance in the computing age with equal, or even superior, ability.”

Availability
The PCEye Go is currently available for purchase. The Tobii PCEye Pro will be available later in 2013.

Additional resources

To learn more about Tobii PCEye Go and Pro, please visit www.tobii.com/pceye, contact sales@tobiiati.com or call 1-800-793-9227 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 1-800-793-9227 
.
Click here to see Tobii assistive technology devices in action.

About Tobii Technology
Tobii Technology is the global market leader in eye tracking and gaze interaction. Our products are widely used within scientific research and in commercial market research and usability studies, as well as by people with disabilities as a means to communicate and to access and control their computers. Today Tobii contributes with a wide range of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) products. www.tobii.com
About Tobii ATI
Tobii Assistive Technology Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Tobii Technology. For nearly two decades, Tobii ATI has been helping men, women and children with disabilities such as autism, cerebral palsy, Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS), muscular dystrophy and spinal cord injury lead fuller, richer lives. Through its total commitment to serving its customers — individuals, families, doctors, therapists, schools and rehabilitation centers — Tobii ATI has developed a reputation as an innovative and caring industry thought leader that continues to push the boundaries of what’s possible to deliver the most advanced, effective and empowering communications tools available for a wide array of disabled communities through award-winning eye-tracking and gaze-controlled hardware and software. Tobii is the global leader in eye-tracking and gaze interaction. For more information, please visit www.tobiiati.com.

Selasa, 19 Maret 2013

A PALS Perspective: How My Assistive Technology Changed My Life

A PALS Perspective: How My Assistive Technology Changed My Life


My name is Gregory Telthorster and I am a person living with ALS. Most of my adult life I had been a teacher of art and technology at a local middle school. I also had been a practicing artist, oil painting being my medium. As my disease progressed I lost the use of all of my extremities and with it the ability to do anything utilizing my fine motor skills (painting, drawing, typing, etc.). As my ability to manipulate a mouse became a greater struggle, I knew I had to find some assistive technology that would allow me to use my computer as both a communication tool and graphic tool. After visiting the Pennsylvania Assistive Technology Lending Library (Temple University), where I tried an assortment of assistive equipment, I found a tool that fit my needs perfectly. It is called a Jouse2 (http://www.jouse.com/). The Jouse2 is an advanced joystick-operated USB mouse that is controlled with your mouth. Just move the joystick with your mouth, cheek, chin or tongue to shift the mouse cursor wherever you want. You can perform right-click, left-click and double-click actions with the sip and puff switches built into the Jouse2.

With the Jouse2 I am able to use my computer "hands-free". In combination with voice recognition software (Nuance Dragon Dictate) the Jouse2 gives me the freedom to use many software programs with precision. I have created greeting cards, coffee-table art books, videos, multiple graphic designs and logos, multimedia presentations and edited photographs with similar ease as I had done when I had full utilization of my hands.

Our daughter, Jessica, was married this past summer. With the help of my assistive technology device, I was able to help with the design of the wedding program and invitations. For the rehearsal dinner, using my Jouse2, I put together a movie complete with scanned in photos, digital photos, old VHS family movies, music and voiceovers. Using software programs like Adobe Photoshop I was able to create our family holiday greeting card. Using book-publishing software I gathered digital images of my art to create a coffee table sized book of my artwork. For this year‟s Super Bowl I created a T-shirt logo that was professionally printed. The joy that this adaptive equipment has brought me is immeasurable! It continues to allow me to be communicative, creative and independent.

 

Jumat, 15 Maret 2013

Galaxy S4 launch: Samsung pins hopes on eye-tracking in battle with Apple

Galaxy S4 launch: Samsung pins hopes on eye-tracking in battle with Apple

 

Korean company's new smartphone, positioned as rival to Apple's iPhone, will also be able to translate nine languages
Galaxy S4 by Samsung
The Galaxy S4 launched by Samsung in New York has a 'smart scroll and smart pause' feature that monitors users' eye movements. Photograph: Adrees Latif/Reuters
 
Korea's Samsung turned to song and dance on Thursday as it took a shot at ousting Apple as king of the smartphone.

In a packed Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan, Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S4, the latest iteration of its best-selling smartphone, and set out its challenge to Apple on the US giant's own turf.
In a widely anticipated move, the company unveiled the most eye-catching feature of the new phone. It has pioneered the "smart scroll and smart pause" feature. The facing camera on the handset monitors users' eye movements and behaves accordingly. Tilting the phone while looking at it will scroll web pages and it can even pause a video if a user looks away.

After weeks of teasing, Samsung unveiled a phone it is promoting as "moving beyond touch". With a simple wave of the hand, Minority Report-style, the phone will move a web page or a photograph.
The handset can also translate nine languages, from text to speech and vice versa or just translate text. JK Shin, Samsung's head of mobile, said: "Think about being able to communicate with your friends around the world without language barriers." He called the device "a life companion for a richer, simpler life".

Samsung said that from the end of next month the Galaxy S4 would be offered by 327 mobile operators in 125 countries.

Galaxy S4 by Samsung Samsung's Galaxy S4.
Photograph: Andrew Gombert/EPA

The show-like unveiling featured tap-dancing children to illustrate the Galaxy's 13 megapixel camera, which can record the user as well as his or her subject. Other mobiles offer similar functions.
Michael Gartenberg, analyst at Gartner, gave the handset a cautious welcome: "Features are impressive but a lot of them feel gratuitous. Also a lot of features available for other Android devices through 3rd party apps," he wrote on Twitter.

While detailed reviews are yet to come, analysts said it was clear from the scale of Samsung's launch that the Korean firm has Apple firmly in its sights.

Forrester analyst Charles Golvin said Samsung has no intention of playing Pepsi to Apple's Coca-Cola. "Companies like Pepsi and Avis to some extent played up being number two, it was a point of difference. Samsung wants to be number one. In fact, it's saying if you think Apple is number one, you are wrong."

Golvin said Samsung still trailed Apple in the US smartphone market. "Apple has about 35% and Samsung around 16-17%," he said. But Samsung's overall share was far higher and the market is changing.

Six years after Steve Jobs unveiled the first iPhone, smartphone makers are chasing two very different markets. "There's the upgrade market for those who already have one; those tend to be more well-heeled buyers. And there's new buyers – that tend to be more financially constrained," said Golvin.

Samsung's new Galaxy is firmly aimed at the former and the company has a tight grip on the new, less moneyed buyers too. That strategy has presented Apple with its biggest challenge in smartphones yet.

Carolina Milanesi, consumer devices analyst at Gartner, said: "We are at the point where the majority of sales in this segment come from replacement, not new users. In other words, the addressable market is starting to be saturated and now it is about keeping their refresh cycle short. The problem is, though, that technology innovation is slowing down and as we move to more innovation being delivered via software, the cycles are getting longer rather than shorter." She pointed to Nintendo's Wii U games console, launched last November. In January, Nintendo cut its sales forecast by 27%.
Colin Gillis, technology analyst at BGC Partners, said the smartphone war was turning into a two-horse race. "These guys make 120% of the profits because everyone else is losing money," he said.
But Gillis said that if Samsung was really going to beat Apple at its own game, it would need to keep innovating. "Generating buzz is a great thing to do provided your products are worthy of it. This market is exploding. They will sell 10m of these things out of the gate. But it's not a one player market, they will have to really deliver."

Harry Wang, analyst at Parks Associates, said: "Samsung is trying to do one thing: knock Apple's status in the US. They want to show that they can excite the high-end smartphone adopters just as well as Apple."
Wang said Samsung already had an advantage in the Far East where its brand is better known than Apple but it is now clearly after US consumers. "They are catching up. Samsung is now a formidable brand."

He said the company had done a good job of distancing itself both from Apple and its Android competitors. Samsung spent $410m promoting Galaxy in the US last year, according to a report from Kantar Media, more than Apple, which spent $333m on iPhone ads in 2012.

Samsung used a series of ads to mock iPhone buyers for waiting in long lines and to position Galaxy as a smarter, hipper alternative. But Apple edged Samsung out in sales at the end of 2012. The iPhone 5 was launched last September and was initially marred by backlash over the decision to drop Google Maps for Apple's own, flawed, maps programme. It went on to be the most popular phone in the US during the fourth quarter of 2012. Apple sold 17.7m smartphones during the quarter while Samsung sold 16.8m mobile phones, according to Strategy Analytics' Wireless Device Strategy report. The boost made Apple the US's number one mobile phone vendor for the first time ever, with a record 34% market share.

Kamis, 14 Maret 2013

Ex-NFL Player Tweets With His Eyes in Fight Against Disease

Ex-NFL Player Tweets With His Eyes in Fight Against Disease

 

Steve-gleason-present
Sam Laird
On Sept. 25, 2006, Steve Gleason blocked probably the most meaningful punt in NFL history. His New Orleans Saints were playing their first home game back in a city that had been devastated by Hurricane Katrina 13 months earlier. The block helped propel the Saints to a poignant 23-3 victory over the Atlanta Falcons. A statue titled "Rebirth" now stands outside the Louisiana Superdome commemorating Gleason's big play.
Gleason was a 5-foot-11, rock solid 212-pound defensive back at the time, a world class athlete playing a gladiator's sport. Today he's 35, confined to a motorized wheelchair and, in his words, has to have "someone else wash my balls." That's thanks to an ongoing battle with the nerve disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis — better known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease — that began two years ago.
But, reminiscent of how he helped inspire a community weakened by natural disaster in 2006, Gleason today gives hope and support to a worldwide community weakened by an incurable disease. And what he does would be impossible if not for powerful technology and the digital connectivity of social media.


Gleason in his playing days; Jim Isaac/Getty Images

A product from the company Tobii lets Gleason use his eyes to control a monitor attached to his chair. He's then able to write messages — including tweets and an email interview for this article — and browse the web despite not having enough muscle function to do so manually. He's also able to move around, speak, open doors and control household appliances thanks to high-tech tools.
But he's not the only one benefitting. His foundation recently constructed the Team Gleason House for Innovative Living, a $25 million, 18-bed skilled nursing facility in New Orleans that he writes is just the second of its kind worldwide and "will allow ALS patients the same technology and level of independence I have."

Gleason also posts personal tweets, signed "SG," to the @Team_Gleason Twitter account (staff members post non-signed messages) and says social media has helped give ALS patients like himself power they never had before.

"Because of the Internet and social media ALS patients are able to share their experiences and knowledge with each other," he writes. "That has played a massive role in the ALS community. We are able to communicate efficiently on topics of treatment, equipment, technology and other resources. Prior to this, ALS patients were isolated and had to rely on their doctors or medical community for advice."

Raising money and awareness, building the high-tech house — Gleason says all that is just the beginning of what he hopes to help people accomplish.

"If we continue to fuel the conversation about ALS and put the brightest people together with the people with the right resources, it can be the most significant impact on ALS in 100 years," he writes.

"Many people and groups are working toward the same goal and collectively, we can all affect the needed change."

You can learn more about Gleason's foundation here.
Assistive Technology Promotes Independence for People in Nursing Facilities

Assistive Technology Promotes Independence for People in Nursing Facilities

March 13, 2013 by Disability.Blog Team
Photograph of a grandmother, her son and her grand daughter talking to a doctor

By Guest Blogger Chava Kintisch, Staff Attorney and Assistive Technology Project Director, Disability Rights Network of Pennsylvania

Many people with disabilities living in nursing facilities cannot operate a manual wheelchair or communicate through speech. However, people in these facilities can gain independence through Medicaid-funded assistive technology, such as power wheelchairs and augmentative communication devices. This independence can help support their transition back into the community.

According to the Assistive Technology Act of 2004, 29 U.S.C. § 3002, an assistive technology device is “any item, piece of equipment or product system, whether acquired commercially, modified or customized, that is used to increase, maintain or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities.” This includes durable medical equipment (DME) and an unlimited range of other items that people with disabilities use in their daily lives. Assistive technology services include evaluation, adaptation, training, repairs and maintenance.

Generally, a nursing facility should pay for assistive technology when a person is living in that facility and receives Medicaid. The Nursing Home Reform Act requires a nursing facility that participates in Medicaid to provide services “to attain or maintain the resident’s highest practicable physical, mental and psychosocial well-being.” Services include specialized rehabilitative services, such as physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech-language therapy. Nursing facilities should also provide services to maintain or improve abilities in daily activities, including the ability to bathe; dress; groom; transfer; ambulate; toilet; eat; hear; see and use speech, language, or other functional communication systems. All of this can require the provision of appropriate DME and other assistive technology.

About 15,000 nursing facilities nationwide participate in Medicaid and are subject to these requirements. You can use the Nursing Home Compare tool to find out if a particular nursing facility participates in Medicaid.

Your state may also have programs to encourage nursing facilities to provide appropriate DME. However, nursing facilities that participate in Medicaid should provide medically necessary DME even if these incentives don’t exist in that state. For example, Pennsylvania provides additional Medicaid payments to nursing facilities for certain medically necessary custom and expensive DME, and allows people to take the equipment with them if they leave the facility. However, regulations state that nursing facilities must pay for all medically necessary DME, even if they are not given this additional Medicaid payment.

A 2003 State Medicaid Director Letter addresses ways that states can pay for medical equipment under Medicaid to aid transition of people from nursing facilities back into the community. Check with your state Medicaid office to find out if the assistive technology can go with the person if or when he or she moves out of the facility and into the community. Besides the Pennsylvania program described in the paragraph above, Pennsylvania Medicaid will pay for all medically necessary equipment and supplies for use in the community once the person has a discharge date.

Visit the national assistive technology and transition portal to find out what strategies advocates in your state have used to promote assistive technology for people in nursing facilities. This portal was developed by protection and advocacy agencies and state Assistive Technology Act programs to provide information and models for advocacy initiatives.

In Pennsylvania, the Disability Rights Network of Pennsylvania (DRN) worked with Liberty Resources, Inc., a center for independent living, to increase the provision of evaluations and power wheelchairs at a 450-bed public nursing facility. Staff members then developed an online toolkit using their experiences from this effort. DRN also worked with Pennsylvania’s Initiative on Assistive Technology to increase access to evaluations and augmentative communication devices by nursing facility residents statewide through assessment of communication needs.

Mobility and communication are the means to freedom. Residents of nursing facilities should have access to the full range of medically necessary assistive technology to promote independence and transition to the community. Medicaid law can ensure that this happens.

For More Information:
Additional Articles of Interest from the Disability Rights Network of Pennsylvania:
Chava Kintisch is a staff attorney and Assistive Technology Project Director for the Disability Rights Network of Pennsylvania (DRN). She practices exclusively in the area of civil rights for persons with disabilities, representing individuals with disabilities in order to help them gain access to assistive technology and home and community-based services under Medicaid. She can be reached at ckintisch@drnpa.org. This project is funded by a grant to the Disability Rights Network under Protection and Advocacy for Assistive Technology.
Realtree Teams Up With OtterBox To Create Nearly Indestructible iPad Case

Realtree Teams Up With OtterBox To Create Nearly Indestructible iPad Case


Just saw this posting today….new iPad case says it’s “nearly indestructible”….

I have always used the Griffin Survivor Case and can thankfully say none of the iPads in our loaner closet have ever had a cracked screen or hardware issues.  It’s nice to have another choice now…

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ByOtterbox RealTree
Accessory maker OtterBox recently launched a new rugged iPad case in collaboration with Realtree that will safeguard your tablet like a boss. The Defender Series for the iPad 2 and third and fourth-generation iPad will give you the protection you need without being too bulky or “extreme” looking.
The Realtree Camo case features three layers of protection. It features a built-in screen protector and also includes a durable shield that doubles as a stand so you can display your iPad while watching movies, playing games, and even typing.

The Defender series includes two Realtree Camo designs, the “Xtra” which is bright orange and black to compliment your hunting gear, and the “AP Pink” which is two-toned gray with a pink hued picture on it.

The case is made from high-impact polycarbonate and includes a foam insert to add extra shock-absorption protection. The silicon outer-layer absorbs the bump while the textured exterior offers improvement to the grip. All buttons and ports are covered with a silicone cover to protect from dust and debris.

You can order the Defender Series in Realtree Camo Xtra or AP Pink from OtterBox’s website for $99.99. For a limited time, you can get a free dvd of Monster Bucks XX Vol. 1 or Vol. 2 when you purchase a Defender Series Realtree camo iPad case from OtterBox.


http://www.padgadget.com/2013/03/13/realtree-teams-up-with-otterbox-to-create-nearly-indestructible-ipad-case/
5 Trends That Will Drive The Future Of Technology

5 Trends That Will Drive The Future Of Technology

 

 
Isabelle Olsson, lead designer of Google's Pro...
Google's Project Glass. (Image credit: AFP/Getty Images via @daylife)

Trends get a bad rap, mostly because they are often equated with fashions. Talk about trends and people immediately start imagining wafer thin models strutting down catwalks in outrageous outfits, or maybe a new shade of purple that will be long forgotten by next season.
Yet trends can be important, especially those long in the making. If lots of smart people are willing to spend years of their lives and millions (if not billions) of dollars on an idea, there’s probably something to it.
Today, we’re on the brink of a new digital paradigm, where the capabilities of our technology are beginning to outstrip our own. Computers are deciding which products to stock on shelves, performing legal discovery and even winning game shows. They will soon be driving our cars and making medical diagnoses. Here are five trends that are driving it all.

1. No-Touch Interfaces

We’ve gotten used to the idea that computers are machines that we operate with our hands. Just as we Gen Xers became comfortable with keyboards and mouses, Today’s millennial generation has learned to text at blazing speed. Each new iteration of technology has required new skills to use it proficiently.
That’s why the new trend towards no-touch interfaces is so fundamentally different. From Microsoft’s Kinect to Apple’s Siri to Google’s Project Glass, we’re beginning to expect that computers adapt to us rather than the other way around.
The basic pattern recognition technology has been advancing for generations and, thanks to accelerating returns, we can expect computer interfaces to become almost indistinguishable from humans in little more than a decade.

2. Native Content

While over the past several years technology has become more local, social and mobile, the new digital battlefield will be fought in the living room, with Netflix, Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Apple and the cable companies all vying to produce a dominant model for delivering consumer entertainment.
One emerging strategy is to develop original programming in order to attract and maintain a subscriber base. Netflix recently found success with their “House of Cards” series starring Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright. Amazon and Microsoft quickly announced their own forays into original content soon after.
Interestingly, HBO, which pioneered the strategy, has been applying the trend in reverse. Their HBO GO app, which at the moment requires a cable subscription, could easily be untethered and become a direct competitor to Netflix.

3. Massively Online

In the last decade, massively multiplayer online games such as World of Warcraft became all the rage. Rather than simply play against the computer, you could play with thousands of others in real time. It can be incredibly engrossing (albeit a bit unsettling when you realize that the vicious barbarian you’ve been marauding around with is actually a 14 year-old girl).
Now other facets of life are going massively online. Khan Academy offers thousands of modules for school age kids, Code Academy can teach a variety of programming languages to just about anybody and the latest iteration is Massively Online Open Courses (MOOC’s) that offer university level instruction. (For a good example, see here).
The massively online trend has even invaded politics, with President Obama recently reaching out to ordinary voters through Ask Me Anything on Reddit and Google Hangouts.

4. The Web of Things

Probably the most pervasive trend is the Web of Things, where just about everything we interact with becomes a computable entity. Our homes, our cars and even objects on the street will interact with our smartphones and with each other, seamlessly.
What will drive the trend in the years to come are two complementary technologies: Near Field Communication (NFC), which allows for two-way data communication with nearby devices and ultra-low power chips that can harvest energy in the environment, which will put computable entities just about everywhere you can think of.
While the Web of Things is already underway, it’s difficult to see where it will lead us. Some applications, such as mobile payments and IBM’s Smarter Planet initiative, will become widespread in just a few years. Marketing will also be transformed, as consumers will be able to seamless access digital products from advertisements in the physical world.
Still, as computing ceases to be something we do seated at a desk and becomes a natural, normal way of interacting with our environment, there’s really no telling what the impact will be.

5. Consumer Driven Supercomputing

Everybody knows the frustration of calling to a customer service line and having to deal with an automated interface. They work well enough, but it takes some effort. After repeating yourself a few times, you find yourself wishing that you can just punch your answers in or talk to someone at one of those offshore centers with heavy accents.
Therein lies the next great challenge of computing. While we used to wait for our desktop computers to process our commands and then lingered for what seemed like an eternity for web pages to load, we now struggle with natural language interfaces that just can’t quite work like we’d like them to.
Welcome to the next phase of computing. As I previously wrote in Forbes, companies ranging from IBM to Google to Microsoft are racing to combine natural language processing with huge Big Data systems in the cloud that we can access from anywhere.
These systems will know us better than our best friends, but will also be connected to the entire Web of Things as well as the collective sum of all human knowledge. The first of these, IBM’s Watson, costs $3 million to build, but that price will drop to about $30,000 in ten years, well within the reach of most organizations.

When Computers Disappear

When computers first appeared, they took up whole rooms and required specialized training to operate them. Then they arrived in our homes and were simple enough for teenagers to become proficient in their use within a few days (although adults tended to be a little slower). Today, my three year old daughter plays with her iPad as naturally as she plays with her dolls.
Now, computers themselves are disappearing. They’re embedded invisibly into the Web of Things, into no-touch interfaces and into our daily lives. While we’ve long left behind loading disks into slots to get our computers to work and become used to software as a service – hardware as a service is right around the corner.
That’s why technology companies are becoming a increasingly consumer driven, investing in things like native content to get us onboard their platform, from which we will sign onto massively online services to entertain and educate ourselves.
The future of technology is, ironically, all too human.
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