MedCom Professional Services, Inc.

National electronic health records network gets closer

2011-11-18T08:16:00.001-05:00

National electronic health records network gets closer

By David Goldman @CNNMoneyTech November 18, 2011: 5:39 AM ET

An electronic health records network is becoming a reality, as the national attitude towards health IT is shifting towards acceptance.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- The ambitious goal of setting up a nationwide, interconnected, private and secure electronic health records system isn't yet a reality -- but we're getting closer.

The 2009 Recovery Act, better known as the stimulus bill, set aside more than $20 billion for incentives to health care providers that deploy and meaningfully use certified electronic health records systems in their offices or hospitals. The first incentives are set to go out in the form of $22,000 Medicaid payments to early adopters within the next six months.

The problem with the current system is clear: Paper trails get lost, incorrect prescriptions get written, and doctors' time is wasted listening to patients explain their medical histories.Now, according to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONCHIT), the agency tasked with organizing the electronic health records project, 75% of hospitals have responded to surveys saying they are planning on investing in health information exchange services. ONCHIT presented the update at a Washington conference of health IT professionals on Thursday.

The government's solution is to make processes digital and connected. If a doctor's notes are entered into an electronic record, they can be accessed -- with a patient's permission -- by another medical professional. The system will alert doctors if a dosing or prescription seems awry. Human error is reduced to near zero. And doctors can diagnose problems faster and spend time seeing more patients.

Of course, that solution has its own set of problems. The cost of implementation is certainly a large factor, but privacy, usability, collaboration methods and training are also at issue.

But ONCHIT says that the tide has turned, and the concerns have become viewed as less of a turn-off and more of a necessary hurdle to overcome.

"We used to say the problem with this marketplace is that nobody wants to pay for information exchange," Farzad Mostashari, ONCHIT's director, said at the conference. "Well, all of a sudden now there's a lot of people who want to exchange information and coordinate care because the business case is there."

More than 100,000 rural primary care providers have now committed to achieving meaningful use of a networked digital health records system. That's a significant milestone, Mostashari said, because rural providers have been viewed as the most reluctant to change.

Thanks to the nation's changing attitude, the digitized health records business is booming, and vendors are beginning to release cheaper, faster products that operate in the cloud. The systems are also becoming also easier to use: Half the electronic medical records systems on the market now come with Apple iPad apps for doctors.

As the adoption hurdles are being jumped, the implementation barriers are the next to be overcome.

"The challenge is that you can become a meaningful user by yourself, but it's a team sport," said David Blumenthal, former ONCHIT director, at the conference. "You can't share information without collaboration."

Via: http://money.cnn.com/2011/11/18/technology/electronic_health_records/index.htm

Missed a Webinar?

2011-11-17T09:20:00.001-05:00

Have you missed any of our recent webinars? Luckily MedCom records all of our live web demonstrations for later viewing! Click on the links below for short (less than 10 minute) demonstrations of a few of MedCom's most popular offerings!

Check them out on YouTube today!

Appointment Scheduling

My MedCom

Virtual Store Front

On Demand Call Recording Access

Email Monitoring

Internal Application Access

For more information on any of these services, Email us or call us at 215-839-6246.

2011-11-03T08:37:00.000-04:00

A federal judge today allowed Sprint Nextel and C Spire to continue with its lawsuit to block the merger between AT&T and T-Mobile USA.

AT&T and T-Mobile had attempted to dismiss the lawsuit. But Judge Ellen Huvelle allowed both companies to persist with their lawsuits, which claim they would be squeezed by market pressures if the consolidation were to be allowed, according to Reuters. Part of the lawsuits, however, were dismissed. The lawsuits could further complicate the deal, which already faces opposition in the form of a lawsuit from the Justice Department.

"Both Sprint and C Spire have demonstrated to the court that they would be injured if the AT&T's proposed takeover of T-Mobile were completed," Susan Haller, vice president of litigation for Sprint, said in an e-mailed statement. "By allowing Sprint and C Spire Wireless to move forward with these lawsuits, the court has ensured we receive a fair hearing."

AT&T, meanwhile, focused its attention on the part of the lawsuit that was thrown out.

"We are pleased with the ruling that dismisses the vast majority of the claims of Sprint and CellSouth," General Counsel Wayne Watts said in an e-mailed statement. "We believe the limited, minor claims they have left are entirely without merit."

Sprint and C Spire--formerly Cellular South--have argued that the merger would hurt their ability to get access to the best devices, which would hurt competition. C Spire has also claimed that the deal would hurt the roaming rates it has to pay to both carriers to allow for national coverage.

Judge Huvelle did dismiss Sprint's claim that it would be deprived of wireless spectrum needed for network deployment, and said there wasn't enough evidence to support the company's claim that it would be hurt by higher prices for backhaul services.

The Justice Department has also argued that the merger would hurt competition and raise prices for consumers, claims that AT&T has denied.

A deal between AT&T and T-Mobile would created the nation's largest wireless carrier. AT&T has also said it would help with its spectrum constraints.

Via: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-20129360-94/judge-lets-sprint-c-spire-pursue-suit-against-at-t/

Internet Explorer Desertion Continues as Usage Drops Below 50 Percent

2011-11-02T15:10:00.000-04:00

BY MARIO AGUILA

Internet Explorer Desertion Continues as Usage Drops Below 50 Percent

Internet Explorer has long been declining in popularity, but it hit an abandonment milestone in October as its market share dropped below 50 percent for the first time in more than a decade. What browsers are reaping the benefits?

Microsoft's browser is far from dead, but the October stats are hardly favorable. Some of IE's decline can be attributed to the rapid increase in mobile browser usage—Safari rules that land. But while IE is still hovering above 50 percent of users on desktops, it's dropping fast—nearly 2 percent last month. Most of the defecting desktop users are going to Chrome, but Firefox still has an edge over Google's browser. Check out graphs above for more or head over to Ars Technica for comprehensive analysis of web usage. [Ars Technica]

Via: http://gizmodo.com/5855654/internet-explorer-desertion-continues-as-usage-drops-below-50-percent/gallery/1

Outstanding Service Brings National Award

2011-10-13T11:46:00.001-04:00

Outstanding Service Brings National Award

MedCom Professional Services, Inc. Wins CAM-X Award of Excellence

TOP TEN

MedCom Professional Services, Inc. of Levittown, PA has been honoured with the exclusive 2011 Award of Excellence for the fourth consecutive year. The Award is presented annually by the Canadian Call Management Association (CAM-X), the industry’s Trade Association for providers of call centre services including telephone answering and message delivery. MedCom Professional Services, Inc. was presented with the Award recently at the CAM-X 47^th Annual Convention and Trade Show held at the Hyatt Regency, Montreal, QC.

Independent judges are contracted by CAM-X to evaluate message services throughout North America over a six-month period. The criteria for scoring include courtesy, response time, accuracy and overall service to their clients. If the company scores 80% or better in ALL categories, they are presented with the coveted Award of Excellence. The program is now in its 22nd year.

“Every business needs an answering service” says CAM-X president Tom Sheridan. “Participation in the CAM-X Award of Excellence program helps make for a great first impression for all callers, even when contact is made after regular business hours. A live agent simply provides a better customer service experience than automated systems or callers having to wait until the office reopens for business. The CAM-X Awards of Excellence program raises the bar for the best customer service experience possible. We congratulate MedCom Professional Services, Inc. for their achievements.”

Founded in 1964, CAM-X began as a national trade Association representing live answering services. The Canadian Call Management Association now encompasses companies across North America offering specialized and enhanced operator based services including: call centres, contact centres, inbound telemarketing (order entry), paging, voice messaging, emergency dispatch, fax, and Internet-based services, among others. Please visit www.camx.ca for more information.

Now a four-time winner, MedCom Professional Services, Inc. earned the Silver Plus Award for four consecutive years. CAM-X extends its congratulations to the staff of MedCom Professional Services, Inc. on their proven TOP TEN quality service to their customers.

Everything You Need to Know About Today’s Windows 8 News

2011-09-14T09:52:00.000-04:00

Windows 8 news is gushing forth from Microsoft's BUILD conference up in Seattle, as the company exposes the inner workings of the latest iteration of their operating system. Here's a look at all the latest Windows 8 news we're seeing today.

(Microsoft is showing off Windows 8 on a prototype tablet, so most of the emphasis is on the more touch-friendly features of the OS.)

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Metro

For Microsoft, Metro is the future. Metro is the design scheme that the Redmond megalith dreamed up for Windows Phone 7, and now it's coming to Windows 8 not just as a skin or a launch screen, but as an entire philosophy. We've seen glimpses of this UI in the past, but we weren't quite sure just how deep it would run into Windows 8.

The way Microsoft is talking, Metro style apps may not be at the core of Windows 8 just quite yet, but it seems like it's what they want for the future of their platform in terms of design. Metro is not a separate skin or layer running on top of Windows 8. Everything is handled as natively as anything else in Windows.

According to Mary Jo Foley at ZD Net, the old tools, standards and philosophies for app development are taking a back seat to this new, more immersive style of Metro apps. It's all tiles, full-screen apps, simplicity. It all makes Windows look so modern. Awesome.

Charms

In the Metro UI, the new Start Menu will be the Charms element on the right side of the screen. From there you'll be able to search, tweak settings, manage apps, share links/text/info/pics etc. This is akin to the overlay that pops up when you hit the menu key on Android devices.

Split Screen Apps

Despite the fact that the Metro UI moves away from the windowed design of yore, that doesn't mean you have to be locked into one app at any given time. The Metro UI will allow two apps to share screen space so that you can multitask without sacrificing the flattened design of Windows 8. Conceptually, it's a lot like the Twitter app for iPad, (in that app you can view your timeline while having a browser window with a link you clicked open right next to it). It's quick and efficient.

Resolution Matters

All Windows 8 devices must have a minimum resolution of at least 1024x768 pixels. Any device running on minimum requirements will only run the Metro UI, with apps one at a time. If the screen resolution is 1366x768, it will support the splitscreen apps. If the screen is a full 16:10 and at least 1366 pixels wide, you

Metro vs Pro

Windows is definitely drawing a line between Metro and Pro, defining the limits of Metro (for now, at least). While the Metro is intended for entertainment purposes and consumption of content (tablets, hello!), the Pro UI (which is much more standard looking) is for creation and work purposes. The way Microsoft is talking, they envision you using a desktop during when you're in the office (or working at least). When you're just casually screwing around on the internet, you'll use a tablet device.

NFC Power

Windows 8 will support NFC technologies, meaning that devices can either transmit or receive information. In terms of possibilities, think something along the lines of what Palm/HP showed off with the Pre 3 and the TouchPad. Tap your phone against your tablet and it could take the webpage/app/song/video that's on your device and load it on your phone.

Refresh and Reset

Viruses and malware happen. Microsoft isn't necessarily promising that Windows 8 will be virus free, but they're making it easier to wipe out corrupted system software without wiping out your apps and settings. They call this feature Refresh. There's also a quick one step feature to wipe your device and restore it to factory settings. This is Reset.

Available Tonight

You'll be able to download the Developer Preview of Windows 7 tonight. However, it won't be supported by Microsoft in any manner.

Via: http://gizmodo.com/5839790/everything-you-need-to-know-about-todays-windows-8-news-updating

IBM's Watson to Tackle Healthcare Next

2011-09-13T09:05:00.002-04:00

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- IBM's Watson computer thrilled "Jeopardy" audiences in February by vanquishing two human champs in a three-day match. It's an impressive resume, and now Watson has landed a plum job.

IBM is partnering with WellPoint, a large health insurance plan provider with around 34 million subscribers, to bring Watson technology to the health care sector, the companies said Monday.

It will be the first commercial application of Watson, which is a computing system that aims to "understand" language as humans naturally speak it. IBM (IBM,Fortune 500) has been working on Watson for more than six years.

The goal is for Watson to help medical professionals diagnose and sort out treatment options for complicated health issues. Think of the system as an electronic Dr. House.

"Imagine having the ability to take in all the information around a patient's medical care -- symptoms, findings, patient interviews and diagnostic studies," Dr. Sam Nussbaum, WellPoint's (WLP, Fortune 500) chief medical officer, said in a prepared statement.

"Then, imagine using Watson analytic capabilities to consider all of the prior cases, the state-of-the-art clinical knowledge in the medical literature and clinical best practices to help a physician advance a diagnosis and guide a course of treatment," he added.

WellPoint plans to begin deploying Watson technology in small clinical pilot tests in early 2012.

Speed and natural language: Watson can sift through 200 million pages of data and provide a response in less than three seconds. But perhaps even more impressive than Watson's speed is its ability to process natural language, the way that humans speak it.

That's no easy feat for a computer. Human language is full of subtleties, irony and words with multiple meanings.

Take the "Jeopardy" example. Watson studies the questions by considering many factors, ranging from straightforward keyword matching to more complex challenges like homonyms (the bark of a tree is not the same as a dog's bark) and paraphrasing ("Big Blue" is the same thing as "IBM").

Watson is able to do this quickly thanks to software that runs on 10 refrigerator-sized racks of IBM Power7 systems. The machine is a grandkid to Deep Blue, the chess-playing IBM supercomputer that trounced world champion Garry Kasparov in 1997.

IBM said early on that health care is a field where it anticipated commercialization opportunities for Watson. Other markets IBM is eying include online self-service help desks, tourist information centers and customer hotlines.

Watson's "Jeopardy" face-off against champs Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter, which first aired February 14-16, will be re-broadcast starting on Monday.

Via: http://money.cnn.com/2011/09/12/technology/ibm_watson_health_care/index.htm?hpt=te_bn9

Flash Flooding prompts road closures in Pa.; watch in effect for region

2011-09-08T08:46:00.000-04:00

MEDIA – The National Weather Service in Mount Holly issued a flood watch for much of the Philadelphia area, including Delaware County, Wednesday morning.

Additionally, a flood warning was issued for communities along the Brandywine Creek at Chadds Ford, expected to affect parts of Delaware County.

The flood watch is scheduled to continue through Thursday afternoon. Between noon Tuesday and Wednesday, the area experienced four to five inches of rain.

A significant amount of rain is expected over the next few days, as bands of storms moving up from Maryland are expected to pour on the area.

“It depends whether we get thunderstorms,” said the meteorologist-on-duty at the NWS in Mount Holly, N.J. Wednesday. “We’re expecting, over the next 24 to 48 hours, possibly one or two inches of rain.”

With the ground already saturated by August’s deluge, most of the rain will run off into small streams and possibly cause them to flood.

PennDOT spokesman Gene Blaum said that there were no road closures or blockages in Delaware County Wednesday afternoon, but that there were “8 to 10 roads closed in other parts of the region.”

“At this point and time, we don’t have any closed in Delaware County, but it’s obviously a major concern as we go through (Wednesday),” he said.

Brandywine and Darby Creeks were problem areas he mentioned that PennDOT was keeping an eye on.

Ed Truitt, the Director of Delaware County Emergency Services, wasn’t concerned about either creek flooding, saying that residential areas are not close to either site. Still, he’s keeping tabs on both areas.

“I’ve notified the people that need to be notified,” he said. “They know when to be proactive and when not to. They’re not rookies out there. If they have to pull the trigger (on an emergency situation), they’ll pull it.”

Blaum also said that crews were being readied “for this latest round of rain.” Crews have been kept busy since Hurricane Irene moved through the area.

“It matters where the creeks and rivers crest,” he said. “When water does overtake the roadways, we’re mobilizing crews to get barriers (on them).”

Truitt that any action would cost money, which is short now.

“Local municipalities just frankly don’t have (funds) this time of year,” said Truitt. He cited the operations during Hurricane Irene and actions during last winter’s snowstorms as the reason why many towns are hurting for cash for this situation.

Truitt emphasized that the flood watch is just a speculative measure.

“I deal with what is, not what they say is going to happen four days from now,” he said.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Flash flooding from the aftermath of Tropical Storm Lee has caused the closure of dozens of highways and secondary roads in central Pennsylvania.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation was urging motorists Wednesday not to travel if possible because of the widespread closings.

In the meantime, the National Weather Service issued a flood watch for much of the region.

Here is their official release:

THE FLOOD WATCH CONTINUES FOR

* PORTIONS OF NORTHERN DELAWARE...NORTHEAST MARYLAND...NEW

JERSEY AND PENNSYLVANIA...INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING AREAS...IN

NORTHERN DELAWARE...NEW CASTLE. IN NORTHEAST MARYLAND...CECIL.

IN NEW JERSEY...CAMDEN...GLOUCESTER...HUNTERDON...MERCER...

MIDDLESEX...MORRIS...NORTHWESTERN BURLINGTON...SALEM...

SOMERSET...SUSSEX...WARREN AND WESTERN MONMOUTH. IN

PENNSYLVANIA...BERKS...BUCKS...CARBON...CHESTER...DELAWARE...

LEHIGH...MONROE...MONTGOMERY...NORTHAMPTON AND PHILADELPHIA.

* THROUGH THURSDAY AFTERNOON

* HEAVY SHOWERS TODAY WITH ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE

CONCENTRATED MAINLY FROM EASTERN MARYLAND NORTHWARD THROUGH

EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA INTO NORTHWESTERN NEW JERSEY INTO WEDNESDAY

EVENING. THESE SHOWERS MAY TEND TO BE ORGANIZED IN BANDS FROM

SOUTH TO NORTH. IF THESE BANDS MOVE OVER THE SAME PLACES...

FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS IN ADDITION TO FLOOD WARNINGS MAY BECOME

NECESSARY.

* BANDS OF HEAVIER RAIN ARE ALSO LIKELY TO DEVELOP AND MOVE OVER

THE NORTHERN PART OF THE WATCH AREA LATER TONIGHT INTO THURSDAY

MORNING.

* FROM WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON INTO THURSDAY AFTERNOON ADDITIONAL

RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 1.5 TO 4.0 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE IN THE WATCH

AREA WITH THE HIGHEST AMOUNTS IN THE WESTERN PART OF THE WATCH

AREA.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A FLOOD WATCH MEANS THAT THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR MORE FLOODING

BASED ON CURRENT FORECASTS.

YOU SHOULD MONITOR SUBSEQUENT FORECASTS AND BE ALERT FOR POSSIBLE

RENEWED FLOOD WARNINGS OR UPGRADES TO HIGHER CATEGORY RISKS. IF

YOU LIVE IN A LOCATION THAT IS PRONE TO FLOODING... BE PREPARED

TO TAKE ACTION AND MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND SHOULD FLOODING DEVELOP.

DON'T WALK OR PLAY ALONG STREAM BANKS WHICH ARE EXCEEDINGLY

SLIPPERY.

The closures affect portions of most of the interstate highways and a much larger number of secondary state roads throughout the region.

As PennDOT spokesman Steve Chizmar put it — quote — "It's bad out there."

Via: http://delcotimes.com/articles/2011/09/08/news/doc4e67dc2d01ab2031349838.txt?viewmode=fullstory

DOJ files injunction against AT&T and T-Mobile Merger

2011-08-31T15:29:00.001-04:00

Update: The full PDF text of the DOJ lawsuit can be found here.

Update 2: Sprint has just released their own statement courtesy of senior vice president of government affairs Vonya B. McCann:

The DOJ today delivered a decisive victory for consumers, competition and our country. By filing suit to block AT&T’s proposed takeover of T-Mobile, the DOJ has put consumers’ interests first. Sprint applauds the DOJ for conducting a careful and thorough review and for reaching a just decision – one which will ensure that consumers continue to reap the benefits of a competitive U.S. wireless industry. Contrary to AT&T’s assertions, today’s action will preserve American jobs, strengthen the American economy, and encourage innovation.

The DOJ today delivered a decisive victory for consumers, competition and our country. By filing suit to block AT&T’s proposed takeover of T-Mobile, the DOJ has put consumers’ interests first. Sprint applauds the DOJ for conducting a careful and thorough review and for reaching a just decision – one which will ensure that consumers continue to reap the benefits of a competitive U.S. wireless industry. Contrary to AT&T’s assertions, today’s action will preserve American jobs, strengthen the American economy, and encourage innovation.

The tech blog world is in a frenzy today with the news of the Department of Justice filing an injunction against theproposed takeover of T-Mobile by AT&T. AT&T hasn’t wasted a moment though already releasing a statement promising to vigorously fight the DOJ action and also take over the world. Wayne Watts, AT&T Senior Executive Vice President and General Counsel issued the following statement:

“We are surprised and disappointed by today’s action, particularly since we have met repeatedly with the Department of Justice and there was no indication from the DOJ that this action was being contemplated.
We plan to ask for an expedited hearing so the enormous benefits of this merger can be fully reviewed. The DOJ has the burden of proving alleged anti-competitive affects and we intend to vigorously contest this matter in court.
At the end of the day, we believe facts will guide any final decision and the facts are clear. This merger will:
· Help solve our nation’s spectrum exhaust situation and improve wireless service for millions.
· Allow AT&T to expand 4G LTE mobile broadband to another 55 million Americans, or 97% of the population;
· Result in billions of additional investment and tens of thousands of jobs, at a time when our nation needs them most.
We remain confident that this merger is in the best interest of consumers and our country, and the facts will prevail in court.“

T-Mobile outages post earthquake

2011-08-23T16:00:00.000-04:00

In case you are just catching the news a 5.9 magnitude earthquake outside of Washington D.C. and up along the east coast is affecting T-Mobile service. The above tweet shows that T-Mobile is aware of the difficulty as are all major operators experiencing trouble and customers are advised to use SMS or e-mail in the meantime. Hope everyone is safe!

@tmobile

Win one FREE MONTH of Service!

2011-08-15T11:36:00.004-04:00

Do you have something nice to say about MedCom? Has MedCom helped you grow your business?

Send us a short written testimonial and be entered to win a FREE MONTH OF SERVICE!

Are you willing to let our staff come to your location and record a video testimonial? Submit a video testimonial and you will get a second chance for a FREE MONTH OF SERVICE!

Enter by August 31st for your chance to win!

Click here to begin

Dr. Snyder discusses his experiences with MedCom

2011-08-12T12:21:00.003-04:00

Dr. Snyder, a customer of MedCom for 24 years, discusses his wonderful experiences he has had over the many years. We are very happy to have built such strong relationships with our customers over the years!

"I think having MedCom as my answering service has made things smooth, and it has been one less thing to worry about, one less headache in the day to day running of my practice."

"They're always at the top of their game."

The Best Way to Store Stuff in the Cloud

2011-08-12T11:52:00.002-04:00

Cloud storage services are everywhere these days. The internet has gotten cloudier than my memories of Burning Man '05. Each claims to rule the sky, but there can be only one. Find out who it is.

We tested eleven of the most popular cloud storage services out there, looked at their price-per-gigabyte, and considered their various features and functionality. Read on to meet our gladiators, and to see which was the one cloud to rule them all.

Pssst: If you just can't wait to see who our favorites are, scroll down to the bottom of the page.

Amazon Cloud Drive

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Amazon Cloud Drive isn't much more than a hard drive in the sky, but if that's all you need, it's a good option as it's cheaper than most of the others. Its interface is fairly basic and it's pretty much all web, but it's got nice tunes. Amazon distinguishes itself here with its capability of streaming your music to you via the web or a very nice Android app (iOS folks have to use the browser interface). This is a big draw for music-lovers.

• Storage Options Prices/year: 5GB/FREE, 20GB/$20, 50GB/$50, 100GB/$100, 500GB/$500, 1TB/$1,000
• Max file size: 2GB
• Access: Web, Android

Your first 5GB are free, and if you buy any album (which are almost always significantlycheaper than they are in iTunes) you're automatically upgraded to 20GB free (and the MP3s you purchase through Amazon MP3 don't count against your limit). Max file size is a beefy 2GB, but there's no syncing or anything like that.

Box.net

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Box.net's main focus is collaboration and it's definitely geared more toward business users. The sharing features are really pretty good, with tools to manage workflow, versions, tasks, and comments (with a similar look to Facebook). It also plays nicely with Google Apps. It has a good reputation for reliability.

• Storage Options Prices/year: 5GB/FREE, 25GB/$120, $100GB/$240,
• Max file size: 25MB for free accounts / 1GB for paid
• Access: Web, iOS, Android, TouchPad

The bad news is that gig for gig, Box.net is our most expensive competitor. In fact, it costs twiceas much as our second most expensive service. Other downers: 25MB max file size if you're on the free 5GB account (which is pathetic), and 50GB total is as high as you can go without upgrading to an even more expensive business account.

Dropbox

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Dropbox is everywhere, it seems, because it's so ridiculously simple and convenient. You have a folder, you put stuff in it, and that folder is synced across all of your computers. You make a change to a Word doc in your Dropbox folder, save it, and it's updated across all of your computers' Dropbox folders. It looks like any other folder in your computer. You just drop stuff in there and you know it's going to do its thing. Sharing stuff is easy, and there's no size limit on files.

• Storage Options Prices/year: 2GB/FREE, 50GB/$120, 100GB/$240
• Max file size: Unlimited
• Access: Windows, Mac, Ubuntu, Web, iOS, Android,

The downside: You only get 2GB for free (though you can increase that to 16GB free by referrals). Also, the files that are synced have to be in that folder (or sub-folder), not elsewhere on your computer (though you can work around that). It's also one of our most expensive options, and the max size is 100GB unless you want to shell out even more for a Team account which starts at $795/year for 350GB shared between a maximum of five people (say what?).

Google
This will get you the most bang for your buck. Google's cloud solution, creatively called Google User Managed Storage, gets very cosy with Google's other services, such as Docs and Picasa. Docs users get (a measly) 1GB of storage for free, which can be used for any type of file, but you can buy more elbow room at very nice prices. Google Docs has excellent sharing and syncing capabilities and you can sync your Microsoft Office documents with it via Google's Cloud Connect plug-in.

• Storage Options Prices/year: 1GB/FREE, 20GB/$5, 80GB/$20, 200GB/$50, 1TB/$256
• Max file size: 1GB
• Access: Web, Android, Mobile Web

The downsides: puzzlingly, the extra storage you buy doesn't apply to your Gmail account, so you're still limited to the free 7+GB. Why?? Also, the storage you buy can't be pooled or shared with other Google Apps accounts. Kind of lame. 1 free gig isn't particularly generous. (Note: Google also has Google Music Beta which allows you to upload 20,000 of your songs for free into the cloud and stream them. It's still in Beta, it's not currently expandable, and it's separate from their User Managed Storage, but it's worth mentioning.)

iCloud

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Apple's iCloud is the new kid on the block. It's designed to integrate seamlessly with your many devices... but only if they have an Apple on them. The good news is that iCloud will sync your iWork documents across your computers and make them web and mobile accessible. It'll sync your email, you get 5GB free, and your music and videos don't count against your storage limit, but only if you purchased them from Apple.

• Storage Options Prices/year: 5GB/FREE, 10GB/$20, 20GB/$40, 50GB/$100,
• Max file size: 25MB for free accounts / 250MB for paid
• Access: Mac, iOS, Web

Now the bad news: if you're on their free storage, iCloud's max file size is 25MB. Say what!? Even if you upgrade to one of the paid plans, that only bumps you up to 250MB. I don't know what they're thinking there (forget storing any HD video). Also, at it's twice as expensive as Amazon's offering, and EIGHT TIMES as expensive as Google's. Currently, 50GB is as much as you can get. Those are some serious iDings against it.

iDrive Sync

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iDrive Sync is similar to Dropbox, but more advanced in some ways. Like Dropbox it has a desktop app, but unlike Dropbox you can sync folders that are outside of your main folder. It also keeps backups of all versions of your files for 30 days, just in case. It offers 5GB for free, or for $49.50 you get UNLIMITED storage! On paper, this should be the obvious pick. So why isn't it?

• Storage Options Prices/year: 5GB/FREE, Unlimited/$49.50
• Max file size: Unlimited
• Windows, Mac, Web, iPhone

Calling iDrive "intuitive" would be like calling the global economy "stable". The web interface is an assault on your eyes, and even the desktop app leaves a lot to be desired. Currently iPhone is the only mobile app it has. It's also somewhat buggy. In my testing I found that it's just still not as clean, polished, or reliable as it should be (especially since it's been in the game for almost five years), which is a shame, because I really wanted it to be my cloud savior.

Microsoft SkyDrive

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WindowsLive SkyDrive is an interesting one. It gives you a whole ton of space (25GB) for free. It integrates very nicely into the Microsoft Office Web suite, Hotmail (boo!), and other Microsoft Live services. The web interface is straightforward, and it works very well with Windows Phone 7. If you run Windows on your desktop you can sync folders via Windows Live Mesh. [EDIT: Live Mesh is available for OSX as well, which is a big plus.] It's basically a big lump of storage, for free.

• Storage Options Prices/year: 25GB/FREE
• Max file size: 100MB
• Windows, Mac, Web, WP7, Mobile Web

The bad? Well, it's just a big lump of storage, for free. That's not bad, per se, but there's not much else to it. If you're not on Windows, you don't get any bells or whistles. No OSX, Android, or iOS support. If you just want a place to store stuff and you don't want to pay for it, this is a great option. There's a 100MB size-limit on your files, which could be better.

Mozy
Mozy is a little bruiser. It has cross-platform desktop apps that allow you to choose which folders you want to back up, and then you pretty much don't have to think about it any more. It offers robust encryption and even has bandwidth throttling so you can still stream your ~~porn~~ Netflix movies while it's backing up. It also offers version backups for the last 30 days, and it has one of the cleanest, easiest UIs we've seen.

• Storage Options Prices/year: 2GB/FREE, 50GB/$72, 125GB/$120, 200GB/$216, $500GB/$576, 1TB/$1,176
• Max file size: Unlimited
• Mac, PC, Android, iOS, Web

Downside: After the free 2GB the next level up is $72/year for 50GB, which is about mid-pack, price-wise, but it's kind of a big jump. The biggest negative, though, is that it's not really built for sharing. This is a big drawback if you do a lot of collaborating. If you want super-easy and reliable backup, though, this is a pretty good option.

SugarSync

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SugarSync really kinda has everything. Keeps files in sync across multiple computers in (almost) realtime? Check. Apps for all major smartphone operating systems and a nice web interface? Yep. Easy and intuitive sharing and collaboration? Indeed. High level encryption with redundancy across multiple data centers? Nice interface? Streaming music to mobile or desktop? Yes yes yes. It also hangs on to the last five versions of your documents, it will auto-upload the pictures you take on your phone, and it has a very good bonus program that allows you to get extra storage for free. It even has the speed throttling I liked with Mozy, and it has a Dropbox like component called Magic Briefcase.

• Storage Options Prices/year: 5GB/FREE, 30GB/$50, 60GB/$100, 100GB/$150, 250GB/$250, 500GB/$400
• Max file size: 2GB when transferring between computers, unlimited if uploading directly to web
• Windows, Mac, Web, iOS, Android, BlackBerry, Symbian, Windows Mobile

The downside? It's not our cheapest option, but it's right about in the middle. And if you want customer service to answer the phone, you'll have to pay extra for that (but to be fair, most of the others don't even have the option of phone support).

Ubuntu One

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Ubuntu desktop users rejoice! Annnd, that's about it. The closest comparison is Dropbox in terms of features. You get 5GB free and from there you can buy however many 20GB chunks for $30/year each. It has an integrated music streaming service that will stream to Firefox, Android, and iOS devices. If you're on Ubuntu you can sync file folders, and the interface is really pretty nice.

• Storage Options Prices/year: 5GB/FREE, 20GB/$30, 60GB/$100, 100GB/$150, 200/$300, 500GB/$750, 1TB/$1,500
• Max file size: 5GB
• Ubuntu, Web, Android, iOS

The downside, aside from the mobile platforms I just mentioned, it only works on the Ubuntu OS. There's a Windows version in Beta, but reports of mucho bugginess are abundant. Mac users are out of luck, although you can access it with your browser. It's also fairly pricey for what it is. Unless you're on Ubuntu, this one doesn't make a ton of sense.

YouSendIt
YouSendIt made its name by sending your gigantic files for you. Eventually they figured, "Hey, maybe we should just save these and let users continue to access them." Smart of them. It features enterprise-level security and it's picked up a few tricks over the years, like plug-ins for many popular applications (Microsoft Office, FinalCut, and iPhoto, to name just a few).

• Storage Options Prices/year: 2GB/FREE, 5GB/$120, UNLIMITED/$180
• Max file size: 50MB for free accounts, 2GB for paid accounts
• Mac, Windows, Web, BlackBerry, iPhone (limited to tracking)

Their pricing plans are somewhat puzzling. 2GB free storage (with many limitations on sharing), or an insane $120 for only 5GB storage (with fewer limitations)! I'm guessing that's because YouSendIt is still primarily used for sharing, so their servers will likely be more taxed? Who knows, but here's the humdinger: for only sixty bucks more than that, you get UNLIMITEDstorage! If you don't need sync, $180 bucks to store all of your everything is not bad at all. ~~Fun fact: YouSendIt's storage is via Dropbox.~~ Funner fact: YouSentIt's storage is NOT through Dropbox. They have a "Dropbox" but it is in no way related to Dropbox.com.

That's a lot of info, so we made this chart to break down the price-per-gigabyte for easy reference (click to largeify):

The Ultimate Victor: SugarSync

How sweet it is. SugarSync is essentially everything we wanted. It combines the best bits of all of the other services and weaves it together into a fast and intuitive package. It worked exactly like we wanted to. Super powerful, super easy, and tons of features. If 5GB (plus the extra you get for referrals) is enough for you, then this is a no-brainer. If you don't mind shelling out for more storage, it's still a no-brainer as the rates are quite reasonable. NOTE: When I signed up for an account, I was informed that all paid accounts are currently 50% off + your first month is free. SugarSync was already the clear winner, and that made it even clearer.

Budget Winner: Google
If you don't need desktop syncing and you just want a ton of cloud storage space, but you don't want to pay much for it, Google User Managed Storage (get a better name for this, Google!) is your best bet. 80GB for twenty bucks? 200GB for fifty? Solid. If you need an insane amount of storage, then go with YouSendIt's $180 for unlimited, or take your chances with iDrive Sync's unlimited plan.

Free Winner: Microsoft SkyDrive
25 gigs of completely free storage? If you just want a hard drive in the sky, for free, then Windows Live's SkyDrive is your answer. Even more so if you do a lot of Microsoft Office-ing online or if you only used Windows PCs.

Your Mom's Winner: Dropbox
If you or someone you love wants cloud storage but is a bit of a luddite and needs the absolute, most-basic interface possible, Dropbox is pretty easy to wrap your head around.

Via: http://gizmodo.com/5828035/the-best-way-to-store-stuff-in-the-cloud

Is Android About to Get Crushed?

2011-08-03T23:43:00.001-04:00

This fall, smartphones are going to be better than they've ever been. That's true every year, but iOS 5 and Windows Phone 7.5 are looking pretty fantastic. What about Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich, though?

We know a little bit about Ice Cream Sandwich, which seems focused on fixing a lot of the nagging issues in the Android world, like unifying its phone and tablet software, reducing fragmentation, and adding support for some neat integrations with other hardware in the real world. But that may not be enough to keep it from getting outclassed by the Cupertino Crusher and the scrappy Seattle upstart. It needs to be awesome.

Make it Pretty

Truth: Android's user interface is not particularly intuitive. That's okay to a point, since Android swaps some of that for greater customization. But consistency's a huge problem. (I have way too many friends who've had an Android phone for months and still barely have a handle on the basics.) For example, within an app, the back button doesn't always do the same thing. Sometimes it takes you up a level within an app, sometimes it switches you to another app you were previously in, and sometimes it just quits to the homescreen. Constantly, accidentally closing out of an app while you're in the middle of doing something is maddening (and it happens all the time, even to advanced users).

WP7 is gorgeous. It's sleek, smooth, modern-looking, and consistent. iOS is beautiful in the same sparse way that Christian Bale's apartment was in American Psycho. Android is neither. It's function over form, and it frequently looks cluttered and disjointed, with parts of the OS completely incongruous with rest of it (although you can install some snazzy home replacements like SPB Shell 3D). Honeycomb's aggro-Tron interface might appeal to nerds, but it's not going to go very far with normal people.

Bottom line, Android needs to look lickable and it needs to be totally consistent.

More Powerful Notifications

Android may have done them first, but iOS 5 is about to do them better. iOS 5's notification system is almost a direct rip of Android's, but it offers more control over how notifications are displayed/removed/opened/sorted. The webOS notifications for the TouchPad offer that same kind of granular control, so Android needs to do better, too.

Let my Android Be Free

If hardware manufacturers are going to insist on foisting their (mostly terrible) overlays on top of Android in an attempt to differentiate their devices, give customers the ability to turn them off and use Android the way Google intended it. At the very least, manufacturers shouldn't be able to replace a stock app with their own. For example, Samsung's music player on the Droid Charge is God-awful. It doesn't even have a widget. Yet, you can't just use the stock Android player (which does have a widget) because Samsung removed it. Ridiculous.

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Build More Stuff In

Android, stop making your users rely on third-party apps for features that should be built-in. We're talking basic stuff here, like voice recording or a half-decent calendar widget. There is a reason that third-party launchers (like LauncherPro) are so popular: they are orders of magnitude better than the stock launcher. Same goes for Handcent SMS vs. the stock messaging app. Why not just buy some of these developers so you can include the functionality your phones should have straight out of the box?

Improve Email

Surprisingly, Google's own Gmail app lacks some of the basic functionality that Android's generic Email app has. You can't save attachments (other than JPEGs)! You can open PDFs, but you can't save them. That's insane. Nobody wants to re-download the same document every time they move out of Gmail. Android is one of the few mobile operating systems that has an open file structure, so why not take advantage of it? Let the people save their attachments. (Correction: As of the Gmail app's most recent update you can save other file types, such as PDF and MP3.)

We Need More Media

The third-party program DoubleTwist gives you kind of an iTunes-like interface for transferring media to and from your Android device via USB or Wi-Fi. Trouble is, it's far from perfect. In fact, it's buggy as hell (especially over Wi-Fi). The sad thing is that it's still the best media-syncing option Android has. On the audio side of things, Google Music Beta has potential, but development has been excruciatingly slow. Google needs a desktop app with powerful, intuitive syncing capabilities. It could even be browser-based, just as long as it works.

Do we even want to talk about video? The video experience on Android is very clunky. It's basic without being intuitive or easy. Make it not suck, or at least on par with the iPad.

More Social Yo

The Google+ app on Android is good. The way it can auto-sync every photo you take to aprivate folder in the cloud is genius. They should take it further. WP7 Mango will have social networking deeply integrated into Contacts. Not only should Google do the same with Facebook and Twitter—taking what it already does a step further—but it should be the first to really get Google+ deeply integrated. In fact, if it really wants to give Google+ a boost, they should give every Android user an option to open an account with the press of a button.

Lock it Down

Slowing up Android's adoption in the corporate world is the lack of true enterprise-level security. While that's not a big deal for me personally, what Android does need for regular users—not Google Apps accounts or admins—is easy-to-use remote wipe and location tracking powers for lost phones, a la Find My iPhone and Windows Phone's phone tracking feature. Seems like a massive no-brainer for Google, out of anybody. Oh, and Android needs software and hardware data encryption, including SD cards (for devices that have them), and a better system for protecting against malware.

Wrap It Up, B

Android is a fantastic platform in a lot of ways, but it also has weeeeird holes all over the place. Yeah, power features have pushed Android closer and closer to par with iOS, especially for nerds—but with the latest iOS and Windows Phone, Ice Cream Sandwich needs to deliver some major awesomeness. With sprinkles on top.

Via: http://gizmodo.com/5826915/is-android-about-to-get-crushed

Has T-Mobile Customer Service Taken A Turn For The Worse?

2011-07-31T20:51:00.001-04:00

After T-Mobile’s loss of the JD Power Customer Care award and a continuously growing stream of emails regarding unusually long wait times we begin to wonder just what exactly is going on with T-Mobile’s award winning customer service department. Well someone’s ears were ringing as two sources answered our question with a confidential look at what could be to blame. We’ve received two pieces of information that give us at least some form of an answer as to why T-Mobile’s customer service seems to have dropped from the top spot.

The first is related to the above image as T-Mobile has removed the ability to bypass the automated calling system~~pass Go and collect $200~~ instead requiring the customer to input a phone number to properly route the person to the correct place. T-Mobile says it’s taking this step in order to properly route customers and better answer of questions. I say its just another step in ensuring longer wait times by placing customers into a longer queue.

The second is a little more detailed and something we have to be a little more selective on our word choices as we were asked only to post certain things. The short version of the story is that in the past 12 months T-Mobile call centers have seen, in some cases a drastic reduction in staffing, outsourcing and as of late a drop in morale as almost every center believes they are closing when the AT&T deal finalizes. While call volume remains steady, reductions in staffing have lead to very high hold times and a whole lot of customer unhappiness. Our inbox speaks to that. Some call centers have seen reductions in staffing by the hundreds since early this year with some centers looking to further cut staffing as 2011 continues. In fact, some employees responsible for training new employees in the United States call centers are now being sent overseas to handle increases in staffing abroad.

So is T-Mobile looking to downsize ahead of the merger or are they looking to cut costs with outsourced service centers? Either way there is a clear indication that something is going on and there is something behind the recent spat of disappointed loyal T-Mobile customer complaints about lengthy hold times. We’ve begun to really hear a large number of complaints from our readers about call wait times including one reader, Anthony who has tried over the last 5 days just to get someone on the phone and has waited at least 45 minutes each time being unable to do so. Anthony has called from his T-Mobile phone and a desk phone without including his own number.

We’ve been unable to confirm all of the specifics contained within our ninja info but we have no reason to suspect it is incorrect based on the information we are hearing from everyday T-Mobile subscribers who are finding more and more calls being handled by overseas agents. For the moment we are growing increasingly concerned about the direction T-Mobile is headed as we begin the countdown to the AT&T takeover decision. Slowly but surely it looks like the T-Mobile we know and love is becoming the AT&T Death Star, even if the deal doesn’t go through we wonder what a post AT&T takeover talk T-Mobile would look like.

Via: http://www.tmonews.com/2011/07/has-t-mobile-customer-service-taken-a-turn-for-the-worse/

Cellphones don't increase cancer risk in kids, study says

2011-07-28T09:20:00.003-04:00

Using cellphones doesn't increase children's cancer risk, according to a new study, the latest in a series of papers that find no link between the phones and brain tumors.

Scientists say the study is important, because it is the first of its kind to focus on children.

The study's authors compared the cellphone habits of nearly 1,000 children

in Western Europe, including 352 with brain tumors and 646 without. Kids who used cellphones were no more likely to develop a brain tumor than others, according to the study of children ages 7 to 19, published online Wednesday in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Scientists have been eagerly awaiting these results, says Martha Linet, a doctor with the National Cancer Institute who wasn't involved in the study. "It's very reassuring," Linet says.

Researchers, led by Denis Aydin of the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, looked at their data in several ways, searching for possible trends with long-term use. They found no increase in brain tumors among children who had used cellphones for five years or more, according to the study, funded by European health agencies.

Some scientists and consumers have been concerned about cellphones' health effects, especially on developing children, because cellphones emit energy close to the brain.

In the study, Aydin and colleagues note that radio frequency electromagnetic fields created by cellphones penetrate deeper into children's brains than adults' brains, mainly because kids' skulls are smaller, the study says. Recent studies have suggested that small children's brains absorb about twice as much mobile phone energy as adults' brains.

But authors also point out that this energy — unlike the radiation given off by X-rays or CT scans — isn't strong enough to damage DNA, cause mutations and lead to cancer. And while many people are concerned about cellphones, no one has ever come up with a way to explain how the devices might cause cancer, Linet says.

If cellphones caused brain tumors, researchers might expect to find those tumors on the side of the head where kids hold their phones. In the new study, however, children had the lowest risk of tumors in the part of the brain exposed to the most cellphone energy, write scientists John Boice and Robert Tarone in an accompanying editorial. They note that there has been no increase in brain tumors — among kids or adults — since cellphones came into widespread use in the 1990s. In their editorial, they note that there were 285 million cellphone subscribers in 2009 in the USA alone. If cellphones really did cause brain tumors, doctors would likely have noticed this by now, they write.

But the study also produced some mixed signals.

In a subset of children, researchers found a higher risk of brain tumors in children whose cellphone subscriptions had begun more than 2.8 years ago.

Overall, however, parents should find these results reassuring, says pediatrician Rachel Vreeman, of the Indiana University School of Medicine, who summarizes recent cellphone research in her book, Don't Cross Your Eyes… They'll Get Stuck That Way!: And 75 Other Health Myths Debunked. "This is a good piece of evidence that parents don't need to be panicked about cellphones and cancer," Vreeman says.

Concerns about cellphones were renewed last month, when a branch of the World Health Organization, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, reversed its previous position. In the past, the agency had said there was "no conclusive evidence" linking cellphones to brain tumors. Now, the agency classifies cellphones as "possibly carcinogenic" based on "limited evidence," acknowledging that the few links between cellphones and cancer could be due to chance.

The "possibly carcinogenic" category includes a number of staples of everyday life, however, such as coffee, pickles and styrofoam, Vreeman says.

"Scientific evidence has overwhelmingly indicated that wireless devices do not pose a public health risk for adults or children," said John Walls of CTIA-The Wireless Association, in a statement.

Consumers who remain concerned can take a number of steps to reduce their exposure to cellphone energy, such as using a hands-free device or a speakerphone, the American Cancer Society says.

Via: http://yourlife.usatoday.com/parenting-family/story/2011/07/Cell-phones-dont-increase-cancer-risk-in-kids-study-says/49684308/1

IT Leaders Fight New HIPAA Rule

2011-07-27T21:33:00.004-04:00

CHIME and MGMA take exception to a proposed requirement to produce access reports within 30 days after a patient's request.

Organizations representing hospital CIOs and managers of group physician practices have serious reservations with a proposed HIPAA regulation that would give patients the right to see a report of who has viewed their medical records and other health data.

Both the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives(CHIME) and the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) said the "accounting for disclosures" rule asks too much of healthcare providers already grappling with implementing electronic health records and preparing to convert to with ANSI X-12 5010 transactions and ICD-10 coding.

"CHIME believes the administrative burdens and related costs needed to compile, transmit, and then explain the proposed … access reports would divert the same resources needed to accomplish other important initiatives, including EHR Meaningful Use, and ICD-10 and HIPAA 5010 implementation, while providing very little value to patients," according to comments the Ann Arbor, Mich.-based organization submitted to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services(HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR).

OCR on May 31 published a proposal that would modify the HIPAA privacy rule to require "covered entities" to produce disclosure reports within 30 days of a patient's request, down from the current 60 days. OCR, which enforces the HIPAA privacy and security regulations, is taking comments on the proposed change through Aug. 1.

CHIME also called the proposed 30-day period "totally insufficient" to produce an access report. "Generating an accounting of disclosures is today largely a manual process for most covered entities and we believe it will remain so for some time to come," according to the organization's comments.

"The proposed 30-day time frame is simply too short, especially since information would need to be gathered from a variety of sources, including business associates (whose agreements will need to be revised), and may require legacy system access for organizations that are transitioning to EHR systems or a niche vendor handling the disclosure system tracking," CHIME continued.

In expressing its displeasure with the OCR proposal, the MGMA went a step further, citing numbers from amembership survey. The poll found that 90% of respondents thought it would be "very" or "extremely" burdensome for their practices to produce a report according to the proposed rule's specifications. And nearly two-thirds said that they had received less than one patient request per full-time-equivalent physician in the last 12 months for such an accounting.

"Considering how infrequently physician practices receive these requests from patients, the proposed rule fails to meet the statutory requirement to balance the needs of patients with the burden on providers," MGMA President and CEO Dr. William F. Jessee said in a statement. "These reports, which would be required to show all electronic access to a patient's health information for up to three years, could be hundreds or even thousands of pages long, making them extremely challenging for physician practices to produce and of little practical value to the patient receiving them."

CHIME further noted that the "designated record set" healthcare organizations would have to account for is not well defined, and does not mesh with regulations for the "Meaningful Use" EHR incentive program. "One of the goals behind Meaningful Use is to eliminate inconsistency and variability long since built into healthcare information technology systems," the CHIME statement said. "But many technologies beyond the scope of EHR incentive payments remain splintered and variable--the same as before Meaningful Use."

CHIME said the designated record sets "remain too broadly defined and too variable in today's health IT environment. Moreover, the ability to aggregate hundreds or even thousands of access events in any automated fashion is not realistic for most covered entities--never mind across covered entities and their numerous business associates."

The CIO group suggested that the burden should be shifted to the patient to limit the size of access reports. "Instead of requiring access reports that include names, CHIME believes that a safer alternative would be to require patients to provide a covered entity with specific names for the covered entity to determine whether those individuals have or have not accessed the patient's information. The covered entity would then report back to the patient and also be in a position to take disciplinary action, if warranted," CHIME said, noting that many providers already have this process in place.

Via: http://informationweek.com/news/healthcare/policy/231002772

T-Mobile G2 Gets Gingerbread Update

2011-07-27T20:12:00.000-04:00

Greeeeeeat news T-Mobile G2 owners as today is a magical day for you. That’s right I’m talking about a Gingerbread OTA update that begins today and will rollout over the next few weeks to all G2 owners. This has been a great week for T-Mobile Android owners who are finally seeing a long promised Gingerbread update arrive. Let’s just get right to the meat of this and tell you what’s in store:

Android 2.3.3
Google Books added
Notification color scheme is now black
New battery indicator, phone and web icons
Color-coded network icon and signal indicator
Pressing the power key on a call disables the proximity sensor
Wi-Fi improvements
New SMS and email notification improvements
Improvements to sending MMS from the Gallery

If you aren’t willing to wait for the OTA to come to you, you can try and go to it by using the following steps:

Press the MENU key
Tap SETTINGS
Tap ABOUT PHONE
Tap SYSTEM UPDATES

Note this line from the support document which I’m emphasizing in bold capital letters so people are sure to read it:

IMPORTANT: DO NOT CALL T-MOBILE TO RECEIVE THE UPDATE BEFORE SEPTEMBER 1. THE TIMELINE FOR RECEIVING THE OTA CANNOT BE EXPEDITED. T-MOBILE CANNOT MANUALLY PUSH THE SOFTWARE TO CUSTOMERS WHO ASK TO RECEIVE IT.

Hope you all got that last part!

T-Mobile

Viber's free, no-registration 3G VoIP app officially launches on Android

2011-07-20T03:50:00.001-04:00

Hey there, friends. Do you have the voice-calling blues, wishing for a better way to talk to your friends -- without using your minutes? Consider Viber, a free VoIP app that launched for the iPhone last year. Usable over 3G or WiFi, with built-in SMS, it requires no registration, using your existing phone number and contact list. Our only quibble? A disheartening lack of Android support. But our spirits are lifted today, with the app making its way to the everyone's favorite olive-green market. It has all the compelling features of the iOS version, plus a few extras we saw in the limited beta, like pop-up text message notification, in-app call logs, and the option to use Viber as your default dialer. The company must be doing something right, as it claims 12 million active users just seven months after launch. Interested in being one of them? Check the full PR -- with video! -- after the break.

Five Myths About The T-Mobile/AT&T Takeover Courtesy Consumer Advocate Free Press

2011-07-18T09:57:00.002-04:00

While the government remains caught between two very separate sides of the AT&T takeover of T-Mobile, consumer advocate group Free Press is continuing its approach of debunking AT&T’s argument that the takeover is necessary. In fact they’ve compiled a list of 5 myths tackling a number of AT&T’s core arguments that attempt to show that AT&T would be able or is already able to achieve the stated goals it has said it needs T-Mobile’s spectrum to accomplish. Let’s just dive right in with a big thank you to Josh Levy from Free Press for compiling these myths and sending it our way:

Neal Freedman D.D.S sits down with MedCom

2011-07-15T09:10:00.002-04:00

Neal Freedman D.D.S talks about how far answering service technology has come and how much MedCom has meant to him over the years.

Verizon FiOS Launches on Google TV Ads Platform

2011-07-13T16:03:00.002-04:00

This past November we announced that we had struck a partnership agreement with Verizon FiOS, one of the fastest growing television providers in the nation. Today we are pleased to announce that we have completed integration of FiOS’ 4M households into Google TV Ads, opening up inventory across over 50 networks, including AMC, ESPN, Discovery, Fox News, MTV, and other popular channels. With the addition of this new inventory to our system, Google TV Ads has now extended its reach to more than 25% of all US television households.

To ensure a smooth transition, current advertisers’ campaigns will automatically extend to this new inventory when eligible, achieving maximum reach for their message.

For more information or to learn more about advertising with Google TV Ads, visit www.google.com/tvads.

Posted by Sanjeev Das, Software Engineer, Google TV Ads

Allgood Appraisal Group

2011-07-08T09:08:00.003-04:00

Rich Allgood of Allgood Appraisal Group visited MedCom at our office to say thanks for all the great service we have provide him and his company.

"I have been a customer of MedCom's since 1994. They have always given me excellent service."

"The best part is their professionalism. It makes me look more professional."

Blackwell Memorial Home discusses their long relationship with MedCom

2011-07-08T08:44:00.004-04:00

Betty Davis from Blackwell Memorial Home, a 10 year customer of MedCom, sits down to talk about some of her wonderful experiences with MedCom. Check out the video below.

"My clients they were very happy with the answering service and the quickness of their reply and getting in touch with me."

"I think they are very friendly and very willing to do anything I ask them to do, sometimes over and above what their requirements are."

Their professional services have been a great help to me."

Harris Comfort speaks to the Quality of MedCom's Service

2011-07-08T08:23:00.003-04:00

Check out the video of Harris Comfort speaking to how MedCom has helped their business grow by providing excellent service over many years.

"We've been in business for over 50 years using at least other answering services before MedCom. They're the ones that have been the best of them."

"The experience has been very good, and I can't even remember a customer complaint."