Smartphone makers and carriers are resolving to add health and fitness applications to their handsets this year. “All the application developers that are in the health, in the fitness, in the wellness space, are seeing a huge, huge opportunity in the next couple of years,” said Javier Villamiraz, global president of value-added distribution at Brightstar.
Villamiraz is in a unique position to know what’s coming next on smartphones. Brightstar, an affiliate of Softbank, is one of the world’s largest distributors of mobile devices. Villamiraz is a liaison between manufacturers, carriers and software developers.
“New devices are coming with a lot of new sensors and those sensors need to be used for something, and I think the top use is something related to fitness and health,” he said.
Consultant Chris Hare of The NTete Group concurs, pointing out that smartphone sensors can offer healthcare providers a wealth of data. “If the phone or the Bluetooth headset is able to monitor and measure the heart rate, blood pressure, etc., while I’m on the phone then it can build up a profile of me that my doctor will never build up because they see you once every few months,” said Hare. “That data can either automatically or on demand be uploaded to my healthcare provider so that they know what I’m doing and how I’m doing it.”
Technology, demographics and policy are coming together to create what may be a perfect storm for health and fitness apps. Sensors are becoming more capable, the U.S. population is aging, and healthcare policy is focused on preventive care.
Villamiraz expects to see more smartphones shipping with health and fitness apps pre-loaded. He said that successful app developers will be those who can work with the chip companies that develop smartphone sensors.
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