Editor’s Note: Welcome to our weekly feature, Yay or Nay. Every week we’ll review a new wireless application or service from the user’s point of view, with the goal of highlighting what works and what doesn’t. If you wish to submit your application or service for review, please contact us atrcrwebhelp@crain.com.
Application: Health Browser
Running On: Samsung M520 on the Sprint Nextel network
Yay: The application provides Daily Health Tips in different categories. There is also a search section where you can type in a medical question.
Nay: Some of the Daily Health Tips are more common sense than medically useful, and at $4 a month, it might not be worth it if it can be accessed for free online.
We Say: The service is great for those on the go who might not be near a computer and have a quick health question that they need a quick answer to, but might be another one of those “not that necessary” applications that busy people might even forget about.
Review: Health Browser is a good way to find answers to those daunting and sometimes worrisome health questions that run through our minds during the day. Once loaded the application lists a number of sections to navigate through. The “search” section of Health Browser seems like a great solution for those who sometimes feel like a hypochondriac and need to know quick answers to health concerns. It allows you type in any condition or disease, and see a list of results describing what plaguing illness one might be inflicted with.
The Daily Health Tips is another section that includes seven different categories: Health, Stress, Diet, Fitness, Sex/Romance, Pregnancy and Parenting. If you tend to be a health nut, these daily quips are beneficial and can provide new information.
However, that’s not always the case. Some information is just common knowledge that one needn’t pay for. For example, the first day we experimented with Health Browser, we read through all categories of the Daily Health Tips and stopped when it came to the pregnancy tip of the day. It gave the warning of what would happen should a woman consume cocaine while pregnant.
Now, we are under the impression that most women know not to experiment with dangerous drugs while pregnant, and those who don’t are probably not the type of women who would subscribe to a health-centered application – and check it daily for that matter.
Another example: The fitness tip on day two of our trial suggested one not believe all exercise advice available online because some of it could be made up. This seems like common knowledge and something you might not need to pay for (and isn’t the application accessing the Internet itself?). However, on the first day the application offered a much better fitness tip about ellipticals and certain motions and actions that will work better for exercise and burn more calories. It seems to be a toss-up: Some updates are informative and some are, well, pointless.
The stress category of Daily Health Tips could be beneficial for those at work who often feel the load of being overworked or overstressed. A quick click of your phone provides a stress tip and one way to deal with daily pressures. (Good thing we didn’t listen though; today’s stress tip said we should shop, either by catalog mail or online!)
Another interesting Health Browser section is the Health Highlights tool. It lists various health tidbits that most of us probably don’t know. Some examples: Autism and mothers (this article talked about how some mothers who suffered from asthma, psoriasis or other allergies during pregnancy are more likely to have children with autism than those who did not suffer those conditions), Pot and Colon Cancer, Flavored Cigarettes and more.
Health Browser’s general options also include pre-selected topics for search assistance, health news, drug conflicts, health tools and a gallery. Overall, the application provides a wide variety of medical facts and information, accessible on the handset at anytime. However, during a rough economy when most of us are strapped, that extra $4 a month just might not be worth it, especially when all, if not more of the Health Browser’s services can be accessed online for free through sites such as WebMD or the Mayo Clinic Web site.
