News articles from this week include:

Schools link smarts, phones – Teachers in some classrooms confiscate smartphones from students caught texting or surfing social-media websites. Damon Mollenkopf doesn’t bother. The teacher at Westerville North High School actually encourages students to chat with one another on social-networking websites, with the hope that they’re talking about history.

How Students of all Levels Can Benefit From a Laptop – Desktop computers are great, and they can be very beneficial for students. However, they aren’t quite as useful as a laptop computer. These portable computers are lightweight and compact, making them easy to carry around for students of all ages.

Getting caught in the Web: High-speed Internet still eludes many – Ken Youra calls the Internet “the world-wide wait.” All he can get is dial-up service at his home in Columbia County’s town of Scott, near Pardeeville. His service is so slow, he can’t watch a YouTube video. Downloading a photo takes several minutes. “It takes so much time,” Youra said, “it takes the fun out of it.”

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A recent article from The Ledger does point out that there’s no substitute for the real deal or watching the game on a high-def TV in the comfort of your own (or a friend’s) home but it’s great to have the alternative for those on the go! You can watch the Super Bowl, the mother of all football games, from just about anywhere! You now can watch every call, flag, fumble and touchdown anywhere with a signal. We know that tailgaters everywhere have to be doing their very own touch down dances at the very thought of never missing a second of the game.

Now, we have to remind you that you should check your data plan before live streaming such a long event to your phone.  One way to do this is to use the Data Usage Estimator found on www.wirelessed.org, a popular consumer education site specializing in information surrounding mobile devices, services and plans.

Would you watch the game on a mobile device or on a computer?  Let us know on Facebook or Twitter today!

Check out a few of the startups!

“Cell Scope uses a simple optical attachment to turn smartphones into a diagnostic-quality imaging system for common problems like pediatric ear infections and skin conditions. Parents can upload images from home to receive a diagnosis from doctors.”

“Sickweather this sickness forecasting and mapping built on an patent-pending algorithm that scans the social graph for indicators of illness. It’s also a social network for friends and families to connect when they need each other the most.”

“ScriptPad lets physicians send prescriptions electronically to pharmacies, monitor their patients’ medication histories, and prescribe cheaper drugs based on patients’ insurance information. The company receives revenue from pharmacies for every prescription sent.”

“Cake Health helps individuals better manage their healthcare plan, claims, and bills. After logging in and connecting to a plan account, users immediately see their out-of-pocket spending, the state of deductibles and unused benefits. Users will also be able see their bills with potential errors highlighted.”

“Skin Scan uses fractal geometry to analyze suspicious moles using smart phone cameras and detect the risk that they are malignant.”

Read the full article.

A recent announcement by The National Science Foundation noted that researchers are working on a prototype tattoo-like device that can detect heart, muscle and brain activity. The Epidermal Electronic System (EES) is a flexible membrane like device that would be placed on the skin or on an organ that would be used to monitor body functions or treat abnormalities.

“We’re trying to bridge that gap, from silicon, wafer-based electronics to biological, ’tissue-like’ electronics, to really blur the distinction between electronics and the body,” said materials scientist John Rogers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. “As the skin moves and deforms, the circuit can follow those deformations in a completely noninvasive way.”

Citizens for a Digital Future (CDF) is encouraged by the many advances taking place in the wireless healthcare technologies industry. Devices like the EES are promising tools. However, without access to proper amounts of spectrum these devices  cannot function properly. So, as these technologies continue to expand lifesaving possibilities,  it is vital that more spectrum be made available to ensure that these products are reliable for consumers.

It is amazing to see just how much digital technologies are changing the healthcare industry for the better. New healthcare products that utilize broadband technology will certainly change the way in which scientists and doctors monitor and treat patients and CDF is extremely excited to see what new products will come in the future.

Read more about the product here or watch the Video below.

Citizens for a Digital Future posted three new blogs this week. The Year of the Dragon celebrates the Chinese New Year and discusses the possibility of a future technological “arms race.” Social Media and the State of the Union, outlines the President’s use of social media to involve constituents in his State of the Union Address. Obama Uses Social Media to Speak with Constituents outlines the President’s upcoming Google+ Meetup event.

Below are a few recently posted news clips:

Nearly 9 Million Kaiser Permanente Health Records Securely Available on Mobile Devices - Kaiser Permanente already has the largest electronic medical record system in the world. Today, the health care organization announced that 9 million Kaiser Permanente patients now can easily access their own medical information anywhere in the world on mobile devices through a mobile-optimized website.

No More Résumés, Say Some Firms - Union Square Ventures recently posted an opening for an investment analyst. Instead of asking for résumés, the New York venture-capital firm—which has invested in Twitter, Foursquare, Zynga and other technology companies—asked applicants to send links representing their “Web presence,” such as a Twitter account or Tumblr blog. Applicants also had to submit short videos demonstrating their interest in the position.

Can Apple’s new textbook initiative save U.S. education? - Apple recently announced a handful of new initiatives focused on making digital books more accessible in the classroom.

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