Cuba USA
Necessity is the mother of invention., proverb, unknown
Small Is Beautiful, E. F. Schumacher, 1973.
When personal computers became availaible, people began developing low-cost medical diagnosis equipment like this PC-based endoscope, which replaced a $30,000 instrument with a PC interfaced to an $800 scope:
Today, smart phones are being used as computers in diagnostic equipment and the savings are even more dramatic, as in this retinal scanner, costing $500, phone included:
What's happening in Cuba?
Cuba is known for the quality and quantity of their doctors, health care system and medical research. Cuba also has many computer scientists and resourceful developers. While Cuba has second-generation cell phone infrastructure, Cubans still have third and fourth-generation smart phones, which they use as cameras and handheld computers.
All that is good news. The bad news is that Cuba does not have a lot of capital for building clinics and purchasing diagnostic equipment.
Cuba sounds like a perfect environment for innovation in medical applications of smart phones. Are Cubans developing and using smartphone-based tools for medical diagnosis and community health? If you know of such examples, please let me know.
More generally, what sorts phone-based applications are Cubans using and developing? No doubt they are taking selfie-photos, listening to music and playing games, but what else are they doing with those pocket-sized computers?
- The Hackathon For Cuba -- In Miami, Not Havana
There will be a two day Hackathon for Cuba in Miami starting with a reception the evening of January 31 and getting down to work on February first. (The event is organized by the Miami Beach-based nonprofit Roots of Hope and with funding from the John...
- Yoani Sánchez Lists The Ten Most Popular Android Apps In Cuba
Cubans can't use their smartphones as high-speed Internet access devices, but they are using them as small computers -- accessing local databases, running office-like apps, editing photos, etc. Yoani Sánchez has compliled a list ot the ten most...
- Mobile Expansion
In June, ETECSA predicted that there would be two million mobile subscribers by the end of the year. One step in that direction was the recent expansion of mobile coverage in Las Tunas, where they expect over 50,000 mobile phones by the end of this year...
- Updated Cuban Ict Statistics
Cuba’s National Office of Statistics and Information (ONE) released their annual report on Information and Communication Technology in June, 2012. The Internet-related statistics shown here indicate relatively little change. let’s consider each of...
- Ict Statistics For 2010 -- More Internet Users But Fewer Internet Computers And Domain Names
The Cuban National Statistics Office has issued their 2011 Annual Statistical Report, which includes data on information and communication technology. The table shown here (click it to enlarge) presents physical ICT indicators. As you see, there are now...
Cuba USA
What are Cubans doing with their smart phones?
Necessity is the mother of invention., proverb, unknown
Small Is Beautiful, E. F. Schumacher, 1973.
When personal computers became availaible, people began developing low-cost medical diagnosis equipment like this PC-based endoscope, which replaced a $30,000 instrument with a PC interfaced to an $800 scope:
Today, smart phones are being used as computers in diagnostic equipment and the savings are even more dramatic, as in this retinal scanner, costing $500, phone included:
What's happening in Cuba?
Cuba is known for the quality and quantity of their doctors, health care system and medical research. Cuba also has many computer scientists and resourceful developers. While Cuba has second-generation cell phone infrastructure, Cubans still have third and fourth-generation smart phones, which they use as cameras and handheld computers.
All that is good news. The bad news is that Cuba does not have a lot of capital for building clinics and purchasing diagnostic equipment.
Cuba sounds like a perfect environment for innovation in medical applications of smart phones. Are Cubans developing and using smartphone-based tools for medical diagnosis and community health? If you know of such examples, please let me know.
More generally, what sorts phone-based applications are Cubans using and developing? No doubt they are taking selfie-photos, listening to music and playing games, but what else are they doing with those pocket-sized computers?
- The Hackathon For Cuba -- In Miami, Not Havana
There will be a two day Hackathon for Cuba in Miami starting with a reception the evening of January 31 and getting down to work on February first. (The event is organized by the Miami Beach-based nonprofit Roots of Hope and with funding from the John...
- Yoani Sánchez Lists The Ten Most Popular Android Apps In Cuba
Cubans can't use their smartphones as high-speed Internet access devices, but they are using them as small computers -- accessing local databases, running office-like apps, editing photos, etc. Yoani Sánchez has compliled a list ot the ten most...
- Mobile Expansion
In June, ETECSA predicted that there would be two million mobile subscribers by the end of the year. One step in that direction was the recent expansion of mobile coverage in Las Tunas, where they expect over 50,000 mobile phones by the end of this year...
- Updated Cuban Ict Statistics
Cuba’s National Office of Statistics and Information (ONE) released their annual report on Information and Communication Technology in June, 2012. The Internet-related statistics shown here indicate relatively little change. let’s consider each of...
- Ict Statistics For 2010 -- More Internet Users But Fewer Internet Computers And Domain Names
The Cuban National Statistics Office has issued their 2011 Annual Statistical Report, which includes data on information and communication technology. The table shown here (click it to enlarge) presents physical ICT indicators. As you see, there are now...