14 DAY TRIAL // A Sina Weibo account has released what is reported to be genuine imagery from the previously rumored Healthbook app said to arrive in iOS 8 later this year. The app is reportedly designed to work with sensors on various devices, including the elusive (yet unconfirmed) iWatch.
Originally mentioned by Mark Gurman of 9to5mac, Healthbook has gradually revealed its secrets much like you would peel an onion, layer by layer, with each new media coverage.
Gurman’s people used computer generated mockups to convey the look and feel of the Healthbook app, but now a Sina Weibo account in China has leaked what is said to be a genuine set of images from the actual Healthbook app being tested by Apple. We could well be looking at the first real screenshots taken on an iOS 8 device.
As you can see from the images, Apple’s plans with Healthbook are nothing short of ambitious. The company plans to equip one or more devices with the necessary sensors to track a user’s bloodwork, heart rate, hydration levels, blood pressure, nutrition, blood sugar, general activity, respiratory rate, weight, etc.
Some of this will be accomplished with iPhone-based sensors, while other types of information will be gathered from external hardware, possibly some unreleased MFI medical equipment. However, most people agree that many of these functions can only work coupled with something akin to the rumored iWatch.
Healthbook is designed to look (and reportedly work) much like the existing Passbook app. Its interface is a stack of cards where each card comes with a specific function, such as those enumerated earlier.
Among those cards is also an Emergency Card, which reportedly holds a user’s medical information (such as allergies, medication, and other health-related things), personal information, and even contacts for emergencies (like a friend or a family member, in case you become incapacitated).
One of the most noteworthy features is the Blood Sugar tracking feature, which may not sound like much to regular folks. However, to the tens of millions of diabetes sufferers out there, this feature is godsend.
Joe Madden, the creator of blood sugar monitoring application Gluco-Share, says that “Type 1 diabetics check their glucose levels approximately six times per day. On the other hand, Type 2 diabetics test their blood perhaps only a few times per week [...] “Apple’s entry into the market could create significant improvements in the lives of diabetics.”
Visit the related links below for more iOS 8 leaks and relevant information about Healthbook.