Devices that make the difference

Your future iPhone will tell you your heart rate, blood pressure and even glucose levels, a new report suggests.

According to 9to5Mac, Apple is working on new fitness and health-focused iOS software (iOS 8) that will launch later this year. The news indicates the long-rumored iWatch, which would likely integrate with the fitness apps, is nearing a debut too.

While iOS 7 was rich in design updates, iOS 8 iOS 8 — codenamed Okemo after a ski resort in Vermont (a common theme for Apple’s internal codenames) — will be less focused on the interface. It’s expected to work alongside new iPhone hardware packed with intelligent sensors that can track your body’s movement and health status.

The report details an app codenamed Healthbook will not only monitor fitness stats (from steps taken and calories burned), but also keep track of blood pressure, heart rate and even glucose levels. The fitness monitoring apps will likely go head to head with wristband trackers like Nike+ Fuelband SE and the Fitbit Force, but having access to vital health data would be relatively new to smartphones.

The company recently patented the technology for smartphones to keep track of this type of cardiac data.

Although the current iPhone model (the 5S) doesn’t have the ability to track these vitals, it does have fitness tracking abilities. Blood pressure and heart rate monitoring probably won’t be added this year, the report notes, but will likely roll out in the near future.

The new software will also allow users to plug in information about the medicines they take and receive reminders about when to consume them. The design of the app is said to closely resemble Apple’s Passbook app, which houses coupons and loyalty cards.

The move doesn’t come as a huge surprise. Apple hired various health and fitness experts in the past year to work on both hardware and software development.

source : Mashable