AM signals: Activity trackers for patients, electric vehicle sales, LTE small cells
Activity trackers like Fitbit can be useful in monitoring symptoms in transplant patients, according to researchers at UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. “We found that changes in daily steps are highly correlated with pain and fatigue,” said Antonia Bennett, PhD, a UNC Lineberger member and research assistant professor in the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, as reported in Newswise. “These wearables provide a way to monitor how patients are doing, and they provide continuous data with very little patient burden.”
Video quality can be key to mobile customers’ satisfaction, and deployment of LTE small cells can boost QoE, according to Bill Krogfoss and Tristan Barraud de Lagerie in Alcatel-Lucent TechZine. The mean opinion score (MOS) is a subjective measure of user experience, and an MOS of 4 or more leads to an 80% retention rate, while retention rate drops below 30% for an MOS of 3 or lower.
Car dealers are reluctant to sell electric models, according to Matt Richtel in the New York Times. The dealers don’t want to take the time to learn about and explain new technology, and they stand to make less on maintenance. Richtel recounts the experience of one customer ready to purchase a used Volt who was encouraged to buy a much less expensive Sonic. Sounds like another reason to support Tesla’s direct-to-consumer sales model.
Banks in the developing world are scarce, and potential lenders can have trouble establishing a credit history. But now there’s an app for that, reports the Wall Street Journal. Smartphone data relating to texts, emails, miles of travel per day, and frequency of recharge all relate to the likelihood of loan repayment. People who enter last names into contact databases tend to be more creditworthy.
