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Over the past decade, smartphones have radically changed many aspects of our everyday lives, from banking to shopping to entertainment. Medicine is next. With innovative digital technologies, cloud computing and machine learning, the medicalized smartphone is going to upend every aspect of health care. And the end result will be that you, the patient, are about to take center stage for the first time. (Topol, 1/9)

Electronic wristbands that count footsteps and calories produce imprecise data. But that’s beside the point. The devices are motivational tools to promote fitness, and the numbers they generate are good enough for that. Initially embraced by fitness fanatics, activity trackers, such as the Fitbit, Jawbone and FuelBand, have become popular among mainstream users, many of whom are wearing the accouterments as part of New Year’s resolutions to get in shape. How well do they work? (McGinty, 1/9)

It's not just about how many steps you've taken or how many calories you've burned in a day. Wearable fitness trackers and health monitors are becoming more commonplace and diverse, but just what do you do with all of that data? ... Health monitors aren't just for fitness buffs. Startups and big tech companies at the gadget show promoted all kinds of uses for the data generated by wearable sensors — from mindfulness exercises to figuring out the best time to get pregnant. Other companies aim to offer value by aggregating data from different sources, so it can be viewed and interpreted together. That could be useful, but it also raises a host of privacy concerns. (Bailey, 1/11)