There are all sorts of mobile phones out there, but the EPI Life is possibly the only handset that can save your life. Designed by Singapore company Ephone International, the EPI Life stands out with a built-in electrocardiogram measurement function linked to a 24-hour health concierge service. It takes 30 seconds to complete a reading, which can be sent back to the firm via GPRS anywhere in the world.
The collected data is analyzed for life-threatening conditions by a team of 10 cardiologists round the clock, and an appropriate emergency response will be rendered by Ephone International’s call center. This includes private ambulance service, expedited patient admission into any of its three partnering local hospitals, and on-call doctors.
This nifty device, being demonstrated at CommunicAsia 2010 in Singapore, can also be utilized to monitor blood pressure, glucose, and cholesterol with easy access to an online repository dubbed EPI Virtual Health Folder, while a global network of physicians and hospitals comes as a value-added service for frequent flyers.
The phone is currently available in Singapore, Malaysia, and Hong Kong for $357, but requires an additional monthly subscription for the health concierge service. A basic $71 plan limits users to 10 EGCs per month compared with an unlimited upload version at $215 bundled with a free handset. A higher-end model will be available in the fourth quarter with more mainstream lifestyle and health-centric functions in the works.
Ephone is also planning to offer this technology to other mobile phone manufacturers in the market.
