Can it personify true? Finally, the mean solar day of wireless Bluetooth diabetes information cheerful has arrived! Ii other glucose meters now at our fingertips can instantly send our blood sugar results to a smartphone or tablet, with no need for manual re-entry or that connect-to-communicate pace that pretty much totally other meters require. Woot!

We'ray talking virtually JnJ/Lifescan's new Bluetooth-enabled VerioSync and the BG5 Bluetooth Glucometer from the much lesser-known iHealth Labs (some of which were just reviewed by the legendary Wall in St. Journal technical school columnist Walt Mossberg).

We wanted to partake in our ain views of these two next-gen meters — which are exciting but nevertheless have some drawbacks — along with some details connected how they'atomic number 75 getting to market.

Hello, VerioSync!

First off, it's interesting that JnJ/Lifescan's busy sending out review units of the VerioSync now, given that information technology got FDA approving back in February and the company says the product South Korean won't yet be available for sale until the the first quarter of 2014 — a whole yr since it got OKd! We ironed JnJ/Lifescan Communications Director David Detmers for more than detail connected what the holdup has been, and whether it had anything to do with the recall on its VerioIQ meters earlier this year or the recent November announcement of a corporate restructuring. Not surprisingly, atomic number 2 was jolly vague:

"I can tell you that the launch timing of OneTouch VerioSync is non allied to the reorganization nor the Verio(IQ) recall that took place earlier in the year.  As I'm sure you can appreciate, there is more to launch a product than merely receiving regulative clearance…
I understand this may seem like an inordinately long time, but as they say, you don't get a second chance to make a good foremost imprint. We hope our customers leave match it was worthy the wait."

The VerioSync has already been criticized for being Apple-compatible only, not Android. Detmers tells us on that point's nothing unused to report on that front yet.

When I opened the loge of my reexamine whole, I was surprised to determine a mini USB cable and AC adapter: I intellection we'd progressed beyond that! Turns out these are geared at charging the meter's battery, which the instructions state must be done every one to weeks, and the cable also gives you the option of downloading information to a PC if you want.

I wasn't too keen on the need to reload the battery, given that I'm already fussing with that with my iPhone daily, and my Dexcom every few years. Unitary thing I love some the OmniPod is the disposable batteries that last a loooong time and necessitate nary squabble.

In any event, the first affair you do is download the OneTouch Reveal app from the app store and press some buttons to synch it with your untried m. I think the interface is the most appealing I've seen on any diabetes app to date, so kudos to the designers. There are fiddling icons you can hydrant to easily add info on carbs, activity and meds with a clean, immediate-tap interface.

Information technology actually it is kind of like magic: every time I took a fingerstick with this slick new meter I checked the app connected my phone and whala! There was my fashionable result already logged and at the ready to tag, if I felt like taking the time for that. The cool thing is that the logbook recognizes the time you took the test, and automatically places your result low Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Bedtime operating room Overnight. You can customize the timeframes for these categories in the "About Me" section, where you enter your personal information including grammatical gender and target ranges, and lavatory primed your Time of Day categories just by exploitation your finger to move the itsy-bitsy white circles on a meter pie chart. Easy!

You can of course too set reminders along the app, and even contact OneTouch hold up directly aside clicking their email or phone turn.

Being connected to the iPhone means you never have to worry about resetting multiplication on your meter (if you enter a different time zone or daylight-savings time hits) because the app automatically updates this info on the m when they synch. I admired that. I've been victimization the meter built into my OmniPod for age now, and honestly rarely look at the BG history other than when I connect to CoPilot every so often to make printouts for my doctor. Indeed the slowly view of trends was really appealing. With just a tap, you can view a color-coded debar that tells you what percentage of the time you've been in or out of roam for the last 14 days.

This meter uses the same costly-looking gold test strips every bit the VerioIQ meters that run $40 for 25 strips — although I'm told they are covered by insurance.  I really liked the "side loading" blueprint, which ready-made it really lenient to obtain a small amount of blood on the strip. Information technology also ships with the trivial OneTouch Delica lancet, which I in person love: small, handy, and negligible sting when testing.

Several folks have noticed a big drain on their iPhone battery when using the OneTouch Reveal app a lot. This is likely ascribable the use of regular Bluetooth kind of than the newer low pressure-vim (LE) Bluetooth technology — which was not yet available while this meter was beingness developed, a voice tells America. Reduced bummer.

The super-fast and easy data synch is in just about ways nicer than the iBGStar, which of course also elongates your iPhone when plugged in — not to mention the fact that the move to iPhone 5 models with a different interface has really messed with iBGStar's functionality.

Unitary frustrative thing I found at the outset with the VerioSync is that it was not at all clear how to share the logbook, systematic to text or email results. I couldn't find any instructions on the app itself or even in the Owner's Booklet that shipped with the beat. I had to call the caller to postulation the instructions. Turns out information technology's really quite easy; the fault lies in the fact that the operating instructions are so hard to find.

All you do is tap and hold any of the snowy space (empty expanse) on the app, and a little menu pops up with the options "Share" or "Help." If you click Share, you can choose email or text. Bank bill that the Logbook and Summary screens will be sent in JPEG formatting, so basically as pictures. If you tap in one case on the "14-Day Glucose Report" bar chart, it takes you to a 14-day results paginate that's shared every bit a basic chart, which is editable and can be traced into Excel if you like.

Upshot: me likes it! Would I advocate and use this meter (and app) on a regular footing? Yes. And that's expression a lot for a gal who's tried virtually everything and worships chasteness.

When the VerioSync does suit available to buy in Spring, Lifescan will be offering an introductory cost of just $19.99 online at Walgreens.com, CVS.com, RiteAid.com and Walmart.com.

{For more reviews of VerioSync, visit fellow D-bloggers Kim, Kerri and Sarah.}

Meet the BG5 – Bluetooth GlucoMeter

Meanwhile, as the Sync waits in limbo to hit the market, there's a competitory beat out there already. Microphone's been trying out the BG5 by iHealth Labs since early December, and has found information technology to represent jolly snazzy while comparable Eastern Samoa far as accuracy to other D-devices he's victimization.

Created by Mountain View, CA-based iHealth Labs, this meter dubbed BG5 got FDA commendation on April 12, 2013, and hit the market in October (exclusively 6 months to commendation, in case you're keeping tabs…).

Here's what Mike says about using the meter:

Opening skyward the corner, you find a diplomatical, contoured m that fits the curve of your index finger allowing you to hold it oh-so-easily. Thither International Relations and Security Network't a unmated button on the look of the twist, only extraordinary unofficially that you press for three seconds to turn the unit on and see your logbook.

It only took a few seconds to pair the BG5 with my iPad or smartphone, and when that happens a little low bluetooth symbolization blinks. Whol of the letters and numbers displayed on the meter are in (diabetes) blue, which iHealth tells US was chosen for aesthetic reasons. The meter uses iHealth-proprietary strips that get a QR Cypher right on the top of the vial, and since the meter keeps track of how many strips you've used, it bequeath tell you if IT's time to scan the QR Code on a new vial and start the 25-strip tracker.

Five seconds is all it takes for a blood sugar check, with the second countdown viewing sprouted in nice big blue letters on my iPad or phone before showing up happening the Gluco-Smart app — which you can find in the Apple Store or on Google Gaming. If the BG5's communicating with that app, it will alone show the results on the app screen. Honestly, I'd like to see results displayed on the meter, too, only right immediately that only happens if you aren't paired improving with the app. The cadence stores the results and you fundament beam all that data to your app at a later point. Of course, completely the data can represent congregate and viewed in an online cloud up and so that you can e-mail it to your doctor or easily print out.

The app is very substance abuser-friendly and easily to navigate, allowing you to tag results and and then justified share them on Facebook or Twitter.

Note that iHealth is as wel using regular Bluetooth, but their roadmap for the future includes the addition of the low-altitude-energy (LE) edition.

On the box, iHealth states that the BG5 is accurate inside 10% — major than the extant Food and Drug Administration standard! I did a turn of tests alongside my Aspirin Contour Next meter that's about the same size up, and the results came KO'd very close (sometimes within a point!) I ne'er saw much a 20-pointedness difference above my usual time. And the BG5 was also usually inside that unvarying array compared to the results my Dexcom G4 was showing. Nice.

Like Amy,  I'm not a rooter of having to connect to a USB cable for recharging, or else of sportsmanlike existence competent to barter out batteries when necessary, but since most new meters and devices seem to be exit the USB-path these days, IT wasn't unexpected.At this point, you can only buy the BG5 measure at the iHealth store online surgery at Best Buy up stores for $80. That includes a come out package box containing 50 strips, a smooth little white lance about the size of a pinky finger, and altogether the respective accessories, booklets and base information. They too crack a box of cardinal vials (a total of 50 strips) for $50.iHealth tells us they're still in the process of applying for insurance coverage merely that's not yet lendable, then that limitation volition likely stop many PWDs from accessing the device for continued exercise at this time. We're ford our fingers that insurers get happening board to offer these choices shortly.* * *As an afficionado of consumer engineering science, Walt Mossberg ends his WSJ article on these two meters with this sage observation: "Either of these meters could brand disease management easier for diabetics with smartphones. But the snail's pace of improvement in these devices is vexing." Amen.