Dropbox for iOS and Android: A great way to share files, but is it secure enough for health professionals?

I recently installed dropbox on several of my devices (Android tablet, iPhone, Dell Windows 7 laptop and Macbook pro).

I was immediately amazed at how easy it became to share files (e-books, PowerPoint presentations, documents, videos etc.) to all my devices and my colleagues. I could now download a few articles at home, put them in my dropbox and read them on the train on my way to work. No more need for my usb memory stick and no more headaches when trying to get files on my iPad or iPhone.

I was left with one question. What about the  privacy and confidentiality settings. I have always been cautious when using cloud base services because I am hesitant about letting others safeguard my confidential information.

Unfortunately Dropbox is not currently HIPAA compliant, but I was surprised to see that it was sensitive to the issue. Further diligence should be exercised when using mobile devices as well. As is described in their Security overview page "Your files are sent between Dropbox’s mobile apps and our servers over a secure channel using 256-bit SSL encryption where supported. Not all mobile media players support encrypted streaming, so media files streamed from our servers are not always encrypted".

Overall, I am happy with Dropbox. It will help my colleagues and I share non confidential information easily and help us increase productivity. You may be interested in how Dropbox compares to competitors such as Microsoft (SkyDrive) and Google (Google Drive) on proprietary matters. Here is a legal commentary on who owns your data by John Halton and Kathryn Leslie.

If you want to try Dropbox [Click here] - It's free and very easy to use.

Sylvain Roy, Ph.D

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iOS app review : Dell Voice offers free Canadian phone numbers with free long distance calls

During my discussions with clients and professionals, I am frequently asked if there is an app to make free phone calls from iPods, iPhones or Android devices. I always say yes, and that I had tested a few of them. The United States has been fortunate to have Google Voice to make free calls to the US and Canada. Talkatone is an app that takes advantage of this service. Getting a free Google Voice number is however a little difficult for Canadians to obtain (you need a valid US number for the activation).

As such, Canadians have been left with low cost alternatives such as Skype and Nettalk and Talkatone (with Google Talk only) for outgoing calls. There was no easy way to get a Canadian number for incoming calls, until now. Dell Canada has paired up Fongo to provide a unique Canadian experience. the new app is called Dell Voice.

Dell Voice is very easy to setup. Simply download the free app from the Apple app store. Once installed, tap "register". You will be brought to the next page and Canada will be set a the default. Tap continue. You will then need to provide a valid email account, a contact phone number, set a password and enter the capcha, then click continue. An email will be sent to you. Go to your email and click the activation link and follow the online instructions. Once you are complete, go back into Dell Voice and enter your email and password and voila! you will have a free phone.

The pro's of the phone are:

1. Decent call quality over wifi/3g.
2. It's free and you can call many cities in the US and Canada for free.
3. You get a real Canadian number.
4. Even if the app is turned off, your phone will ring.
5. It's easy to setup.
6. It doesn't use a lot of data.
7. Free voice mail service.

The con's of the phone are:

1. Some static or choppy quality when the 3g connection is weak.
2. If the app is powered off, your phone will ring but you will miss the call due to the delay (will go to voice mail).
3. Sometimes, you will need to log off and log back in to use the phone (will not fully activate)
4. Ads from Dell (I can live with this).
5. No texting option (I recommend downloading Text+ for the free texting equivalent).

Overall, the pro's in my opinion outweigh the cons. My clients love the app because their cell phone bills can stay at approximately $20 / month by combining Dell Voice with their Bell Canada 3g data tablet plan. It's not perfect, but as my clients say. It beat spaying $75+ dollars every month.

You can download the app [here]

Sylvain Roy, Ph.D

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iOS app review: iTunes U - Bringing free university lectures to your iPhone

Hello everyone, I just stumbled on a great app called iTunes U. It's filled with great psychology talks and lectures! It's perfect if your looking for a refresher course or if you are looking to learn something entirely new. Simply search for psychology or counseling (or the topics of your choice) by tapping the magnifying glass at the bottom right of the page, tap on the title, then tap on "free" to download the audio or video file. Once the download begins, you can start listening to it immediately by tapping on the title (it needs a few seconds to buffer). Have a look and tell me what you think. It's Free!

You can download the app [here]

Sylvain Roy, Ph.D.

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iOS app review: iCouch CBT

Some time ago, I was asked to look into a new CBT app called iCouch CBT. I was immediately seduced by the graphical interface and the ability to password protect sensitive information. To my knowledge, this is the first psychology app that offers a feature to protect a client's right to privacy.  The app also provides an overview of CBT, which is useful for clients who want to understand the philosophy behind the technique. The interface is free of clutter and a home button makes it easy to return to the home page.

When the person using the app is faced with an anxiety provoking situation, he or she can document the event by clicking on "what happened". This person will then be asked to describe his or her negative thought and rate the felt emotion(s). The next step involves describing the cognitive distortion(s) (e.g. mental filter, should-be statements, blaming etc.), and input "a better thought" and a more adaptive behaviour.  The client is then prompted to reassess his or her thoughts and feelings. Another wonderful feature of the app is its ability to save and email logs. This can provide valuable information to the therapist who can track the number of incidences and their intensities over time.

Have you tried this app in your practice? What are your thoughts?

You can download the app here for $1.99 [link]

Sylvain Roy, Ph.D.

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Voice Actions for iOS and Android: Not the new Siri, but the next best thing

Need an app that can control your phone through speech commands? Both Voice actions and Siri are powered by Nuance, the company that brought us Dragon Dictate. This app will be extremely useful for clients who have trouble writing email or navigating the touch screen. In fact, it can search for music and locations, set alarms, send text messages and search the web. I plan to recommend the app to clients. I'll report back later to let people know how it was received by individuals with acquired brain injury. I don't recommend dictating any confidential information as the information is processed on the Nuance servers.

You can download the app here for $4.99 [link]

Here is a  youtube video on it [link]

Sylvain Roy, Ph.D.

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Android App Review: Cognitive remediation for working memory

If you have a patient with working memory or attention deficits, this app could be a very useful tool to use with him or her. The “Memory Trainer” android app focuses on working memory, spatial span and selective attention. Training is encompassed in six different exercises. One exercise involves generating a ToDo lists with full length sentences. The patient is then asked to remember parts of the sentences. The exercise is thus very ecological and potentially generalizable to real life.

You can choose to do a progressive training over 20 sessions or decide your activity and difficulty level. The app will log your session performance and plot it on a graph. This graph can be useful for the neuropsychologist wanting to follow-up on the client's progress, to confront them on their limitations or motivate them if needed.

The app, created by Urbian Inc, will also offer tips on ways to improve memory. For example, chunking information together, creating imagery, recommending healthy life styles, etc. Finally, the app also gives some information about what is short term memory. And it’s free.

Jocelyn Morettini

Health Psychologist / Neuropsychologist

jocelyn.morettini@gmail.com

View Jocelyn Morettini's [LinkedIn] page www.jocelynmorettini.com

SITE UPDATE: iPHONE, iPOD TOUCH AND iPAD APPS FOR PSYCHOLOGISTS

Hello everyone: I just updated the iOS app list for psychologists. Great new finds were added. Take a look and let us know if we're missing an app.

Please share the list with your colleagues.

http://sylvainroy.blogspot.com/2011/02/iphone-apps-for-psychologists.html

Sylvain Roy, Ph.D.

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