TTA Archives 2005-2012

Eleven months ago, we covered the ending of Qualcomm’s LifeComm venture in integrating telehealth and health management applications into a mobile phone, after it could not find third-party funding for a spinoff company [TA, 22 July 2009].   Now the name and some of the Qualcomm technology has been recycled, minus the capital C, into a new joint venture called Lifecomm LLC, now a majority-owned subsidiary of Hughes Telematics Inc. (HTI) with minority partners Qualcomm and American Medical Alert Corp. AMAC will handle distribution and call center responses.  Based on the release, it’s moved from a mobile phone to mobile M2M technology within a lightweight PERS device, with one-touch access to an emergency assistance call center, wireless voice and data communications.  It also adds an embedded GPS with sensors to enable location-based tracking and monitoring.  Debut is 2011.  Guess you can’t keep a good name down!  AMAC release (PDF).