$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '[')b]The phone that feels the flu before you do
NEW YORK - Did your parents tell you to remember your scarf when you went out, so you wouldn't catch a cold? Today, the advice might be: Remember your cell phone.
A maker of over-the-counter cold and flu remedies released a program this week for the T-Mobile G1, also known as the "Google phone," that
warns the user how many people in an area are sneezing and shaking with winter viruses.
The "Zicam Cold & Flu Companion" will say, for instance, that 8 percent to 14 percent of the people in your ZIP code have respiratory illnesses, representing a "Moderate" risk level. To give germophobes and hypochondriacs even more of a thrill, it also says what symptoms are common, like coughing and sore throat.
Users can also ask the application about risk levels in other ZIP codes, so they can steer clear of, for instance, Atlanta, one of the five most infected cities in the nation right now, according to Zicam.
http://tech.yahoo.com/news/ap/20081203/ ... irus_app_1
I really don't see the utility in this. A healthy person shouldn't try to outrun flu, unless there's a bird flu or superbug outbreak. In that case you stay in your house. Otherwise, are you really going to drive two hours just to shop somewhere with less flu?