SOLANA BEACH, Calif., Nov. 9, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- GadShaananDESIGN, an international product development firm specializing in marketing research and analysis, today announced it has extended its relationship with QUALCOMM Incorporated (Nasdaq:QCOM) by working with the mobile communications solutions provider to design a concept handset that spurs the convergence between wireless technology and medical devices. GadShaananDESIGN collaborated with QUALCOMM to devise a reference design for a handset that appears as a fully featured mobile telephone, yet morphs into an interactive device that helps consumers track and communicate medical, health and wellness information.
"GadShaananDESIGN and QUALCOMM have enjoyed a decade-long history of inventing opportunities together that pioneer mobile communications handset design," said Gad Shaanan, chief executive officer, GadShaananDESIGN. "With our latest venture, we have helped QUALCOMM give a visual to the future by creating a handset that individuals could dually use as a mobile telephone and consumer medical device. Our product positioning and design research indicated clearly that consumers would be more inclined to use such a handset if it retained the future-forward features they desired in a phone. This, coupled with QUALCOMM's technology breakthroughs, is helping to sell the concept."
The GadShaananDESIGN team worked with QUALCOMM to create a handset that incorporates state-of-the-art industrial design and consumer appeal with the functionality and convenience of a personal health appliance. Today's mobile phones are more than simple voice devices. By incorporating medical devices, communications with bio-sensors, storage for medications and medical supplies, and clinical software, consumers can incorporate their cell phones into living a healthy lifestyle. GadShaananDESIGN has encouraged the healthcare industry to think about integrating cell phone technologies and function into its offerings, affording a whole new area of convergence in the cell phone industry: Life Sciences.
"GadShaananDESIGN was instrumental during the design process," said Don Jones, vice president of business development, QUALCOMM. "They were valuable in being the voice of the customer, preserving the consumer's interest in using a handset that is simple to use, functional and designed intelligently for a range of users. We use the concept GadShaananDESIGN created as a 'show-and-tell' to demonstrate how a phone could be a medical device. The visual propels thinking into the next generation."
For most of the world's population, a cellular telephone is the only computer they will ever own. QUALCOMM and GadShaananDESIGN wanted to come up with a solution using handsets as an important component to disease management, wellness and fitness. Because handsets are wearable devices, the cellular phone platform offers a relatively inexpensive way to provide continual health monitoring.
About GadShaananDESIGN
GadShaananDESIGN is an international, full-service marketing research, analysis and product development firm with offices in California and Montreal. The company specializes in developing customized marketing strategies for specific client needs. Its unique data analysis framework, Inventing Opportunities, converts research data into actionable product positioning and design strategies. Its diverse portfolio of clients include Amtrak, Copco, HP Hughes, IBM, Kyocera, LifeScan, Johnson & Johnson, Siemens, Sunbeam, Qualcomm, Verizon, Wahl and other FORTUNE 500 companies. Since its inception in 1981, the firm has won numerous awards for industrial design and product innovation. Visit www.inventingopportunities.com for company information.