Comments on: Google chases Microsoft over online personal health records

By: Tim Collins

Tim Collins — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 01:26:14 +0000

With more than 200 vendors of PHR in the world today and also with the entry of big corporations into the world of PHR,there is not much of difference about the way in which the records are created and stored among all these vendors.
Moreover,there is a immediate need to educate consumers about using PHR tool,prior to releasing new versions into the market.Not many people are even aware of the term PHR,let alone using them.

Google is walking in right direction by taking baby steps before releasing its PHR version.Microsoft version of PHR is just a collection of vendors selling PHR with nothing new to offer.

By: Kem Gursoy

Kem Gursoy — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 15:05:59 +0000

HeathVault and Google Heath are looking for your personal health records.
Google now has the largest data mine of information about their users and Microsoft has done plenty of gathering too. Do we want to give them more? Studies show that individuals do not want their personal medical records to be held electronically by their government, employer, insurance company, pharmacies or drug companies for obvious reasons. The preferred method of storing individual’s critical and non-critical health information is with a company that is ONLY in this business of online medical records. Plus people need to know that they are in control of this information. More and more people trust the Internet but they need to know who is guarding the hen house.

By: Greg P

Greg P — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 01:11:36 +0000

I don’t think they have been caught flat-footed. The whole concept has a long way to go before it will be accepted. It doesn’t matter that MS might have something working right now. About all that’s going on right now is the media frenzy of the latest chapter of MS vs. Google:Software Titans. MS “wins” here, Google “wins” there — who gives a _______?

By: GruntDoc

GruntDoc — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 17:47:09 +0000

I have nothing against Google; I use many of their desktop (free, very nice) products on a MS Windows machine, and also use them on my Mac. Pointing out that they’ve been caught flat-footed and spun out a lame ‘oh, we’re doing that, too’ isn’t proof of anti-Google bias.

Google has a history of running out ahead of MS, and not making a big deal about things they’re doing until they’ve done them. That’s why this seems so out of place.

By: Greg P

Greg P — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 13:42:34 +0000

It seems you have something against Google.
My guess is that Microsoft’s announcement was a preemptive one based on their knowledge that Google was working on this — it’s really just an extension of what they’ve been doing. For MS, it’s new territory.

I also don’t see any issue with the Katrina comment other than name-dropping. It’s safe to talk about Katrina, it’s in the past. What no one wants to talk about or suggest solutions for is the mess that southern Louisiana is still in.