Look What’s Talking!
Two Tiny Meters Take the Stage

Two tiny devices are making big news for everyone interested in talking diabetes technology. With the addition of two new talking blood glucose monitors—one available June 1st, and one currently under FDA review—talking diabetes devices have become smaller, more convenient, and vastly more affordable than ever before.

Until recently, the most popular talking blood glucose meter was Roche Diagnostic’s AccuChek VoiceMate, the first widely available meter accessible to visually impaired people. Some believe it has some drawbacks, however. It is bulky and rather inconvenient to cart around. It also requires quite a bit of blood to produce accurate results. And it’s very expensive, currently retailing at $595.

These two new devices solve all three of those problems. They represent a big step forward in the growing market for talking diabetes devices. Of course, the appeal of a talking meter to visually impaired diabetics is obvious. But at these prices, talking glucose testing technology is available to everyone! Imagine testing your blood sugar in a dimly lit room without having to grope for your glasses.

The future of talking technology is smaller, more convenient, and more affordable. I have held the future in the palm of my hand, twice. Here’s what it looks like.

These two talking blood glucose meters—the Prodigy and the SensoCard Plus—are truly tiny. The Prodigy, distributed in the U.S. by Florida-based Diabetes Support Programs and manufactured in Taiwan by Taidoc Technology, measures 3-7/8 inches (height) by 1-3/4 inches (width) by 15/16 inch (depth). The SensoCard Plus, made by Hungarian firm, 77 Elektronika, and distributed in the United Kingdom by Cunningham Diagnostics, is small, at 3-1/2 inches (height) by 2-1/8 inches (width) by 5/8 inch (depth).

Most important, both meters talk; both incorporate speech output and external speakers, so there’s no need to use a headset. Though the meters are small, their screens are clear and bright, and screen numbers are 5/8 inch tall.

In addition, both meters require only a very small blood sample. (minimum 0.5 ul for the SensoCard and 0.6 ul for the Prodigy). Both meters use “state-of-the-art” capillary action, touchable test strips (no “hanging drop of blood”) and test across a 20 mg/dl to 600 mg/dl range.

With all of this in mind, how are they different? Here are some side-by-side comparisons.

Talking Function:

Although both meters provide similar basic features and offer spoken assistance with test instructions and results, the Prodigy meter requires sighted help with calibrating test strip codes, and the SensoCard Plus does not. Like the AccuChek VoiceMate, the SensoCard Plus can be used completely independently by a blind person.

Instruction Manual:

The SensoCard manual comes in print and on cassette. The SensoCard Plus’s print instruction manual gets a mixed review. On the positive side, the manual is visually appealing and accessible to visually impaired diabetics who can read large print. It features bold print on bright, high-contrast paper and uses easily-distinguishable colored headings. On the negative side, the manual for the Hungarian-made meter seems to have been poorly translated into English. Revisions are underway.

The Prodigy’s instruction book, while in much smaller print, is clearly American-written, and frequently footnotes such authorities as the Joslin Diabetes Center and the American Diabetes Association. While its print layout overlooks the reading needs of many of the very people who would use the device, the only immediate content flaw in the Prodigy manual is overkill; it’s too exhaustive—a user’s manual for a new device should be written for the new user; not the expert. There’s an overwhelming torrent of high-quality information in there.

Price and Availability:

While it is fully approved in Great Britain, the SensoCard Plus meter has not yet been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Approval is pending; the process is well underway; but you can’t have one just yet. It’s quite inexpensive in the UK; and we expect a reasonable price here, too, once it is approved.

For more information about the SensoCard Plus, contact Cunningham Diagnostics Limited, Stanfield Business Centre, Sunderland, SR2 8BL, England; telephone: 01144-191564-2036; fax: 01144-191564-2037; email: bcdx@aol.com; Web site: www.cdx.uk.com

The Prodigy meter is available right now. The meter costs a mere $29—less than a tenth the cost of the much larger VoiceMate—and a box of 50 strips costs $18. Order five boxes of strips, and the meter is free. It has already been FDA-approved. You should contact the retailer: Diabetic Support Program, 3381 Fairlane Farms Road, Wellington, FL 33414; telephone: 1-800-799-1477; Web site: www.prescriptionsplus.com

With the Prodigy meters set to be available June 1, and the soon-to-be-available SensoCard Plus, every diabetic can have access to convenient, affordable, talking technology. We applaud the manufacturers and distributors for bringing these valuable products to the market.