smartphone

THE world’s first smartphone test for type 2 diabetes has launched in the UK.

The app-based check is designed to make it easier for people to spot their risk and could help cut complications such as heart attacks, strokes, and kidney disease, which are often linked to diabetes.

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Patients place a drop of blood from a finger-prick onto a chip, which is then scanned by the PocDoc app to give results almost instantly.

NHS trusts in Cumbria and the North East are the first to roll it out, with a nationwide launch planned later this year.

The Government has hailed the app as a “potential game-changer” in the fight against diabetes as results come in within minutes, instead of the days or weeks it can currently take.

Around 5.2 million people in the UK have type 2 diabetes, with cases still rising – and a further 1.3 million thought to be undiagnosed.

“Enabling screening for type 2 diabetes risk including blood biomarkers via a smartphone app is something that has never been done before,” said PocDoc chief executive Steve Roest.

Professor Julia Newton, medical director at HI NENC, said the test could reach people who struggle with conventional health checks.

“Most people over the age of 40 are invited for an NHS health check every five years, but depending on where you live a large chunk don’t attend,” she said.

“One of the reasons we’ve found is accessing a health check in a conventional setting.

“So if those tests are made more easily available, which this test does, then we have the opportunity to reach far more people.”

She added: “If you consider the number of people with diabetes who go onto have heart attacks and strokes, if we can manage their risk before it becomes a problem that will reduce admissions to hospital, reduce mortality, and reduce complications from diabetes, such as kidney disease, heart disease, and stroke disease.”

The HbA1c finger-prick test is considered the gold standard blood test. This is because it shows average blood sugar levels over the past two to three months, giving a clearer picture than daily checks.

Steve said the app fits directly with Health Secretary Wes Streeting’s 10-year NHS plan, spotting illnesses earlier, tailoring care, and shifting more testing and diagnosis into homes and communities.

“There’s a huge gap in screening for preventable diseases,” he said.

“Right now, the system, not just in the UK but worldwide, cannot find, assess, and diagnose enough people to make a dent in tackling heart attacks, strokes, and type 2 diabetes.”

Health minister Stephen Kinnock told The i Paper that the app rollout was important because type 2 diabetes is on the rise across England.

“This is a potential game-changer and exactly the type of technology we want to see in the NHS as part of the 10 Year Health Plan – bringing our health service firmly into the 21st century and care directly into people’s homes.

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“We will make using the NHS as simple and convenient as online banking or shopping, while helping companies bring new technology into the health service more quickly.”

The seed of the device was planted 30 years ago when Steve was a teenager and witnessed his father having a catastrophic stroke in his early forties, due to undiagnosed cardiovascular disease (CVD).

“Using smartphones to deliver diagnostics is exactly what could have saved my dad from having so many [health] problems. He’s cost the NHS a fortune,” Steve said.

Around £9bn is spent on treating complications arising from diabetes, such as heart disease, kidney problems, and nerve damage.

Studies suggest that the annual cost of the disease could increase to £16.9 bn in the next 25 years.

The app’s launch comes 24 hours after the Government announced the biggest shake-up of diabetes care in a decade.

Around 750,000 patients with CVD or early-onset diabetes would benefit from fat jabs sooner, rather than keeping them for the later stages of treatment, new guidance states.

Apple, which was singled out by the Trump administration earlier this year over its production practices, plans to take a further step to highlight its commitment to boosting investment in the U.S.

The tech giant will pledge to spend an additional $100 billion on domestic manufacturing, a move that could ease tensions between the tech giant and President Trump who wants iPhones built in the United States.

A White House official on Wednesday said Trump will announce a new manufacturing program aimed to bring more of Apple’s supply chain to the United States, confirming an earlier report from Bloomberg.

Apple’s commitment will increase the Cupertino-based company’s U.S. investment to $600 billion over four years as it seeks to avoid the cost of tariffs.

The company announced a $500-billion U.S. investment commitment in February.

Nonetheless, Trump in May criticized Apple for expanding iPhone production in India, threatening to hit the company with a 25% tariff.

Apple and other tech companies have touted their U.S. commitments, but analysts and economists have said shifting manufacturing to the United States could take years and result in higher prices for smartphones and other popular electronics.

Some analysts have said it would take at least five years for Apple to shift production to the U.S. and the prices of iPhones could reach $3,500 if the smartphone was made in America.

The iPhone 16 Pro is made up of roughly 2,700 parts sourced from 187 suppliers in 28 countries, according to an April report from TechInsights.

As companies look to keep costs down and consumers watch their budgets, tariffs add another wrinkle to efforts to slash spending.

Taylor Rogers, a White House spokesperson, said in a statement, that the Trump and Apple’s announcement is “another win for our manufacturing industry that will simultaneously help reshore the production of critical components to protect America’s economic and national security.”

This week, Trump said he was doubling tariffs on India to 50%, stating in an executive order that the country’s government “is currently directly or indirectly importing Russian Federation oil.”

Apple didn’t respond to a request for comment.

The move marks the latest apparent effort by Apple to show its commitment to hiring U.S. workers.

Last month, the smartphone leader announced the opening of its Apple Manufacturing Academy in Detroit. The program begins Aug. 19 and offers free workshops on artificial intelligence and advanced manufacturing to small and medium-sized businesses.

Apple has more than 450,000 jobs with thousands of suppliers and partners across all 50 states.

While Apple designs its products in California, it also relies on a global supply chain involving various countries including China, Vietnam and India.

Apple is already spending more because of Trump’s tariffs. Last week, Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook said during an earnings call that the company has incurred roughly $800 million in tariff-related costs. Apple expects $1.1 billion in tariff-related costs in the fiscal fourth quarter ending in September.

June 19 (UPI) — Samsung likely will unveil the next thinner version of its foldable smartphone next month.

Over the weekend, leaks showcased a look at the Galaxy Z Fold 7 — it has a thinner hinge, larger camera bump and a 200 MP sensor. It will run on Android 16 and has an 8-inch inner display and 6- to 5-inch cover display.

“The newest Galaxy Z series is the thinnest, lightest and most advanced foldable yet — meticulously crafted and built to last,” Samsung said in a blog post earlier this month.

The phone is reported to be slimmer at 4.5mm unfolded. It has titanium hinge components, refined crease control and a Snapdragon 8 Chipset.

The camera is expected to be upgraded from a 50MP to a 200MP sensor and uses AI-enhanced image processing.

“With foldables, thinness has become more critical than ever because people aren’t prepared to accept the compromise for a thicker and heavier phone to get the real estate that a folding phone can deliver,” Ben Wood, chief analyst at CCS Insight, said on Thursday.

According to a Laptopmag leaker, the phone will be revealed on July 11 and will go on sale July 25.

Analysts are expecting models to be priced at about $2,000 and a little higher depending on U.S. tariffs.

CCS insight said that foldables will account for just 2% of the overall smartphone market this year. In previous years, over 50% of foldable phone owners have all switched back to traditional phones in the next upgrade cycle, according to data.

A $499 gold phone built entirely in the United States and a mobile plan boasting telehealth services have been announced by the Trump Organization as part of an effort to entice the US president’s supporters away from major telecom providers and wireless services.

The mobile service is the latest example of the president’s family striking business deals off of the Trump name.

The eponymous Trump Mobile was announced in a Monday statement issued by the Trump Organization, which is led by President Donald Trump’s son Eric.

Dubbed the 47 Plan, the service will cost consumers $47.45 a month and will offer “5G service through all three major cellular carriers” – T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T. According to the statement, it will offer telemedicine, unlimited texting plans with 100 counties, and roadside assistance.

Some key details about the venture, including those about the family’s partner in the business and the financial terms of their licensing deal, were not immediately disclosed.

The “T1 Phone” is advertised as “proudly designed and built in the United States” and listed with a release date in August, although a tech writer from The Verge questioned the viability of building a phone in the US so quickly.

Speaking on Fox Business, Eric Trump said Trump Mobile would have call centres in St Louis, Missouri.

The Trump family, long known for its real estate empire, luxury hotels, and golf resorts, has in recent years ventured into newer arenas including digital media and cryptocurrency.

President Trump has said he put his business interests in a trust managed by his children to avoid conflicts of interest, but income from such business ventures will eventually enrich Trump, who sits atop the series of Trump family firms. In the president’s financial disclosure released on Friday, he reported more than $600m in income from licensing deals, crypto projects, golf clubs and other ventures – though that figure appeared to be only through the end of 2024, before his inauguration.

Targeting Apple?

The Trump Mobile announcement coincides with increased tension between the Trump administration and Apple in particular. The White House explicitly called for 25 percent tariffs on Apple products unless they are made in the US.

“It’s pointed at Apple, that’s a really big downward price pressure on what Apple’s trying to do,” Brian Mulberry, client portfolio manager at Zacks Investment Management, told the Reuters news agency.

Despite a recent pledge to spend $500bn in the US on manufacturing, research and development – comparable to pledges the Cupertino, California-based tech giant made in the past – the company recently doubled down on moving key parts of its production from China to India.

“There’s been kind of an opening for this type of device, if you will, simply because not just Apple, but Samsung devices to a certain extent as well, have really gotten so expensive in the moment in time and we haven’t really seen that big of a measurable increase in utility,” Mulberry said.

The Trump Organization, which is the main holding entity for most of the US president’s business ventures, said ahead of Trump’s inauguration that control of the company would be handed to his children, replicating the arrangement from his first term, though concerns about potential conflicts of interest remain.

“No one who has been paying attention could miss that President Trump considers the presidency a vehicle to grow his family’s wealth. Maybe this example will help more come to see this undeniable truth,” Lawrence Lessig, a professor at Harvard Law School, told Reuters.

Will it land?

While the Trump Organization is privately held, Trump-related stocks have not performed well on the news of the new smartphone and service plan. ​​Trump Media & Technology Group Corp, which is traded under the ticker DJT, is down 1.59 percent for the day as of 11am ET (15:00 GMT). The stock has already been on the downturn. It has tumbled more than 10 percent in the last five trading days.

“I don’t see much impact from Trump Mobile across the industry, as half of its addressable market is negated by political parties, and then from there, this industry already has a lot of stickiness to current providers,” David Wagner, head of equities at Aptus Capital Advisors, told Reuters.

Major wireless carriers have been having a mixed day on Wall Street. Verizon is down by about 0.1 percent from yesterday’s close. AT&T is up 0.2 percent from the market close yesterday. T-Mobile is up 0.5 percent. The new phone announcement has not underpinned Apple in the markets. Apple’s stock is up 0.7 percent from the market close yesterday.

SAMSUNG’s latest release is the thinnest smartphone on the market.

If you pre-order the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge now, you’ll get a free pair of Galaxy Buds3 Pro, worth £219, included with your purchase.

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Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, £52 per month on Sky Mobile

For anyone shopping around for a new handset, deals like this are a fantastic way to get more for your money.  

Sky Mobile is well-known for offering affordable deals, often sweetened by boosted data plans at no extra cost.

The standout pre-order deal here is the 10GB data plan, which is boosted to 40GB for just £12 per month.

There’s nothing to pay upfront either, and with the free Buds3 Pro thrown in, this deal delivers on all fronts.

If storage is important to you, Sky Mobile is also offering a double storage deal on the Galaxy S25 Edge.  

You can get 512GB worth of storage for the price of the 256GB model, just £40 a month, saving you a tidy £4.

This double storage offer ends on May 29th, so act quickly to enjoy more space for less.  

The Galaxy S25 Edge itself is a standout device in the S25 series, offering a thinner, lighter design compared to the other models.  

While I haven’t tested it myself, our Assistant Tech and Science Editor, Jamie Harris, has had a first-hand look at the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge.

He praised the handset for being “lighter than any iPhone 16 model around.”

There are trade-offs to achieve that smaller frame, though.

The Samsung Edge is so much lighter because it comes with a noticeably smaller battery compared to the rest of the S25 lineup.

It sports a 3,900mAh battery, compared to 4,000mAh on the Galaxy S25, but that still gets you around 24 hours of video playback with moderate use.

But for shoppers looking for one of the latest Android models without the bulk and weight of modern handsets, the Edge strikes the right balance.  

The deal is only available for purchases made between May 13th 2025, and May 29th, with the headphones dispatched with your device.  

We regularly round up the top data plans from all major providers, so check out our best SIM-only deals page for more savings.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, £52 per month on Sky Mobile