iBGStar Blood Glucose Monitoring System

Recently I was granted the opportunity to demo the iBG Star Blood Glucose Monitoring System for iPod/iPhone.
When I first saw this I was really excited and couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. Having and loving my iPhone and iPod I thought what a great way to use them to help me monitor my glucose levels.

When it finally arrived, I tore into the box and opened the case and felt like a child at Christmas. I was happy to see how un-intrusive the device was. It wax no bigger than a pack of gum but very sleek. I quickly grabbed my iPhone and downloaded the app from the App Store.
At first, it took me a minute to get everything set up. I tend not to read instruction's right off the bat just to see how intuitive things are. So once I got it synced with the app everything was really straight forward after that.

I've been using the iBG Star now for about a week and a half. One of the things that I love about it is the fact that it’s a standalone meter all by itself. You do not need to have it hooked to your phone or other supported Apple device until your ready to sync the information.
When doing some more research on the iBG Star, I saw you could get phone cases that allows you to keep the monitor connected to the phone all the time, which is handy but you still have to carry the lancets, and test strips so why not just keep the whole thing together?

One thing that I did notice that has me a bit put off is that the iBG Star seems to be off  by sometimes up to 200 points. I have been using my Bayer Contour USB Glucose Monitor along with the iBG Star and at my highest reading both machines read differently. The iBG Star read 486 where my Contour USB read 268.
I did a control test and still found it to be off by 40-60 points, which I have been told by my Diabetes Educator that is to be expected, but that its nothing to really worry about. Well being someone who is on a sliding scale for his insulin injections that’s the difference between a little and a lot of insulin. But I imagine if I was using the iBG Star as my only meter then I wouldn’t worry to much.

Getting into the app itself, I must say is very clean and easy to navigate. You have some fun features like being able to change the background on the app, as well as tailoring it to your needs by inputting your highs and lows, as well as your insulin etc..
It also gives you a nice on screen display to let you know when you need to apply your blood sample and when the meter has been disconnected or connected.
I am one for super easy, intuitive, and visually appealing software. The iBG Star merges flawlessly with the iOS.

All in all I have to say I really do love the iBG Star. I really like the fact that you do not need to keep it connected to your phone all the time and that it is a stand alone reader. I also like the fact that you can get the app for your iPod and iPad as well. Making it fully intergraded into the Apple owners life. I do not like the fact that it is only Apple based. I would like to maybe see a future version of this released to Android just to be more inclusive and opening the market for new users. 

Another feature that I really like about iBG Star is that you have the ability to share your meter readings via email with your doctors. This provides them with detailed information that allows you to get instant results, especially if you are being monitored closely for other Diabetic complications.

All in all I would give the iBG Star 9/10 stars. The only reason I did not give it a full 10 is due to it being only for iOS and not more readily available to all devices. However, that being said. I find it being one of the better devices offered for Apple that is a stand alone machine.

^{Images borrowed from Google Images. I do not claim ownership to them.}

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