Wireless networks, apps gaining ground in unlikely places

Mobile and wireless applications are already profoundly affecting underdeveloped areas of the world. In countries such as Haiti, the Boston-based non-profit group Partners in Health is now using cell phones and wireless networks to notify residents when their medications are available at a nearby clinic, said panelist Emily Green, CEO of Yankee Group. "Once we have [wireless] connectivity in places like Haiti, people are connectable...giving them continuity in health," Green said The residents of some countries don't even have an address, so a cell phone can specifically find a person to impart vital medical care information. "It's life-changing...," Green said.