Cold and flu relief provider Vicks is finally entering the connected health space with the launch of its new Bluetooth-enabled digital Vicks® SmartTemp™ wireless smartphone thermometer now available at pharmacy and baby retailers nationwide this September for $24.99. The Vicks SmartTemp makes tracking multiple kids’ temperatures easier than ever before this cold and flu season with a companion App available for Android or Apple devices. Tracking and communicating symptoms and temperature history with pediatricians is now stress-free and provides a convenient and accurate solution for Mom to monitor the progress of her child’s fever—the first sign of illness and period when someone’s most contagious.
Key Features
By using the free Vicks SmartTemp App, individualized profiles can be created for each family member to store their detailed temperature history. The temperature readings are automatically populated from the thermometer via a wireless Bluetooth connection, while symptoms, medications, and other notes can be added to help track an illness and as reference when sharing updates with a physician. The compact, portable stick thermometer has a flexible tip for comfortable oral, under arm, or rectal readings in just 8-seconds. The full history can easily be stored and recalled with the companion App.
The Vicks SmartTemp App also features Fever InSight guidance, which turns the screen of the mobile device a different color depending on the temperature reading. The screen will change from green to yellow or red as body temperature rises, respectively, to indicate no fever, moderate fever, or high fever and to help caregivers better understand its meaning. Temperature readings and symptom notes can be exported via email for simple sharing with a family doctor, school nurse or other family member. Reminders can also be set up to help Mom keep on track with Doctors’ advice. These notifications prompt Mom at a requested time with the prior dosage information for each family member, or provide a temperature notification at a requested time.
“As a result of our team’s extensive research, we know Mom’s value accuracy and ease of use when shopping for a thermometer,” said Lara Peterson, VP of Healthcare at Kaz USA, Inc. in an official statement, which designs and distributes the Vicks SmartTemp Thermometer through a license agreement with The Procter & Gamble Company. “We understand the challenges parents face trying to accurately remember their children’s fever histories. We’ve combined the flexible features we know Mom loves from our market leading digital sticks with the convenience of wireless automated temperature history tracking via our free companion App. Finally Mom has all the accurate information she needs right at hand for a smarter doctor’s visit.”
Vick’s entry into the connected health comes at a time when other similar competitors such as Kinsa’s Smart Thermometer has started to gain significant traction. Vick’s ability to quickly scale could be problematic for smaller competitors looking to gain market share. At a $24.99 price point, the Vick’s smart thermometer is already cheaper than Kinsa’s $29.99 price tag.
