Diabetics can check sugar on smartphone

(NBC/KNBC) - Patients with diabetes have to keep a close eye on their blood sugar, and new technology might make that a little easier.

The hottest new health care tool may already be right in your own pocket.

You talk on it, you text, email, and now, if you're diabetic, you can even test your own blood sugar on your smart phone.

Normally, diabetics have to carry around a separate glucose meter with them at all times -- in addition to their phone.

“Diabetics have to carry around a lot of stuff,” said diabetes patient James Winchester. “The great thing about smartphone technology is it's one less thing they now have to carry."

Winchester travels around the country demonstrating how to turn your phone into a blood glucose meter.

You need just two things: the Gmate SMART phone app and the smart device. It's the size of a quarter and plugs into the headphone jack of your iPhone.

And since your cell phone is basically a handheld computer, the app keeps track of all your results and charts out your blood sugar results throughout a period of time.

You can instantly email all these results to your doctor or family members.

Pediatric Endocrinologist Kevin Kaiserman said this is just one of many advances that uses new technology to help people manage their diabetes.

"The greatest advantage is to help people gather, and be able to synthesize analyze the information in a way that helps them not just have a single piece of information but to look for trends and analyze over time -- how their diabetes is being managed, where they can make adjustments to better manage their diabetes going forward," said Kaiserman.

The Gmate only works with iPhones -- not Android phones.

Also, some people may want to keep their diabetes separate from their phone. It's already in use in Europe and is currently pending FDA approval here in the United States.