You will get a lot of Answers you don’t need here.
You will get off topic responses.
You will get opinions that are off topic or totally unrelated
It’s just how it is here.
It’s like being at a cocktail party, you can get some good information and feed back, but you need to sift through a bit.
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@MichaelW I also agree with you that the UltraSmart meter was excellent in all the data that could be added as I used that line since I left the Ames meter I used at the beginning in early 1980s.
So for me too I was so sorry the features were not available on other meters to include doses of long and short insulin with each blood test and even exercise as that also can affect blood test results. It may well have allowed more to be entered, but I did not go that far and now I am considering it when I get a fitness watch, so I can do more about adding in exercise…
So I do not have a suggestion, but I am watching this discussion as I agree it is critical.
So I checked Change.org for a mention of Lifescan or UltraSmart and there is no mention. But the problem with that site is it is too much trouble to use and they even disable a petition if not enough signatures are obtained. So it becomes a second job to spread the word to get signatures.
If you do set up a petition, please mention it in this discussion and contact me via PM so I can get my endo who also liked the Lifescan UltraSmart meter, to get more signatures on the petition from among his patients, as he once told me he thought it was the best also.
I also had a discussion with Lifescan about it orally on the phone when I had to find a replacement, like you have been faced with. I bet there are lots of people like us who are sorry the features are not on other meters.
Many thanks. Yours is one of the replies that I really appreciate. I don’t know change.org or how one goes about using it, but maybe some who like the Smart meters could help. They had basic, normal, and smart versions of the One Touch, the One Touch 2, and the One Touch Ultra, then stopped. They say the app can do everything, but it’s banned by all the cellphone companies where I live (it’s not in the Google App Store here), and I think the Smart meters were much easier to use than what I’ve seen of the app.
A few short hours ago I was talking to them and wrote what is in the next paragraphs on another computer as soon as I finished talking to the contact person.
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I agree totally and I have just now spent about an hour by telephone to Lifescan Canada making the case and begged them through a very helpful contact person to set up a petition on their site, but I do not expect it will get anywhere even though she said she would escalate the request.
I emphasized that it was the features of the meter that was appreciated and I said I resent that the other meters on the market often require a cell phone or tablet to get the most out of them which is what is also the case for the Verio Flex model which is what she recommended.
I said the advantage of the UltraSmart meter was it could contain all the data right in the meter even though results could be downloaded to a computer for reporting to a doctor or saving for long term reference…
I told her that this site, mentioning tudiabetes.org is having a discussion about it.
I said I wanted her to suggest a worldwide survey that they could add in other questions to also measure customer feedback on other meters made by Lifescan. The point is it would be just about Lifescan meters and would have to be set up on a particular Lifescan website in a country of their choice with links from other sites so people all over the world could fill it out… This is because with surveys number of replies is what counts.
I said it was obvious to me and to others that this particular model had excellent aspects that should not be lost and that should be considered in future design choices. So “ask the users what they think” was my reason for suggesting the survey to Lifescan.
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So now my added comments are that I am not happy with the Contour Next One which is what I chose about 2 years ago when I was in the same position you are in, when I did not wish to lose the features of the very good UltraSmart.
I am familiar with 2 ot the other more basic models, but rarely used them as they did not connect to the cloud and so the results could not be combined from different meters…and what I liked were the combined results averages. I did lend them to friends who wanted to see if they had tendencies towards diabetes.
Having to add to the comment above for the number I used for Lifescan Canada 1-800-663-5521, but I had to prove I had been a user and they did have me on record and I had to give the serial number of the UltraSmart meter I was talking about. This is fine, even though I am a dissatisfied user of the horrible Contour Next One for the past almost 2 years.
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I will set up a different discussion about that so we can improve that one as I hate with a passion that for every single blood test the meter tells me I am taking the test in someone else’s home north of me by about a football field of space, which I can see from my window, but have never in my life been in. They call that an approximate location. How would you feel about that to be told you are taking your tests in someone else’s home?
I have tried a few times getting them to listen and they say they are interested in improving their software APP, but they also say it is too much to do. They also say I am NOT allowed to use the two tablets I own. I can only use one of them, even though the results do go into the cloud which means I should be able to have one tablet upstairs and the other downstairs, but NO that is against their policy.
So would I recommend Contour Next One…NO I would not. The people are nice, but the use of it has several problems that could do with improving. I switched from using a Galaxy Tab A 10.5" to a Galaxy Tab S7+ to get the larger size at 12.4"
Now I am struggling as it took a while to disable the Samsung Notes that was opening a note file every single time I tapped the screen, even after it was disabled.
So I am more a fan of Lifescan as they did do well for for me for 35 years.
I also have a One touch Ultrasmart that I am still using, even though the date is wrong.
The other problem is they discontinued their Windows based One touch program and replaced it with a web based one with some horrible limitations such as:
- you can only generate reports for a 90 day period, old program you could do any length period.
- It takes the input from the UltraSmart meter and disregards your input on when you took your reading, and based on time of day automatically categorizes it as after breakfast etc.
Looking for a good replacement meter. A smart phone app is fine, but also want to have a Windows and/or web based one. Thanks.