Intel's taking some serious steps into the medical world with its just-FDA-approved Intel Health Guide, an 8lb gadget that functions as a personal health care system. The Health Guide includes a small touch-screen PC running Windows XP and a web portal that helps connect patients and doctors. The computer can be used to remind patients to take their medications, facilitate live video conferencing with doctors, and even check and collect their vital signs.

Information gathered by the Health Guide is then encrypted and sent to the patient's health care professional using Intel's Health Care Management Suite, which is supposedly secure enough to handle sensitive patient records.

By shifting a lot of the effort of monitoring patients with chronic health problems out of the hospital and into the home, Intel says insurance and health care companies can save money and give better, more personalized care. The Intel Health Guide is expected to be commercially available from health care providers either late 2008 or early 2009. [Crunchgear]

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