iTest / Keynote Meter Followup

Back in April I posted my first-impression review of the iTest or Keynote Meter. I meant to follow up at the end of the month, but work exploded and it got put on the back burner.

But have no fear! My follow-up review is here. I've actually been using a Freestyle Lite for the past few weeks, but I'm going to save most of my commentary on that for another post.

Accuracy
On my first review, I was fairly concerned with the accuracy level of the iTest due to what I considered 'random high numbers'. After a month's use, this really amounted to about 5 tests in a hundred. 4 of these were in the first couple of weeks of using the meter, so I'm inclined to blame some kind of user error for these. As well, several of these were the second test on the same drop of blood. I found a mention somewhere - curse me for not bookmarking - that testing the same drop twice can sometimes lead to wonky results, so this may be another cause here.

I did run into several bad -low- results. About three or four times, I didn't get enough blood on the strip (the little fill window was not full) and the meter processed it but showed a low number, like 4.5 (81). A retest on a new blood drop would give me a more expected value like 6.5 (117). So I think there may be issues with under filled strips not being properly recognized. These were the only times I saw numbers in the 4's on this meter, so I sure noticed when this happened!

Overall though, I'm pretty confident personally in the accuracy. There's one big reason on this - the Freestyle Lite, which I'm testing now, was rated as the most accurate meter in a recent study of meters. They tested the Freestyle Flash, but as far as I know the Freestyle Lite is the same meter or the Canadian edition. In any case, my iTest results are nearly identical to my Freestyle results. They agree within 0.3 (5) points. That's pretty amazing consistency across brands.

All in all, I did end up re-testing a few times, but it got pretty predictable when I needed to - usually when I didn't get quite enough blood.

Lancets
I was really impressed with the lancets when I first started using the iTest. However in the long run, I won't keep using their device. Painless? Yes. But my skin is just a bit too calloused to work well with it. Typing all day long must really toughen up my fingers. Even on my easy to bleed pinky fingers, I need to massage it to get enough blood with those tiny tiny pinpricks. This leads to more bruising - an ultimately sorer fingers.

I did dial up the lancet device - and accidentally hit a nerve! I think that's what I did anyway - my entire finger stung for a day and I was anxious not to repeat the experience. While it's still leaps and bounds over the Contour's lancing device, it's not a personal pick for me.

However, as far as lancing devices go, I'd recommend trying this. This would be my 2nd best lancing device - and one I'll keep around for backup for sure. I have a feeling that even though it's not perfect for me, it'll be a huge improvement for other people.

Software
One big reason I had for trying out the iTest / Keynote Wave was to try out their shiny shiny Zero Click software. However, it turned out this was not to be.

If you go to the http://www.itestglucose.com/ website, and click on "Discover iTest" you'll see a screen that extols the features of the meter.

It lists the "Dynamic Electrochemistry" feature, the "Extreme Accuracy" feature, the "Screen Settings" feature, and the "Zero-Click Data Management" feature. Click on Zero-Click, and you get:

"World's only Zero-Click System now available in Canada!" and "Just plug the meter in, and Zero-Click does the rest!". I guess I was being a little too optimistic when I interpreted this to mean the software was installed on the meter, and came with it.

So I found a USB cable with the right ends - we have a ton lying around, and plugged it in. No go. As far as my computer was concerned, the meter wasn't even attached. I decided to do some more research. I re-read the page, looking for a download link. Nothing - just a pdf brochure. No mention of the software on the list of products on the left side either (the meter, the lancets, the strips).

I went to the US site - often US companies will have a considerably different site for US customers. WaveSense /AgaMatrix is no different. The Zero-Click software is at least listed as a 'product' there. I knew I had to buy it, but didn't know how much. If I could recommend a single update to the AgaMatrix websites, it would be a 'SOLD SEPARATELY' notice on the Zero-Click pages.

Checked the website of the pharmacy chain (London Drugs) where I bought the meter, but couldn't find it listed. This is undoubtedly the responsibility of London Drugs and not AgaMatrix, but it was another annoyance. After more googling I found it listed at the DLife Store. $40 US, Regularly $45. And that was the end of that story. I'm doing this new-meter-every-month thing because it costs me nothing. I'm going to be shelling out $75 for strips no matter which meter I choose, so I might as well make use of the free meter offers that abound in Canada.

But I'm not paying $40 for results software ON TOP of that. Not when there are amazing free software apps like Sugar Stats that will manage my results. Even Ascensia / Bayer didn't make me pay for their (pretty sucky) software - it's a free download on their website. Bayer did sell me a 'cable & software kit' for $20-30 ( $24.99 on their website right now), that turned out to be a generic USB cable I could have bought for a lot less at my local electronics store, which annoyed me to no end.

I think a lot of us feel we're being bilked by these companies - 75cents per strips works out to a considerable profit margin I am sure. And anecdotally I've heard that while meter prices have decreased, strip prices have gone up - I haven't been testing long enough to see price changes yet, nor can I find a chart online to prove this, so perhaps I'm wrong. But in any case, we're spending a LOT of money on these things and it can hurt to pay even more for extras.

So, long rant and story short, I'm just not willing to pay for the software. I don't analyze my results enough now to pay $40 on the chance that it'll be useful enough to pay for itself. If you're a user that does depend a lot on stats, this software could be useful for you.

For more details on what the software can do - the product description pages are pretty scanty - I suggest you download the user manual here. I tend to always check out the support forums and user manuals of software before I buy - I learn more about what it actually does from those than any brochure. From a quick skim, the software uses a special USB cable - so you won't be getting a generic cable for an upgraded price at the very least.

You'll be able to adjust all your meter settings, break your day into 8 chunks to represent meal times, set your target numbers, and view, print and email 6 reports such as log book and trends. There is also a 'backup database' feature, but no details on what format the backup takes, so I have no idea if it will allow you to export the results in a format that would allow you to bring them into other software. The import feature appears to only read backup files made by Zero Click, so I'm not sure how you get your backlog of data into the software either. You also cannot delete bad results (from testing someone else or having something on your hands). There is no way to enter medications, exercise or notes on any of your readings.

I have not actually used the software, so this is all from the user manual. I'd suggest reading the manual yourself, talking to someone who has actually used it or checking with AgaMatrix before making a decision to buy or not to buy.

Meter Charts
Another feature I was really interested in on the iTest / Keynote was the built in charts. In addition to 30,60,90 averages, they have little built in graphs to show you trends over the same time periods. These turned out pretty useless for me. My blood sugars stay in such as small range (5-8 or 90-144) usually that they don't even make a bump in the chart. I just get a straight line on all three. This tight range is not the usual for diabetics - but I'm pre-diabetic so it's something I can maintain. I'm not sure at what point the chart starts showing something other than a straight line, but I would assume that the average PWD would see something different.

Company
I've been impressed with AgaMatrix as a company in the last month and a half. They are the only meter company that I am aware that actually spends time on diabetes sites. They've commented on a discussion about meters at Tudiabetes.com, posted on my blog, and they have an employee who blogs about diabetes, even though he isn't diabetic. That kind of online presence is really important to me. It makes me feel a lot more connected and valued as a consumer than any other company has.

Final Impression
This is a good, solid, accurate meter. Once I'm finished testing various meters, this will definitely be on my short list for a meter to stay with. While there is room for improvement, as with all meters (check out my initial review for my wishlist) they do very well in other places. And for any meter, accuracy is KEY. Actually, precision is even more important, but accuracy is a huge deal. Seeing how it's results compare closely to known-to-be-accurate the Freestyle Flash really elevates my confidence in the meter.

I recommend the iTest / Keynote, especially over the Ascensia Contour or Breeze.