Tech Trends: A look into the latest dental and general technology on the market

Brave (Free, Brave)

Users have many choices when it comes to web browsers on mobile devices. Several factors should be considered, beyond simple preference, when comparing web browsers. Privacy and performance are among the most requested features in this tool that is used every day to surf the internet. Brave is a free mobile browser for iOS and Android devices that focuses on these features to provide a safe and optimized web experience for users.

The premise for Brave is to protect users from cross-site trackers that are embedded in many websites for analytics and targeted advertising automatically in the background. The blocking of these trackers and ads from loading would directly save the transfer of data and indirectly speed up web browsing while saving time. New page tabs prominently display the number of trackers and ads blocked and data and time saved at the top. Brave Search is the default private search engine and does not track user searches or clicks. Most common web browser features are included as well as preference and data synchronization across Brave mobile and desktop apps. Some features are unique to this web browser, such as the ability to save a playlist of any video or stream for offline playback. Other specific features include Brave News, which is ad-supported news from customizable sources that are unobtrusively displayed as cards from a new tab page, and Brave Rewards, which incentivizes users with Basic Attention Tokens (BATs) for viewing tracker-free private ads that do not invade privacy. BATs can be exchanged for gift cards or treated like crypto currency and stored and managed from Brave Wallet, a secure crypto wallet that is built into the web browser. These specific features are not enabled by default, so users can enjoy a complete private browsing experience without having to opt in to features they do not need. Users can upgrade to a Brave Firewall + VPN service or host private video calls with Brave Talk Premium to extend their privacy beyond the web browser. The performance of this full-featured browser is robust and effective in blocking many ads and trackers across popular websites.

Privacy and performance are key features to have in web browsers on mobile devices. Brave provides an optimal web experience with additional premium options for users who value these features in a mobile browser today.

— Hubert Chan, DDS

iPrescribe (Free with purchase of DrFirst subscription)

As of Jan. 1, 2022, all prescriptions in California must be issued electronically. This law has given rise to a host of e-prescription services, of which DrFirst is among the largest. In 2018, DrFirst unveiled iPrescribe, a mobile app that allows users to prescribe, check prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) and pass limited information to and from their electronic health records (EHR). Free with an active subscription to DrFirst, iPrescribe — available on Android and iOS — aims to help providers quickly, easily and securely provide medications to their patients while maintaining compliance with California law.

Upon successful setup of DrFirst, users will have accounts created for use with iPrescribe. Users can query a patient list from patients they have accessed in DrFirst on their EHR. This means that a provider’s entire patient pool may not be available to them on iPrescribe, so those using the app as the primary way of prescribing may encounter difficulties. iPrescribe’s interface is as advertised: simple and easy to use. Five options are available on the home screen — New Rx, Pending Rx, Renewals, Secure Chat and PDMP. From here, users can manage basic prescription writing tasks and receive on-demand help at any time. Integration with CURES (California’s PDMP) is straightforward to set up and use, with regular management of CURES credentials the only hurdle. If users understand that their entire patient population may not be available to them and that iPrescribe does not allow users to add patients, it is a valuable, timesaving tool for DrFirst users.

— Alexander Lee, DMD