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Archive for December, 2009

Or, as they call it, a “3D bio-printer.” Essentially, it allows scientists to build tissue cell by cell. It’s that cool sci-fi medical stuff we all dream about.

“Scientists and engineers can use the 3D bio printers to enable placing cells of almost any type into a desired pattern in 3D,” Murphy said. “Researchers can place liver cells on a preformed scaffold, support kidney cells with a co-printed scaffold, or form adjacent layers of epithelial and stromal soft tissue that grow into a mature tooth. Ultimately the idea would be for surgeons to have tissue on demand for various uses, and the best way to do that is get a number of bio-printers into the hands of researchers and give them the ability to make three dimensional tissues on demand.”

The system includes software that enables engineers to build a model of the tissue before layering cells with laser-calibrated print heads. So, it seems pretty similar to a standard 3D model printer. Hopefully, most of us will live to see the day when we can have new hearts and livers printed on demand. That would be handy. Teeth would be great in the short term too. That whole Polygrip lifestyle where corn cobs and apples could lead to disaster does not seem appealing. [Livescience]

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Well, it looks like that iPod hearing loss lawsuit that’s been nagging Apple for the past couple of years may finally be going away (in its current form, at least), as the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco has now affirmed a 2008 district court ruling and rejected a class-action lawsuit that sought to hold Apple responsible for hearing loss allegedly caused by iPods. While that may be a possibility, the court said that the “plaintiffs do not allege the iPods failed to do anything they were designed to do nor do they allege that they, or any others, have suffered or are substantially certain to suffer inevitable hearing loss or other injury from iPod use” — further adding that, “at most, the plaintiffs plead a potential risk of hearing loss not to themselves, but to other unidentified iPod users,” which doesn’t quite make the grade for a class-action suit. Not surprisingly, neither Apple nor the plaintiffs are making any comments on the verdict, and we’re pretty sure that Apple would like to keep it that way.

Appeals court sides with Apple in iPod hearing loss dispute originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 Dec 2009 12:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Early reviews of Canon’s 1D Mark IV SLR by professional photographers indicate Canon could be on its way to shaking a reputation for sub-par autofocus.

Originally posted at Deep Tech

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Convoluted? Yes. Naff? Probably. Cute? Absolutely. Flirting tool? I’m afraid so. Waterford Clink-Clink—a virtual toast application for iPhone that exchanges contact information—is one of those applications that you don’t really need, but that you know you absolutely want.

It’s quite clever. The app responds to motion, clinking when you do the toast, with the champagne moving like it will do in a real glass.

It has two modes: Standalone and toast with another iPhone. The latest is the funnest, as you can exchange contact information with the other iPhone owner when you toast, and have the toast appear automatically in Facebook. [iTunes Store]

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It looks as if we’re still waiting patiently for color e-ink to become a reality (at least in a mass produced shipping product), but if you’re kosher with low-energy consumption LCDs, Paradigm Shift has the ticket. Similar to Sungale’s Cyberus ID700WTA, the outfit’s 5-inch EER-051 and 7-inch EER-071WF are both e-readers with color, but neither boast e-ink displays. The former includes 1GB of built-in memory, an SD expansion slot, an integrated MP3 player and support for just about any kind of ebook file (non-encrypted EPUB included). The latter steps up to 2GB of memory, and thanks to the Windows CE operating system, it’ll also handle Office files and the like when it’s not flipping text. Both devices are expected to ship in February through Delstar here in the States, with the 5-incher available in a rainbow’s worth of hues for $149.95 and the big boy in black or white for $50 more. The full release is after the break.

Continue reading Paradigm Shift intros 5- and 7-inch readers with color (LCD) displays

Paradigm Shift intros 5- and 7-inch readers with color (LCD) displays originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 Dec 2009 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Unnamed source tells Fox News that the company will hold a mobile-focused event in San Francisco on January 26, which could be the day its long-awaited tablet makes its debut.

Originally posted at News – Apple

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What if, instead of defiling your local school, church or train yard with just a few colors of spray paint, one can contained a near infinite array of expression?

The Color Dial Spray is a refillable spray can design that contains all four base colors of the CMYK spectrum (cyan, magenta, yellow, and key black). When the artist rotates hue and brightness dials, the can tweaks the color mix accordingly, making selecting a paint color in real life just as easy as it is in Photoshop.

While perfectly plausible, the Color Dial Spray is still just a concept. But to any fat cat VCs in the audience, COME ON. What better ideas are floating around to sink money into? Social networking? Flying cars? Send these nice people a check. [reddot via Yanko Design]

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Occasionally, a phone exists simply because it can. Not because it’s powerful; not because it offers amazing bang for the buck; not because the manufacturer negotiated some lucrative exclusivity agreement with a major carrier, and certainly not because it’s introducing some groundbreaking new smartphone operating system. Yeah — not even Sony Ericsson is attempting to frame or formulate a legitimate business case for the sinfully hedonistic Xperia Pureness, because they don’t have to. One look at that wild transparent display and you’ll either be smitten or confused and dismayed by the $1,000 sticker price. It’s that simple.

Anyhow, we’ve just taken delivery of a Pureness today and have had a few fleeting moments to check it out. If it weren’t for the display, you’d be looking at a $30 prepaid candybar here — you don’t have a camera, a high-res display, or any sexy metal or soft-touch bits to give the phone a premium feel. The UI is about the simplest possible incarnation of Sony Ericsson’s typical dumbphone platform, owing largely to the fact that the display’s just grayscale; you’ve got an FM radio (with a headset attached) and a basic music player and browser, but if you’re in North America, don’t expect any 3G.

That said, seriously, look at that shot we took up there: the display is insane. We can’t quite get over it — it’s the ultimate conversation piece. Motorola Aura owners looking for a fresh way to draw a crowd might look at this as their next purchase, but if you’re looking to do anything but talk (and occasionally browse an eerily translucent version of Engadget), make no mistake, this isn’t your phone. Did we mention we want one really, really badly?

Sony Ericsson Xperia Pureness hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Dec 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Android-based tablet boasts cutting edge display technology that works in bright environments and uses 90 percent less power than conventional panels.
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It has taken longer than anticipated, but the Boox e-reader that we toyed with at CeBIT earlier this year is finally available for order here in the US of A, with shipments expected to begin in a fortnight. Onyx International’s 6-inch reader — which features WiFi, a Vizplex e-ink display, a 532MHz processor, 512MB of memory, a 1,600mAh battery and an SD / SDHC expansion slot — is bring slung across the seas courtesy of Dulin’s Books, and while it won’t ship with integrated 3G support, it’s still coming here with a lofty $349 price tag affixed to it. Sure, that WebKit browser may impress some, and the bundled white leather cover is a pleasant touch, but we can only wish it luck as it tries to rival the (less expensive and more capable) Nook and Kindle.

[Thanks, Jorge]

Dulin’s Books brings Onxy’s 6-inch Boox 60 e-reader to US shores for $349 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Dec 2009 06:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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