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Biosynthetic corneas help restore light--and sight

In development for more than a decade, biosynthetic corneas implanted in 10 Swedish patients over a two-year clinical trial are helping most of those patients see again, according to researchers in Canada and Sweden.

"This study is important because it is the first to show that an artificially fabricated cornea can integrate with the human eye and stimulate regeneration," senior author May Griffith of the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute said. "With further research, this approach could help restore sight to millions of people who are waiting for a donated human cornea for transplantation."

Griffith and colleagues … Read more

T-Mobile G1 Blaze rumors begin to swirl

When you look at the high-end Android phones available today, you might notice that there are relatively few devices with sliding QWERTY keyboards.

Aside from the forthcoming Droid 2 and Samsung Epic 4G, there are no other devices with a 1GHz processor and a physical keyboard. However, there are rumors that HTC and T-Mobile will also have a device to add to the bunch.

The phone, according to rumors, is expected to arrive with a 1GHz processor, a 3.7-inch WVGA screen, and HTC Sense user interface. According to the rumors, it will also be HSPA+ capable, which means it … Read more

The 404 627: Where it's only been 5 minutes (podcast)

We tried, I swear we did; we had the sincerest intentions not to talk about Inception again, but all three of us have finally seen the movie and while we're generally happy with the film, it wouldn't be The 404 without Wilson almost ruining the ending for everyone who hasn't seen it yet.

We'll have to find a chicken leg to keep him busy next time. Full disclosure: the first 5 minutes of today's show is about Inception (with a little more during Calls From the Public), but it's definitely SPOILER FREE!

The big … Read more

Don't let your PC wear out your eyes

If you spend more than 2 hours a day peering at a computer display, you have at least a 50-50 chance of experiencing vision problems or other physical ailments related to your PC use. That's according to Dr. Wendy Strouse Watt, O.D., in her 2003 article Computer Vision Syndrome and Computer Glasses.

The advent of flat panels may have minimized the risk somewhat, but most office workers now spend more time each day at a computer than they did at the time of the study. In a series of articles on Computer Vision Syndrome, the American Optometric Association (… Read more

Three groovy sounding turntables

Sound & Vision magazine's Michael Trei recently tested three turntables: the Rega Research P1 ($395), Music Hall mmf 2.2 ($449), and Technics SL-1200MK2 ($699). And guess what: the most expensive turntable wasn't the best-sounding one!

Mike's an old friend and a major turntable guru in his own right. His knowledge of all things analog runs deep, and he regularly sets up finicky high-end turntables for the rich and famous, including the president of a major record company, here in NYC. Mike set up the VPI Classic turntable I bought last year.

The three turntables covered in his report, the Rega, Music Hall, and Technics are all excellent, but I was more interested in the belt vs. direct-drive aspect of the reviews. The Technics is a long standing DJ favorite, for its powerful, direct-drive motor, which is a big plus when you're back cueing and scratching records. Direct-drive 'tables never wowed the high-end crowd, they favor belt-drive turntables. The appeal is mostly based on the fact that the belt "decouples" the motor from the platter. So whatever noise and vibration the motor makes as it spins aren't directly transmitted to the platter, and therefore to the record. No wonder the vast majority of turntables sold to audiophiles are belt-drive designs.

Mike may be a hard-core audiophile, but he's not closed-minded about direct-drive turntables, and in fact owns a Technics direct-drive turntable (and many belt-drives as well).… Read more

AMD Vision spreads across desktops, laptops: Will you see a difference?

Does affordability matter most to you when buying a new computer? More importantly, do labels?

AMD has been working on finding its way into laptops and desktops via a strategy of affordability and rebranding, and its AMD Vision series of products is taking off with a new batch of desktops and laptops. We've already seen some of this new branding in a handful of products, but the company's new initiative focuses on its latest processors, and adds extra "Vision" categories to its product line. The real question is how these new systems will perform in the … Read more

New Toughbook 31: Perfect for multitasking in a sandstorm

If you're in the military or working in rough field conditions and need a computer upgrade, you're in luck: Panasonic has just announced the upgraded Toughbook 31, a new successor to its most-rugged Toughbook line.

With a weight and thickness that would be unappealing to anyone but those who need serious environmental armor, the Toughbook 31 comes with either an Intel Core i3 or i5 processor, optional ATI HD 5630 graphics, and up to a claimed 11 hours of battery life.

A 13.3-inch LED-backlit touch-screen display has CircuLumin technology that Panasonic says will enable viewing of the … Read more