radiation

Radiation machine could cut cancer treatments in half

The Stanford Cancer Center today unveiled a breakthrough radiation machine it hopes will let patients spend less time getting treatments and more time living their lives.

By delivering radiation at a faster dose rate, the TrueBeam linear accelerator can shorten individual treatment times by up to a half compared with treatments from traditional machines, according to a statement from the center.

The TrueBeam's treatments can also more accurately target cancerous tumors than typical machines do. That's thanks, in part, to a 4D imaging system that captures views in 60 percent less time than in previous machines, which results … Read more

'Belly Armor' expands maternity apparel line to SF

Back in 2008, Ronald Herberman, director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, had an announcement to make:

[There is a] growing body of literature linking long-term cell phone use to possible adverse health effects, including cancer. We shouldn't wait for a definitive study to come out, but err on the side of being safe rather than sorry later.

Herberman joined a growing chorus of cancer and radiation experts who, without yet establishing a definitive causal relationship between cell phone use and cancer, warns that it's too soon to know for sure how safe cell phones are, especially … Read more

Top 5 smartphones with the highest radiation

The debate rages on...and on, and on about the dangers of phones and radiation. Until that is settled, here are the five smartphones that will keep you up at night wondering if you really meant it when you said you were *dying* to have one of them.

Radiation aside, you can always peruse CNET's list of best smartphones and check our list of phones ranked by their radiation figures.

How video game processors could save lives

Are you dreading upgrading your graphics processor yet again just so you can get lost in the alien-infested urban jungle of Crysis 2? Rest assured that the immersive power of these state-of-the-art video processors is now being used for more than just visual pleasure.

A new technique for processing X-rays appears to lower the radiation patients are exposed to during cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans by a factor of 10 or more, according to researchers at the University of California, San Diego.

The research is being presented this week at the American Association of Physicists in Medicine's 52nd annual meeting in Philadelphia.

Lead author Xun Jia, a UCSD postdoctoral fellow, based his team's work on recent advances in compressed sensing by developing a CT reconstruction algorithm for graphics processing unit platforms (GPU cards being used for 3D computer graphics, often in video games), thereby increasing computational efficiency to reconstruct a cone beam CT scan in just minutes.… Read more

Protection with a catch

One of the first applications built to find and remove malware and spyware, Ad-Aware's reputation is well-justified. The latest version continues the publisher's tradition of adroitly addressing user concerns, but flaws remain.

Building on the improvements made in version 8, former Ad-Aware users should be glad to hear that the program installs faster than before. This version of Ad-Aware offers two new features to users of the free version that had previously been restricted to the paid upgrades: antivirus protection, and a long-awaited scheduler. The AV protection comes courtesy Sunbelt, makers of Vipre. Ad-Aware 8.3 loads faster … Read more

Lowest-radiation cell phones

This week, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted to require cell phone stores in the city to post the specific absorption rate (SAR) of each handset sold. Though manufacturers and carriers typically list a phone's SAR in its user manual, San Francisco is one of the first places to require them to do so.

Though there's no scientific consensus that cell phone radiation is harmful--even from the long-awaited Interphone study--we encourage consumers to be informed about the issue and know the SAR for their handsets. That's why I've updated our gallery of the 20 phones sold in the United States with the lowest SAR. … Read more

SF law forces disclosure of phone radiation levels

San Francisco appears poised to become the first city in the U.S. to require a cell phone makers to publicly display how much radiation their products emit.

On Tuesday, the city's board of supervisors voted 10-1 in favor of a new law that requires handset makers to post in stores their products' specific absorption rate (SAR), which is a measure of the amount of radio waves absorbed by the user's body. (See also: CNET's Quick Guide: Cell phone radiation levels)

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom is expected to sign the measure into law.

There's no … Read more

Lowest-radiation cell phones

Yesterday, my colleague David Carnoy posted a list of the 20 cell phones in the United States with the highest SAR, or specific absorption rates. And now, as promised, I offer the 20 handsets at the opposite end of the scale. Currently, these models have the lowest SAR levels. Some are sold by carriers, and others are unlocked, but all of the handsets are available in the U.S. market today. Please note that some older models listed lower SAR levels, but as a carrier or manufacturer phases out a handset we replace it with a newer device.

A phone'… Read more

The 411: Nexus One lets you go international

Welcome to the 411, my Q&A column answering all your questions about cell phones and cell phone accessories. I receive plenty of questions about these subjects via e-mail, so I figured many of you might have the same questions, too. At times, I might solicit answers from readers if I'm stumped. Send your questions and comments to me at nicole.lee@cnet.com. If you prefer to remain anonymous, let me know in the e-mail.

I'm moving to Europe some time in the next month, and would like to get an Android phone in the interim. I'm interested in both the Nexus One and the Droid. Do you know which one I should get? -- Hank, via e-mail

Since you're moving to Europe, a Nexus One would probably be best because it's an unlocked GSM phone that you can use with any SIM chip in the world. I would definitely opt for the no-contract version here of course, since you don't want to be tied down to T-Mobile. The Motorola Droid, on the other hand, is a Verizon/CDMA product that you would not be able to transfer over easily. But if you have your heart set on the Droid, you can try to get the Motorola Milestone, which is its GSM cousin. As far as I can tell, it's virtually identical in almost every other way.

I saw your CNET article concerning cell phone radiation. Do you have any information on cell network extenders like the Verizon Wireless Network Extender that supposedly improves your cell coverage within the home. I assume the unit would emit radiation, but would it be anymore than say from a wireless router? Also since the cell phone receives a stronger signal would it decrease the level of radiation? -- Albert, via e-mail

That's a good question. I would assume that extenders do emit some radiation, but I don't think it is a significant amount. Plus, you're not keeping the extender next to your head the whole day.… Read more