E-Z Life
- Daily Diary of Ezra Hill
Prototype artificial heart unveiled, expected to cost $192k
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets
Far from being the first artificial heart we’ve seen, the latest iteration unveiled by a team of French scientists is easily the most sophisticated. Built from technology used in satellites and airplanes, the prototype heart is said to “beat almost exactly like the real thing using electronic sensors to regulate heart rate and blood flow.” Reportedly, the device boasts “the same tiny sensors that measure air pressure and altitude in an airplane or satellite,” enabling it to theoretically react in an instant if the patient suddenly needs more or less blood. Thus far, the heart has only been tested in animals, and now gurus behind it are hoping to net approval from authorities in order to forge ahead with clinical trials. Of course, a “lifelike” heart made from polymer and pig tissue won’t come cheap, with initial pricing estimates putting it just south of 200 grand. Or, just enough to give you a heart attack.
[Via DailyTech, image courtesy of AP; thanks, Allislost]
Prototype artificial heart unveiled, expected to cost $192k originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 02 Nov 2008 12:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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ASUS finally details ET1602 / ET1603 Eee Top all-in-one PCs
Filed under: Desktops
If you’ve paid any attention to the release cycle of ASUS’ Eee Top, you’d have noticed by now that things have been done in quite the unorthodox way. Although we’ve already learned most everything we need to know from buyers in global markets, ASUS has finally seen fit to do us English-speaking folk a solid and host up official detail sites for both the ET1602 and ET1603. Both rigs boast a 15.6-inch touchscreen LCD, a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 CPU, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, a 160GB 5,400RPM hard drive, 1.3-megapixel webcam, gigabit Ethernet, 802.11n WiFi, a pair of stereo speakers, two USB 2.0 ports, a multicard reader, audio in / out and a swank carry handle for lugging it around. The only difference between the two flavors is the GPU; the ET1602 includes an integrated graphics set, while the ET1603 packs a discrete ATI Mobility Radeon HD3450. Per usual, ASUS isn’t dishing out any further pricing / release deets, but most everything else you could ever want to know (about the pair, not life or taxes) is just a click or two away.
[Via I4U News]
Read – Eee Top ET1602
Read – Eee Top ET1603
ASUS finally details ET1602 / ET1603 Eee Top all-in-one PCs originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 02 Nov 2008 10:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Motorola to layoff 3,000 employees, most of ‘em in handset division
Filed under: Cellphones
To be honest, we were surprised that we didn’t hear this number along with the other doom and gloom professed during Motorola’s Q3 earnings call, but the writing was very clearly on the wall. As part of the mentioned $800 million expenditure cut planned for 2009, 3,000 (more) of Moto’s employees will be looking for work elsewhere. According to an unnamed spokeswoman, a “little over two-thirds of those layoffs [will be] in the handset division.” And just think — if Moto would only use all those hands to get an Android-powered phone out before “entirely too long from now,” maybe these cuts wouldn’t even be necessary. Maybe.
Motorola to layoff 3,000 employees, most of ‘em in handset division originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 02 Nov 2008 07:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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