3D Printing of a Seizure drug approved by the FDA

August 4, 2015

fda-3d-print — A product image provided by Aprecia Pharmaceuticals shows Spritam 750 mg, foreground, and 1000 mg tablets. The 3D-printed pills have been approved by the FDA.

The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) in the United States has given their nod for the production of SPRITAM, a 3D printed drug for treatment of seizure for people suffering with epilepsy.

SPRITAM and the FDA’s action.

SPRITAM’s one of a kind 3D printed design allows it to be water soluble in a very low quantity of liquid which gets easily mixed in the bloodstream in as little as 10 seconds.

The drug has been approved by the FDA for oral administration and will be used as a prescription adjunctive therapy for the treatment of epilepsy.

SPRITAM will use Aprecia’s “ZipDose” technology, hence allowing it to be created at a premeasured dose which will disintegrate in the mouth with a sip of liquid.

Don Wetherhold, Aprecia’s Chief Executive Officer of Aprecia has revealed in a press release:

“By combining 3DP technology with a highly prescribed epilepsy treatment, SPRITAM is designed to fill a need for patients who struggle with their current medication experience.”

Wedbush security analyst, Tao Levy said:

“3D printing could help companies make products “to the specifications of an individual patient rather than (take a) one-size-fits-all kind of approach”.

Now, in the HealthCare industry, the use of this printers has been around for quite a while.

Dentists use 3D printers to create jaws and teeth. Even dental implants are created using the device.

Orthopedic surgeons find great use for this device, as they can create hip replacements with a specialized 3D printer.

Some British scientists have also made use of the device in replicating cancerous regions of the body. Doing so they can make a solid plan, which helps them in attacking tumors more precisely.

The use of 3D printing in for medicinal purposes is not new.

But it should be noted that this is the first instance that FDA has allowed such a thing. FDA’s step may just pave the way for a new revolution in medicine, where drugs are prepared according to the patients’ needs.

See PR

Stingray – The new game engine from Autodesk

Nitish Singh

August 4, 2015

Last year, Autodesk had purchased the Bitsquid engine. Now, Autodesk has launched Stingray a new game engine built around Bitsquid.

Here’s what Autodesk’s new game engine, Stingray has in store-

According to Engadget the primary goal behind the development of Stingray was creating a game engine for smaller studios which provides customization options without much need of programming.

Along with this, the company wanted Stingray to be well-equipped and offer a good competition to market competitors like Unity engine and Unreal engine 4.

Stingray will also come equipped with features like- post-processing effects, high-performance reflection system, physical shading and more.

Currently, major companies are using game engines like the Unreal 4 or the Unity 5 and it will be difficult for Autodesk to establish their market in these places. Hence, they have chosen to target small to medium sized companies.

The product will provide developers with comfortable scripting tools available via simple drag and drop. But you want complete control, the source code is also at your disposal.

“Between augmented reality, virtual reality and the proliferation of mobile platforms, the games industry is undergoing a major transition, which poses new complexities for both AAA and indie game developers,”

said , Autodesk’s senior vice president of media and entertainment, Chris Bradshaw in a press statement.

“Stingray makes it easy and intuitive for artists with varying skill sets and programming expertise to create the next generation of 3D blockbuster games, entertainment and even architecture.”

he added

Stingray will be supported on mostly all major OSes and – Windows 7, Windows 8, iOS, Android, PlayStation 4, the Xbox One and even Oculus Rift DevKit 2.

“We never know what kind of games we’re going to create, and the engine is good for that. It really allows us to just make anything,”

said Arrowhead Game Studios CEO Johan Pileated.

“We can make an FPS or an RTS, or a top-down shooter, or a role-playing game, or whatever. It’s not tied to a specific genre.”

The Stingray is quite affordable with a subscription of just $30 a month. Subscriptions will start August 19 and any Autodesk’s Maya LT desktop subscriber will be eligible for access to Stingray.

Canons new ME20F-SH camera can capture images in near-complete darkness

Nitish Singh

August 3, 2015

Canon has announced the ME20F-SH camera. It is a full-frame multipurpose camera and will be shipping a max ISO of over 4000000 for an amazing low light performance.

Here’s the whats and hows of the Canon ME20F-SH:

So imagine shooting videos in total darkness and ending up with clearly differentiable content. That is the promise of the Canon ME-20F-SH

Canon also says that the camera can focus on objects which the photographer can’t voluntarily see. It will have the capability to capture coloured video in extreme low-lit conditions.

Canon themselves proposed a number of scenarios where the new camera will to excel. Take into consideration: night time surveillance & security, filming, nature and wildlife footage. But we can leave the speculations to the imaginative minds; who knows what they can do with these shooters.

The method of achieving this lies in the pixel size. The ME20F-Sh camera has a pixel size 5.5 times larger compared other recent high-quality cameras.

The camera will also include Canon Log and Wide DR. These features will allow the device to attain a wide dynamic range and attain high-quality videos irrespective of the lighting conditions.

Again Canon’s entire collection of ME20F-SH will be compatible with all EF lenses. So you don’t have to spend extra cash on buying this baby new artillery.

It also boasts a simple and versatile design, making it capable of fitting into existing shooting systems.

But here is a tricky part. The camera doesn’t have the capability to record internally. It also doesn’t have an onboard monitor to change setting.

For this reason, it will be coming with 3G/HD-SDI and HDMI output terminals. You will have to wire the camera with an external recorder to capture images.

The concept of a 35mm full-frame CMOS sensor was first announced as far back as 2013. The ME20F-SH will be the first camera to utilize this.

If you are interested in buying this camera, you have to wait till December. The wait makes a lot of sense, since it gives you ample time to put-together $30000, which is going to be the price of the new camera.

Latest version of the Google Glass is for Businesses

August 3, 2015

Reports from the Wall Street Journal claims Google is distributing a new version of Google Glass tailored for business users. Its main target is the healthcare industry, manufacturing and energy the report claims.

New Business version of Google Glass?

The new version of Google Glass has a curved rectangular design like the previous explorer version but doesn’t have the wired frame. Instead, it has a hinge and a button to attach to different glasses.

Hence, a portable minicomputer using your glasses as a form of output.

This is a good initiative by Google. The new design will allow Google Glass to be adaptable while wearing protective eyewear, which is the case in laboratories and factories.

Also, it can be removed and put away with no trouble, hence reducing your risks of carrying an expensive and fragile eye-wear.

The new model has a faster Intel processor, with ramped up battery life. The wireless connectivity of the device has also been improved.

This version of Google Glass is currently exclusive for business users and will be available by fall, but a consumer version is nearly a year away.

The previous version of Google Glass failed to live up to expectation failed to impress. While the users liked it the rest of us were not so impressed as it invaded our valuable privacy.

Do, you think that Google Glass can make it to the mainstream users? Let’s wait and watch.

Tesla will give Rebates to existing owners and a free Model X if they refer Friends

Nitish Singh

July 31, 2015

Are you a Tesla Model S owner? Then be a pal and refer your friends. You might just walk (drive) away with a Model X SUV.

To get people talking about Tesla, the company has devised a new business plan. A select few owners of the Model S will be given a Model X SUV if they refer 10 friends.

Also, new and existing owners will still get a $1000 rebate on the purchase of a new car and a chance to buy the Model X at a significant discount.

So here’s what Tesla basically is offering:

Tesla has stated the first person in North America, Europe and Asia to refer 10 new owners will get the free SUV.

Tesla has sent an email to all existing Tesla S owners with an attached link. The link provides the allowance for new purchasers to get o rebate of $1000. The person who referred them are also entitled to get $1000 off, but it has a limit of 10 referrals per account.

Now, if you think your probability of being the first in your respective geographical area to recommend 10 friends- is very low- don’t give up already as Tesla will offer you the opportunity to buy a Model X Special Edition for the price of the Base model.

And if you could not rack up that 10 recommendations to friends but managed to get at least five then you will receive an invitation (with a plus-one) to the grand opening of the Tesla gigafactory.

Now the reason for setting up such a competition may lie in the fact that Tesla is undergoing problems in opening direct-to-consumer shops.

“If we can amplify word of mouth, then we don’t need to open quite as many new stores in the future.”

So to sum this all up, existing Tesla S owners are given till October 31 to encourage 10 of their friends to buy a Tesla. And wanna-be Tesla owners are advised to befriend an existing Tesla owner and get $1000 off.

Calm Down Angry Birds 2 is Here for iOS and Android

Nitish Singh

July 31, 2015

Angry Birds 2 has arrived and the birds are angrier than ever before with new gaming elements to make life more miserable for the pigs.

Now admittedly the Angry Birds have been to space, Rio, made some friends (Angry Birds friends). They have also played make-believe as being ‘Star Wars’ characters and as ‘transformers’. We also saw Stella.

And though there have been 11 versions of the game till now, yesterday (July 30th) we had the official Angry Birds 2 unveiling.

Currently, the game is available for iOS and Android. The Windows version for Angry Birds 2 is coming soon.

So here is what Angry Birds 2 has stored:

Well, just as the original game all players are going to have to get their slingshots ready; the birds are in the mood to be shot and the pigs are in for a lot of troubles.

However, sequel allows you choose which birds you get to shoot instead of the old shoot-as-you-get play style. This new improvement also gives the game new strategy elements.

Angry Bird 2 also features a new bird called Silver. Players will get spells instead of the accustomed power-ups.

Some levels will have boss fights where the bosses will have a health bar, and players are supposed to use the environment to their advantage if they wish to come out victorious.

Gifts and cards are new elements of the game and can be acquired inside the levels.

Back in 2009 when the Angry Birds were launched for the first time, it took the whole world by storm. It became immensely popular and the original version and has been called:

“one of the most mainstream games out right now.”
“one of the great runaway hits of 2010”
“the largest mobile app success the world has seen so far”

As of July 2015, the series has reached over three billion downloads making it the highest downloaded freemium games of all time.

So it is only natural to have high expectations from the official sequel to the Rovio masterpiece. Lets hope Angry Birds 2 lives-up to expectation.

The HERO4 Session: GoPro’s newest, and smallest Camera

Jia Khan

July 30, 2015

HERO4 Session, the latest creation of GoPro, is the ultimate compact camera with half the dimensions as of its cousin the HERO4 Black action cam. HERO4 Session has been designed as a waterproof camera like the Black and Silver before it.

The remarkable feature of HERO4 Session is of course its size. With modest dimensions of about 1.5 inches by 1.5 inches, HERO4 Session is a power packed compact camera.

The camera is also considerably lighter than the previous models of HERO4 making it easier for the professionals to carry and use it.

The second remarkable feature is the ease of use. The two button design of HERO4 Session is extremely easy, main button is used for capturing videos and pictures while the second button turns Wi-Fi on or off.

Priced at $399.99, HERO4 Session boasts videos resolutions of 1080p @ 60 fps, 720p @ 100 fps and 1440p @ 30fps.

Similarly HERO4 Session is ideal for capturing remarkably crisp and clear pictures with its 8 megapixel camera. The photos can be captured in burst and time lapse modes as well.

“With HERO4 Session, we challenged ourselves to produce the smallest, lightest, most convenient GoPro possible,”

said Nicholas Woodman, GoPro CEO.

“HERO4 Session combines the best of our engineering and user-experience know-how to deliver our most convenient life-capture solution, yet.”

Woodman adds,

“I’m so excited about the launch of HERO4 Session because now I can finally use mine in public!”

The camera does not look much different from HERO4 Black but once placed in housing, the difference in size and space consumption is hard to miss.

Another exciting feature of GoPro HERO4 Session is its extended battery life. The new camera gives up to 2 hours of battery life with consistent use. However the added feature of easy turning on/off helps to improve the battery life further.

GoPro’s latest invention is sure to capture the attention of camera lovers from around the globe.

Apple Watch heading to Best Buy Stores in August

Nitish Singh

July 27, 2015

The Apple Watch started out as an exclusive product only available via the Apple Store or an online order via the company’s website, but recent reports claim the smartwatch will be available in some Best Buy stores this August in the United States.

What really happened?

Current news has it that the Apple Watch will be available for purchase at some Best Buy stores.

The device is presently available at Apple’s own retail stores since June, but now starting August 7, a few hundred Best Buy stores will also sell the device.

The watch will first be available at select Best buy stores, but by the end of the year (the holiday season), the Apple Watch will be available at about 300 Best Buy outlets.

Now the Apple Store is reputed for its fine ambience and modern looks, hence giving the customer a “premium” feel about buying a “premium” product, henceforth charging a “premium” price.

Now the nicest Best Buy stores are highly doubted to be able to replicate this “premium” feel which Apple had aimed for with their early marketing of the Watch.

Never the less Best Buy will only be selling the lower end watches and the $10,000 lustrous golden version will be available at Apple’s own watch boutique.

Jason Bonfig, Best Buy’s Senior Category Officer said,

“The Apple Watch is an important addition to an emerging product category, and we know our customers want it,”

particularly considering the quickly arriving Holiday Season.

The total number of complaints coming to Best Buy have also decreased drastically. And they have become quite good distributors as late.

Who knows, maybe this step by Apple will help them get a better footing in the new Smartwatch market.

2016 Honda Accord will have Android Auto and CarPlay

Nitish Singh

July 26, 2015

The 2016 Accord, Honda’s new full-sized sedan will come with Apple’s CarPlay and Google’s Android Auto.

The iPhone and Android connectivity will be accessible via Honda’s 7-inch Display Audio touchscreen infotainment system.

Android Auto and CarPlay Makes its entry

Android Auto and Carplay are available as options on the Dashboard display, and will be a standard feature for the 2016 Honda Accord.

As seen previously on an array of cars, Honda’s implementations will similarly allow Android and iOS devices to take control over their dashboard display.

As such the dashboard itself can be used for apps, streaming media content and navigation purposes.

However, Honda has said that this step will provide a bigger-than-average impact than in the case with other cars.

The viability of the statement is easily accessible when we take into account how many Honda Accords are sold in the market.

It might not be the 1st car to incorporate CarPlay and Android Auto, but it surely the 2016 Honda Accord is “among the first high-volume cars in the marketplace” to be doing so.

We all know how many useful navigation applications are available on our Smartphones. And if they were integrated into the car itself, it will provide a very efficient means of navigation.

Also, media streaming will become less distracting and hence safer.

Honda R&D Americas’ president Frank Paluch has said

“We hope to cut in half the number of collisions involving our vehicles by 2030 and to completely eliminate collisions by 2050,”

Now apart from these new software features, the 2016 Honda Accord gets an improved (subtle) car design also.

The Hood is now Made of aluminium and there are upgraded LED lights.

2016 Honda Accord will come in two variant- one having a 3.5-litre VTEC V-6 and the other having a 2.4-liter inline i-VTEC 4- cylinder.

You will have the option to choose between a Sports trim or a Touring trim.

Big Changes Coming to Windows Store

Nitish Singh

July 26, 2015

With July 29 coming near, it is quite evident that we would get news of new changes. Today, Microsoft in a blog post released new changes to the Windows app store.

Microsoft is aiming to go for a universal approach to web and mobile apps and have made quite some changes in the algorithm.

What are the algorithm changes?

The improvements would be in the app organization, discovery, and search. This will help them to propel customers to the marketplace.

The marketplace has always been a topic of debate as it was not at par to other marketplace, especially iOS and Android Marketplaces. With an improved marketplace, both developers and customers can take part in the better experience.

Microsoft’s Bernardo Zamora, the head product manager for the Windows store and apps added the following:

“The Store has been built from the ground up for Windows 10 providing for scalability, and the ability to support a single Store for apps, plus a wider variety of content types: apps, games, music, video, and TV (and more content types in the future).”

The main changes would be in 3 main segments.

1. Store Lists and Search updates

The main aim is to find a balance between user experience and developers listing and rankings. Microsoft is aimed to improve the search results of apps, games, movies and music from left to right importance.

Developers now need to focus more on listing and have to target keywords to reach users.

2. Changes to App Listing and Web Stores

A lot of changes are brought because of the integration of Windows phone and Windows phone apps.

According to the blog post

“The product description pages have several changes resulting from the integration of Windows and Windows Phone apps. We also launched a new web Store that for the first time is able to show not only apps and games, but also music, movies and TV shows. As all of these capabilities are new, some of the previously existing functionality is not available in this initial launch.”

3. Reviews and ratings updates

The new algorithm will enable Windows 10 users to see the Windows phone stores reviews, but the converse is not true.

With so many changes to the Windows Store, we hope that the end user is benefited in the right way. Microsoft is saying that they will bring more changes and fix things in the future.

We can wait and see what Microsoft has in store for us.

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