Researchers in the United States have developed a robotic arm controlled directly by thought with a level of agility closer than ever to a normal human limb. Jan Scheuermann, a 52 year-old woman who was diagnosed with a degenerative brain disorder 13 years ago and is paralyzed from the neck down, was able operate the […]
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Government Investigates Ford Floor Mats
DETROIT (AP) — The federal government is expanding an investigation into floor mats that interfere with pedals in Ford, Mercury and Lincoln cars. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration was initially investigating 2010 Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan vehicles. Late last week, it said it also would look at those 2008 and 2009 models and […]
New technology may enable earlier cancer diagnosis
Finding ways to diagnose cancer earlier could greatly improve the chances of survival for many patients. One way to do this is to look for specific proteins secreted by cancer cells, which circulate in the bloodstream. However, the quantity of these biomarkers is so low that detecting them has proven difficult. A new technology developed […]
Comcast app to let viewers store, replay movies
Comcast, the country’s largest cable company, says its tablet and phone app now lets subscribers download and store movies and TV shows from some channels for offline viewing. Cable companies have rushed out applications that let viewers stream TV content, but this is the first one that allows offline viewing. That’s useful wherever there’s no […]
Disney strikes long-term carriage deal with Cox
The Walt Disney Co. began the year with a long-term carriage deal with Comcast back in January, and it’s ending it with a similar agreement with Cox Communications. In between, Disney also struck deals this year with Cablevision and Midcontinent Communications. Like the other deals, Cox is now able to carry Disney programming across televisions, […]
Softbank caps Sprint’s bid for Clearwire; investors ask for more
Sprint’s bid to buy the remaining portion of Clearwire is proving more complicated than originally thought, as Softbank, which plans to acquire a 70 percent stake in Sprint next year, draws a cap on Sprint’s bid for Clearwire, and investors say they want a lot more per share than that bid will allow. Sprint’s bid […]
Verizon expands NFL coverage to Web portals
Verizon has extended the reach of its NFL coverage with the addition of “Watch NFL Network” to its FiOS TV Online Web portal. “Watch NFL Network” provides FiOS TV customers with live streaming access to NFL Network and RedZone programming, including “Thursday Night Football” games, “NFL Total Access,” “NFL GameDay,” the new morning show “NFL […]
FCC issues NPRM for 3.5 GHz band
The FCC will move ahead with a plan to make available 100 megahertz of shared spectrum in the 3.5 GHz Band (3550-3650 MHz) for the use of small cell and database technologies. The Commission said the proposal lays the groundwork for the widespread deployment of small cell technologies across the spectrum and would spur significant […]
Seattle adds partner to develop computing network
Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn says the city has reached an agreement with a broadband developer to build out its fiber network for high-speed computing for homes, businesses and services. Spokesman Aaron Pickus says the deal announced Thursday allows Gigabit Squared of Washington, D.C., to start raising money for engineering work. Pickus says the project will […]
U.N. group gives nod for greater Internet oversight
A U.N. conference weighing possible Internet rules shifted into a high-stakes showdown on Thursday after advancing a proposal for greater government oversight. The proposal was a blow to U.S.-led efforts to keep new regulations from touching the ’Net. The move frames the ideological divide at the 193-nation gathering in Dubai, which is scheduled to wrap […]