In an article published in the New England Journal of Medicine today, two doctors from the University of Michigan described how they saved an infant with a life-threatening respiratory disorder using a custom-designed 3D-printed device. Printed with bio-absorbable plastic, the device is holding the child's airway open and allowing him to breathe normally. The child, Kaiba Gionfriddo, suffered from tracheobrochomalacia—a collapse of the airway … [Read more...]

Microsoft has finally won a long-running battle at the International Trade Commission, one of the most popular venues for the corporate patent wars that have broken out in the last few years. After Microsoft launched its patents against Motorola, the Illinois company—now under Google's control—launched a variety of counterattacks in both federal courts and the ITC. It filed a case accusing Microsoft's Xbox of violating several of its patents … [Read more...]

Kyle Orland While Tuesday's Xbox One presentation answered some questions about Microsoft's upcoming system, it left just as many or more unsettled. Luckily, Ars got a chance to sit down with General Manager of Redmond Game Studios and Platforms Matt Booty to try to get more answers. While he wasn't able to answer some of the most pressing questions about the system, he was able to dive deep into some of the technical details. Our … [Read more...]

Windows 8 haters, rejoice. Microsoft has heard your cries and has brought back the Start button. But you'll need to buy a new mouse to see it. Redmond today announced a pair of new mice, and those mice contain, yup, a Windows logoed Start button. Read 3 remaining paragraphs | Comments … [Read more...]

If you've been in the market for a cheap, entry-level Chromebook, Acer's C7 Chromebook is the most affordable pick. And according to Engadget, Acer is introducing a 16GB solid-state drive option to the lineup. The C7 will continue to cost $199, and the new storage hardware presumably won't affect the 100GB of Google Drive storage users also receive. Best Buy says that the laptop is on its way, though there is no official launch date. The device … [Read more...]

Aurich Lawson / Derek Riggs "Sir, look at me—did you have any shoes on?" asked the emergency medical tech. "Were you wearing shoes when you were struck?" "Huh?" I wondered, a little dazed. "What's with the shoe obsession?" Let me back up. My family and I moved from Chicago to Asheville, North Carolina last autumn, ostensibly to get closer to nature. Mostly, this has been great. We still have an urban center we can walk to, but the … [Read more...]