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3D printers are continuing to force their way into medical applications and the latest beneficiary is an 83-year old woman. She's the first patient to receive a titanium jaw crafted by those not-so dimensionally-challenged printers. The method was developed by the BIOMED Research Institute at Hasselt University in Belgium and creates the replacement from layer-upon-layer of titanium dust. A computer-controlled laser ensures that the correct molecules are fused together. The technique, the first to replace the entire jaw, takes mere hours to make the substitute choppers, with other options taking several days. While the final product weighs a bit more than its natural predecessor, but that didn't stop the patient returning close to "normal speaking and swallowing" the day after the operation.

83-year old woman gets replacement 3D printed titanium jaw, makes her the coolest member of the bridge club originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: Engadget.

Smartphones and tablets maker HTC this morning said it foresees a huge drop in revenue (PDF) in the first quarter, citing “short-term difficulties” as it gears up to – reportedly – launch four new phone models at the Mobile World Congress later this month.

The Taiwanese company sees revenue dropping as much as 36 percent in Q1, to between NT$65 billion and NT$70 billion (roughly $2.2 and $2.4 billion) due to this “product transition”.

In PR speak, that sound something like this:

Despite short-term difficulties, momentum will resume in the upcoming product cycle driven by HTC’s brand strength, innovation, and design/engineering capabilities

The smartphone maker also said it expected gross margin to come in at around 25 percent, and operating margin at 7.5 percent, which is down from 27.1 percent and 12.7 percent in the previous quarter. Again, HTC says it expects these margins to “normalize” after the debut of the new phones.

In other words, HTC has a heck of a lot riding on these new smartphones selling like hotcakes, as it feels the pressure from Apple’s overwhelming iPhone success and an increasing number of manufacturers churning out and selling competing Android-powered devices by the millions.

Also read:

It’s About Time: HTC To Refocus Smartphone Efforts Around “Hero” Devices

Is HTC’s 20% Revenue Dip Last Month A Sign Of Things To Come?

Source: TechCrunch » Gadgets.

Here are some of the past week’s stories on TechCrunch Gadgets:

To Heck With The Super Bowl: GOG Features Sierra Game Three-Packs For $5

iModela Adds CNC Milling To Your Home 3D Printing Arsenal

Swarming Robots Will Fly Menacingly Towards Your Loved Ones In Perfect Formation

Peavey Builds An Auto-Tuning Guitar

nanox: High-Quality iPod nano Watch Conversion Kit

Source: TechCrunch » Gadgets.

HTC's 2011 Q4: good summer, bad winter originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Feb 2012 04:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: Engadget.

Stephen Toulouse, the man responsible for policing the not-so Wild West that we like to call Xbox Live is calling it a day. Announcing the news on his personal site, he told readers that the split was amicable, adding that he had no particular plans beyond visiting his family and taking it easy. Microsoft has declined to comment on any eventual successor just yet, but released a statement saying that "the Xbox Live Enforcement Squad will continue their work to help ensure a safer and more secure experience on Xbox Live for our nearly 40 million members." Admittedly, the online squad's had more luck than a certain competitor.

Director of Xbox Live policy and enforcement to leave Microsoft after 17 happy years originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Feb 2012 04:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: Engadget.