
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Amazon First to Market with Cloud Storage of your Music Collection

Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Align Technology to Acquire Intra-Oral Scanning Leader Cadent for $190 Million

Acquisition Positions Align as a Leader in Intra-Oral
Scanning and Accelerates Adoption of Invisalign
SAN JOSE, Calif., March 29, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Align Technology,
Inc. (Nasdaq:ALGN) today announced that it has signed a definitive
agreement to acquire privately-held Cadent Holdings, Inc. (Cadent), a
leading provider of 3D digital scanning solutions for orthodontics and
dentistry based in Carlstadt, New Jersey. Cadent strengthens Align's
ability to drive adoption of Invisalign by integrating Invisalign
treatment more fully with mainstream tools and procedures in doctors'
practices. The combination of the two companies will help accelerate
the use of intra-oral scanning in the dental industry by leveraging
Align's global sales reach, extensive professional and consumer
marketing capabilities and base of over 55 thousand users.
Over the next 5 years, intra-oral scanners will become widely used in
dental practices and intra-oral scanning technology will transform the
dental industry. According to iData Research, Inc., the growth rate for
intra-oral scanners will exceed 20% between 2010 and 2015. The
acquisition of Cadent extends Align's strategic leverage by
demonstrating the value of applications at chair-side that dramatically
simplify and streamline treatment, and make the entire Invisalign
procedure easier on the patient and more efficient for the practice. In
addition, the use of digital technologies for restorative dentistry
such as CAD/CAM or in-office restorations has also been growing rapidly
and intra-oral scanning is required to enable this essential part of
dental practices. The acquisition of Cadent positions Align as a leader
in one of the best growth opportunities in dentistry and medical
devices today.
"We are excited about the opportunities for growth that Cadent
provides, not only in terms of accelerating adoption of intra-oral
scanning among dental professionals but also in creating greater value
for existing Invisalign users," said Thomas M. Prescott, Align
Technology president and chief executive officer. "Cadent has a strong
team of very talented people and a culture similar to ours with the
drive, agility and speed necessary to continue delivering innovative
solutions for our customers."
Cadent leads the intra-oral scanning industry in digital optics and
powder-less scanning. Their overall technology is at the forefront of
the industry trend toward greater use of digital imaging solutions
expected to become more widely used in dental practices. Cadent brings
complimentary market knowledge and innovative technology in CAD/CAM
restorative dentistry to Align, including capabilities in digital
records storage and digital impressions for fabrication of crown and
bridge, veneers, implants, and other restorative procedures. Like
Align, Cadent also has strong expertise in advanced digital modeling,
robust software development, and integrated systems.
Cadent has a portfolio of best-in-class products and services for
restorative dentistry and orthodontics which include the iTero and iOC
intra-oral scanners. Cadent's iTero technology provides dentists with a
full range of restorative choices, flexibility to choose labs and
fabrication processes, and control in providing the highest standard of
care for their patients. Cadent's iOC technology, used primarily by
orthodontists, ensures a more accurate first impression, enables high
value clinical applications and a significantly better patient
experience. Cadent also has a range of leading orthodontic services and
products including OrthoCAD iQ, OrthoCAD iCast and OrthoCAD iRecord.
The acquisition of Cadent follows the January 2011 announcement of a
joint development agreement between Align and Cadent to co-develop
Invisalign software applications that will run on Cadent scanners. The
acquisition builds on the development agreement by providing a
dedicated digital scanning platform for delivering Invisalign
chair-side applications to dental practitioners and extends Align's
presence into restorative dentistry. The combination of the two
companies' market leading positions and technologies provides a
significant opportunity to create growth and to build value for
customers and shareholders.
As part of an ongoing program to evaluate interoperability of
intra-oral scanning systems for future use with Invisalign treatment,
Align is in final beta tests with Cadent's systems and expects to
announce interoperability for their scanners in the second quarter of
2011.
Under the terms of the agreement, Align will pay approximately $190
million in cash in exchange for all shares of Cadent. The acquisition
is subject to various standard closing conditions, including the
expiration of the applicable waiting period under the Hart Scott Rodino
Act (HSR), and is expected to close during the second quarter of 2011.
Align anticipates that the acquisition of Cadent, on a GAAP basis, will
dilute fiscal 2011 earnings per share and expects non-GAAP diluted EPS
for the year to be in a range of $0.70 to $0.75, excluding acquisition
related costs, consisting of amortization of acquired intangibles,
transaction related costs and employee retention program costs. The
Company expects the transaction to be accretive to non-GAAP EPS for
fiscal 2012, excluding acquisition related costs, consisting of
amortization of acquired intangibles and employee retention program
costs.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
The Motorola Xoom has Arrived... The Comparisons Will Now Begin!
I ordered the Motorola Xoom tablet from Amazon a couple of weeks ago. Atnthat point they were expecting delivery to be sometime this week. One thing I love about Amazon (actually there are a lot of things I love about Amazon) is that they tend to get things in earlier than expected. So... I was thrilled to get an email on Saturday saying my Xoom had shipped and would arrive on Monday.
I came home from the office tonight to find it waiting for me. Here are my first impressions:
The screen is amazing. Great brightness, great contrast.
On/off button is on the back which takes some getting used to. After a year with the iPad I'm used to where the controls are so maybe this is just a "getting used to" thing.
Stereo speakers & volume are terrific
Android Honeycomb is a blast. Since I use Google for my calendar & contacts, all I had to do was Enter my user name & password and within seconds, all of my info was on the device. It happened so fast it seemed like it was preloaded.
The OS is pretty straight forward & since I use Android on my Samsung Epic 4G, I'm very used to working with it.
Overall, after a very brief time with it, I'm impressed. I'll provide more info in a day or 2 after I've had a chance to seriously put it thru its paces.
Tomorrow I'm hoping to get Lexi Mobile installed on it & see how it responds handling all of the data in that amazing app.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Monday, March 28, 2011
Amazon Kindle 3 Does Audio Books
Ah the pains of the early adopter. I purchased the original Kindle and still am thrilled with it despite the fact that the later generations are sleeker, smaller, and have more functions.
The Kindle 3 can now even do audio books although you can only download them over wifi simply because the file size is so large. Just go to the Kindle store and there you will find a link that allows you to browse for audio books. You can then either listen to them on headphones or on the included speaker.
You can also use your Audible.com account if you are a subscriber. So now the Kindle does both text AND audio. Pretty sweet!
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Amazon Appstore Allows You to Try Apps on Virtual Machine
If you have access to a device that uses apps, you're probably like me. By that I mean you've probably got a few apps that you purchased that either didn't do what you thought, or didn't work at all. That's frustrating to say the least.
So... kudos to Amazon for coming up with a way for buyers to actually run an app before making a purchase. The site allows you to run the app on a "virtual machine" which is basically a piece of software that looks like an Android device and lets you see what the app looks like and what it does before you buy. Cool huh?
Here's the explanation from Amazon:
Clicking the "Test drive now" button launches a copy of this app on Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2), a web service that provides on-demand compute capacity in the cloud for developers. When you click on the simulated phone using your mouse, we send those inputs over the Internet to the app running on Amazon EC2 - just like your mobile device would send a finger tap to the app. Our servers then send the video and audio output from the app back to your computer. All this happens in real time, allowing you to explore the features of the app as if it were running on your mobile device.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Facial Expressions Determine What Kids Will & Will Not Eat
A tip of the ol' electron to my pal Dr. Sheri Doniger for this info.
It seems that when kids are presented with foods they haven't tasted before, the facial expression of those eating the food.
When the person eating was smiling and appeared to be enjoying it, the child's reaction was positive. When the expression was negative, the child's reaction tended to be much more negative.
Here is the full article from Reuters Health
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Friday, March 25, 2011
Starbucks to Offer Single Serve Brewing to Compete with Keurig
Starbucks has always been a progressive company & they're always looking for ways to even further dominate the market.
The past few years has seen a rise in the market of single serving hot beverage machines and now Starbucks is looking to capitalize on that market. When we opened the new dental office 3 years ago, one of the amenities we made sure to provide for our patients was a Keurig system so that they could have a cup of coffee of their choice or other types of hot drinks such as hot tea or hot chocolate.
The Keurig systems have been very popular in homes, businesses, and also in the hotel industry where I would say that about 50% of the hotels I've stayed in lately have a Keurig system in the room.
Starbucks is now looking at that market by bringing their own single serving device into the marketplace as well as providing drinks in the K-Cup single serving format.
Here is a portion of the press release from the shareholders meeting that took place earlier in the week.
SEATTLE, March 23, 2011 - Celebrating 40 years of history and reaffirming solid growth plans for the future, Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) today hosted its 20th annual shareholders’ meeting, with more than 2,000 in attendance. Starbucks leadership team, led by Howard Schultz, chairman, president and ceo, honored the company’s 40-year history of providing exceptional coffee, world-class customer experience, commitment to its partners (employees) and dedication to operating as a responsible corporate citizen. The management team also reaffirmed growth plans for a new, evolved business. The focus remains on building a truly global consumer company by harnessing a powerful portfolio of brands with a unique business model, combining a global retail footprint with a significant Consumer Products (CPG) business, and leveraging direct customer engagement that drives growth across all channels globally.
“Over our 40-year history, we have built the Starbucks brand with a goal of staying true to our values and our guiding principles with a deep sense of humanity,” stated Howard Schultz. “Going forward, we will continue to focus on what made us a different kind of company, one that balances profitability and social conscience while providing exceptional shareholder value.”
Extending the Brand beyond Our Retail Stores
At the meeting, Starbucks reiterated its commitment to delivering the world’s best coffee in every format and through every channel. The company highlighted the successful launch of its Starbucks VIA® Ready Brew platform and its recent announcements of strategic relationships with Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. (GMCR) and Courtesy Products.
“We are particularly excited about the progress we are making in the premium single-cup segment,” commented Jeff Hansberry, president, Starbucks Global Consumer Products and Foodservice. “The single-cup segment is already a $1.6 billion segment that represents a significant growth engine for the entire U.S. coffee category. We believe that over time we can generate K-Cup® portion pack system sales in excess of $1 billion across all channels.”
Starbucks also provided additional details around its previously announced relationship with Courtesy Products, the nation’s leading provider of in-room coffee service to hotels. Under the relationship, Starbucks and Courtesy will bring Starbucks® coffee to 500,000 luxury and premium hotel rooms in the U.S., as well as offer an on-demand, single-cup brewing system featuring Starbucks® and Seattle’s Best Coffee® ground coffee and Tazo® teas for sale in multiple channels exclusively through the Starbucks Global Consumer Products group. “We are proud to be working with Courtesy to provide great Starbucks coffee to hotel guests, and a value-oriented single-cup brewed coffee system to consumers across the U.S.,” added Hansberry.
The company also announced a 10-year extension to its exclusive strategic agreement with Autogrill’s HMSHost, one of Starbucks first licensee partners. Under this agreement, HMSHost will continue to build and operate Starbucks locations in airports and motorway travel plazas across the U.S.
“For nearly 20 years, Starbucks and HMSHost have successfully brought the Starbucks Experience to millions of travelers who are looking for an exceptional cup of coffee,” stated Cliff Burrows, president, Starbucks Coffee U.S. “We are very excited to extend our relationship with HMSHost for another 10 years.”
Currently, Autogrill’s HMSHost operates more than 360 Starbucks locations in airports, on motorways and in railway stations in North America and Europe. The continuance of these strategic relationships will foster further growth opportunities as well as the development of innovative store concepts to serve the global traveler.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Kerr Launches SonicFill Posterior Restorations in Less Than Three Minutes
A couple of weeks ago, I gave a heads up to you readers about Kerr's new product called SonicFill. Today I got a press release dealing with the new product and thought I would share it with all of you...
ORANGE, CA – (Advance Release) April 1, 2011 - Kerr Corporation, a leading manufacturer of technology for dental procedures has announced the launch of SonicFill, a first-of-its-kind, time-saving composite system that enables clinicians to perform posterior restorations with an easy-to-use, single-step, bulk fill technology that requires no additional composite capping layer. Dentists utilizing SonicFill can go from placement to polished in less than 3 minutes on cavities up to 5mm.
Kerr’s proprietary sonic activation within SonicFill’s delivery system dramatically lowers the viscosity of the composite during placement, providing superior adaptation. The SonicFill composite then immediately returns to a non-slumping, highly sculptable state that is easy to carve without being sticky. Outstanding mechanical properties, including superior strength, low shrinkage and high depth of cure, allow it to be placed in bulk increments up to 5mm so that dentists can use it with confidence in posterior restorations.
"We finally have a practical, efficient technique for placing posterior composites in one single, esthetic, bulk fill increment,” said Ron Jackson, DDS of Middleburg, VA. “SonicFill is a game changer."
“It’s truly rewarding to be able to offer the SonicFill system to the dental community because it is such a decidedly different and unique composite system that can dramatically save clinicians time,” said James Lobsenz, Kerr’s Product Manager. “And not only is SonicFill a tremendous time-saver, it has also proven, in a variety of third party clinical studies, to meet or exceed performance criteria when compared with either bulk fill flowables or traditional composites placed in layers. The initial feedback we’re receiving from the clinician community is extremely enthusiastic – we are excited to be making the system available and feel SonicFill will change the way composites are done and ultimately the way clinicians do dentistry”.
Kerr Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sybron Dental Specialties, Inc., is a manufacturer of premiere dental consumables. Advancing esthetic dentistry through education and sustainable solutions based on clinician input, Kerr has become synonymous with integrity for dental professionals worldwide.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Gendex Announces Innovative New Products at the 2011 IDS Dental Show, Cologne, Germany
This is the first anyone has heard of this. I've known about them for a while, but was sworn to secrecy. The good news for you readers, is that Gendex agreed that in return for my keeping this close to the vest, I could break the story.
Much of the dental world is converging on Cologne, Germany to see the world's largest dental trade show.
The IDS show happens only every other year and because of that, it's a really big deal for the industry. It's also a great place for companies to debut their latest cutting edge products to the profession.
My friends at Gendex are no exception and have taken the occasion of the IDS meeting to announce 2 new panoramic radiographic units.
As most of you know, I'm a huge fan of 3D cone beam imaging. I've been a user for over 3 years now and I continue to be impressed on an almost daily basis without how much information I receive and how much I learn from studying scans. Seeing your patients in 3D flat out allows you to provide better treatment and achieve better outcomes.
I've been a fan of the "medium field of view" devices since they became available because they allow the doctor to view the necessary areas while keeping the exposure to the patient as low as possible.
However, some offices have held off on 3D due to costs and when it comes to 3D, the greater the viewing area, the greater the cost of the device.
That's why I'm so excited by this Gendex announcement. They now have a panoramic unit that can take a limited field of view 3D scan in addition to all the functionality you've come to expect in a panoramic unit from Gendex.
Here is the press release:
Gendex is dedicated to remaining a leading innovator in dentistry. Following the success of the 2010 introduction of our innovative Gendex GXS-700 Digital Sensor, Gendex is pleased to introduce an exciting array of new products March 22-26 at the 2011 IDS Dental Show in Cologne, Germany.
This new portfolio of products will further strengthen
Gendex’s position as a leader in innovation as well as a manufacturer committed to excellence in quality, intelligent design, and function.
At this year’s IDS, we are unveiling these exciting new products:
GXDP-300™ - an exciting new entry-level panoramic unit
GXDP-700™ - our new, high-end panoramic with optional 3D functionality
These new products will be officially launched to our North American customers later in 2011.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Google Simplifies Chrome Graphic
As a technophile and also someone who values and tries to watch his security, I've found myself moving further and further away from mainstream browsers. On my Windows machines, I rarely touch Internet Explorer and on my Macs, I rarely use Safari.
Instead, I've spent the last 2 or more years using alternative browsers Firefox and Google Chrome.
Both of these browsers are reliable, secure, nimble, and not bloated. They both (since they hold smaller percentages of the market) also seem to be much more rarely targeted by nefarious types looking to steal your data.
Google, or course, is a powerhouse of innovation and has, in addition to its Chrome Browser, announced that at some point in the not too distant future, they will be releasing Chrome OS. That's right, an Operating System that basically runs over the Internet. I've yet to see it in action, but Google doesn't usually just "tinker" with ideas, they make them work. So, when the official Chrome OS hits the Internet, you can bet I'll be there to see what it's all about.
However, something has happened recently that makes me wonder if the OS release isn't perhaps closer than we realize. This little event was the announcement by Google that they were changing the Chrome logo. Now, that doesn't really mean much, but Google has been known to change their logo on their search site to celebrate different holidays & causes... so maybe this is to celebrate the new OS?
The new logo is "slicker" with a cleaner look and less of an appearance of the old Milton Bradley memory game Simon. It's not showing up to mainstream users yet as it's only being released to high level testers, but you can bet it will trickle down to the masses soon. Will the OS be trickling down too? We can only hope...
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Monday, March 21, 2011
AT&T Buying T-Mobile for an Estimated 39 Billion
Meet the New Boss... same as the Old Boss. To diehard students of Geek History (like me) it seems like it was just last year that the Federal Government was breaking AT&T into little pieces. The concern of the feds was that the communication behemoth had gotten to the point of owning too much of the market. So, a breakup was ordered with a whole bunch of "baby bells" created.
Then, as we all know, AT&T... or what was left of it, began to buy up all those little pieces that were split off and reacquire them. Over the years AT&T grew once again it a huge communications juggernaut.
Now comes news that AT&T is becoming larger than ever before by purchasing wireless competitor T-Mobile for a rumored price of 39 billion from Deutche Telecom.
The purchase will leave only 3 wireless companies in the US. Sprint, Verizon, and AT&T will now be the 3 remaining in the ring.
AT&T has taken a lot of heat the past couple of years for their slow & unreliable network. Perhaps this will keep the focus away from that for a while.
The complete story is available from Foxnews.com
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Sybron Endo Transitioning All Resilon to Real Seal
A couple of years ago, Sybron purchased Pentron Clinical Technologies. At the time, Pentron had developed an Endodontic obturation material called Resilon which they were selling under the name brand Epiphany.
The material is a synthetic which allows for bonded obturation. The sealer used is a self etching resin sealer which bonds to tooth structure and the points bond to the sealer. The advantage is that rather than using Gutta Percha and Glue, Resilon creates a true bonded obturation with much less leakage. It is also re-treatable using the same solvents used to re-treat cases obturated with Gutta Percha.
Sybron was very interested in the Resilon product and shortly after it was introduced by Pentron, Sybron began to buy it from Pentron and sell it under the name Real Seal.
The market for this product became a good one. So good, in fact, that a couple of years ago, Sybron purchased Pentron... mainly for the Resilon product rights.
Since the purchase, both companies have continued to sell the product, but now comes word from a high placed contact at Sybron, that they are phasing out the Epiphany brand & will sell Resilon exclusively as Real Seal.
This does not mean anything other than a name change.
Real Seal will continue to be available & continues to be a big part of Sybron Endo sales. The company is simply consolidating the product under one name.
I've been using bonded obturation for the past several years and I can tell you from personal experience it is a great benefit to my patients.
For more info on Real Seal, click here to visit Sybron Endo.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Amazon Launching Android App Store this Coming Week
While it has been rumored for a while now, Amazon is set to open it's very own Android App store in the week ahead.
It seems you'll be able to either buy apps through an app store on Amazon or through an Amazon app you can download to your Android device.
Speculation is that Amazon may sell apps for less than the Android Marketplace to spur sales and there is even speculation that Amazon may be developing their own Android tablet device.
While the Amazon Tablet is pure rumor mongering, the app store is supposed to be a sure thing.
Stay tuned...
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Friday, March 18, 2011
Oral Bisphosphonates Pose Low Risk of Osteonecrosis of the Jaw (ONJ)
For the past several years, we in dentistry have been concerned about the long term affects of the drug class of bisphosphonates.
While the bisphosphonates definitely have a place in medicine, they have shown the potential for side effects in dentistry. In a nutshell, bisphosphonates are used to help prevent bone changes that can cause and/or contribute to osteoporosis. They are absolutely necessary for some patients because osteoporosis can be a severely debilitating disease and can have a tremendous effect on the patient's quality of life.
However, as bisphosphonates became more commonly prescribed, we in dentistry began to see a situation develop that became referred to as "Osteonecrosis of the Jaw" or "ONJ" for short. Basically ONJ appeared to be bone injuries in the mouth that did not heal as expected. Patients that had been taking bisphosphonates & then had an mouth injury, extraction, etc were at risk for this debilitating condition.
Dentists & oral surgeons became concerned because there are 2 types of bisphosphonates, oral & IV. It seemed like the IV drugs were the ones causing the problems, but because of the so many people having been exposed to both types, it was hard to tell.
Today on WebMD comes news that the oral drugs may have a lower risk or ONJ. The WebMD page is here.
Here is the article:
Low Risk of Jaw Problems With Oral Osteoporosis Drugs
WebMD Health News
March 17, 2011 -- Osteoporosis drugs and serious jaw problems have been linked in past studies, but new research presented at the International Association for Dental Research in San Diego finds a low risk with oral osteoporosis drugs, known as bisphosphonates.
Echoing the findings of previous studies, the researchers did find a higher increase in risk for intravenous bisphosphonates, taken by a minority of those with osteoporosis.
"The risk of intravenous bisphosphonates [and jaw problems] is increased by sixfold compared to oral bisphosphonates," says researcher Peter Tawil, DDS, a resident in postdoctoral periodontics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Health.
The study was funded partially by an unrestricted grant from the Alliance for Better Bone Health, supported by Warner Chillchott, Sanofi-Aventis, and Procter & Gamble. Sanofi and Warner Chillchott manufacture oral bisphosphonates.
Osteoporosis Drugs and Jaw Osteonecrosis
Reports of bisphosphonates and a link with the jaw problem known as osteonecrosis of the jaw began to appear in about 2003, Tawil tells WebMD. Osteonecrosis of the jaw is rare but serious and involves death of the bone due to lack of blood flow.
Early case reports, says Tawil, mainly involved patients on intravenous bisphosphonates.
As the reports surfaced, ''there were some dentists advising patients, 'Don't get treated for osteoporosis,''' says study researcher Marjorie Jeffcoat, DMD, professor of periodontology at the University of Pennsylvania.
"We felt patients were really being put at risk by telling them not to have their osteoporosis treated," she says, so she requested support for the studies.
Oral Osteoporosis Drugs vs. IV Drugs
Jeffcoat and Tawil report on four studies in all. Three were clinical trials totaling 516 participants, all on oral bisphosphonates for at least two years. Some were on alendronatae (Fosamax), made by Merck; others were on risendronate (Actonel), made by Warner Chillcott.
They examined patients every three months to look for evidence of osteonecrosis of the jaw and compared them with 516 matched patients not on bisphosphonates.
No cases were found in either group.
Next, the researchers evaluated a data base of more than 55 million people enrolled in 700 health plans from 2000 to 2006. They focused in on those who took bisphosphonates.
"Some of them took IV bisphosphonates; others took the oral," Tawil says. Of those on the drugs, 213,364 were on oral and 2,321 were on IV.
Next, they compared these to a group of 423,845 patients who did not take any bisphosphonates.
"The incidence of having necrosis of the jaw was very low -- about one per 1,000 for those who took oral [bisphosphonates]," Tawil says.
In the intravenous group, six of every 1,000 developed osteonecrosis of the jaw.
The risk of the jaw problem while on oral bisphosphonates, Tawil says, was similar to those not on the drugs. In non-users, he says, the risk was about 0.9, or less than one in 1,000.
The findings echo those of some previous studies finding low risk with the oral drugs, Jeffcoat says, but their research population is larger.
"The benefit outweighs the risk in treating osteoporosis with oral drugs," she says. Jeffcoat reports receiving research funding from Merck in 2004. Merck makes the oral bisphosphonate Fosamax.
Second Opinion
John Kalmar, DMD, professor of oral and maxillofacial pathology at Ohio State University, Columbus, reviewed the study abstract for WebMD. He agrees with some findings but is highly skeptical of others.
''I agree that the risk of osteonecrosis of the jaw is less with oral than for IV [bisphosphonates]," he says. "At this point everyone would agree."
But, he says, to equate the risk of those on oral drugs with persons not taking them, "I take great exception to."
"All studies to date have shown that even though the risk is a small increase it is still a measurable increase," Kalmar says.
Another potential problem, Kalmar tells WebMD, involves coding. Recently, a more specific medical code has come into use for osteonecrosis of the jaw. But in a database as large as the one studied by Jeffcoat and Tawil, which goes back to 2000, he says it is likely some cases of osteonecrosis were coded incorrectly.
It's no surprise to Kalmar that the study involving 516 patients on the drugs revealed no cases, as that number of patients is probably too small.
"Most estimates to date [for the jaw problem] are in the range of one to 1,000 to 10,000 for oral bisphosphonate users," Kalmar says.
Kalmar reports serving as an adjucator for Novartis and is consulted on whether cases of osteonecrosis of the jaw are due to bisphosphonates or not.
Julie Masow, a spokeswoman for Novartis, which makes Reclast and Zometa, two IV bisphosphonates, says she was not aware of the new research. The company had no comment at this time, she says.
This study was presented at a medical conference. The findings should be considered preliminary as they have not yet undergone the "peer review" process, in which outside experts scrutinize the data prior to publication in a medical journal.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
The Occasional Curse of the SmartPhone & Why Can't We Get Decent Customer Service?

Enhancements/Fixes:
- Upgrade of the Google OS from Éclair to Froyo (2.2.1)
- Ability to install applications to external storage
- Improved Bluetooth device support
- Bluetooth Voice Dialing
- Flash Player 10.1
- GPS Enhancements
- Improved OS performance
- Email PIN based authentication
- User friendly tethering for 3G and 4G
Important Notes:
- The new software version is: S:D700.0.5S.EB13
- Access the Samsung Epic Maintenance Release Blog for install instructions
- Released in stages beginning at 9PM on 2/21, with 100% of devices (on DI18) having received the update
within 4 days
- Update: EB13 is also available via an OTW download on Samsung's site. The OTW update will wipe your device, so
perform a backup prior to updating. I assume this can be used to take your device from an older release to EB13
(please comment on this post if you can validate this). You can access the download here:
http://www.samsung.com/us/support/downloads/SPH-D700ZKASPR
Time Zone Reference:
US/Pacific 09:00:00 9PM 21-Feb-2011
US/Central 11:00:00 11PM
US/Eastern 12:00:00 Midnight
US/Mountain 10:00:00 10PM
[fixed link to blog]
[added time zones]
[added Samsung OTW]
UPDATE 1: SD Card Index
If you are experiencing issues with the Camera, Media Player, Gallery, or SD card, refresh your SD Card Index following the steps below and power cycle your device to ensure the refresh takes effect:
Menu->Settings->Applications->Manage Applications->Select All->Scroll down to Media Storage->Select Clear Data.
Update 2: Calendar sync
(solution from Dennis Staub...thanks!)
MENU>SETTINGS>APPLICATIONS>MANAGE APPLICATIONS
Select "All" in the grouping at the top and then select "Calendar" then under "Storage" select "Clear data".
Then go back to the App list and select "Calendar Storage" and do the same. Then open your Calendar then
MENU>SETTINGS>CALENDAR SYNC>Manage Accounts(Select your account) then un-check it, then re-check it then go back to the calendar and check to see if the appointments have sync'd for you.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Dentsply's Comments on the Japan Earthquake & Tsunami

DENTSPLY International Comments on Impact of Natural Disaster in Japan
YORK, Pa., March 15, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- DENTSPLY International Inc. (Nasdaq:XRAY) reported today that all of its Japan-based associates are safe following the massive earthquake and subsequent tsunami near Japan's northeastern coast of Honshu.
DENTSPLY's primary facilities located in Tokyo and Nasu were not in the immediate area of devastation, and did not sustain substantial damage.
DENTSPLY has several key suppliers in Japan, including two that are located in the affected region. The Company has been informed that the employees of these suppliers appear to be safe, and that their facilities did not sustain any serious damage. One such key supplier, which is the source of product comprising approximately 9% of the Company's consolidated net sales in 2010, is located in an evacuation zone. As such, it is not clear when production will resume and product supply will be available from this supplier's facility.
Bret W. Wise, DENTSPLY's Chairman and CEO, states, "Our DENTSPLY associates' safety remains our utmost priority. We are currently assessing the impact that this natural disaster will have on our business and working diligently to minimize any disruption to our employees, customers and business partners. While our global business has started the year strong and we remain on track to meet our targets for 2011, the negative impact of the situation in Japan is difficult to quantify at this early stage. As such we are withdrawing our previously issued earnings guidance for 2011 until more information is available. On behalf of the entire Company, I would like to express our deepest condolences to all Japanese citizens as they manage through this tragic event."
DENTSPLY is preparing a donation through the International Red Cross to help the Japanese people in this time of distress.
DENTSPLY designs, develops, manufactures and markets a broad range of professional dental products including dental implants, endodontic instruments and materials, orthodontic appliances, restorative materials, preventive materials and devices, and prosthetic materials and devices. The Company distributes its dental products in over 120 countries under some of the most well-established brand names in the industry. DENTSPLY is committed to the development of innovative, high quality, cost-effective new products for the dental market.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Microsoft to Discontinue Zune Media Player

Monday, March 14, 2011
Find Your Luggage the Easy Way

Sunday, March 13, 2011
Green Automotive Looks to Bring First all Electric SUV to US

- Range up to 150 miles
- 5 door, 4 seat
- Lithium Ion Battery
- 185,000 warranty on battery
- 3 Year 36,000 Mile warranty
- $35,995 MSRP
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Microsoft to Release IE 9.0 on March 14th
If you're still using Internet Explorer (and I know some of you are) here's some good news. The gang in Redmond have announced that on March 14th the latest version of Internet Explorer (version 9) will be released with downloads available at 9PM Pacific Time.
Of course that will be midnight for you folks on the East coast... so might I suggest you just grab it first thing in the morning.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Sony Announces Cloud Storage for PlayStation Plus
Here is some pretty cool news if you are a PS3 owner and subscribe to the PlayStation Plus service. You can now save your gaming data (up to 150MB) to Sony storage in the cloud.
Here is the press release:
PLAYSTATION®NETWORK BRINGS ONLINE STORAGE FOR GAME SAVES EXCLUSIVELY TO PLAYSTATION®PLUS SUBSCRIBERS
March 9, 2011 – Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC (SCEA) today announced that online storage for game saves will be available exclusively to PlayStation®Plus subscribers, allowing gamers to back up their save data to the cloud. Online storage for game saves will be available with system software update (v3.60) for the PlayStation®3 (PS3™) system, coming on March 10, 2011 and will be automatically enabled for PlayStation Plus subscribers once users install the update.
With the new feature, PlayStation Plus subscribers can store up to 150MB of PS3 game save data and a maximum of 1000 data files per PlayStation®Network account. "Copy-prohibited save data" is also supported, and all previously backed-up save data may be restored once per 24-hour period. When the new feature launches, most PS3 titles will be compatible with online storage for game saves, and moving forward new titles will have the capability to offer the storage option.
Online storage for game saves ensures that data stored by PlayStation Plus subscribers is more secure than ever and is an integral feature for gamers who wish to access their data on other PS3 systems. Users can check their available/total space at any time via the XMB™ (XrossMediaBar). Users who wish to utilize the feature immediately following the system software update (v3.60), can do so with these instructions:
To back-up:
1. Select [Game] > [Save Data Utility].
2. Focus on the save data you wish to back up.
3. Open up the option menu using "triangle" and select [Copy].
4. Select [Online Storage] as the destination of back up.
To copy:
1. Select [Game] > [Save Data Utility] > [Online Storage].
2. Focus on the save data you wish to copy.
3. Open up an option menu using "triangle" and select [Copy].
PlayStation Plus is available for a yearly fee of $49.99, and for a limited time, gamers will also receive 3 free bonus months when signing up for a one-year subscription. Gamers can also subscribe to the 3-month option for $17.99.