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A new program developed by a Duke University grad student promises to double the battery life of cell phones and other mobile devices by tweaking how they tap into Wi-Fi networks.

As described by its creator Justin Manweiler in a Duke Today story, downloading videos and other hefty content via Wi-Fi can cause a huge drain on the battery of a mobile device. This drain can be especially severe in crowded cities and other locations where multiple devices have to battle for available bandwidth.

So in an example cited by the story, downloading a movie in midtown Manhattan chews up … Read more

Apple's TV ads for the iPhone typically play up all its capabilities by showing off all the cool apps it can run. The message that "you're missing out on something great" hasn't really changed with the company's new set of ads, but it's moved away from the catchphrase, "There's an app for that," and has gone to something more akin to, "There's a phone for that."

… Read more

Barry McCarthy, Netflix's chief financial officer and one of the linchpins of the company's management team, has stepped down.

In a statement today, Netflix said that McCarthy is moving on to "pursue broader executive opportunities outside the company." David Wells, a Netflix's vice president of financial planning and analysis, will succeed McCarthy, who has served as Netflix's CFO for 11 years. The change officially occurs on Friday.

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said in a statement that: "Over the last few years, Barry has balanced his affection for Netflix and the excitement all of … Read more

Fitbie, the latest addition to MSN's Lifestyle portfolio of Web sites, has just gone live at fitbie.msn.com, and partners MSN and Rodale say the interactive multimedia Web site will enable people look, feel, and live better by helping users make better diet and fitness choices.

With subpages on how to get fit, lose weight and eat right, as well as personalized plan and goal setting, Fitbie is clearly trying to be to personal health what Mint.com is to personal finance.

Content is culled from several Rodale publications, including Women's Health, Prevention, Runner's World, Bicycling, … Read more

In development for more than five years, WellDoc's DiabetesManager System has just received the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's 510(k) clearance to be marketed to health care providers and adult patients with type 2 diabetes, the company announced.

A mobile health system, DiabetesManager will offer automated clinical coaching based on real-time patient data, enabling patients and health care professionals to set parameters and manage the disease outside of office visits.

WellDoc announced that it intends to commercially launch the system in early 2011, and will be an exhibitor in the inaugural Mobile Health Pavilion at the … Read more

Recently, my husband caught me attempting to wash the dishes, a task that is generally recognized as his. "Do I try to write articles?" he asked me, and when I replied that he did not, he shooed me away from the sink. If he hadn't invested 15 years in washing our dishes, I might suspect that he just wanted to stand on the WellnessMat that has recently taken up residence in our kitchen. This mat, new to the market and backed by a seven-year warranty, provides amazing comfort for your feet. No joke: every guest who has … Read more

MOSCOW/WASHINGTON--His face wracked by age and his voice rasping after decades of chain-smoking coarse tobacco, the former longtime Russian minister of nuclear energy and veteran Soviet physicist Viktor Mikhailov knows just how to fix BP's oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico.

"A nuclear explosion over the leak," he says, nonchalantly puffing a cigarette as he sits in a conference room at the Institute of Strategic Stability, where he is a director. "I don't know what BP is waiting for, they are wasting their time. Only about 10 kilotons of nuclear explosion capacity and … Read more

Amount of steps you took today: 3,451. Miles traveled: 1.4. Calories burned: 348. Calories consumed: 625. Then you went to bed at 12:05 a.m. Time to fall asleep: 23 minutes. Times awakened: 25. You were in bed for 8 hours 2 minutes. Actual sleep time: 7 hours 42 minutes.

The math is easy, sure. But never before has a device tracked so many aspects of an individual's physical movements to measure overall wellness. From caloric intake to activity levels (sedentary, lightly active, fairly active, and very active), Fitbit clips onto clothing or straps around one'… Read more

In answer to a question on my previous post, yes, two of the Pre's falls resulted in scuffs on the corners. Guess that's what happens when a smooth, shiny object collides with concrete... Sigh.

In keeping with a review of the Pre's hardware durability, I wanted to touch on the little USB port cover. This baby fits in there tight, almost too tight. There are days when I'm not sure I'll get it open... Once it is pulled out I feel like it's going to stay on, unlike other phones I've had where … Read more