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What do you get when you combine an Android smartphone, cell phone image sensor, Lego building blocks, and a handful of Caltech engineers and biologists? The ePetri, which isn't Petri Dish 2.0, but a full reworking of a technology that dates back to the late 1800s.

Traditionally, the Petri dish (named after German bacteriologist Julius Richard Petri) has been used in the medical field to identify bacterial infections by studying samples via microscope as the cultured cells grow in an incubator.

The Caltech researchers have a few choice words for such an approach in 2011, including "expensive," "labor-intensive," and "suboptimal." So they set out to improve not just the dish, but the entire process.… Read more

iPhone 4S pre-orders top 1 million units, Yahoo pulls out of its bid for Hulu, and Netflix announces the cancellation of Qwikster in a brief blog post.

Links from Monday's episode of Loaded:

Dish and Blockbuster announce their Netflix-killing movie delivery and streaming plan, but it's kind of a letdown unless you're a really happy Dish subscriber. HP puts Meg Whitman in charge and boots Leo Apotheker, which no one seems all that happy about except maybe HP's wildly dysfunctional board. The entire foundation of the world and physics is rocked by the possibility of particles that can travel faster than light, but mostly, you just wish we could go back in time and un-announce that the show's going weekly. Hey, but bonus show Monday! See you then!

Dish Network unveiled today the "Blockbuster Movie Pass," a bundle of services that includes streaming video; DVDs; Blu-Rays and games by mail; and access to premium movie channels. The catch: you need to be a Dish Network customer.

The service will launch October 1. Existing Dish subscribers can sign up for the package for an additional $10 a month. New customers who sign up for Dish's America's Top 200 package for $39.99 a month get access to the service for a year.

"More Americans are demanding an easier way to view their video," … Read more

The owner of the Qwikster Twitter handle is banking on selling it to Netflix, Verizon unveils a $99 4G LTE capable smartphone, and Google Wallet finally launches with support only on Sprint's Nexus S 4G phone so far.

Links from Tuesday's episode of Loaded:

Reed Hastings' week has gone from bad to worse.

Monday began with the Netflix CEO issuing an apology for the company's recent price hike, even as he unveiled a controversial decision to split its streaming and DVD-by-mail offerings into separate companies.

Now comes word that the week will end with news from onetime archrival Blockbuster. The company--now a division of Dish Network--has announced a Friday press conference at which it will unveil what it calls "the most comprehensive home entertainment package ever." The 10 a.m. PT San Francisco event is dubbed "A Stream Come … Read more

AT&T has talked to smaller rivals about divesting spectrum and customers in an effort to salvage its deal with T-Mobile USA, according to Bloomberg.

AT&T has talked to MetroPCS Communications and Leap Wireless about selling some of its assets. The telecom giant is also talking to CenturyLink, Dish Network, and even Sprint Nextel--which has opposed the deal--about their interest in buying assets.

AT&T has been scrambling to save a deal that was put in jeopardy when theU.S. Department of Justice recently sued to block the merger, which would create the nation's … Read more

DirecTV appears to have its sights set on Slingbox with a new platform, called Nomad.

The satellite provider launched a page on its site recently, showcasing a device that connects to customers' DVRs and allows them to stream programming to other devices, including computers, smartphones and tablets.

"Take your movies and shows from your home DVR where you go," the Nomad site reads.

If DirecTV follows through with a Nomad competitor, it wouldn't be much of a surprise. EchoStar, which is closely affiliated with DirecTV's chief competitor, Dish Network, owns Sling Media. Sling made a name for itself in the home-entertainment space by offering a box that connects to any DVR and lets users control the DVR and watch TV programming from computers and mobile devices.… Read more

The allure of 4G wireless service has drawn in a number of new players, including satellite-TV provider Dish Network.

Dish applied yesterday for a waiver to the Federal Communications Commission that would allow it to use its recently acquired spectrum to build a wireless network, according to Credit Suisse analyst Jonathan Chaplin. The company plans to build a 4G LTE Advanced network, Chaplin said yesterday in a research note, adding that it has committed to a "realistic" build-out schedule.

The FCC application provides some clarity on what Dish had planned to do with a recent wave of acquisitions, … Read more