Gionee launches Marathon M4, priced at Rs 15,499

Gionee Marathon M4 comes with a 5-inch (720x1280p) HD Super AMOLED display and runs on Android 5.0 Lollipop skinned with Gionee's Amigo 3.0 UI.


Gionee has launched the Marathon M4 smartphone -- priced at Rs 15,499. The dual sim smartphone comes with a 5-inch (720x1280p) HD Super AMOLED display and runs on Android 5.0 Lollipop skinned with Gionee's Amigo 3.0 UI.

Powered by 1.3GHz quad-core processor, the phone has 2GB RAM and 16GB internal storage. Gionee Marathon M4 can also hold microSD cards of up to 32GB.

The new Gionee phone offers 5000mAh battery and comes with an 8MP rear camera with LED flash and 5MP front camera.

The phone supports 3G, 4G, GPRS/EDGE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, microUSB and GPS as connectivity options. The smartphone is available in black and white colours across online platforms and brick and various mortar retail outlets in India.


Specifications:

General

2G Network: Yes

3G Network: Yes

4G Network: Yes

SIM: Dual sim

Dimensions: 144.70 x 71.20 x 10.18mm

Weight: 176g

Display

Size: 5-inch

Type: Super AMOLED display

Memory

Card Slot: microSD card, up to 32GB

Internal: 16GB

Data

GPRS: Yes

EDGE: Yes

Bluetooth: Yes

Infrared Port: No

Camera

Primary: 8MP

Secondary: 5MP

Features

OS: Android 5.0 skinned with Amigo 3.0 UI

CPU: 1.3GHz quad-core

Browser: HTML5

Radio: Yes

GPS: Yes

Colors: Black, white

Battery

Battery Capacity: 5000mAh

First 3D-printed pill approved by US authorities

In a world first, the US Food and Drug Administration has given the go-ahead for a 3D-printed pill to be produced.

The FDA has previously approved medical devices - including prosthetics - that have been 3D printed.

The new drug, dubbed Spritam, was developed by Aprecia Pharmaceuticals to control seizures brought on by epilepsy.

The company said that it planned to develop other medications using its 3D platform.

Printing the drugs allows layers of medication to be packaged more tightly in precise dosages.

A separate technology developed by the firm, known as ZipDose, makes high-dose medications easier to swallow.

Printing the drug meant it could package up to 1,000 milligrams into individual tablets.

The 3D-printed pill dissolves in the same manner as other oral medicines.

Replica jaws: 

Being able to 3D print a tablet offers the potential to create bespoke drugs based on the specific needs of patients, rather than having a one product fits all approach, according to experts.

"For the last 50 years we have manufactured tablets in factories and shipped them to hospitals and for the first time this process means we can produce tablets much closer to the patient," said Dr Mohamed Albed Alhnan, a lecturer in pharmaceutics at the University of Central Lancashire.

It would mean that medical institutions could adjust the dose for individual patients with just a simple tweak to the software before printing. Previously, such personalised medicine would have been extremely expensive to produce, said Dr Alhnan.

3D printing works by creating an object layer by layer. In the case of medicines, printers are adapted to produce pharmaceutical compounds rather than polymers which are more usually used.

Such methods are already proving very useful in healthcare with doctors using the system to create customised implants for patients with injuries or other conditions.

And dentists, for example, use 3D printers to create replica jaws and teeth as well as other dental implants.

Spritam will launch in the first quarter of 2016, according to Aprecia.