Applications
Blindness groups, ASU settle suit over Kindle
January 12, 2010 11:11 am | News | CommentsTwo organizations representing the blind have settled a discrimination lawsuit against Arizona State University over its use of Amazon's Kindle e-reader device. Arizona State is among several universities testing the $489 Kindle DX, a large-screen model aimed at textbook and newspaper readers.
CES show attendance rebounds after dip in 2009
January 12, 2010 11:06 am | News | CommentsIn another sign of the tentative economic recovery, the country's largest trade show saw at least a small increase in attendees, after a large drop a year ago. According to preliminary figures, The International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas had more than 120,000 attendees last week, the Consumer Electronics Association said Monday.
New organization combats distracted driving
January 12, 2010 11:01 am | News | CommentsThe Transportation Department and safety advocates joined Tuesday to announce the creation of FocusDriven, an organization dedicated to raising public awareness about the dangers of driving while talking on cell phones or texting on handheld computers.
Electronic Arts lowers 2010 guidance as sales weaken
January 12, 2010 10:39 am | News | CommentsVideo game publisher Electronic Arts Inc. cut its full-year guidance on Monday, as ongoing weakness in its game disc sales didn't ease up over the holidays as the company had hoped. The news sent shares down sharply in extended trading.
Hot gadgets at show: Wireless charging, iPhone TV
January 12, 2010 10:15 am | News | CommentsAt the International Consumer Electronics Show last week, 3-D television, electronic readers and little laptops captured much of the attention. There were plenty of other interesting ideas on display, too, from 3-D printing to a wireless cell phone tether. Here are some of the gadgets most worth keeping an eye out for this year, and some that best deserve an arched eyebrow of amusement.
France plans its own rival to Google Books
January 12, 2010 9:59 am | News | CommentsFrance's culture minister on Tuesday unveiled a plan for adapting the country's literary patrimony to the digital age by developing what he hopes will prove a uniquely Gallic competitor to Google Books.
NASA: February launch still on despite bad hoses
January 12, 2010 9:48 am | News | CommentsNASA is still shooting for a shuttle launch next month, despite bad hoses for a new room at the space station. Endeavour is supposed to blast off Feb. 7 with the Tranquility module. It's a chamber that will provide additional living quarters at the International Space Station.
Kodak, Samsung agree on licensing pact
January 12, 2010 9:36 am | News | CommentsEastman Kodak Co. said Monday it will draw royalties from South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co. under a licensing pact that gives the companies access to each other's digital-imaging patents. The agreement ends a 14-month-old patent-infringement dispute that came before the U.S. International Trade Commission, a federal overseer that can ban imports of devices made with contested technology.
Google adds storage to sweeten online office suite
January 12, 2010 9:32 am | News | CommentsGoogle Inc. is expanding its Internet warehouse so people can stash more digital keepsakes from their life and work. The upgrade announced Tuesday will provide one free gigabyte of storage to all users of Google Docs, the company's online suite of word processing, spreadsheets and other commonly used programs.
Kit Develops Inductive Touch-Sensing Designs
January 12, 2010 8:02 am | Microchip Technology Inc. | Product Releases | CommentsThe PICDEM Inductive Touch Development Kit from Microchip makes it easy to develop inductive touch-sensing applications using standard 8-, 16- or 32-bit PIC microcontrollers, or 16-bit dsPIC Digital Signal Controller.
LED Lighting Connector Family Includes Board-to-Board Versions
January 12, 2010 6:43 am | Product Releases | CommentsAVX Corp. has expanded its wire-to-board connector product offering to include board-to-board connectors specifically designed for the LED lighting industry. Designated the 9159 Series, the connectors offer
Creating a Chemical Computer that Mimics Neurons
January 12, 2010 6:36 am | Blogs | CommentsA promising push toward a novel, biologically-inspired "chemical computer" has begun as part of an international collaboration. The "wet computer" incorporates several recently discovered properties of chemical systems that can be hijacked to engineer computing power.
HD System Supports Next-gen SAS 2.1 Requirements
January 12, 2010 6:16 am | Product Releases | CommentsMolex introduces the iPass+ High Density (HD) system, referenced as mini-SAS HD in the SAS 2.1 standard, to meet SAS next-generation speed and density requirements. This system provides 8x as well as 4x cable-plugging options. The iPass+ HD external input/output (I/O) connector includes
Caps Protect Push-pull Connectors
January 12, 2010 6:00 am | Product Releases | CommentsBinder-USA is pleased to introduce protective caps for the Series 430, push-pull connectors. When mated to a male or female connector, a cap will provide IP67-rated environmental protection. These caps make the push-pull connectors ideal for use in commercial and industrial fields. The cap is designed to provide
CES 2010 Oddities: The Weird, Strange, and Unique
January 12, 2010 5:37 am | by Edited by Jason Lomberg, Technical Editor | News | CommentsEvery tradeshow has these: the strange products, human snafus, and general quirkiness that characterizes a large organized event. Some of these are no doubt intentional, an exaggerated attempt to grab some publicity. Others, as you'll see, are honest (yet hilarious) mistakes. And some are just plain out of the ordinary. Enjoy!
DIP Switch Allows Automatic Mounting
January 11, 2010 11:36 am | Product Releases | CommentsThe KG Series Dual Inline Package switch offered by CIT Relay & Switch allows automatic mounting with IC insertion machines. With both extended and recessed actuators, this industry standard DIP offers positions ranging from 1 to 12. Top tape seal, which withstands
Multi-Touch Single-Chip Controller Supports Gesture-based User Experiences
January 11, 2010 11:07 am | Stmicroelectronics | Product Releases | CommentsSTMicroelectronics introduced a very advanced multi-touch ‘resistive’ touchscreen controller chip, which detects up to ten simultaneous touches with fingers, nails or stylus and allows application designers to replace complex menu sequences with
Dissolvable Spacers Tout Consistent Spacing Between Components and PCB
January 11, 2010 10:50 am | Product Releases | CommentsMulti-Seals Inc. introduced Wash-Away dissolvable spacers, designed to provide consistent spacing between printed circuit boards and PCB components. These organic polymer spacers locate PCB components during soldering operations. After soldering,
E Ink and TI Collaborate on E-book Technologies
January 11, 2010 10:10 am | News | CommentsE Ink Corporation, a subsidiary of Prime View International, and Texas Instruments Incorporated announced a collaboration that will combine E Ink's Vizplex Electronic Paper Displays with TI technologies, including its power management ICs and OMAP 3 processors.
Rapamune (sirolimus): Drug Monitoring Recommendations
January 11, 2010 9:51 am | by FDA MedWatch | News | CommentsSwitching between assays for the same patient can produce differing results that may be clinically significant.
CES 2010: TI's CC8520 SoC Wireless Audio Transceiver
January 11, 2010 6:49 am | Videos | CommentsA video detailing the latest device in Texas Instruments' family of "PurePath" audio products.
Attack of the 3-Dimensional images!
January 11, 2010 6:22 am | by Jason Lomberg, Technical Editor | Articles | CommentsLike the Goths sacking Rome, the 3-D invasion has arrived. No longer a kitschy gimmick, the technology has matured, and the leading consumer manufacturers are banking on it. Indeed, 3-D was the unofficial theme of CES 2010—3-D demos littered the show floor, and all the big players (with notable exceptions) unveiled 3-D products. Could 2010 be the year that 3-D finally takes off?
In-line Amplifier Suits DC Strain Gage Transducers
January 11, 2010 4:43 am | Product Releases | CommentsStellar Technology’s Series AP5201 In-Line Amplifier is a general purpose signal conditioner for DC-excited strain gage pressure transducers, load cells, and torque transducers. The single-channel AP5201 features
32 nm SSD Offering Includes 128 GB Half-slim mSATA Module
January 11, 2010 4:35 am | Product Releases | CommentsToshiba Corp. and Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. expanded its lineup of NAND-flash-based solid state drives (SSDs) including 128-gigabyte (GB) Half-Slim /mSATA SG Series SSD modules ideally suited for a variety of applications including mini-mobile/netbook PCs, and a third generation, high performance HG3 Series featuring
MiniCard Enables Low Latency Wireless Display Capability for NBPCs
January 11, 2010 4:30 am | Product Releases | CommentsCavium Networks introduced a fully standards-based Display MiniCard module intended for integration into next generation notebook PCs and netbooks to enable high performance, low latency wireless display capability for consumer and enterprise applications. The DMC module employs
