Computing
Low-voltage ICs in power-hungry data centers benefit from high-voltage DC supply path
October 5, 2012 10:10 am | by Stephen Oliver, VP VI Chip Product Line, Vicor Corp., www.vicorpower.com | Articles | CommentsThere's a "back to the future" aspect to power distribution for datacenters in the 21st century. At the beginning of the 20th century, Thomas Edison was a proponent of distributing power to homes and businesses using higher-voltage DC, while Nikola Tesla’s backer George Westinghouse supported distribution via AC.
Far, far beyond wrist radios
October 5, 2012 8:41 am | by Eurekalert! | News | CommentsTo believe that technologies once dreamed of in science fiction novels, television shows, and comic strips may one day be a reality, or that real-world technologies might make the fantastic devices of fiction obsolete, you'd need to be either an optimist…or a futurist in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)'s Science and Technology Directorate (S&T).
Kits for Kids
October 4, 2012 3:46 pm | by Jon Titus, Technical Contributor | Articles | CommentsElectronics, computer, and science kits can help kindle technical interests in kids of all ages. Each year the holidays seem to arrive sooner than expected and parents of young people interested in science and technology search for gift ideas. This column provides some suggestions. Some projects require adult help or supervision.
DataDirect Networks Enhances Leadership in HPC and Increases Its Share of Top 500 Fastest Computers by More Than 30%
October 4, 2012 2:59 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsDataDirect Networks (DDN), the leader in massively scalable storage, today announced a significant increase in the adoption of its award-winning High Performance Computing (HPC) and Big Data storage solutions by the world's fastest supercomputers
Warning, automatic braking systems on autos will help save lives, research predicts
October 4, 2012 8:45 am | by Eurekalert! | News | CommentsThe second highest cause of automobile crashes is rear-end collisions – 17 percent. Thousands of people die. The solution? "It is simple," said Clay Gabler, a professor of biomedical engineering at Virginia Tech. "Slow the striking vehicle." The concept is simple. Execution is complex and expensive.
New sophisticated control algorithms poised to revolutionize electric battery technology
October 4, 2012 8:42 am | by Eurekalert! | News | CommentsEngineers at the University of California, San Diego, have developed sophisticated estimation algorithms that allow lithium-ion batteries to run more efficiently, potentially reducing their cost by 25 percent and allowing the batteries to charge twice as fast as is currently possible. In one instance, electric batteries could be charged in just 15 minutes.
A phone away from home: Some NYC students pay private 'valets' a dollar a day
October 4, 2012 8:38 am | by KAREN MATTHEWS Associated Press | News | CommentsThousands of teenagers who can't take their cellphones to school have another option, courtesy of a burgeoning industry of sorts in always-enterprising New York City: paying a dollar a day to leave it in a truck that's parked nearby. Students might resent an expense that adds up to as much as $180 a year, but even so,
Processor-based fanless embedded computer delivers 3.5” HDD and I/O support
October 3, 2012 3:38 pm | Product Releases | CommentsADLINK Technology announces the release of its new Matrix MXE-1300 series of low-power fanless computers based on the Intel Atom D2550 processor. Equipped with the Intel Atom D2550 processor, the MXE-1300 increases processing power by 44% and graphics performance by 90% over the previous Intel Atom platform.
Brainstorm: Software tools
October 3, 2012 10:54 am | Articles | CommentsTraditional embedded development tools assist engineers as they implement their applications. Innovative tools assist engineers as they implement their ideas, without imposing a predetermined solution or outcome. Such solutions abstract the implementation and accelerate the “idea to product” process.
Acoustic cell-sorting chip may lead to cell phone-sized medical labs
October 3, 2012 9:01 am | by Eurekalert! | News | CommentsA technique that uses acoustic waves to sort cells on a chip may create miniature medical analytic devices that could make Star Trek's tricorder seem a bit bulky in comparison, according to a team of researchers. The device uses two beams of acoustic -- or sound -- waves to act as acoustic tweezers and sort a continuous flow of cells on a dime-sized chip, said Tony Jun Huang,
Microsoft Collaborating With Toyota On Global Communications
October 2, 2012 3:14 pm | News | CommentsIn Japan and other overseas affiliates, Toyota will be leveraging a hybrid model, with on-premises editions of Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft SharePoint, Microsoft Lync and Windows Server. Microsoft will help Toyota provide these services to more than 200,000 employees around the world during the next two years.
ECN Magazine exclusive interview: Wayne Freeman, Microchip Technologies
October 2, 2012 1:55 pm | Videos | CommentsAt Design East, ECN Executive Editor Chris Warner chats with Wayne Freeman of Microchip Technology about the company’s new Enhanced Midrange 8-bit families comprising 15 scalable MCUs ranging from 14 to 100 pins with up to 128 KB of Flash. These MCUs are positioned to eliminate the need for an external crystal.
Mini modem supports 3.1Mbps downlink rate
October 2, 2012 12:30 pm | Product Releases | CommentsTelit Wireless Solutions announced the introduction of the DE910-DUAL Mini PCIe for commercial and industrial computer markets. The mini PCIe form factor has become a popular standard adopted by connected device manufacturers to easily integrate wireless connectivity into their devices.
Amsterdam goes green with electric scooter taxis
October 2, 2012 8:37 am | by Roberta Cowan, Reuters | News | CommentsSix years ago Dutchman Ruben Beugels was on an Amsterdam tram that broke down, leaving him stuck in an out-of-the way place, and late for an appointment when he couldn't quickly find another means of transport."I was very frustrated at being late, and it was then that I thought, hey a scooter
Genetically engineered cow makes anti-allergy milk
October 2, 2012 8:35 am | by Reuters | News | CommentsResearchers in New Zealand have genetically engineered a cow to produce milk with very little of a protein that causes an allergic reaction in some children.They hope the technique, which uses a process called RNA interference that reduces the activity of certain genes without eliminating it completely, can be used to control other traits in livestock
Software-based programmable automation controller ideal for computationally intensive applications
October 1, 2012 3:14 pm | Product Releases | CommentsIndustrial automation manufacturer Opto 22 has announced SoftPAC(tm), a software-based programmable automation controller (PAC) ideal for use with computationally intensive applications as well as applications that must log, manipulate, and exchange large amounts of data. SoftPAC joins Opto 22's existing
10 must-see posts from September
October 1, 2012 12:28 pm | by The ECN Editors | Articles | CommentsHere’s a rundown of the most read, most popular, most awesome articles for September. They all come with a witty, engaging summary just in case you missed them the first time or want to check up on an old favorite. Keep checking out the Lead and follow us on twitter @ecnmagazine for our most up-to-date articles.
Lenovo Counting on China Advantage to Challenge Apple Lead
September 28, 2012 3:05 pm | by Bloomberg | News | CommentsLenovo Group Ltd. set to overtake Hewlett-Packard Co. (HPQ) as the biggest PC maker this year, now has its sights on the smartphone and tablet markets, as it takes on Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. in China. “We want to test the market, see the first steps toward success in China, then roll out to the rest of world,” Chief Executive Officer Yang Yuanqing said.
Type-6 COM Express module provides full PC software and hardware compatibility
September 27, 2012 10:49 am | Product Releases | CommentsInnovative Integration announces the new SBC-K7. SBC-K7 is an ideal platform for embedded instrumentation that combines an Atom or i7 PC running Windows/Linux/VxWorks with a Xilinx Kintex7 FPGA plus dual, industry-compliant FMC (FPGA mezzanine card) I/O sites.
The emergency worker’s best friend: A backpack that maps
September 27, 2012 9:07 am | by Kasey Panetta, Associate Editor | Blogs | CommentsEmergency workers risk their lives to keep us safe, and they’re often walking into situations essentially blind. If they run into a problem, they have only primitive ways of warning those coming in behind them. But, with the help of the researchers, the days of flying blind may be coming to a rapid end.
Computers match humans in understanding art
September 27, 2012 8:55 am | by Eurekalert! | News | CommentsUnderstanding and evaluating art has widely been considered as a task meant for humans, until now. Computer scientists Lior Shamir and Jane Tarakhovsky of Lawrence Technological University in Michigan tackled the question "can machines understand art?" The results were very surprising.
Paper: Federal law needed to safeguard 'digital afterlives'
September 27, 2012 8:54 am | by Eurekalert! | News | CommentsFederal law ought to play a stronger role in regulating social networking sites by allowing users to determine what happens to their "digital afterlives," says a recently published paper by a University of Illinois expert in intellectual property law. Allowing social networking sites to set their own policies regarding the content associated with the accounts of deceased users does
Artificially intelligent game bots pass the Turing test on Turing's centenary
September 27, 2012 8:50 am | by EurekAlert! | News | CommentsAn artificially intelligent virtual gamer created by computer scientists at The University of Texas at Austin has won the BotPrize by convincing a panel of judges that it was more human-like than half the humans it competed against. The competition was sponsored by 2K Games and was set inside the virtual world of "Unreal Tournament 2004,"
U.S.-based Micron takes 20 percent share of the NAND flash market
September 26, 2012 11:12 am | News | CommentsFor the first time since it entered the industry seven years ago, U.S.-based Micron Technology Inc. managed to cross the 20 percent market share threshold in the NAND flash memory business during the second quarter. Micron posted the strongest sequential performance of all NAND suppliers, with second-quarter revenue amounting to
Nobody's driving: California governor signs legislation paving the way for driverless cars
September 26, 2012 9:10 am | by TERENCE CHEA Associated Press | News | CommentsGov. Jerry Brown rode to Google headquarters in a self-driving Toyota Prius before signing legislation Tuesday that will pave the way for driverless cars in California. The bill by Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla will establish safety and performance regulations to test and operate autonomous vehicles on state roads and highways.
