Consumer
The nanny state should loosen its grip on cell phones
April 11, 2013 3:24 pm | by Jason Lomberg, Technical Editor | Blogs | CommentsWe’ve written a lot on ECN about automotive safety and its intersection with cutting-edge technology. Texting, Facebooking, and web surfing pose an existential concern for distracted drivers (not to mention pilots, train conductors, and boat captains), but the nanny state has really overreached on this one: A California court recently found a motorist guilty of distracted driving for checking a map on his iPhone.
Engineering Update #8: Glasses-free 3D and a near replacement for Knight Rider
April 11, 2013 10:04 am | Videos | CommentsA new screen protector from Nanovue, called the EyeFly, gives mobile devices a glasses-free 3D display. Made out of a thin, transparent film, the nano-engineered EyeFly is essentially a piece of plastic film with thousands of finite lenses on the surface that use nano-imprinting technology.
Who’s the fool? – Profound discoveries or elaborate pranks
April 11, 2013 9:44 am | by Chris Fox, Associate Editor, PD&D | Blogs | CommentsWe all know the old adage that surrounds the first day of April. We’ve all taken part in or fallen victim to an April Fools prank at some point. In the contemporary realm, April Fools has taken on an entirely different persona. April 1 used to be a day where the bully in school could yell out the hallmark and get away with tripping you in the hallway (kind of)....
Cellular router includes 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi connectivity technology
April 10, 2013 2:45 pm | B & B Electronics | Product Releases | CommentsB&B Electronics announces that it has added 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi connectivity technology to its rugged SPECTRE 3G cellular router. Called the SPECTRE3G-W, this new wireless cellular router is a single box solution that provides local machine-to-machine (M2M) network connectivity via its built-in Wi-Fi Hotspot, Ethernet 10/100 and I/O ports....
Art exhibit pushes boundaries of online privacy
April 10, 2013 12:34 pm | by BARBARA ORTUTAY, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsImage after image splashes on the wall of the art exhibit - a snapshot of young people laughing and drinking, a picture of an elephant, an exposed belly of a woman barely covering her breasts with one arm. The photos were taken from their computers without their knowledge through a technological glitch.
HotSpot Episode 7: The future of Apple's iPhone
April 10, 2013 9:23 am | Videos | CommentsA new release by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office might just provide a glimpse of the future of Apple's popular iPhone handset. The product detailed in the patent, features a flexible AMOLED display "rolled up" and placed inside a conical transparent enclosure.
Tactile switch rated to 10 million life cycles
April 9, 2013 5:07 pm | E-Switch | Product Releases | CommentsE-Switch announces a new long life sealed tactile switch, the TL6200. The TL6200 series tact switch offers a long operating life of 10 million cycles and is rated to IP67 standards. This tact switch comes in both SMT (gullwing) and thru hole termination options, and offers multiple actuator lengths.
The creepiest robot yet
April 9, 2013 2:28 pm | by Kasey Panetta, Managing Editor | Blogs | CommentsThere is an interesting inverse phenomenon involved in creating humanoid robots: The more lifelike they are, the creepier they become. It’s not something that makes complete sense if you think about it. Theoretically, as robots become more human-like, they should begin to blend more into society and become less weird.
Broadcasters worry about 'Zero TV' homes
April 9, 2013 9:24 am | by RYAN NAKASHIMA, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsSome people have had it with TV. They've had enough of the 100-plus channel universe. They don't like timing their lives around network show schedules. They're tired of $100-plus monthly bills. A growing number of them have stopped paying for cable and satellite TV service....
LCD, LED, Plasma, OLED TVs as fast as possible
April 9, 2013 8:56 am | Videos | CommentsLCD, LED, Plasma, OLED - These terms get uses by sales people at your local TV store, but do you REALLY understand what they mean? Learn the basics in under 3 minutes! Linus Sebastian of Techquickie gives a good primer on these common display technologies.
TVS diode designed for protecting sensitive electronics in consumer products, handhelds
April 8, 2013 3:44 pm | Stmicroelectronics | Product Releases | CommentsSTMicroelectronics has introduced the world’s smallest TVS diode for protecting sensitive electronics in consumer products and handhelds. As the first such device to be offered in the industry’s smallest standard surface-mount outline of 0.45 x 0.2mm, the ESDAVLC6-1BV2 is one size smaller than today’s 0.6 x 0.3mm devices.
The Facebook "phone" that no one wants
April 8, 2013 2:56 pm | by Kasey Panetta, Managing Editor | Articles | CommentsWell, well, well. It looks like Facebook has finally decided to join the big boys and create their own phone. It’s the phone that absolutely no one was waiting for. To quote the parody video below, “Stop. Don’t do that. Nobody wants it.”
Race to build driverless cars is in full throttle
April 8, 2013 10:41 am | by Rick Montgomery, The Kansas City Star | News | CommentsTo call Tim Sylvester a road builder misses the point. The streets he intends to build are embedded with electronic sensors that may keep cars of the future from speeding, veering and crashing. Doctoral candidate Amol Khedkar is toiling on his own prototype for a software system that would let cars talk to one other....
Should a computer grade your essay?
April 8, 2013 10:09 am | by Jason Lomberg, Technical Editor | Blogs | CommentsOne should never swap quality for instant gratification. Yet that’s exactly what EdX, a nonprofit educational organization founded by Harvard and MIT, is doing with their automated grading software that promises “instant feedback” on students’ essays. Creativity need not apply.
An engineer's wishlist for car infotainment systems
April 5, 2013 2:51 pm | by Kasey Panetta, Managing Editor | Blogs | CommentsWith Google's self-driving car hitting the road and all sorts of driver-assistance features hitting the showroom, it's a crazy time for drivers and designers alike. Cars are practically overflowing with (good and bad) attempts to integrate outside technology (smartphones, weather apps, virtual assistants) into vehicles interfaces.
HotSpot Episode 6: Phantom Quadcopter
April 5, 2013 9:30 am | Videos | CommentsThis week on WDD's HotSpot: DJI's new GPS equipped Phantom is an aerial platform for the FOPRO HERO action cam. Featuring a lithium polymer battery, an RGB LED indicator, an Enhanced fail-safe feature, and an Intelligent Orientation Control, this quad-copter makes one nifty little radio-controlled aircraft.
Engineering Newswire 32: Ben Heck, and the iWorm straps to your back
April 4, 2013 12:48 pm | Videos | CommentsToday on Engineering Newswire, brought to you by Interpower, we're building an internal suspension system for your brain, designing an endoscope as thin as a hair, and using a worm to go hands free. This week we welcome Ben Heck to the Engineering Newswire as we feature...
Television's next big thing: Smell-O-Vision (again)
April 3, 2013 3:44 pm | by Kasey Panetta, Managing Editor | Blogs | CommentsNow that 3D television has failed to take off the way designers were hoping, companies have moved on to a newer, better, greater, bound-for-failure idea: Smell-O-Vision. Haruka Matsukura and a team from the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology have designed an olfactory display system that can work in conjunction with a 2D display.
One-resistor-tunable timer ICs operate over wide supply voltage range
April 3, 2013 11:09 am | Product Releases | CommentsTouchstone Semiconductor added four, high-accuracy, micropower timer ICs to its rapidly expanding family of “NanoWatt Analog” timer integrated circuits. These higher-single-supply voltage, second-generation timer ICs operate over a wide supply voltage range
Top 10 must-read posts from March
April 3, 2013 10:47 am | by Kasey Panetta, Managing Editor | Blogs | CommentsHere’s a rundown of the most read, most popular, most awesome articles on the web. Take a look at what you missed the first time around or check up on an old favorite to see the conversation in the comments. Keep checking out the Lead at www.ecnmag.com and follow us on Twitter @ecnonline for our most up-to-date articles.
Switch series features bifurcated contact for increased electrical reliability and consistent performance
April 2, 2013 1:33 pm | C&K Components | Product Releases | CommentsC&K Components has expanded its surface-mount DIP switch series to include an ultra-miniature 1-position version for hand-held and portable electronic devices. Featuring a bifurcated contact for increased electrical reliability and consistent performance, the half-pitch TDA Series DIP switches are process-sealed for surface-mount soldering and washable-processing.
Mouser now stocking Atmel SAMA5D3 Cortex-A5 eMPUs
April 2, 2013 10:52 am | Mouser Electronics | Product Releases | CommentsMouser Electronics announces immediate availability of the new SAMA5D3 series of embedded microprocessor units from Atmel. These high-performance eMPUs are based on the ARM Cortex-A5 processor and feature market-leading low power consumption.
Virtual reality, goggles and all, attempts comeback at Game Developers Conference
April 1, 2013 8:47 am | by DERRIK J. LANG AP Entertainment Writer | News | CommentsIt's back. The virtual reality headset, the gizmo that was supposed to seamlessly transport wearers to three-dimensional virtual worlds, has made a remarkable return at this year's Game Developers Conference, an annual gathering of video game makers in San Francisco.
Apple patents iPhone with wraparound display, no physical buttons
April 1, 2013 8:45 am | by PETER SVENSSON AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsApple is seeking a patent for an iPhone that has a display that wraps around the edges of the device, expanding the viewable area and eliminating all physical buttons. The patent application reveals that Apple has put some thought into a device that takes advantage of a new generation of displays, which don't have to be flat and rigid like today's liquid-crystal displays, or LCDs.
New Silicon Valley headquarters offer more perks than ever to recruit, retain talent
April 1, 2013 8:41 am | by MARTHA MENDOZA AP National Writer | News | CommentsCUPERTINO, Calif. (AP) -- Apple's ring-shaped, gleaming "Spaceship Headquarters" will include a world class auditorium and an orchard for engineers to wander. Google's new Bay View campus will feature walkways angled to force accidental encounters. Facebook, while putting final touches on a Disney-inspired campus including a Main Street with a B-B-Q shack, sushi house and bike shop, is already planning an even larger, more exciting new campus.
