Consumer
Video games and the military: Engaging the “tech generation”
March 9, 2010 9:10 am | by Jason Lomberg, Technical Editor | Blogs | CommentsFor good or ill, the military is often indistinguishable from a large corporation. While “employees” must conform to the company’s modus operandi, the company must engage its employees on their terms. In this day and age, that means technology. Thus, the military increasingly relies on video games and computers to recruit and train its “employees.”
Compact Enclosures Suit a Wide Range of Applications
March 5, 2010 6:42 am | Product Releases | CommentsElma Electronic Inc. offers a family of modular enclosures in a compact size. The MiniBox 34 serves a wide range of applications including medical, communications, industrial, test and measurement, military/aerospace, and other markets. Its construction allows
MCUs Feature Less Than 50 µA-MHz Active Current
March 5, 2010 5:30 am | Microchip Technology Inc. | Product Releases | CommentsMicrochip Technology Inc unveiled several new 8-bit PIC microcontrollers (MCUs) that are asserted to set the industry benchmark for low-power microcontrollers and peripheral integration. These MCUs feature active currents of
Power MOSFETs for DC-DC Conversion Tout Reduced Gate Switch Charge
March 4, 2010 6:06 am | Product Releases | CommentsToshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. has launched its latest generation of power MOSFETs for synchronous DC-DC conversion. The seventh generation trench process in the Toshiba fast switching series, UMOS VII-H, is asserted to
Y-Flash to Improve Memory Size
March 4, 2010 5:35 am | Product Releases | CommentsTowerJazz announced its patented Y-Flash technology, not available from any other foundry in the industry, which is designed to give customers flexibility on memory size, allowing optimization of performance/cost for any given application.
DC-DC Converter Features Built-in Power Functionality
March 4, 2010 5:31 am | Microsemi Corporation | Product Releases | CommentsMicrosemi Corporation, a manufacturer of high performance analog/mixed signal integrated circuits and high reliability semiconductors, today extended its family of DC-to-DC controllers and switching regulators with the introduction of a synchronous buck switching regulator in a compact multi-chip module
Ikanos Processor Selected for Multimedia Gateway
March 3, 2010 8:27 am | News | CommentsIkanos Communications, Inc., a leading provider of advanced broadband semiconductor and software products for the digital home, today announced that that AVM, Germany’s leading manufacturer of broadband network equipment, has selected Ikanos’ Fusiv® Vx180 communications processor for integration into its most advanced family of multimedia home gateways.
AA Battery Holders Include Retainer Strap
March 2, 2010 11:05 am | Product Releases | CommentsMemory Protection Devices introduced part number BK-6100-PC4 for holding two AA batteries. Four large stainless steel contacts firmly apply pressure to the AA batteries to assure a long lasting trouble free connection. Four printed circuit contacts allow
Apple suing phone maker HTC over iPhone patents
March 2, 2010 8:48 am | News | CommentsApple Inc., increasingly facing tougher competition in the lucrative market for smart phones, sued Taiwanese phone maker HTC Corp. on Tuesday, accusing the rival of violating patents related to the popular iPhone.
Microtune Amplifier Deployed in BYD Autos
March 2, 2010 8:30 am | News | CommentsMicrotune, Inc today announced that its multi-standard automotive antenna amplifier, the MT119 is being deployed in the automobiles of BYD Co., Ltd. (www.byd.com) of Shenzhen, China. The MT1119 is currently used in BYD’s fuel-based sedans and all-electric vehicles. It is planned for rollout in BYD’s most popular-selling compact models by March and in all BYD models by year end.
Bug plagues PlayStation 3, Sony warns of data loss
March 2, 2010 5:30 am | News | CommentsSony Corp. said a glitch has knocked PlayStation 3 users off the game console's online network, and the company warned that data loss could occur if gamers continued using the machines. Sony said in a blog post Monday that the problem was likely caused by a bug in the clock functionality incorporated in the system, reminiscent of the Y2K bug a decade ago.
Apple details labor violations at its suppliers
March 2, 2010 5:24 am | News | CommentsApple Inc. said it found more than a dozen serious violations of labor laws or Apple's own rules at its suppliers that needed immediate correction. The findings were outlined in a company report on audits of 102 supplier facilities conducted in 2009.
iPhone Dock Reference Design Keeps Audio Signal End-to-end Digital
March 2, 2010 5:20 am | Product Releases | CommentsXMOS has launched a reference design for iPhone and iPod docks, which keeps the audio signal path end-to-end digital, from the iPod or iPhone via USB to the amplifier. Implemented entirely in software, using the SMOS XL1-L1 even driven processor, the flexible design eliminates
LanTEK II Cable Certifier series approved
March 1, 2010 10:54 am | News | CommentsIDEAL INDUSTRIES today announced that its new LanTEK® II cable certifier series has been approved by Tyco Electronics and Brand-Rex, two leading global suppliers of structured cabling systems for data networks.
Rochester Electronics reconstructs discontinued semiconductor devices
March 1, 2010 9:48 am | News | CommentsRochester Electronics, the world's largest authorized manufacturer of discontinued semiconductors, provides authorized reverse-engineering services to re-create, manufacture and distribute pin-for-pin replacement parts with matched cycle for cycle timing for aftermarket semiconductor devices. Through its unique Rochester Semiconductor Replication Process, customers can avoid system re-qualification steps as the Rochester-designed and manufactured parts deliver the same specifications and performance characteristics as the original products. Rochester engineers deconstruct and electrically analyze the critically needed semiconductor device, re-design the part using scope and scanning electron microscope (SEM) images, and re-engineer it onto a matched mature foundry process to replicate the original components.
xG Presents Spectrum Improvement Options to FCC & Congress
March 1, 2010 9:14 am | News | CommentsLast week, representatives from xG® Technology presented well-received suggestions to the Federal Communications Commission and the U.S. House Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet on improving spectrum usage. Both the FCC and Congress have expressed concern lately about spectrum availability. The xMax® mobile VoIP network developed by xG has the ability to significantly increase both usage and availability because it operates on unlicensed spectrum.
Microprocessors Suit Embedded-control Applications
March 1, 2010 5:20 am | Stmicroelectronics | Product Releases | CommentsSTMicroelectronics introduced four new members in the SPEAr microprocessor family targeting embedded-control applications. Based on the latest ARM core technology, these microprocessors are said to enable equipment manufacturers to
LED Array Products Feature Outputs up to 4500 Operational Lumens
February 25, 2010 6:44 am | Product Releases | CommentsBridgelux Inc. unveiled three LED array product families that are presented to high-quality, energy-efficient light sources cost-optimized for the burgeoning solid-state lighting market. These new products are designed to replace incandescent, halogen, high intensity discharge (HID) and compact fluorescent lighting.
E-waste to hit developing world hard
February 24, 2010 11:57 am | News | CommentsWaste from discarded electronics will rise dramatically in the developing world within a decade, with computer waste in India alone to grow by 500 percent from 2007 levels by 2020, a U.N. study released Monday said.
FCC seeking more spectrum for wireless broadband
February 24, 2010 11:24 am | News | CommentsFederal regulators are hoping to find more wireless spectrum for mobile broadband services by reallocating some airwaves now assigned to television broadcasters and others. Under a long-awaited proposal outlined by the Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday, broadcasters and other existing spectrum holders would voluntarily give back some spectrum and share in proceeds raised by government auctions of those airwaves to wireless companies.
Nintendo DSi XL to launch March 28
February 24, 2010 11:16 am | News | CommentsNintendo plans to launch the latest version of its popular handheld video game system, the DSi XL, on March 28 in North America. The XL will cost $190. It will have two screens like its predecessors, but as the name suggests, the device and screens will be much larger than the currently available versions. The XL is already available in Japan.
Debut of promising fuel-cell tech light on details
February 24, 2010 11:06 am | News | CommentsA richly funded Silicon Valley clean-energy startup is keeping critical parts of its business plan secret as it launches its first product to international attention. The company, Bloom Energy, didn't offer many new details Wednesday about how it plans to make its promising fuel-cell technology affordable enough for regular people to buy for their homes.
MIT commissions Peratech to develop next generation tactile robotic skin
February 23, 2010 11:27 am | News | CommentsPeratech Limited, the leader in new materials designed for touch technology solutions, has announced that they have been commissioned by the MIT Media Lab to develop a new type of electronic 'skin' that enables robotic devices to detect not only that they have been touched but also where and how hard the touch was.
Samsung unveils new smart phone with own software
February 23, 2010 9:52 am | News | CommentsSamsung Electronics Co., the largest maker of cell phones for the U.S. market, on Sunday revealed the first phone running Samsung's own "smart" software system, bada. With bada, Korea-based Samsung is taking the TouchWiz system used on its touch-screen non-smart phones and making it the basis of a smart phone platform to take on Apple Inc.'s iPhone and Research In Motion Ltd.'s BlackBerry.
Skype allowed over Verizon wireless network
February 23, 2010 9:39 am | News | CommentsVerizon Wireless will let customers use the Internet phone service Skype to make free calls on some phones, an application that wireless carriers have been slow to allow. Under a deal announced Tuesday at the Mobile World Congress trade show, users of some Verizon phones who have a voice and data plan will be able to download a free Skype application in late March. That will let them call or instant-message other Skype users for free or call regular phone numbers outside the United States for a fee paid to Skype.
