Consumer
SMD white LEDs feature two binning versions
February 19, 2010 11:56 am | Product Releases | CommentsVishay Intertechnology released power surface-mount white LEDs in two binning versions. For a wider range of pin compatibility with similar devices, the VLMW321xx LEDs feature three anodes and one cathode, while the VLMW322xx LEDs offer three cathodes and one anode. The devices feature a
New algorithm to improve video game quality
February 19, 2010 10:16 am | News | CommentsMcGuire and Luebke have developed a new method for computerizing lighting and light sources that will allow video game graphics to approach film quality.
Brainstorm: CES 2010
February 19, 2010 4:39 am | Articles | CommentsThis year’s CES brought forth a number of new and exciting products and technologies for the consumer. As with each year’s show, there were hits and misses with some products primed to become major retail successes while others may never make it to the store shelves.
Sub-Miniature TCXO Capable of Holding Sub 1 ppm Stabilities
February 12, 2010 9:25 am | Product Releases | CommentsConnor-Winfield’s D32G Series of 3.2 mm x 2.5 mm SMT temperature compensated crystal oscillators (TCXOs) use analog temperature compensation to hold
New Applications and the Myth of the Killer App
February 12, 2010 4:05 am | by Rupert Baines, picoChip, www.picochip.com | Blogs | CommentsThe most exciting and perhaps most anticipated telecoms for new revenues is applications. We are starting to see these, the iPhone Apps for example, or Nokia’s “Comes with Music”.
iPad costs $229 to produce, says iSuppli
February 11, 2010 7:47 am | News | CommentsApple Inc's forthcoming iPad tablet computer will cost as little as $229.35 for the company to produce, according to an estimate on Wednesday from research house iSuppli. The group conducted what it called a "virtual teardown" of the iPad, since the device is not yet available and component suppliers have not been announced.
80 V Schottky Rectifiers Offer Current Ratings From 10 A to 30 A
February 11, 2010 5:40 am | Product Releases | CommentsVishay Intertechnology introduced six single- and dual-chip 80-V TMBS Trench MOS Barrier Schottky rectifiers in four power package options that feature a range of current ratings from 10 A to 30 A. The devices include the single-chip V(B,F,I)T1080S, V(B,F,I)T2080S, and V(B,F,I)T3080S, and the
Illuminated Pushbutton Switch Offers Custom Cap Options
February 11, 2010 5:10 am | Product Releases | CommentsE-Switch introduced the LP15 series illuminated pushbutton switch, featuring multiple LED colors, custom marking options for the caps, and several cap sizes. The LED colors available are red, blue, green, yellow, and white. Four different
AOL integrates Facebook chat with AIM
February 10, 2010 6:43 am | News | CommentsAs part of an ongoing effort to improve its user experience, Internet company AOL Inc. is letting users of its AIM instant-messaging service chat with friends on Facebook.
AT & T picks Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson for network
February 10, 2010 6:35 am | News | CommentsAT&T Inc. has selected Alcatel-Lucent and LM Ericsson AB to supply the equipment for a new wireless network that will provide data speeds that are at least ten times faster than today's wireless broadband.
RECOM offers new miniature converter
February 9, 2010 9:13 am | Product Releases | CommentsThe new miniature SMD-Converters RSx/R2x from RECOM offer 1 resp. 2 Watts power rating, are RoHS6/6 compliant and therefore absolutely lead-free. They can operate at ambient temperatures up to +100°C with convection cooling and without derating, are EN60601 and UL60950 certified and pin compatible with industry standard converters. Their unusual “Enclosed Open Frame” Design has been laid out for fully automatic manufacturing processes. Temperatures of +245°C, as are usual during vapor soldering, and are handled without problems.
Spain's Telefonica may charge search engines
February 9, 2010 8:35 am | News | CommentsSpanish telecoms operator Telefonica says it is considering charging Internet search companies like Google and Yahoo for network use. Speaking Monday at a press conference in the northern city of Bilbao, President Cesar Alierta said companies like Google use a lot of network bandwidth for free, something which was lucky for them but not for Telefonica.
Internet prompts the publishing itch in over-60s
February 9, 2010 8:26 am | News | CommentsThe Internet is helping older British readers rekindle a love of books and writing, and an overwhelming majority of senior citizens see the medium as a positive development, according to a survey. Some 31 percent of people over 60 are keen to go online to publish short stories and join book clubs, the survey by charity Booktrust in Britain found.
Electronic Arts shares dive on weak outlook
February 9, 2010 8:18 am | News | CommentsA disappointing outlook from Electronic Arts Inc. sent shares of the video game publisher sharply lower Monday, a sign that significant cost-cuts and layoffs have not ended the company's slump. The company, whose games include the popular "Madden" series and "Mass Effect 2," said Monday it narrowed its net loss in the last quarter even as game sales declined. It blamed the revenue falloff on having fewer titles than it did in the 2008 holiday period. EA also cited weak sales in Europe, which accounts for about a third of its revenue.
Google reduces fee to break Nexus One contract
February 9, 2010 7:02 am | News | CommentsGoogle Inc. is shaving $200 off the fee that it charges customers of its new Nexus One phone to break a service contract with T-Mobile, as federal regulators continue to probe such fees and the rationale for them. Google's "equipment recovery fee" applies to customers who break their two-year T-Mobile contract after a 14-day trial period and before 120 days.
Energy-Storing Soccer Ball Scores Big in Off-Grid Villages
February 9, 2010 3:37 am | by Jeff Salton | News | CommentsWhat kid doesn’t like kicking around a soccer ball? Imagine if this fun activity could also provide enough energy to power something useful in a modest off-grid African village...
Security chip that does encryption in PCs hacked
February 8, 2010 11:30 am | News | CommentsDeep inside millions of computers is a digital Fort Knox, a special chip with the locks to highly guarded secrets, including classified government reports and confidential business plans. Now a former U.S. Army computer-security specialist has devised a way to break those locks.
NetEase suspends new user registration for hit game
February 8, 2010 9:58 am | News | CommentsChina's third-largest online game operator NetEase.com said it has suspended new user registration for World of Warcraft (WoW) in China and will reapply for a license to operate the expansion pack of Activision Blizzard's hit game. New user registrations would be halted for a week from Monday in the run-up to the Lunar New Year holiday, the company said in a statement posted on its WoW China website, www.warcraftchina.com on Sunday.
Barnes & Noble's Nook e-reader to hit stores
February 8, 2010 9:15 am | News | CommentsBookseller Barnes & Noble Inc said on Monday that its Nook electronic reader would be available in most of its physical stores as of Wednesday, ahead of Valentine's Day, ending weeks of delays. The Nook e-reader, which Barnes & Noble launched in October and competes with devices such as Amazon.com Inc's Kindle, had previously only been available for order on the retailer's website or at in-store kiosks as the No. 1 U.S. bookstore chain struggled to meet what it said in late 2009 was strong demand for the e-reader.
IBM begins Power server upgrade to battle HP, Sun
February 8, 2010 9:04 am | News | CommentsIBM is beginning a long-awaited upgrade to a range of servers and other hardware to make them more energy-efficient and competitive than rival products by Hewlett-Packard and Sun Microsystems Inc. International Business Machines Corp said on Monday its new POWER7 system, including new microprocessors, storage and middleware, will be able to process more data than its predecessor POWER6, making them useful for utilities with electrical grids or banks conducting electronic trading.
Facebooks Redesigns Site, Turns 6
February 8, 2010 8:36 am | News | CommentsFacebook is redesigning its site yet again, this time to better emphasize applications, games and search. Links and items have moved around the home page as Facebook tries to streamline navigation and make games and apps stand out more. The latest evolution continued Friday after Facebook started rolling the changes out late Thursday, the company's sixth birthday.
Macmillan Books Coming Back to Amazon
February 8, 2010 8:30 am | News | CommentsAfter a weeklong absence, new copies of Andrew Young's "The Politician," Hilary Mantel's "Wolf Hall" and other books published by Macmillan are available for purchase on Amazon.com. Since last Friday, Amazon had limited the availability of Macmillan releases in a dispute over e-books, with Macmillan calling for a new pricing system that would end the $9.99 rate Amazon had been setting for best-sellers on its Kindle e-reader. Macmillan and other publishers believe $9.99 is too low and threatens the value of books overall.
Paypal halts certain transactions in India
February 8, 2010 8:23 am | News | CommentsThe online payments service PayPal has taken the unusual step of suspending many transactions in India for more than a week. A spokesman for the service said Saturday that "personal payments" to and from India are being blocked. Transfers to banks in India are being suspended as well.
China Shuts Down Hacker Training Site
February 8, 2010 8:17 am | News | CommentsPolice in central China have shut down a hacker training operation that openly recruited thousands of members online and provided them with cyberattack lessons and malicious software, state media said Monday. The crackdown comes amid growing concern that China is a center for Internet crime and industrial espionage. Search giant Google said last month its e-mail accounts were hacked from China in an assault that also hit at least 20 other companies.
GPS Module Presented as Enabling Rapid Navigation for Long Periods
February 5, 2010 1:26 pm | Product Releases | CommentsVincotech has launched modules based on the latest SiRFstarIV technology. The A2100 GPS receiver module is built around the new GSD4e chip with sophisticated firmware. The special SiRFawareTM technology is said to allow the module to be in a state of readiness at all times thereby enabling
