The Soapbox
Getting ever closer to the “Pocketable Computer”
January 24, 2011 6:20 am | by Eric Broockman, Alereon (www.alereon.com) | Blogs | CommentsAt this years Consumer Electronics show, the most interesting product I saw wasn’t a Windows 7 or an Android pad. Yawn. Perfectly fine products for sure, but not really new. Rather, simply a turn of the crank and put in an iPad like form factor.
Engineering can be soooo frustrating!
January 20, 2011 8:48 am | by Mike Brace, EV World.com | Blogs | CommentsWhen I think back to my early years as a jet pilot in the Marine Corps I usually close my eyes, put my grin on, and imagine myself slipping those surly bonds of earth once again as a means to escape the complexities of life.
Energy 112: Ethanol
January 19, 2011 4:09 am | by Ken Johnson | Blogs | CommentsNo discussion about energy sources would be complete these days without saying something about the alcohol based fuels. The bulk of these come in two general forms: ‘methanol’ . . . also known as “wood” alcohol, and ‘ethanol’ . . . also called “grain” alcohol.
5 Years After RoHS: What’s New, What’s Ahead in Legislation
January 11, 2011 7:28 am | by Gary Nevison & Ken Manchen, element14 & Newark | Blogs | CommentsDuring 2010 there were a number of legislative developments that will have impact on design engineers and the electronics industry the world over. The debate around the scope of the so called RoHS recast has had many twists and turns over the last year.
Printed Electronics - Predictions for 2011
January 5, 2011 5:01 am | by Raghu Das, CEO, IDTechEx (www.IDTechEx.com) | Blogs | CommentsTo examine what to expect for 2011, we must understand the spectacular successes of the recent past as well as the failures. Printed electronics has often been an industry with poor business planning and marketing.
Why Are Your Lights on All Day Long?
December 21, 2010 4:59 am | by Ron Flores, WECC (www.worldenergycontrol.com) | Blogs | CommentsWhy do you turn on all your facility’s lights, at full brightness, every day? Actually, why do you turn your lights off in the first place?
Will Feature Phones Become an Endangered Species?
December 20, 2010 5:14 am | Product Releases | CommentsThere is no doubt that there will always be a set of consumers that only want their mobile phone to be, well, a phone
Energy 111: Magneto Hydrodynamics and Total Energy Systems
December 20, 2010 4:22 am | by Ken Johnson | Blogs | CommentsDon’t let the title scare you into excluding this from your reading schedule. An attempt will be made to simplify the concept and its uses. Let’s start by calling them MHD and TES respectively for short. Many practical applications of TES were evolved from its age-old principles over a half century ago...
Silicon Valley culture ripe for insider trading
December 17, 2010 8:44 am | by Gabriel Madway and Dan Levine, Reuters | News | CommentsInsider trading charges buffeting the technology industry have laid bare what people who work in Silicon Valley already know: leaks happen, and a morsel of information can turn into treasured commodity. Even a company like Apple Inc, renowned for its obsession with secrecy, was not safe from well placed leakers looking to peddle their information.
Security in Smartphones
December 10, 2010 7:48 am | by Martin Bakal, IBM Rational (www.IBM.com/Rational) | Blogs | CommentsThe smartphone market is expected to increase 24.5% in 2011, as projected by IDC. Managing security will be a big concern and key area of focus for most mobile companies going forward. Companies who address this concern successfully will most likely capture the market share.
Domestic 'Fourslide' Parts Fabrication Slashes Inventory Costs
December 9, 2010 4:50 am | by Ed Sullivan | Blogs | CommentsIf you're sourcing stamped metal parts from overseas, you may be required to order far more than you really need. Using fourslide fabrication can eliminate that requirement. If you're sourcing metal stampings from overseas locations such as China, you're most likely buying in large volumes, perhaps containerloads.
Energy 110: Fuel Cells
November 30, 2010 3:54 am | by Prof. Ken Johnson | Blogs | CommentsThis episode will continue looking at various so-called “green” energy sources with regard to how ‘green’ they are, the state of their technology, and possible economic impact on their users as well as on the non-user taxpayers.
Google TV for the Rest of Us
November 29, 2010 5:55 am | by by Eric Broockman, Alereon (www.alereon.com) | Blogs | CommentsGoogle TV may say more about the power of search and Android than it does about a new paradigm for using your HDTV.
electronica 2010 - impressions of the show
November 22, 2010 10:00 am | by Forrest Sass, Theorem Services (www.theoremservices.com) | Blogs | CommentsAfter four years of attending Messe München shows (productronica and electronica), I came away with special impressions of this year’s electronica 2010.
A Cautionary Tale about Wi-Fi Direct
November 22, 2010 5:35 am | by by Eric Broockman, Alereon (www.alereon.com) | Blogs | CommentsWi-Fi Direct is a mechanism to add a soft access point in one device so that two different products can form a direct point to point secure wireless connection. Supposedly it will be easy to set up and relatively fast.
What is 4G?
November 15, 2010 11:13 am | by Rupert Baines, Picochip (www.picochip.com) | Blogs | CommentsThere is a bit of debate on 4G (or "faux G" as Dan Jones of Light Reading nicely put it).
Should We Manage Cellphone Access in Certain Cases?
November 2, 2010 5:39 am | by Terry Bittner, ITT Defense (www.defense.itt.com) | Blogs | CommentsCell phones afford us the convenience of being connected whenever we want, wherever we want. Despite affording us constant connectivity, there remain places where cell phone usage is inappropriate.
Looking back on the year that was
November 1, 2010 8:57 am | Articles | CommentsConsidering the tumult in the last several years, from disruptive technologies to political discord to financial meltdown and market re-adjustments, it’s kind of hard to say that 2010 was notable. Yet there are many things that mark this year that will make it a memorable one.
The Disruptive Changes in Wireless Infrastructure
October 25, 2010 5:58 am | Blogs | CommentsAccording to a report published by Informa today there are now more femtocells than macrocells in America.
Just around the corner
October 19, 2010 7:56 am | by Alix Paultre, Editor-in-Chief | Articles | CommentsI recently saw a very exciting-sounding news item on nuclear fusion research from The National Institute for Fusion Science (NIFS) on their new Large Helical Device (LHD), a variation on the Tokamak that is also the largest superconductor in the world.
Energy 109: Thermoelectrics
October 14, 2010 6:07 am | by Prof. Ken Johnson | Blogs | CommentsSeveral readers of these episodes disagreed with my approach of using a ‘worst case’ example of a private residence solar cell electrical power generation system as the sole source of power (ENERGY 108: SOLAR CELLS II)...
Legislation Could Repeal Incandescent Ban
September 24, 2010 6:54 am | by Jason Lomberg, Technical Editor | Blogs | CommentsIncandescents may be given a stay of execution. Last week, U.S. Reps. Joe Barton (R-Texas), Michael Burgess (R-Texas), and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn) introduced legislation designed to repeal the incandescent light bulb ban.
Making Engineering a Desirable Career Choice
September 17, 2010 5:19 am | by Chris Forbes, CEO, Knovel (www.why.knovel.com) | Blogs | CommentsAccording to the U.S. Census Bureau, the first members of the Baby Boom generation will reach the age of 65 by 2011. As they begin to retire, there’s an increased concern that this transition will create an alarming skill gap in the engineering community.
Energy 108 – Solar Cells II
September 16, 2010 5:14 am | by Prof. Ken Johnson | Blogs | CommentsPerhaps you have wanted to do your part to promote the end of fossil fuels and thought about having a photo-voltaic (PV) system installed on your new home. Frankly, that is a dream mostly created in you by very devious, but typical, Ruling Class politicians who are always out there dangling a carrot...
Cellular Usage Around the World
September 14, 2010 7:35 am | Blogs | CommentsIt is fascinating how cellular usage varies around the world, its impact on emerging economies, and how that drives economic growth and improves lives.
