Wireless
WCDMA-HSPA-Plus Power Amplifiers Suit Smart Phones, 3G Devices
March 2, 2010 5:27 am | Product Releases | CommentsRF Micro Devices announced high volume production of its RF720x WCDMA/HSPA+ power amplifiers (PAs). The product family is comprised of seven PAs designed for smart phones and 3G devices implementing mode-specific, band-specific front end architectures. The RF720x
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
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.
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.
Microsoft replays Zune design for phone comeback
February 23, 2010 10:05 am | News | CommentsApple Inc. rocked the wireless business by combining the functions of a phone and an iPod. Now, more than two years later, Microsoft Corp. has its comeback: phone software that works a lot like its own Zune media player.
Wireless carriers unite on mobile apps project
February 23, 2010 10:02 am | News | CommentsThe world's largest mobile phone carriers say they're joining forces to make it easier for software developers to write apps that will run on as many phones as possible. The "Wholesale Applications Community" announced Monday at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona is an attempt to retake the initiative from phone makers like Apple and Nokia, which have applications stores of their own.
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.
40 percent in US lack home broadband
February 23, 2010 9:34 am | News | CommentsRoughly 40 percent of Americans do not have high-speed Internet access at home, according to new Commerce Department figures that underscore the challenges facing policymakers who are trying to bring affordable broadband connections to everyone. The Obama administration and Congress have identified universal broadband as a key to driving economic development, producing jobs and bringing educational opportunities and cutting-edge medicine to all corners of the country.
CEO: Google's Mobile Moment Has Come
February 23, 2010 9:27 am | News | CommentsGoogle's Chief Executive Eric Schmidt declared the age of the mobile phone had come as volume, growth and new capabilities had come together in an unprecedented way. Speaking for the first time at Mobile World Congress, the telecom industry's biggest annual fair, Schmidt said the point has come where the best developers wanted to create applications for mobile devices first, before thinking about desktop PCs.
Smartphones offer problems for networks
February 23, 2010 9:23 am | News | CommentsGoogle must not be allowed to dominate and block cash from flowing more widely through the mobile telecoms system or else the network operators will not be able to invest to cope with the growing demand for data traffic, Vodafone said on Tuesday. Vittorio Colao, chief executive of the world's largest cellphone networks operator, told the Mobile World Congress trade fair in Barcelona that instead new business models needed to be created to cope with the demand for data services.
Kopin, Stonestreet Team Up For Golden-i Headset
February 23, 2010 9:18 am | News | CommentsStonestreet One, a leading provider of Bluetooth software solutions since 2000, has partnered with Kopin® Corporation , the largest U.S. manufacturer of micro displays for consumer, industrial and military applications, on the development of Kopin’s Golden-i Headset and Developer Kits. The Golden-i Developer Kits officially launched at the Mobile World Congress 2010 in Barcelona, Spain. Stonestreet One was selected by Kopin to provide the Bluetooth protocol stack software for the Golden-i platform.
IMAPS Gives Details of MicroTech Conference
February 23, 2010 9:10 am | News | CommentsThe International Microelectronics And Packaging Society is pleased to announce details of the forthcoming MicroTech-2010 Conference featuring “Disruptive Technologies” APM featuring “Advanced Polymer, Organic & Inorganic Materials” being held at the well known Cambridge University Møller Centre. The location is ideally placed near many of the forward thrusting new and established companies as well as at a great historic city.
Looks can't kill but might control your phone
February 23, 2010 8:49 am | News | CommentsThe advent of wireless headsets has led to the sometimes confusing sight of people who look like they're talking to themselves, until you realize they're on a phone call. If a technology demonstration by NTT DoCoMo goes anywhere, we may have to get ready for another odd sight: people who quickly flick their gaze sideways and roll their eyes for no apparent reason.
Imec and Holst Centre achieve breakthrough in battery-less radios
February 22, 2010 11:24 am | News | CommentsAt the International Solid State Circuit Conference, imec and Holst Centre reported a 2.4GHz/915MHz wake-up receiver which consumes only 51µW power.
Bluetooth low energy module employs Nordic µBlue chip
February 22, 2010 11:10 am | News | CommentsUltra low power (ULP) RF specialist Nordic Semiconductor ASA announced that further to the Bluetooth SIG's official adoption of Bluetooth® low energy (as part of the latest Bluetooth Version 4.0 Core Specification), French multi-die system-in-package (SiP) design specialists, Insight SiP, has released the world's first drop-in single mode Bluetooth low energy SiP module.
Zigbee Offers More Options
February 22, 2010 9:22 am | News | CommentsThe ZigBee Alliance, a global ecosystem of companies creating wireless solutions for use in energy management, residential, commercial and consumer electronics applications, today announced it is now offering certification for ZigBee platforms designed to operate in the regional sub-1 GHz unlicensed frequencies. The move ensures original equipment manufacturers a source of tested platforms for use in sub-1 GHz applications.
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
Oxford Technology Offers Secure Electronic Payment Via Mobile Phones
February 12, 2010 4:34 am | by Kelly Jackson Higgins - DarkReading | News | CommentsResearchers from the University of Oxford have created a protocol for making electronic payments via mobile phones.
Multichannel RF Signal Generator Touted as Highly Configurable
February 12, 2010 4:33 am | Product Releases | CommentsRF Engines Limited (RFEL) has developed a 32 channel RF signal generator that is designed to enable challenging RF environments to be recreated in labs to test RF equipment. The PCI Upconverter is a flexible and configurable system that
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
Quad Channel Clock Generator FMC Card Features Low Jitter
February 11, 2010 4:52 am | Product Releases | CommentsCurtiss-Wright Controls Embedded Computing has introduced an FPGA Mezzanine Card (FMC/VITA 57) module, the FMC-XCLK2. The quad channel clock generator card features low jitter and phase matched outputs. It is available in both air-cooled and conduction-cooled rugged versions, and is said to
