Wireless
Review: Latest iPhone possesses a mix of style and innovation that Steve Jobs would have loved
September 13, 2012 8:48 am | by MICHAEL LIEDTKE AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsAs I played around with the iPhone 5 on Wednesday, I wondered what the late Steve Jobs would have thought about the latest twist on Apple's best-selling device. It didn't take long to conclude Jobs would have been delighted with the iPhone 5's blend of beauty, utility and versatility.
Bike alone? You need this helmet sensor
September 11, 2012 4:12 pm | by Kasey Panetta, Associate Editor | Blogs | CommentsAs a naturally clumsy person, I’m all about using technology to improve safety, whether it’s in a car or on a motorcycle. If there was a device that would beep before my knee collided with a desk, cubicle wall, low table, or other immovable object, I would own 12.
VoLTE: What makes voice over IP “carrier grade"?
September 7, 2012 12:57 pm | by Mike Keely, Director, Product Management, Wireless at Spirent Communications | Articles | CommentsAt first glance Voice over LTE (VoLTE), the next generation of wireless voice technology, looks suspiciously like VoIP service over a wireless connection. At a very basic level it is exactly that: digitized voice-band audio transmitted as IP packets and demodulated into voice-band audio. Then what is the difference between VoLTE and over-the-top services like Skype, Vonage or Gizmo5?
RFID system combines low and high frequency read/write heads with I/O
September 7, 2012 10:26 am | Product Releases | CommentsThe Balluff BIS V Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) system is founded on a new generation of RFID processors that provide a single device for both low frequency 125 kHz and high frequency 13.56 MHz read/write heads with an IO-Link master port. Combining up to four head capability on both frequencies
10 must-see posts from August
September 6, 2012 4:23 pm | by Editors | Blogs | CommentsHere’s a rundown of the most read, most popular, most awesome articles for August. They all come with a witty, engaging summary just in case you missed them the first time or want to check up on an old favorite. Keep checking out the Lead and follow us on twitter @ecnmagazine for our most up-to-date articles.
Parallel flash memory family adds high-speed, low-power devices
September 6, 2012 12:18 pm | Microchip Technology Inc. | Product Releases | CommentsMicrochip Technology Inc. expanded its Multi-Purpose Flash Plus (MPF+) portfolio with four new compact 512K x16 Parallel Flash CMOS devices: the SST39VF401C, SST39F402C, SST39LF401C and the SST39LF402C. Manufactured with CMOS SuperFlash technology, these low-power
Wireless window sentinel
September 6, 2012 8:56 am | by Eurekalert! | News | CommentsA bad weather front is fast approaching and a cloudburst is imminent. If you happen to be away from home, but have left a window open, either deliberately or because you forgot to check one room, you may be in for a wet surprise when you come home.
Phase-locked crystal oscillator operates at 100 MHz
September 5, 2012 4:11 pm | Product Releases | CommentsThe PLXO-100-XA from EM Research is a phase-locked crystal oscillator operating at 100 MHz and features an internal reference-detect switch. When no reference is connected to the device, the reference detect switch automatically engages a 10 MHz internal TCXO, providing uninterrupted use of the PLXO-100.
1020 MHz SMT phase-locked oscillator features exceptionally low phase noise
September 5, 2012 4:06 pm | Product Releases | CommentsThe CLX-1020-XA Phase-Locked Oscillator from EM Research operates at 1020 MHz and features exceptionally-low phase noise (<-109 dBc/Hz @ 10 KHz). The unit is locked to an internal reference and offers +7 dBm output power with low power consumption (+5 VDC @ <65 mA) and low spurs (<-80 dBc).
GreenPeak launches the first dual-protocol ZigBee chip
September 5, 2012 2:06 pm | Product Releases | CommentsGreenPeak Technologies today announced the launch of the new GP710, a dual-protocol ZigBee communications controller with simultaneous support for ZigBee RF4CE and ZigBee IP/ZigBee PRO protocols. The GP710 communication controller is targeted for set-top boxes, gateways and Smart Home controllers and designed for supporting simultaneously ZigBee RF4CE applications – such as remote controls...
Radio-on-a-chip enables two AA batteries to power the mouse and keyboard for up to three years
September 4, 2012 3:24 pm | Product Releases | CommentsCypress Semiconductor today announced that Lite-On Technology Corporation has selected Cypress’s 2.4-GHz WirelessUSB-NL radio-on-a-chip for its next-generation wireless keyboard and mouse set. WirelessUSB-NL’s low power consumption enables two AA batteries to power the mouse and keyboard for up to three years.
IEEE 802.11ac: The promise of increased performance
September 4, 2012 12:19 pm | by Joe Zeto, Sr. Manager Market Development, Ixia | Articles | CommentsDigital content consumption is on a steep rise – witness the mass adoption of multiple connected devices such as smartphones, tablets and laptops. This surge and the increased reliance on wireless networks –not to mention the growth of video content, which is expected to reach more than 86 percent of global consumer traffic by 2016 according to the Cisco Visual Networking Index...
A guide to enjoying the (inevitable) robot takeover
August 30, 2012 11:02 am | by Kasey Panetta, Associate Editor | Articles | CommentsLet's face it: Robots are better than people.They’re more dependable than humans (i.e. no sick days), they’re usually cheaper, and they don’t complain. The downside is pretty obvious as well, at least with the primitive robots we have today:
Smartphones see accelerated rise to dominance
August 30, 2012 10:26 am | News | CommentsDriven by increased demand from developed regions for high-end models, along with an unexpectedly strong push from emerging economies for lower-cost products, smartphones are expected to rise to account for the majority of global cellphone shipments in 2013 — two years earlier than previously predicted.
Wireless environmental sensor node uses cloud-enabled platform
August 29, 2012 12:14 pm | Product Releases | CommentsMicroStrain, ENV-Link-Mini, plug-and-play, wireless, environmental monitoring, environmental sensing, remote sensing, remote monitoring, sensing network, sensor network, sensor node, SensorCloud, IP67, LXRS wireless protocol
Stop switch ideal for space sensitive applications
August 29, 2012 10:09 am | Product Releases | CommentsMilford, CT – EAO Corporation of Milford, CT USA, a premier global supplier of Human Machine Interface (HMI) Systems and Components, introduces the Series 51 Stop Switch. These units are ideal for space sensitive applications often found within:
The most overdesigned shower ever created
August 29, 2012 9:49 am | by Kasey Panetta, Associate Editor | Blogs | CommentsIf you’ve been dying to run your business empire without ever leaving your shower, but hadn’t found a good way to do that, you should probably check out Fei Chung Billy Ho’s ‘Le Terme.’
Designing low-cost wireless sensor networks for real-world applications
August 28, 2012 4:18 pm | by Brad Walters, President & Kelly Lewis, Engineering Manager, Monnit Corp., www.monnit.com | Articles | CommentsIt is no surprise that industries around the world are moving toward the implementation of wireless sensor networks which, contrary to their wired counterparts, are readily deployed with minimal effort while providing clear advantages in cost, size, power, mobility and flexibility. The cost and hassle of installing and maintaining wired systems has prompted many industries to embrace wireless sensors...
Ensuring safety through automobile electronics
August 27, 2012 10:31 am | by Anthony Le, Winbond Electronics, www.winbond.com | Blogs | CommentsHow many of us have seen cars swerving on the road because the driver is on the phone or texting? The reality is that more drivers are using mobile devices in cars and more electronics are being designed into new cars, such as smart phones, infotainment systems with large tablet-like displays, and various inputs/warning systems resulting in information overload. These gadgets dramatically
SPDT RF switch suits battery-powered and automotive telematics applications
August 24, 2012 10:21 am | Product Releases | CommentsPeregrine Semiconductor announced the availability of the SPDT PE42421 RF switch, which is available in a miniature, six-lead SC-70 package. With its small package size, ESD performance of 2 kV on the RFC port, low voltage support down to 1.8V VDD, and low power consumption of
The light bulb you can't live without
August 24, 2012 10:13 am | by Kasey Panetta, Associate Editor | Blogs | CommentsI’m inundated with thoughts about light bulbs. That is to say, I think about light bulbs an inordinate amount of time.When you work with emerging technology, light bulbs are kind of a big deal. Whether it’s LEDs versus incandescent bulbs, how different bulbs affect the environment, how expensive versus how efficient, the perfect wattage for my new lamp or the environmentalists versus the homeowners...
RF switch matrix series delivers off-the-shelf performance up to 40 GHz
August 23, 2012 3:52 pm | Product Releases | CommentsSenarioTek today announced the FlexMatrix reconfigurable RF switch matrix series, which delivers off-the-shelf performance up to 40 GHz. With FlexMatrix, test engineers can easily adjust, modify or expand their RF switching capability for applications such as radar, military communications and consumer wireless.
Thin-film common-mode filter boasts 10-GHz cutoff frequency
August 23, 2012 10:12 am | Product Releases | CommentsTDK Corporation has developed a new thin-film common-mode filter with a peak cutoff frequency of 10 GHz, enabling it to efficiently reduce high frequency noise emissions, especially in the 5-GHz band. The high cutoff frequency of the TCM0806T-060-2P filter ensures that
High-density, output configurable power system provides 1,300 W for space-constrained apps
August 23, 2012 9:48 am | Vicor Corp. | Product Releases | CommentsVicor Corp. introduced the Westcor MicroPAC power factor corrected AC/DC power system providing up to 1300 W of continuous power at up to 92 percent efficiency and 25 W/in3 power density in a 4 x 1.72 x 7.45 inch package. Offering semi-regulated output voltages of
Fully integrated, seven-channel, 1.8-V and 3.3-V relay driver promises reduced board space
August 22, 2012 12:33 pm | Product Releases | CommentsTexas Instruments introduced a fully integrated, seven-channel relay driver that can support low-voltage relays from as low as 1.8 V up to 5 V. The ULN2003LV relay driver replaces a handful of discrete components with a single device to drive
