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01 July 2008
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News & Analysis
Aiming to define a spec for Internet Protocol as early as June next year, the IETF's Routing over Low-power and Lossy Networks (Roll) group is pursuing a standard way for control and sensor nodes on Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and 802.15.4 nets to link to the broader Internet.
LCDs and plasma screens may be the dominant choice for TV sets today, and LCDs the displays of choice for almost every other application, but a pair of upstart technologies is vying to replace them.
IBM Corp.'s Roadrunner will go down in history as the first computer to consistently crank out 1 petaflops.
Living up to its name, the USB is supplanting the RS-232 bus as the standard serial interface in general-purpose MCUs. The capability of integrated USB is also increasing as more devices incorporate both host and On-the-Go (OTG) capability to augment the endpoint-device interfaces of earlier MCUs.
In an effort to help manufacturers easily add CE control (CEC) functionality to digital systems, interface chip vendors are designing transmitters and receivers, as well as switches and repeaters, with features that allow them to embed CEC capability with fewer parts into DTVs, PCs, video recorders and other A/V products.
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Even as WiMAX technology begins riding its first wave of deployment, second-generation equipment design is entering the water. WiMAX developers are targeting what they call Wave 2 development, which aims to increase security and performance in fixed and mobile applications.
PDPs clearly had a very good 2007, but the picture for 2008 is clouding over. How the PDP-vs.-LCD duel in HDTVs will look one year from now will depend on many variables, including relative supply and demand, continuing or aborted investment in new factories, the speed of manufacturing ramp-ups at new plants, and TV makers' pricing patterns.
IMT-2000 and 802.11 radios will interfere with each other unless they are located approximately 8m apart for 2.6GHz and 16m apart at 2.3GHz.
Chipmakers need high volume sales to generate meaningful return, and high volumes require global markets. For a global technology market to take off, history has demonstrated that standards are essential. This was true for both Wi-Fi wireless Internet and Bluetooth. It will also be true for sensor networks.
One of the primary factors affecting voice quality is environmental noise, and so any means of suppressing noise provides a potential differentiator for handset manufacturers.
Jack Ganssle gives us a question: Are professional organizations worthwhile?
Technical Features
Solid state lighting with LEDs can offer a combination of flexibility and efficiency unmatched by conventional lighting. It is quickly becoming one of the most exciting fields in electromechanical engineering and design. LED driver applications require buck converters because LEDs are current mode devices. (PDF file)
Automotive motor-drivers require circuits that do more than just switch the motor on and off. This article describes design implementation of H-bridges in "smart power" technology for an automotive application: a stepper motor actuator for positioning headlamps. (PDF file)
What exactly is a multimedia handset? What defines today's multimedia functionality? What are the latest offerings that fit the bill? What are the technologies behind multimedia handsets, and the forecast for the future? This article offers a definition of a multimedia handset based on its feature set. (PDF file)
Electronic systems typically use EMI suppression devices such as ferrites and filters. This article focuses on the use of the Faraday cage or "picket fence" approach to PCB design and layout to eliminate costly EMI protection components. (PDF file)
Opinion
Dubai, the Arab world's modern face, has a remarkable track record for turning visions into reality. But silicon is a different game altogether and will require far more perseverance and longer-term commitment.
With global competition growing in ferocity, standards of conduct getting looser, and the manufacturing supply chain operating in countries with weak intellectual-property protection, what's the best way to safeguard the security keys integral to standards-based security schemes for everything from HDTV to iPods?
Interview
According to chairman and CEO of Synopsys Aart de Geus: There's a trade-off between innovation, execution and collaboration. You can execute, but if you don't collaborate with the right people, you have nothing.
Vital Signs
Aberdeen Group has listed the 100 most influential technology vendors for 2008, and has identified business intelligence and analytics as the tech capabilities that will have the greatest impact.
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