Elite's embedded blog

EE Times Group’s ESC Silicon Valley 2010 Luminaries to Provide Vision for Embedded Developers Today, Tomorrow and 20 Years From Now

admin — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 11:36:17 +0000

Event Keynote Speakers: Bestselling Author Dr. Michio Kaku, Texas Instruments CEO Richard Templeton, Better Place Vice President Jason Wolf
SAN FRANCISCO, March 4 /PRNewswire/ — Three electronics industry visionaries will discuss near-term and future opportunities for embedded electronics developers world-wide during their keynote addresses at the EE Times Group’s upcoming ESC Silicon Valley 2010 event, being held at the McEnery Convention Center, San Jose, California, April 26 – April 29.

Keynote Details

Tuesday, April 27, 9:30 AM

Theoretical physicist, best-selling author and science popularizer, Dr. Michio Kaku, will impart a “Star Trek-like” vision of the future where intellectual capital enables many more useful electronics products and systems such as “the smart bathroom” and the “handheld MRI machine.”

Wednesday, April 28, 9:30 AM

Texas Instruments President and Chief Executive Officer, Richard Templeton, will reinforce the role that today’s embedded developers have in bringing life-enriching products to market.

Thursday, April 29, 9:30 AM

Better Place Vice President of North America, Jason Wolf, will explain the impact that electronics innovation has on global energy and transportation ecosystems today and in the future.

“We are very excited to have such accomplished and forward-thinking keynote speakers at this year’s ESC Silicon Valley event,” said EE Times Group’s Director of Content/Media, Rich Nass. “Audiences will be treated to three different but balanced perspectives of the powerful impact that embedded systems developers have on global industries that rely on their inventions, innovations and technologies today, tomorrow and in the decades to come.”

NOTE TO EDITORS: Media registration for ESC Silicon Valley 2010 is now open (https://esc.embedded.com/sv/2010/index/Registrations/Media). Please contact EE Times Group to schedule interviews with exhibiting company executives and speakers before and during the event:

Amy Giannini, Events Marketing Manager

415.947.6626 (office)

925.286.9878 (cell)

amy....@ubm.com

About ESC Silicon Valley (http://esc-sv.techinsightsevents.com)

Held in key strategic technology development locations worldwide, the Embedded Systems Conference is the global electronics industry’s leading event. With cutting edge product demonstrations, visionary speeches and hundreds of essential technical training classes and accreditation opportunities, ESC is the ideal venue for the design engineering community to learn, collaborate and recognize excellence. In addition, ESC Boston celebrates decades of unique local electronics industry culture, innovation and significant contributions to the global technology industry.

About EE Times Group (http://www.eetimesgroup.com/)

EE Times Group, a division of United Business Media (LON: UBM), is the global leader in media and marketing services for the electronics industry. We deliver results for the key influencers and decision makers involved in the design, development and commercialization of technology through our market leading brands. More than 1.1 million engineering professionals engage with the EE Times Network – EE Times, TechOnline, DesignLines, and Embedded.com – across the globe. The technology community comes to our market leading events to share, learn, discuss, and advance the critical issues and challenges facing the electronics industry. As well, EE Times Group provides end-to-end services ranging from next-generation marketing, integrated media and research.

For more information on ESC Silicon Valley 2010 please contact:

Felicia Hamerman

Group Marketing Director, EE Times Group

516.562.5652

feli...@ubm.com

Media Contact:

Lynda Kaye

Kaye Public Relations

650.799.2888

lyn...@KayePR.com

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Numonyx 65nm serial flash for embedded applications

admin — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 11:29:52 +0000

Numonyx has introduced its 65nm multiple I/O serial flash memory product line designed for embedded applications. The new Numonyx Forte N25Q serial flash family is available in 3V and 1.8V.

The N25Q serial flash memory supports multiple I/O SPI protocols (Single, Dual and Quad,) on the same device, which delivers the highest level of design flexibility to customers.

Numonyx said it has significantly improved the read and write speeds over the entire supply voltage range, improving clock speeds from 75MHz to 108MHz and up to four times, or 432MHz, in the Quad I/O mode. At both 3V and 1.8V, the N25Q is well-suited for a range of applications, including battery-operated devices such as handheld or consumer electronics.

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GSMA drives embedded-module takeover

admin — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 07:52:33 +0000

If the goal of the GSM Association comes to fruition, there will be 50 billion connected devices on the market by 2025, meaning that every individual could have approximately seven connected devices. That also means seven new revenue streams coming into the service providers who stake a claim in the movement, which is beginning to reach all industries from healthcare to transport to clean energy, education, consumer electronics and smart utilities. In an effort to drive volumes up and prices down, the GSMA launched a competition last week encouraging the production of standardized 3G modules in a range of consumer electronics devices. GSMA chief marketing officer Michael O’Hara spoke with Telephony about the GSMA’s Embedded Mobile initiative, launched last year, and the potential for service providers to move beyond voice and into devices everywhere.

On the networks’ evolution: When I came in [a year ago], we were focused on the mobile broadband space and the battle between HSPA, LTE and the WiMax camp. That was a valid technology debate a year ago; people were trying to look at what would win; what would be the best way to do mobile broadband going forward. We got to a point where that is pretty much over. We are now sitting around 315 HSPA networks across 127 countries. There are about 133 million HSPA subscribers out there now. It is certainly fast growing and will become the ubiquitous mobile broadband technology going forward. We still see WiMax as complementary in some emerging markets, but as a mainstream technology, we’re pretty much set on HSPA and the evolution into LTE. As that rolls out, we have 3G phones; we’ve seen the emergence of 3G laptops over the next year and operators starting to sell netbooks. The next step is embedding the mobile broadband technology in every device.

On the target verticals: There is definitely the potential to embed the technology in a number of areas. Obviously with consumer electronics where you start to look at connected cameras, MP3 players – all that fun stuff. The utility markets have always been big with smart metering, the ability to charge people differently depending on the time of day. It is interesting around performance information from cars and monitoring how cars are going along, health care, patient monitoring and well-being monitoring. Clean energy is a becoming a big thing around reporting emissions and air quality. Those are a number of verticals where you are starting to see this technology move and probably the target verticals for us.

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Indian-American selected for US Council on Competitiveness

admin — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 04:25:58 +0000

WASHINGTON: Pradeep Khosla, an Indian-American internationally recognised as an authority on robotics, has been selected to join a prestigious council, committed to US competitiveness in the global economy.

Khosla, an IIT Kharagpur alumnus has been selected to join the Council on Competitiveness — a select group of corporate CEOs, university presidents and labour leaders to evaluate economic challenges and guide American competitiveness in this globalised world.

“An internationally recognised authority on robotics, embedded systems, technology education, innovation and cybersecurity, Carnegie Mellon’s Pradeep K Khosla is an outstanding addition to our newly formed Technology Leadership Strategy Initiative,” said Deborah Wince-Smith, president of the Washington, DC-based council.

He was also recently appointed for a second five year term as dean of the prestigious Carnegie Institute of technology, in recognition of his leadership in research and education initiatives both within the university and internationally.

He will join an elite group of academic researchers and business leaders tapped to serve for the next three years on the Technology Leadership Strategy Initiative (TLSI), a collaborative effort designed to chart the most promising frontiers of technology and competitive advantage arenas for the United States.

The council estimates that technology jobs are growing five times faster than any other jobs worldwide, and 90 per cent of the fastest-growing jobs in America require post-secondary education. Khosla is founding director of Carnegie Mellon CyLab, one of the largest university-based cybersecurity research and education centers in the world.

The new initiative will be co-chaired by Ray Johnson, senior vice president and chief technology officer for Lockheed Martin Corp, and Mark Little, senior vice president and director of GE Global Research.

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Comprehensive Analysis on AC-DC Power Supplies Opportunities

admin — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 03:41:40 +0000

Among the areas examined in this report are the technology, architecture and packaging trends affecting the industry, as well as a thorough discussion of new and emerging technologies and materials, potential threats and the latest regulatory developments and standards. Over 25 tables, graphs and illustrations are presented depicting a variety of power system schematics and comparisons, architectural standards, product introductions, packaging solutions, efficiency standards and other relevant information. The focus of this comprehensive analysis provides decision makers with an insightful look into the current and future opportunities and threats available in theembedded ac-dc power supply market.

Over the next few years, ac-dc power supplies will represent a faster growth opportunity than board-mounted dc-dc converter modules. This is a major development and marks a significant departure from past patterns. Historically, power converter makers have turned to dc-dc converter modules for high growth rates. That will no longer be possible. As a result of numerous factors, ac-dc power supplies now represent a better long-term growth opportunity than dc-dc converter modules (see Graphs 1-3). Despite a global economic slowdown, the outlook for the worldwide embedded ac-dc power supply market is expected to remain strong. Evolving powering architectures, packaging trends, and global standards for improvements in energy efficiency are combining with developments in advanced components and new markets for ac-dc power and to create new opportunities for makers of ac-dc power supplies.

The emergence of LED lighting as a major application area is another instance where single-output power supplies will have a strong positive impact on the market. More and more often, high-power LEDs are leaving their niche in small displays and are used in mainstream lighting applications requiring power levels of 100W or greater. At the same time, demand for lower-wattage LED power supplies will also remain strong. Given this increasing demand for LED lighting applications, a growing number of companies are introducing ac-dc power supplies designed exclusively for high-brightness LED lighting applications. In addition, there are a number of new and important packaging trends and applications moving into the market. The growing influence of the Advanced Telecommunications Computing Architecture (ATCA), which is targeted at the requirements for the next generation of carrier-grade communications equipment including telecom and data systems centers, is especially important. The ATCA architecture provides high levels of availability via redundancy and hot swapping techniques, which will provide a host of opportunities for embedded ac-dc power supplies.

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High-quality image projector on smartphones by late 2010

admin — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 03:10:37 +0000

Microdisplays could soon be embedded in smartphones, allowing anyone to share content on just about any kind of screen.

Imagine you’re on a camping trip with your family, and your kids are bored. They want to watch a movie, but you forgot your laptop at home. Hopeless? Not at all.

You pull out your fifth-generation iPhone–yes, this is a story about future technology–power it up, aim it at the wall of the tent, and start projecting their favorite film there.

This is one of the many potential promises of a new microdisplay technology from Displaytech, a recently acquired division of Boise-based Micron. Known as FLCOS, or fast liquid crystal on silicon, the technology is designed to make it possible to project from a relatively small form factor device, and with high image quality and vibrant colors, just about anything you’d want, be it a Disney flick or a complex PowerPoint presentation.

The idea behind the technology is that FLCOS microdisplays can mix color over time, blending reds, greens, and blues in very quick sequence, explained Eric Boles, Micron’s director of marketing services. The human eye turns such color mixing into full color, meaning that FLCOS obviates any kind of color filtering.

Right now, the projection engine behind the technology is about an inch-and-a-half long and very power efficient, Boles said. Just 1.1 watts can produce 10 lumens.

For now, no mobile phone makers have gotten on board with Micron’s microdisplay technology, in part because the chips may still be too expensive, and because smartphones may not yet have the power to allocate to something like FLCOS. But because the projection technology is on a chip, it is likely to follow the traditional silicon curves, Boles said, meaning that the chips will probably get smaller, faster and cheaper quickly.

The market will likely make it possible for Micron’s technology to begin being embedded in smartphones by late 2010 or early 2011, the company said. (Credit: Daniel Terdiman)

Other exciting advances–before the microdisplay technology makes its way to the iPhone–could include adding wireless to the device so that it can retrieve content without having to be physically tethered to the content source.

There are, of course, other companies working on similar products, but the folks at Micron think they’re onto a special approach to tiny projectors because the microdisplays are all-digital. And that means that Micron may be the only company able to embed such technology on a chip.

During my visit we discussed the idea that there is simply no end to the possible applications for the microdisplay technology. But as the Micron folks went through their presentation, it seemed that there was one constant: Each time they talked about a new potential use for it, my reaction was–and I suspect many people’s would be–”When can I get that?”

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Early design verification with virtual system integration and simulation

admin — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 02:39:22 +0000

Embedded and electronic system design teams face the challenge of reducing development time and costs while improving quality, performance and functionality. However, increased system complexity is raising the cost of verification, in some cases to as much as 70 percent of the overall project cost. As verification consumes more time, it eliminates opportunities for engineers to create product differentiation through design optimization and to focus on innovation.

This problem manifests itself differently across industries:

• Engineers at electronics OEMs and suppliers try every possible verification technology, hoping to avoid the re-spin that will halt their race-to-market with the next generation device.

• Automotive and aerospace engineers conduct extensive design and code reviews to confirm software in dozens of embedded processors meets design requirements.

• Industrial automation engineers struggle to design and integrate increasingly complex control and mechatronic systems with hardware prototypes in the lab.

These scenarios share two common problems: the difficulty of determining whether designs and implementations meet requirements; and the waste involved with manual testing and rework. These challenges stem from fundamental workflow gaps across stages of development and disconnected tools used by component design teams. Even if each component is designed well and tested extensively, issues related to requirements and integration are often found towards the end of the development process.

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Red Hat: From manic acquisitions to focused execution

admin — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 09:46:14 +0000

Red Hat is at the top of its game right now, delivering quarter after quarter of impressive performance despite (or, perhaps, because of) a global recession. But it wasn’t always thus. Despite a meteoric initial public offering in 1999, Red Hat spent years fumbling about for a winning game plan, dabbling in technologies that took it far beyond its core competence in operating systems.

Small wonder, then, that Red Hat today hasn’t risen to the bait to move beyond its core competence.

In fact, it may well have been the burden of its IPO that set Red Hat scurrying to marry open-source ideology with hard-headed business acumen, a thought prompted by Red Hat’s bizarre history of acquisitions. This history suggests that much of Red Hat’s laser-like focus on core infrastructure today may stem from its wild forays into just about everything else in the past.

In 2000, Red Hat made five acquisitions: Cygnus Solutions (at $674 million, the most expensive by far), Bluecurve, Wirespeed Communications, Hell’s Kitchen Systems, and C2Net. From secure Web servers (C2Net) to embedded systems (Cygnus) to e-commerce payment processing (Hell’s Kitchen) to software for enabling wireless devices to communicate with the Internet and private networks (Wirespeed) to performance management (Bluecurve), Red Hat’s acquisitions were scatter-shot and, ultimately, mostly a failure.

True, the acquisitions brought some excellent talent to the company (Michael Tiemann came from Cygnus, Michael Evans came from Bluecurve, etc.), but in terms of products, it’s telling that the markets served by these early acquisitions are not markets where Red Hat does much today. Embedded? E-commerce? Nope.

In later years, Red Hat’s acquisition strategy initially proved just as chaotic, but as the acquisition pace slackened, Red Hat’s focus tightened. So, while 2001 saw Akopia (e-commerce) and Planning Technologies (consulting) join the fold, 2002 brought NOCpulse, a server monitoring solution, which bolstered the still-nascent Red Hat Network that Red Hat launched in September 2000.

Red Hat was no longer casting about for a business model. It had already discovered a winning model with the launch of Red Hat Advanced Server in March 2002, a move that would be augmented just a year later with the release of Red Hat Enterprise Linux in March 2003.

Since that time, Red Hat has eschewed anything that might distract it from its stated central mission: commoditizing and delivering superior value around core IT infrastructure, including (today) the Linux operating system and JBoss middleware.

In its early days, flush with IPO cash, Red Hat could afford to experiment with e-commerce, embedded computing, and applications (e.g., Red Hat actually picked up several content management systems as part of its spending spree). Today, Wall Street is unforgiving and would likely punish speculative acquisitions.

For new open-source companies, there’s a lesson in Red Hat’s current focus, but also in its early profligacy: good companies learn from mistakes and can overcome their teenage foibles.

There’s another lesson: sometimes your competitors can pay dividends. After all, one of Red Hat’s early investors was…Novell, an investment that made Novell over $100 million. That’s foresight!

Intel, Bosch, Johnson Controls join ’smart object’ alliance

admin — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 03:47:14 +0000

“Intel believes the IPSO Alliance will be an integral group to enable the interoperability and connectivity of devices for the Internet,” said Tony Neal-Graves, general manager, Strategic Planning, embedded Embedded and Communications Group, Intel. “Intel Architecture has played a central role in the build out of the Internet and we are committed to delivering products and technology that will enable billions of embedded, connected devices.”

“There is a need for an open, informal and thought-leading association of like-minded organizations and individuals to promote the value of using the Internet Protocol for the networking of smart objects. Bosch is convinced that standards for embedded IP will foster an open systems approach and achieve high interoperability levels which are crucial,” noted Harald Hoenninger, vice president of corporate research at Bosch. “The IPSO Alliance seems to be the perfect forum to promote such a standard. As members, we plan to contribute to the Alliance and take a role in the existing and evolving business ecosystems of Embedded IT.”

The alliance was created last September and has quickly gained traction as a leading international advocate for networked devices and synchronicity of physical objects. Time magazine marked the formation of the alliance as one of the best inventions of 2008, noting, “The organization intends to create a new kind of network that will allow sensor-enabled physical objects – appliances in your home, products in a factory, cars in a city – to talk to one another, the same way people communicate over the Internet.”

A so-called “smart object” is any device which combines processing power, communications capabilities and a power source to provide real-time information to a computer system. Integration of the Internet Protocol, which allows the Internet to run smoothly, in turn allows smart objects to communicate directly with one another over the existing global network following a proven protocol that has been in place for nearly 35 years. The IP framework additionally provides unsurpassed scalability, a vital feature for large organizations.

“This connectivity between physical objects across so many facets of our lives represents a quantum leap in the way technology will be applied in the coming century. It also explains why so many essential technology companies are joining in our efforts,” stated IPSO Alliance chairman Geoff Mulligan. “The numerous areas of life and platforms that will be impacted is reflected in the caliber of companies partnering with us in these early stages. We expect to see more well-known organizations joining with us in the months ahead.”

“The introduction of IP sensors and smart objects provide for holistic building operational efficiency by marrying IT systems with HVAC, energy, fire, security and lighting systems,” commented Joseph Noworatzky, VP of engineering for Johnson Controls. “This convergence of systems creates new synergies and applications for our customers not feasible across independent networks.”

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Sony PSP, PSN has nothing to do with Google Chrome OS

admin — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 07:54:33 +0000

While we’re all thrilled to see Google throw a new coat of paint onto the Linux kernel, there are, in fact, other things going on Out There, like, say, the quickly evolving PSP. Yesterday’s exotic rumor suggested that Sony is working on a full-fledged PSP2, a system with Xbox1-level graphics. Today I spy an interview with a Sony so-and-so that attempts to explain the company’s rationale for the PSP Go, how PSN compares to XBL these days, and so forth.

The highlights (kids today only have attention spans for highlights):

• Again, the PSP Go isn’t meant to replace the PSP-3000; not everyone in the world has access to broadband, and some people just like having physical media.

• The plan is to have every game from here on out available digitally (via the PSN or store-bought download cards… not every 16-year-old can use his father’s credit card to buy stuff online).

• Yes, Sony wants to bring as many PSOne games to the PSN as it can.

• A PS3 download service is a little harder to pull off than the Xbox 360 download service for the simple reason that PS3 games come on Blu-ray discs while Xbox 360 games are DVD-like. It’s harder to download, and store, 50GB than it is to download and store 9GB.

• Sony thinks PSN isn’t as “behind” XBL as it was, say, two years ago.

• There’s no plans yet for HD video/movie streaming on the PS3