TechOnline Blog

Macronix takes NOR flash lead. But who will follow?

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:02:48 -0500

Today's announcement by Macronix of a 256-Mbit serial NOR flash chip is interesting from a capabilities point of view, but leaves a number questions regarding market pull, interface standards and overall market size that makes me wonder who will follow Macronix to create a storm in this teacup?

IMEC puts 10-nm interconnects in perspective

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:08:26 -0500

At last week's tech fest at the IMEC research facility in Belgium, we were given an update on the technologies, processes and design techniques that will get us to 10-nm interconnects. But one slide hits hard and shows just what 10 nm really means.

Use IC vendors to bring your product idea to life

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 06:59:13 -0500

The next time you have a great idea for an end product, you should look at bit more closely at your choice of IC: the vendor-as-partner model can do more to realize your idea than any venture capitalist or angel investor ever could--without eating into your long-term profits.

Old and new: Marconi's Irish roots

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 11:20:23 -0500

In a remote region of Ireland last week I happened upon a monument to Guglielmo Marconi's first commercial wireless transmission: between Rathlin Island and Ballycastle in North Antrim on July 6th. 1898.

UWB is dead! Oops, sorry: It's alive� again!(?)

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 16:17:36 -0500

There's been a miracle at Computex: It seems there have been enough prayers to breath life back into UWB, at least according to second-hand accounts by a remote witness.

Intel hiring DSP programmers: Cognitive dissonance?

Tue, 26 May 2009 17:00:11 -0500

I don't want to read too much into this, as it's part of the natural way of things given recent processing trends, but this job opening does did stop me in my tracks: Intel Ireland seeking senior DSP software developer.

Having a look at "Micro" electronics

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 11:06:12 -0500

The laboratory facilities of TechInsights Services can provide an interesting view of the microelectronics world. Check out the Image of the Week, and take a unique look at some of the electronics you help create.

Bluetooth: Dead and alive

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 10:07:51 -0500

After all the research, development, marketing and debates, Bluetooth was successful. As a mobile headset cable replacement. So, is that it?

IMEC needs your help

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 11:57:30 -0500

The famed Belgian research group is working on new, more-efficient approaches to dynamic, heterogeneous processing across distributed systems and is actively soliciting any and all suggestions as to how it should be done.

Its about passion, not the money (thankfully)

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 17:26:49 -0500

I just got off the phone with Al Wegener, CTO at Samplify Systems. You know how it goes, sometimes you come across someone who just makes you realize how glad you are to be in this business, despite the many ups and downs.

$20 laptop a dubious solution to India's education woes

Mon, 02 Feb 2009 18:27:45 -0500

The $20 laptop introduced by Tata this week is so symbolic at so many levels of both the opportunity and the problem with 'designing for India', that it's hard to know where to begin when weighing its chances for success. At face value, however, it would seem to have the number one criteria -- low cost -- well in hand. Or does it?

The conservation penalty

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 12:35:47 -0500

So, our ever-innovative Long Island Power Authority has thought of yet one more reason to raise our residential bills: We conserved too much power. Apparently its revenues are down due to over-conservation, so we have to pay extra for the over capacity it planned for. Anyone out there appreciate irony?

The post-American myth

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 20:07:15 -0500

In his brilliant book "The Post-American World," Newsweek columnist and international editor Fareed Zakaria spends some time explaining how the global attitude toward the United States is changing: "Countries are increasingly interested in themselves -- the story of their rise -- and pay less attention to the West and the United States�. The world is moving from anger to indifference, from anti-Americanism to post-Americanism." Not so fast.

One giant leap for India

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 11:37:19 -0500

Driven by national pride and powered by an economy and workforce that has benefited from a decade of foreign investment and resurgent education, India launched the Chandrayaan I lunar module this week. In so doing, it loosed the shackles of poverty, social stratification, political and religious strife, and emerged from the long shadow of China and Japan. Symbolically at least, and if but for a moment.

Bad connectors and good design

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 09:33:35 -0500

A recent chat with mobile device service company Rapid Repair left me shaking my head. Despite the untold millions that went into the development of today's most advanced systems, the iPod, Zune and iPhone, they all had the same age-old failure mode: the connectors.