Electronic Design Update: January 16, 2008

Electronic Design UPDATE e-Newsletter | January 16, 2008

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Get the Most from Your Multicore Processor Multicore processors present new software challenges that must be overcome to fully take advantage of processing capabilities in test, control, and embedded design applications. Learn how engineers and scientists can use graphical programming to harness the power of multicore processors. View the webcast series from experts, including the Multicore Association and Intel.

Electronic Design UPDATE edited by Richard Gawel, Managing Editor
and John Arkontaky, Assistant Editor

.. editor's view | The Media Is The Message At CES By Mark David, Group Editorial Director

"What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" has never been less true than during CES. Talk about a no-holds-barred media extravaganza! Much of CES 2008 seemed déjà vu-ish to those of us who have been at past shows, but one differentiator was the turbo charge in media coverage—a boost that sounds implausible given the level of media saturation at previous Consumer Electronics Shows.

Read the full article..... Our revamped Navigation bar has new Design Hotspots. Come check out the latest in EDA, analog, embedded, power, and green design from the ED editors. .. EiED online | Surviving CES

My trip to the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) started out with a bang, literally. The van I took from the airport got into a fender-bender. While I did eventually make it to CES in one piece, surviving on the show floor was another thing.

Read the full article..... focus on embedded hardware | Chipset Embarks As First For WirelessHD

According to Sibeam Inc., its latest transmitter/receiver chipsets are the industry's first WirelessHD chipsets. These devices sonn will be available to select customers. The SB9120 network processor and the SB9110 RF transceiver act as the transmitter for DVD players, set-top-boxes, and media center PCs while the SB9121 network processor and the SB9111 transceiver chipset perform as the receiver for digital televisions and front projectors.

Read the full article..... Engineering TV | Near-Field Communications Applications

Near-Field Communications (NFC) uses your Bluetooth-enabled cell phone to make information accessibility easier to obtain using tags loaded with information like URLs, directions, phone numbers, appointments, and anything else you want to save. The tags can be placed anywhere and, with a swipe of your phone, the information is automatically transfered.

To see the episode, click here...

..news from the editors | A Penny For Your Pixels?

By Daniel Harris, Digital Technology Editor

With the U.S. dollar plummeting, it's nice to know how far a penny stretches these days thanks to the DVS-1600 TFT LCD OEM interface controller from Digital View. But a resonable price tag doesn't imply the controller board lacks functionality.

Read the full article.... Latest SSD Drive Beefs Up Capacity

By Dan Harris, Digital Technology Editor

Some critics say 64 Gbytes won't cut the hard-disk drive (HDD) mustard. So, Samsung Semiconductor ups the ante to 128 Gbytes with its latest solid-state drive (SSD). Based on multi-level cell (MLC) flash, the drive will be offered 1.8- and 2.5-in. versions for PC and embedded mobile applications.

Read the full article.... Boost Data-Center Performance While Lowering Cost And Power Consumption

By Louis E. Frenzel, Communications/Test Editor

The latest accelerated Ethernet adapters from NetEffect extend the company's network interface card family. The first, the NE0201Gb 1-Gbit/s adapter, plugs right into existing slots and immediately improves the performance of all data-center applications without requiring changes to existing network infrastructures or the applications themselves.

Read the full article.... IITC Program To Focus on 3D Issues

This year's 11th annual IEEE International Interconnect Technology Conference will focus more deeply on 3D issues to better align its technical program with the interconnect needs of the semiconductor and photonics industries.

Read the full article.... Jobs Shows Off Tiny New Laptop

Apple's Chief Executive Steve Jobs unveiled a super-slim new laptop that's less than an inch thick and turns on the moment it's opened at the Macworld conference.

Read the full article...

Electronic Design Announcement

Webcast: "Leveraging ESL Techniques for Low-Power Design" Wednesday, February 13 @ 11 am PT/2 pm ET Presented by Mentor Graphics Power optimization has become one of the primary goals of SoC designers in this age of portable/wireless systems. This webcast will examine what is to be gained for low-power SoC design at levels of abstraction above RTL. It will also look at how tools and methodologies are evolving to suit power optimization. You'll learn about new ESL modeling methodologies and IP reuse concepts with which designers can efficiently build TLM SoC platforms that can accommodate accurate power assessments and substantial power optimization under real-time use cases. Register today...

..quick poll | In our January 31 cover story, Contributing Editor Ron Schneiderman will look at the role of power efficiency in today's designs. How important is power efficiency in your current projects?

• Reduced power consumption is our number-one goal.
• Power efficiency is one of our key goals.
• We trim power where we can, but not at the expense of other specifications.
• Power efficiency isn't a concern at all.

Let your voice be heard. Vote now on www.electronicdesign.com. The Quick Poll is located at the bottom of the page, so don't forget to scroll down!

..product picks online | Low-Power Silicon Tuner Invades ATSC/NTSC Apps Module Interfaces Ethernet To Modbus Compact RMS RF Power Meter Relies On USB Control 250-W AC-DC Supplies Measure 1U High Controller/Driver Supervises Standard Steppers ..upcoming industry events | Tessera U.S. Technology Symposium Jan. 21 Santa Clara, Calif. International Solid State Circuits Conference Feb. 3-7 San Francisco, Calif. DesignCon 2008 Feb. 4-7 Santa Clara, Calif. See more industry events...

Electronic Design Announcement

Low Level Measurements Handbook The sixth edition of Keithley's "Low Level Measurements Handbook" covers the fundamentals of precision dc current, voltage, and resistance measurements with a section devoted to common low-level measurement applications. Also included is an instrument selection guide as well as a measurement troubleshooting guide, a glossary of terms, and important safety considerations. Download your free copy now!

.. ED bookstore | VHDL 2008: Just The New Stuff By Peter Ashenden and Jim Lewis

I can hear some of you asking the question already: "VHDL? That's still around?" For those coming to VHDL for the first time, it might not be the best starting place. But for those users who are already familiar with the language, this is an ideal source for "the new stuff" in VHDL-2008.

To read the review, click here.....