Researchers create invisibility cloak for the terahertz band

'Shielding' for security and communications
By Nick Flaherty www.flaherty.co.uk

Researchers at Northwestern University in the US have created a new kind of cloaking material that can render objects invisible in the terahertz range. Although the design can't translate into an invisibility cloak for the visible spectrum, it could have implications in diagnostics, security, and communication

Read More

Accent Introduces First Transceiver For 802.15.4 Smart Grid Standard

Provides 800Kbit/s for 902-928 MHz and 863-870 MHz bands (US and Europe)
By Nick Flaherty www.flaherty.co.uk

Italian design house Accent has developed the first transceiver to support both mandatory and optional specifications for the IEEE 802.15 TG4g standard for Smart Utility Networks
The group’s charter is to create a global standard for a PHY amendment to 802.15.4 targeting applications such

Read More

Driving the smart grid boom with M2M

Machine-to-machine (M2M) will make or break the sector

By Nick Flaherty www.flaherty.co.uk

With 1.3 billion smart meters worldwide by 2020, it is the applications layer of the M2M supply-chain which can make or break smart-grid implementations for utility-sector companies, says Analysys Mason.

It forecasts 1.3 billion residential and commercial smart meter connections by 2020 with a CAGR of 56

Read More

TI launches free software for microcontrollers

Free Grace software platform that generates C code and eliminates manual peripheral configuration for 16bit chips
By Nick Flaherty www.flaherty.co.uk

Texas Instruments has launched a free visual plug-in that enables developers to easily enable and configure ultra-low-power MSP430 microcontroller peripherals through a graphical user interface (GUI). With the Grace software, developers can

Read More

Toshiba launches 19nm process NAND flash memory for 128Gbytes in a single package

By Nick Flaherty www.flaherty.co.uk 

Despite production problems in the wake of the Japan earthquake and power shortages, Toshiba Electronics Europe has made NAND flash memories with 19nm process technology, the finest level yet achieved. This latest technology advance has already been applied to 2-bit-per-cell 64-gigabit (Gb) and Toshiba says it will also add 3-bit-per-cell products fabricated

Read More

New line of shielded wallets to protect RFID and NFC credit cards from skimming

Faraday caged apparel to protect credit cards

By Nick Flaherty www.flaherty.co.uk

DIFRwear in the US has launched the first line of wallets, ID badge holders, and passport cases specially designed to protect sensitive information now found on many major credit cards and other forms of identification. These chips often contain private financial and other personal information that can be easily

Read More

Develop your own NFC 'smart' poster

By Nick Flaherty www.flaherty.co.uk

The NFC Forum has published a White Paper about developing and deploying NFC Smart Posters, aimed at helping both business and surprisingly consumers, develop their own. NFC Smart Posters are objects in or on which readable NFC tags have been placed. Smart Posters use reader/writer mode, one of the three modes of NFC; the other two modes are Peer-to-Peer and 

Read More

Almost 28% of Total Consumer Smartphones Will Be NFC-Enabled In 2015

By Nick Flaherty www.flaherty.co.uk


A new report available from Research and Markets in Dublin sees NFC making headway in consumer smartphones, with penetration of 28% in the next four years.After its initial launch in 2010, NFC-enabled smartphones will contribute to 28 percent of total smartphone sales to end users (250 million units) by 2015, "Mobile handsets that are NFC-capable will see

Read More

Top 20 fabless chip companies of 2010

US Companies Held 13 of the Top 20 Fabless Spots in 2010

By Nick Flaherty www.flaherty.co.uk



Combined, the top 20 fabless IC suppliers represented 77% of the $59.9 billion in fabless IC sales last year, down two points from 2009 but up two points from 2008 according to Bill McClean of ICinsights.
He points out that 2010 was the first year on record that total fabless IC company sales did

Read More

173m Wi-Fi Direct Devices to Ship in 2011

Turn WiFi devices into access pointsBy Nick Flaherty www.flaherty.co.uk

Although it is currently on the market in small numbers, Wi-Fi Direct is expected to have a break out year in 2011 says market research In-Stat. The number of Wi-Fi Direct-enabled devices shipped will reach 173 million, led by desktop PCs, digital TVs, mobile phones, and notebook PCs. Wi-Fi Direct creates a much more

Read More

Conexant goes private

Acquisition by Golden Gate CompletedBy Nick Flaherty www.flaherty.co.uk

One of the world's classic embedded chip suppliers, Conexant Systems, has been sold to private equity just like NXP and Freescale Semiconductors. In a deal that saw the company sold in the face of an earlier competing offer by SMSC,  it is now 'merged' into a new venture, Gold Acquisition Corp, a wholly owned subsidiary of

Read More

LDRA and TASKING Integration drives code re-use in automotive, control and avionics

Integrated tools to certify small-footprint controllersBy Nick Flaherty www.flaherty.co.uk

Liverpool-based embedded code verification tool developer LDRA has linked its tool suite with Altium's TASKING VX-toolset for the Infineon C166 controller. This brings compliance to safety standards such as MISRA, IEC 61508, and DO-178B to small-footprint microcontrollers like Infineon’s C166 family. The

Read More

Trends for the next decade

Frost & Sullivan Identifies Top Global Mega Trends and Launches Innovation Research ProgrammeBy Nick Flaherty www.flaherty.co.uk


Market researcher Frost & Sullivan believes it has identified the top Mega Trends that will influence and shape the world in the coming years and has launched a Visionary Innovation Research Programme. Ongoing research will cover a spectrum of interesting Mega Trends

Read More

Infineon guns for Atmel's microcontrollers - updated

Files US Patent Infringement Lawsuit over AVR chips

By Nick Flaherty www.flaherty.co.uk

Infineon Technologies has filed a patent lawsuit against Atmel in the US over microcontrollers and touchscreen controllers.
Infineon says it is seeking damages for infringement of eleven of its US patents covering Atmel's AVR, XMEGA, and maXTouch controllers and related products used in automotive,

Read More

Silicon Line aims at optical DisplayPort with ultra low power chipset

Launches World’s Most Power Efficient 6Gbit/s VCSEL Driver and TIA Chipset
By Nick Flaherty www.flaherty.co.uk

Fabless analogue chip designer Silicon Line in Munich has launched an ultra-low power 6Gbit/s VCSEL (Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser) driver and TIA (transimpedance amplifier) CMOS chipset that only consumes a total of less than 14 mW at full line rate, aiming at new applications

Read More

Gennum buys Nanotech Semi for $34m

From SiliconSouthWest - Bristol-based telecoms chip designer Nanotech Semiconductor has been bought by Gennum of Canada for $34 with a $6m earnout for staff.

http://siliconsouthwest.co.uk/index.php/2011/04/gennum-buys-nanotech-semi-for-34m/

Read More

MathWorks Introduces Automatic C Code Generation Directly from MATLAB Language

MATLAB Coder Eliminates Manual Recoding 
By Nick Flaherty www.flaherty.co.uk

Design tool developer MathWorks has taken a key step forward im simplifying the development of embedded systems with MATLAB Coder - a tool that enables design engineers to automatically generate readable, portable C and C++ code directly from their MATLAB algorithms. This new tool eliminates the need to manually

Read More

TI CEO appeals to customers over Nat Semi deal

Commits to no requalification of parts or changes of part numbers
By Nick Flaherty www.flaherty.co.uk

Rich Templeton, CEO of Texas Instruments, has written to customers about the impending takeover of National Semiconductor in a move that looks like an attempt to reassure some nervous embedded designers.

"This acquisition will allow us to address your analog needs with a product portfolio of

Read More

TI buys National Semiconductor

Creates analogue and power management giant
By Nick Flaherty www.flaherty.co.uk

Texas Instruments is to acquire National Semiconductor in a $6.5bn cash deal that demonstrates the continuing consolidation of chip providers for embedded systems. The deal, under which TI will acquire National for $25 per share in an all-cash transaction of about $6.5 billion, combines two industry leaders in

Read More