News
Low-power audio codec incorporates charge pump for Class G headphone amplifier
6/17/2008
Wolfson recently announced the low-power WM8903 audio codec for handheld consumer electronics.
Lossless coding comes to portables 5/13/2008
With more widespread use of MP3-player docking stations, consumers are increasingly finding that the sound quality from portable devices does not match that of CD sound, according to austriamicrosystems. Consequently, the company has introduced the AS3532 media-player IC that handles lossless-compression music content and operates within a 5-mW limit.CSR hits $6 parts cost for DSP-Bluetooth headset 5/13/2008
In the world of Bluetooth-headset design, every cent of the BOM (bill of materials) counts. With that fact in mind, CSR has introduced single-chip devices with BOM figures of $5 and $6. The BlueVox2 headset costs $5, and the extra $1 adds DSP for active noise cancellation to remove ambient sounds from the microphone channel.Qualcomm and Taiwan's Foxlink plan factory for MEMS-based displays 5/7/2008
Slated to open in 2009 in Taoyuan, the facility will produce the next generation of the sunlight-readable, low-power display modules, according to Qualcomm.Solid-state cooling device harnesses corona discharge 5/1/2008
Thorrn Micro Technologies has demonstrated a small, silent, no-moving-parts cooling device that generates more airflow than mechanical fans four times its size while consuming less power and space. The 15×15× 2-mm RSD5 creates a breeze of 2.4m/sec, outperforming the 1.7m/sec that a mechanical fan measuring 40×40×10 mm can produce, according to the company.In-Depth
Bridging the new DisplayPort standard 7/10/2008
Developers of the new DisplayPort standard designed it for efficiency. However, DisplayPort's partitioning differs from that of TMDS-based architectures, and engineers need approaches for bridging DisplayPort with the earlier HDMI and DVI standards.Selecting video op amps 6/26/2008
Video amplifiers have unique and demanding specifications. Understanding them will help you select an amplifier that can do the job.Bluetooth: Sufficient fidelity even for average listeners? 6/26/2008
Applications require video support and additional audio channels to cope with stereo, driving the need for low-latency codecs. Using a Bluetooth chip set simplifies development and enables the manufacturer to leverage the brand recognition that Bluetooth now enjoys among consumers.Low-cost snapshots: Dismembering a diminutive digicam 6/12/2008
Prying Eyes queries the contents of a sub-$10 keychain camera.Embedded x86: keystone of your non-PC design? 5/29/2008
x86 microprocessors may not have the absolute lowest power per megahertz, absolute highest performance per clock tick, or optimum code efficiency when you evaluate them against all possible alternatives. Bundle up the features, though, and the total "kit" often stacks up favorably versus the competition.Experts
Fear of feature-itis 6/12/2008
Maybe teenagers like these little gizmos with a zillion functions, but I need a tool, not a toy.Consumer electronics: too daunting for our addled brains? 5/29/2008
My conclusion: If you make a product with a user interface so poor that the average consumer can’t figure it out, then your product is defective, even if all the transistors, buttons, displays, and other components work.Solid-state drives: HDD replacements? Huge disappointments? Neither. 5/1/2008
While the tit-for-tat over the relative merits of and prospects for traditional hard-disk drives versus flash-memory-based SSDs (solid-state drives) continues, our expert weighs in with a more pragmatic assessment. Economic and technical factors mean the two storage formats are more likely to coexist and thrive in specific niches.HD DVD: Ding, dong, the disc is dead 2/19/2008
Toshiba has publicly admitted what everyone already knew: Sony's Blu-ray has won the high-definition DVD format war. But how much does the victory mean, with high-def downloads gathering steam?CES: Blu-ray, my my, is HD DVD gonna die? 1/8/2008
For all intents and purposes, the format war is over, and Blu-ray won. The deciding factor? iTunes.DesignIdeas
