In-depth product reviews and technology-focused articles written by the iApplianceWeb staff, industry experts, and iAppliance engineers.

First Look: Infogin brings optimal Internet experience to ANY mobile device

(08/06/07, 1:54 AM GMT)

Infogin is promising that you won’t have to pay through roof prices for an iPhone or a nextgen mobile device to get the “real” Internet with the closest possible surfing experience to your PC.

Review:Apple TV goes to bottom instead of top of the line

(06/08/07, 1:54 AM GMT)

Instead of taking a feature-rich, top of the line approach focused on high average selling price, with the Apple TV the company is instead going after the high volume market where the winner is the device with the lowest price.

First Look: Oki WiFi chip protects pedestrians from vehicles

(06/08/07, 12:54 AM GMT)

To reduce pedestrian-vehicle mishaps, OKI Electric Industry Co., Ltd., has developed a DSRC module that can be added to mobile phones to allow location information to be sent to and from DRSC-enabled vehicles.

First Look: Palm's smartphone companion brings big screens to mobiles

(05/28/07, 12:54 AM GMT)

Apparently abandoning the pipedream of squeezing a large screen display into a mobile form factor that makes that impossible, Palm Inc. has just introduced its Wi-Fi connected Foleo smartphone companion device. It has a large screen and full-size keyboard with which to view and edit email and office documents residing on a smartphone.

First Look: Window pane film thwarts WiFi signal eavesdropping

(06/04/07, 1:54 AM GMT)

Solutia’s CPFilms has just introduced  a clear film that can be mounted on window panes to make in-building wireless communications more secure.

First Look: Panthera develops ticklecast method of mobile TV delivery

(02/19/07, 2:54 AM GMT)

Realizing what few in the industry do not or are not willing to admit – that a basically non-real-time Internet is a poor way to deliver live streaming of audio and video content - Penthera Technologies has developed a technique that takes an end run around the problem.

First Look: Hitachi, Renesas develop nonvolatile phase change memory

(02/19/07, 1:54 AM GMT) 

Putting in a bid for the next nonvolatile universal memory for mobile and portable devices, Hitachi and Renesas have developed a 512-kbyte (4-Mbit equivalent) phase change memory.

First Look: Dartdevices wants to make CE devices cooperate

(01/31/07, 1:54 PM GMT)

To deal with the lack of interoperability between various networked devices and systems, startup Dartdevices Corp. is developing software that will in essence make everyone play nice.

First Look: HP, Microsoft reveal details on home server

(01/10/07, 11:54 PM GMT)

Executives at the CES revealed that Microsoft's long-rumored “home server” software will debut on a Hewlett Packard system designed specifically for that new home and personal computing classification.

First Look: Apple “reinvents” the phone (if you say so, Steve)

01/09/07, 1:54 PM GMT

Joining other companies who are rushing to build the feature-laden handheld “everything machines” they think consumers want, Apple CEO Steve Jobs spoke in overblown hyperbole to attendees at MacWorld here, announcing his company’s much anticipated iPhone.

First Look: Mobile devices to undergo a phase memory change

(12/28/06, 1:54 AM GMT)

Researchers from IBM, Macronix and Qimond have come up with a new “phase memory” approach that could change the way memory is allocated and used in digital camera, mobile devices and portable music players.

Security Sentinel: How safe are you from credit card fraud?

(11/05/06, 7:35 PM GMT)

When editor Toni McConnel fell victim to credit card fraud, she made some startling discoveries, including the fact that the security code on the back of a credit card is no protection at all.

LSI Logic transcoding CPU clears up media format mess

(10/09/06, 11:54 AM GMT)

To help developers of the many Internet and mobile TV platforms and their multiplicity of analog and video transmission and imaging standards, LSI Logic Corp. has just introduced a transcoding media processor architecture it calls the Domino[X].

First Look: Fiber to the Home forms home broadband certification

(10/02/06, 1:54 AM GMT)

In a move that will help consumers and homeowners clarify their broadband access capabilities, the Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) Council has launched a network certification effort which will enable consumers to identify and confirm 100% fiber optic broadband connections to their homes.

First Look: Headplay brings Personal Cinema to mobiles

(10/02/06, 3:54 AM GMT)

At the DemoFall conference HEADPLAY, Inc. unveiled its Personal Cinema System -- a portable, visual headset and media center that delivers an immersive, high resolution, cinematic, big screen experience for gaming, movie watching and Internet use.

First Look: Dash unveils Internet-linked auto navigation system

(10/02/06, 03:15 AM GMT)

At the DemoFall conference, Dash Navigation Inc. took the wraps off what it claims is the first automotive navigation device that connects people to the Internet for access to necessary information vital to the operation of their automobiles.

Samsung brightens mobile images in sunlight

(09/08/06, 1:54 AM GMT)

Researchers at Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., have developed an intelligent mobile display driver IC(DDI), which allows the displays on handheld devices to deliver clearer images in broad daylight.

Security Sentinel: Laptop wireless vulnerabilities are not lessening; they're growing worse

(08/23/06, 1:54 PM GMT)

iApplianceWeb Executive Editor Toni McConnel assesses the gloomy state of security on wireless laptops and assesses some of the solutions to this growing problem

First Look: HP hits the Memory(Spot) with grain-sized wireless chip 

(07/17/06, 1:54 PM GMT)

HP  researchers have developed a grain-sized 10 megabit per second wireless chip – the MemorySpot - that can be stuck on or embedded in almost any object providing network access and information to and from the Internet for a variety of mobile devices

First Look: Renesas SH-MobileL3V media CPU brings VGA to mobiles

(07/12/06, 1:54 AM GMT)

Renesas' new SH-MobileL3V multimedia processor designed specifically to bring terrestrial digital broadcast capabilities to mobile phones with desktop VGA quality and resolution. 

Product Commentary: The new FolderShare - or how Microsoft succeeded in stealing my soul

(6/05/06, 08:24 AM GMT)

Executive editor Toni McConnel tells the tale of struggling against Microsoft's "engulf and devour" strategies but finally giving in to this new way to share and access documents on the Web. 

First Look: Will MPEG Surround replace Dolby Digtal 5:1 for high quality audio streaming?

(05/30/06, 6:54 AM GMT)

At the Audio Engineering Society (AES) Expo details were revealed on the nature of  MPEG Surround, a new audio standard that after its final draft publication in July could knock Dolby from its spot as the defacto standard for multichannel audio compression.

View Under the Hood: Lumus substrate-guided optics may transform mobile viewing

(05/15/06, 7:54 AM GMT)

Lumus Technology may have found a way to replace the bulky classic optical components in head-mounted near-eye viewers to provide large screen viewing areas by replacing it with a thin plastic or glass plate it calls the LOE (Lumus Optical Element) which makes use of what is called ‘substrate-guided’ optics.

First Look: Microsoft links XBox games to mobiles, PCs online

(05/13/06, 1:54 AM GMT)

Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates plans to expand the market penetration of its Xbox 360 gaming system to 10 million units by bringing the “Xbox” experience to as many online PC connected computer users as is possible.

Preview: mTLD to open .mobi domain for mobiles in May

(04/10/2006, 1:54 AM GMT)

After years of effort to establish a top level domain address designed specifically for Internet connected mobile devices, mTLD Ltd. will in May go live with its .mobi TLD.

Review: The next great idea in Internet telephone - isn't here yet

(03/31/06, 1:54 AM GMT)

The idea behind Jajah is terrific--Internet telephony that works very much like Skype, and with similar cheap rates, but using your regular land line telephone instead of a headset or USB phone.  But don't hold your breath. There is still work to be done according to Executive Editor Toni McConnel.

First Look: Euclid achieves 400-600% boost in mobile video delivery

(03/28/06, 6:54 AM GMT)

Euclid Discoveries claims it has achieved compression ratios of 15,168 to 1 for certain videos, paving the way for high quality streaming video delivery over wireless networks in applications such as mobile phones, PDAs, and portable media players.

First Look: Threshold wants to make home net installation a no-brainer

(03/27/06, 1:54 AM GMT)

If you are one of those early adopter consumer device enthusiasts who rush out to buy the newest technology gadget or system – such as a home wireless network -  and then leave it in the garage because of installation complexity, Threshold Corp. may be the company to watch.

First Look: NEC audio processor extends mobile device play to 50 hours

(03/21/06, 10:45 AM GMT)

NEC Electronics America, Inc. has just introduced a new family of AP processors that it says will allow 50 hours of continuous playback on mobile phones. 

Review: WordPress 2.0.2 - Blog software for the rest of us 

(03/18/06, 1:54 PM GMT)

Unregenerate "early adopter" Toni McConnel has nothing but praise for WordPress 2.0.2, recommending it for the rest of us because it's easy, it works right, and it's free.

First Look: Fujitsu works on nonvolatile resistive RAM for mobiles

(02/27/06, 4:34 AM GMT)

To meet the need for nonvolatile memory devices with greater density as well as faster read and write performance in many mobile and embedded consumer devices, Fujitsu Ltd. is developing a new type of nonvolatile memory, resistive RAM (ReRAM).

First Look: PCF launches free Democracy Internet video player

(02/27/06, 1:54 AM GMT)

The non-profit Participatory Culture Foundation has just launched a free player for what it calls Democracy, the world's first comprehensive open source Internet TV IPTV system.

Active-TV and the Extended-PC's role in digital convergence

(02/13/06, 12:54 PM GMT)

Daniel Mann, Fellow, Digital-Home, at Advanced Micro Devices, looks at the future of the Extended-PC in the net-centric world of digital convergence where the lines between TV, set-top box, network device, and server begin to blur in the era of mass home entertainment over the Web and finds it bright, if multi-faceted.

Security Sentinel: It ain't the user who is ignorant, folks ...

(1/30/06, 2:24 PM GMT)

The reason we have so much trouble with spyware and trojans and worms is that system designers and security people think end users are more technologically savvy than we are, and so they leave a lot of security decision-making up to us. 

First Look: Cascada plays TAG for P2P content delivery between mobiles

(01/24/06, 1:54 AM GMT)

Cascada Mobile has developed a peer-to-peer mobile content distribution system it calls TAG that will allow service providers to provide the means by which their wireless subscribers can deliver content between connected J2ME-enabled devices.

First Look: ManyOne Networks plans PBS-like multimedia Web service

(1/20/05, 12:54 PM GMT)

ManyOne Networks Inc. has just released a pilot version of a next generation Web-based multimedia content delivery system that it claims has the potential to become the “zone of high-quality, advertising-free content for the public.”

Security Sentinel: Here are your instructions

(1/06/06, 12:24 PM GMT)

If you use Internet Explorer, Windows Explorer, or Lotus notes, don’t do another thing until you read this report from Toni McConnel and follow her instruction about what to do about the metafile vulnerability (WMF) in the Windows Graphics Rendering Engine that has opened up a major Web security breach.

First Look: PortalPlayer Preface opens up new Vista on notebooks

(01/07/06, 12:54 AM GMT)

Looking beyond supplying hardware and software technology to MP3-enable portable and mobile phones, PortalPlayer, Inc. has introduced a new technology called Preface that will give notebook users instant access to data, music and photos without opening the notebook.

First Look: Sony works on magnetic RAMs as universal mobile memory

(12/22/05, 3:54 AM GMT)

Reflecting the demand within connected mobile and embedded computing for a non-volatile, low power memory with densities, read and write times equal to  traditional SRAMs and DRAMs, researchers at Sony are working on next generation devices that go a long way in that direction.

First Look: STM brings multimedia streaming to home WiLANs

(12/20/05, 12:54 PM GMT)

Bring together a variety of technologies including video transcoding, compression, decompression and streaming, STMicroelectronics  is rolling out an array of technologies for real time delivery of audio/video over wireless home IP-based networks.

First Look: Nintendo reveals more nextgen Revolution game details

(12/12/05, 12:54 AM GMT)

New details emerging about Nintendo’s next generation “Revolution” follow-on to its Gamecube portable game platform indicate that it is not going to go head-to-head with either Microsoft’s high end Xbox 360 or Sony’s Playstation 3 on performance or features.

Security Sentinel: Passwords are like locks on doors...

11/20/05, 12:24 PM GMT)

They are very effective at a keeping the honest people out. But for the cyber criminal, cracking a password is sometimes the easiest way into a system.

First Look: Kopin has iVision for mobile video future

(10/28/05, 12:54 AM GMT)

Dr. John Fan, Kopin's president and CEO, thinks display technology resolutions and costs are at the point when mobile users will soon be able to see theatre-quality images from video eyewear small enough to put in a pocket.

View under the Hood: Apple's new Video iPod

(10/24/05, 12:50 AM GMT)

Apple has called on some of the suppliers of components for its earlier iPod audio/music players as well as one important newcomer, to help out as it ventures into video versions of the platform.

First Look: Easy pairing makes wireless Zigbee nets easier to install

(09/23/05, 1:54 PM GMT)

In a development that is likely to raise the visibility of the Zigbee wireless LAN control specification in the consumer home and building automation market, Cambridge Consultants has developed an ultra-simple pairing technique for ZigBee enabled connected appliances.

First Look: Pyxos self-organizing network links controller-based devices

(09/21/05, 12:54 AM GMT)

Echelon is moving beyond its' Lonworks industrial control network with Pyxos, a self-organizing embedded control network in which devices automatically configure themselves into functioning networks.

New connected sensors will detect anything, anywhere

Sensors will be key elements in the DoD's Global Information Grid, stimulating sensor R&D across many sectors. Toni McConnel takes a look at the emerging technologies and their impact on commercial applications.

Security Sentinel: Malware attacks escalate, enable huge identity theft operation

(07/31/05, 12:54:52 PM GMT)

Toni McConnel sounds an alarm for enterprises as well as individuals who are lax about security, based on breaking news of massive identity theft operations discovered by Sunbelt Software and Akonix reports of rapidly escalating malware threats.

Security Sentinel: No wonder we're in trouble

(07/31/05, 12:54:52 PM GMT)

Toni McConnel takes a look at the efforts to protect web users from the threat of Zombie networks and finds that, with only a few exceptions, that there is more talk than actual useful solutions to the problem.

First Look: Zarlink brings Wi-Fi networks  to "in-body" communications 

(05/31/05, 12:54:52 AM GMT)

Wi-Fi chip specialist Zarlink Semiconductor has developed what it claims is the world’s first transceiver chip designed exclusively for “in-body” wireless communication systems that link implanted medical devices and base stations.

First Look: Agere has big plans for Network Attached Storage multimedia chips

(05/24/05, 1:55:52 AM GMT)

 Agere is positioning its NASn01 network attached storage devices as key building blocks in providing multimedia networking and computing capabilities in home entertainment systems.

First Look: Digi unveils ConnectPort with serial-/USB-over-IP links

(05/24/05, 12:54:52 AM GMT)

 Digi International's ConnectPort network-enabled video display hum users USB- and serial-over-IP interfaces to enable video displays to be anywhere on a network without a locally attached PC or thin client.

First Look: HP, STM, Incard at work on  Identifier-based Encryption

(04/26/05, 6:54:52 AM GMT)

Researchers from HP Laboratories and STMicroelectronics have collaborated with card manufacturer Incard to develop technology for the implementation of Identifier-Based Encryption (IBE) on smart cards.

First Look: Samsung, Microsoft work on hybrid hard disk, flash combo

(04/26/05, 10:54:52 AM GMT)

At its Windows Hardware Engineering Conference here, Microsoft Corp. took the wraps off a prototype Hybrid Hard Drive, which it claims is the first fully functional disk drive that combines rotating storage media with flash memory, specifically Samsung's OneNAND merged NAND/NOR architecture.

Security Sentinel: Who's to blame when you get cheated in an online auction?

(04/25/05, 12:54:52 PM GMT)

Online auction fraud is the most common Internet-related crime reported to the FTC. Editor Toni McConnel questions the validity of eBay's statistics about the number of fraud incidents, including what defines auction fraud.

View Under The Hood: PolyFuel drops in with hydro-carbon based portable fuel cell

(04/13/05, 12:45:42 AM GMT)

With its eye on the fast-growing market for cost-effective and long-life power supplies for mobile devices and portable consumer electronics devices, PolyFuel has developed a low cost hydrocarbon-based fuel cell element as a "drop-in" replacment for flourocarbon-based membranes in portable direct methanol fuel cells.

First Look: Aruba,Trapeze take a SLAPP at WLAN AP interoperability

(04/06/05, 12:54:52 PM GMT)

Aruba Networks and Trapeze Networks have submitted a proposal to the Internet Engineering Task Force, called the Simple Light Access Point Protocol (SLAPP). It is designed to provide a simple way for a Wireless LAN access point (AP) and an access controller, such as a WLAN switch, to interoperate.

First Look: Hitachi goes "back to the future" for terabyte mobile hard drives

(04/04/05, 2:34:52 PM GMT)

To reach the goal of terabyte capacity 3.5” hard drives and 60 GB 1” drives for use in nextgen mobile devices and portable media players, Hitachi Global Storage Technologies has gone back 100 years, resurrecting perpendicular magnetic recording as the way to get there.

First Look: QoSmetrics applies its V-Factor to MPEG video stream metrics

(04/04/05, 12:54:52 PM GMT)

QoSmetrics, Inc. has developed an algorithm and methodology called V-Factor for use with MPEG video streaming hardware and software that it believes will allow accurate and deep analysis of the quality and performance in real time.

First Look: MessageLabs offers encrypted boundary-boundary biz-email

(03/31/05, 12:54:52 AM GMT)

MessageLabs, Inc. has decided to take on the problem of business email security head-on with its Boundary Encryption service, a boundary-to-boundary email security framework designed to  guarantee the privacy and integrity of communications between corporate mail servers.

First Look: Microvision patenting wide screen wearable LED display

(03/28/05, 12:54:52 PM GMT)

Microvision Inc. has just filed for patent protection on a novel display system architecture that uses an array of low-cost LEDs to enable very high resolution full color displays with extremely wide fields of view.

First Look: Scientific Atlanta Pointer tool boosts real time cable service reliability

(03/22/05, 12:54:52 PM PT)

  As service providers move to a variety of multimedia services over cable networks, Scientific Atlanta has developed a new tool to monitor the two way status of a cable network and identify when and where reliability problems may occur.

First Look: Microsoft outlines Indigo's Web Services connected future

(02/07/05, 12:54:52 PM GMT)

At a developer's conference in San Francisco,  Microsoft exec Eric Rudder described the role that its next generation Web Services platform, codenamed "Indigo," will have in enabling computing in a world of highly connected software.

First Look: Voice over IP firms form security research alliance

(02/07/05, 12:54:52 GMT)

Before the security and spam issues that plague handheld and desktop computers can become as serious on Voice over IO Telephone platforms, 3Com, Tipping Point and 16 other organizations have formed the VoIP Security Alliance to address the potential problem.

First Look: Nokia adds Python as Series 60 mobile programming tool

(02/06/05, 2:54:52 PM GMT)

In a radical departure from the use of C++, C, and Java for programming on mobile wireless devices, Nokia has added support for the use of the open source Python programming language on Series 60 devices.

First Look: FINDbase "Geocation" tools can detect any Web user's physical location

(02/05/05, 12:46:52 PM GMT)

FINDbase has developed a new software tool for detecting and authenticating the geographic location of Internet users in real time, without triangulation or IP mapping.

First Look: Sigma Designs launches all-format HD media processors

(1/14/05, 12:46:52 PM GMT)

The multimedia processor company has just developed the first devices in  no-compromise series of decode media  chip sets supporting high-definition (HD) decoding in all major formats including H.264, WMV9/VC1 and MPEG-2, all built around a 300 MHz, relatively power-conservative 32 bit MIPS core

First Look: M-Systems, SanDisk back U3 common flash platform plan

(1/15/05, 1:46:52 PM GMT)

M-Systems and SanDisk, in cooperation with U3 LLC, are working on a new standardized hardware and software platform that they hope will expand the USB flash drive technology beyond storage applications. 

First Look: NetContinuum adds Web Anti-Crawler to its security gateway appliance

 Hoping to plug yet another hole in the still rather porous wall of security safeguards incorported into connected computing systems, Netcontinuum has added unauthorized Anti-Crawller Protection to its Application Security Gateway appliances.

First Look: .mobi gets prelimnary okay from ICANN as a mobile device TLD

The .mobi top level domain has received tentative approval as a TLD specific to mobile devices by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), after six months of Internet in-fighting over the appropriateness of such a designation.

First Look: CSIA message to Bush is "let's get serious about cyber-security"

 In an open letter to the White House, the Cyber Security Industry Alliance (CSIA) said it wants a much more serious federal effort devoted to cyber-security and has submitted 12 recommendations it says are in need immediate action.  

First Look: IBM, Sony, Toshiba say Cell Processor makes computing more connected

As more details emerge about the details of the new Cell Processor architecture it is clear that it is more than just another powerful CPU. Documents are available that indicate the aim of IBM, Fujitsu and Sony is a fundamental reordering of existing architectures to reflect the realities of the connected computing environment. 

First Look: Nokia plans high speed TETRA wireless data delivery services

 At the annual TETRA World Congress, Nokia unveiled the company's high speed data delivery plans for its TETRA wireless network system.  

First Look: Aruba secures its Wireless Grid Network against internal threats

  Aruba Wireless Networks has just taken the wraps off a new implementation of its wireless grid architecture that protects against security threats from inside the organization. 

First Look: PredatorWatch Auditor 128 offers clientless quarantine appliance

  Taking a clientless appliance approach to managing network vulnerabilities, PredatorWatch has developed a version of its large enterprise quarantine appliance to fit the budgetary constraints of small to medium size businesses. 

First Look: SST FlashFlex51 MCUs allow remote in application reprogramming

  Targeting connected embedded controller applications, Solid State Technology's new FlashFlex51 MCUs allow developers to reprogram devices remotely over the network, while the application remains running in the foreground.

First Look: Samsung offers 16:9 wide screen (4") LCD on Portable Media Players

(  Samsung thinks it has found a way around the viewing area versus portable device size dilemma facing consumer electronic vendors of next generation multimedia-based portable media players: a four inch 16:9 widescreen LCD.

First Look: Qualcomm goes with the FLO into wireless content "mediacasting"

  Perhaps frustrated with the slow evolution of any new market segment, Qualcomm Inc. has decided to give a booster shot to multimedia wireless by forming a subsidiary -- MediaFlow USA -- to deploy and operate a nationwide wireless "mediacast" network.

First Look: Wind River sees embedded's future and it's connected

  The RTOS and tool vendor's answer: an all encompassing pre-integrated platform with a common code base that offers everything it thinks the developer of a connected embedded device needs: operating systems, proprietary and open source; application modules; and tools for networking, management and security. 

ITU, ANSI consider Agere's "unbreakable access" service resiliency proposal

  iApplianceWeb takes a look at the Application Service Resiliency algorithms developed by Agere and BT, now being considered as a nextgen telecom and networking standard.  

First Look: Texas Instruments is serious about live mobile digital TV

  It should not be too long before mobile users can watch their favorite live TV broadcasts on their mobile phones, thanks to the "Hollywood" chip TI is developing for cell phones.

First Look: Quadros RTXC/mp can handle TI dual core OMAP5912 multimedia chores

  Quadros has developed a configurable and scalable real time distributed asymmetric multiprocessing RTOS for use on the wireless multimedia optimized OMAP5912. 

First Look: JotSpot uses Wiki to simplify Web application development

  New startup JotSpot has taken the open source Wiki collaborative Web development environment and using them to create a set of workgroup development tools for  for making Web-based applications simpler to build, deploy and evolve. 

First Look: Cirrus software calibrates room acoustics, speaker audio for best sound  

  Engineers at Cirrus Logic have developed advanced software for its dual audio DSP families that allows consumers to calibrate their home theatre or stereo audio with their room acoustics in less than a minute.

Security Sentinel: Microsoft's XP Service Pack 2 is a pain in the assets   

As if we didn't have our hands full with the worms and viruses infecting our connected computers, now we have to deal with Windows XP SP 2 and the devastation it has caused. In her latest column, contributing editor Toni McConnel relates her SP2 nightmares and how she has dealt with them. 

First Look: RSA wants to make DRM more secure and consumer friendly  

RSA Security has unveiled the general outline of its strategy to introduce by the first of next year a Digital Rights Management platform that is truly standards based and more secure and user friendly as well.

First Look: CMU's plan to make HDTV-quality stereo 3D practical  

 Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and the Supercomputing Center in Pittsburgh, Pa. have come up technique called PSC Stereo Animation that could significantly lower the cost of creating HDTV-quality stereo 3D.  

Migrating Machine-to-Machine Apps To IP-Based Cellular Nets

(09/07/04, 1:46:52 PM PT)

 According to Alan Singer of ConnectOne, upgrading an existing M2M application to add Internet connectivity requires a lot of thought and asking a lot of questions, especially if you are opting for a wireless link using the 2.5G (second-and-a-half generation) GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) network.  

First Look: Apple unveils iMac G5, a 2" thick flat panel desktop combo

   If you thought the desktop computer was passe' - forget it. Apple has just introduced what it claims is the world's thinnest desktop with the entire 1.8 GHz system integrated into the two inches behind a widescreen liquid crystal display.  

First Look: Nokia and Vodaphone lead way to a unified mobile Java spec

 To accelerate the glacial movement toward a common set of mobile Web Services, Nokia and Vodaphone are spearheading an initiative for an open standards-based mobile Java services architecture. 

First Look: RedCannon's Fireball Keypoint  secures through redirection

To protect  internal net and data resources from intruders that use any of the variety of clients – from PCs to mobiles – to gain access, RedCannon protects data in a vault and redirects communications to safe areas until identified and vetted.

First Look: UXComm AutonomIQ brings order to Web Services utility computers

 Uxcomm believes a steady hand is needed to manage the Web Services-connected utility computing servers that will keep the many thousands of new clients of diverse sizes and configuration provisioned with the services they need.

First Look: Agere, BT up VoIP reliability with Unbreakable Access

  At the Supercomm  this week, Agere and BT revealed some details on a new algorithm that they believe will resolve fundamental reliability and quality of services issues that have hampered the delivery of multimedia services over the Internet protocol for a decade. 

First Look: Siliquent EPU design addresses network bottlenecks

Reflective of the continuing evolution of processor architectures to address the needs of data flow oriented Internet-centric computing, Siliquent Technologies, Inc., this week revealed details of a new kind of computing element, the Ethernet Processing Unit (EPU).

First Look: Toshiba's X-(Architecture) SoC makes its mark on CE devices

 iApplianceWeb takes a First Look at Toshiba’s  TC90400XBG digital video SoC, fabricated with the new X-Architecture specification, a more efficient way to lay out transistors for optimum performance at lower power. 

View Under The Hood: Determina stops net intruders with "memory firewall" protection

  iApplianceWeb takes a close look at a radically new approach to detecting computer and network security breaches and preventing such intrusions based on the use of memory firewall techniques and proactively "highjacking" the hijackers.

Mobile multimodal iAs require power-efficient SoC designs
The latest portable devices--from mobile phones to media players--offer a host of new Internet, multimedia and gaming features that place a significant strain on batteries.

Multimedia computing needs effective power optimization techniques
Due to recent advances in multimedia applications, power-efficient design has become the number one challenge in ASIC design, displacing timing.

First Look: Arm OptimoDE uses generic data elements for specialized algorithms

iApplianceWeb talks to ARM program manager Matthew Byatt about the company's new OptimoDE configurable algorithmic- specific processing architecture, why it is needed, where and in what applications it will be used and how it will change the way in which connected devices are designed and will operate.

First Look: Wayport to offer "McWi-Fi" services at McDonald's nationwide

iApplianceWeb looks at the details and implications of the just finalized agreement between WiFi access provider Waypoint and McDonald’s Restaurants under which the former will provide wired and wireless Internet access services to the latter’s 20,000 or so food outlets and 46 million customers in the United States.

First Look: Via’s C5J X86 Esther core takes on home network security 

At the Embedded Processor Forum here VIA Technologies, Inc., took the wraps off its’ C5J “Esther” X86 core which takes on-chip hardware security and e-commerce transaction protection about as far as it can go.

View Under The Hood: Atmel's Z-Link extends Zigbee's wireless MCU reach

iApplianceWeb takes a close look at Atmel’s new eight-bit wireless Zigbee-ready Z-Link chipset and protocol stacks –- introduced this week – how it works, its capabilities, what choices the designers made, and why.

First Look: Broadcom's BroadSAFE netcentric security architecture

Broadcom Corp. has developed an all- encompassing security architecture it calls BroadSAFE, a security-based client management system that Ford Tamer, vice president of the Networking Infrastructure Group, believes will address the needs of a broad range of network-connected systems and devices. 

Security Sentinel: Spyware 101 

Contributing Editor Toni McConnel investigates the pervasiveness of  adware and spyware and concludes we need to protect ourselves against these examples of ostensibly benign software symbiotes. She suggests some ways and tools by which you can protect yourself.

Securing net packets puts pressure on IP routing
( 1:46 AM EDT, 03/02/04)

At 3GSM multimedia topped 3G wireless iA list of must haves
( 1:38 AM EDT, 03/02/04)

Trusted Computing Won't Make The Internet Trustworthy
( 2:18 AM EDT, 02/24/04)
Trusted Computing will find its home where there is critical data to protect and limited usage--for medical records, diaries, product marketing forecasts and, yes, music and movies.

Trusted Computing: 'Maligned by Misrepresentations'
( 1:59 AM EDT, 02/24/04)
Arguing in favor of the Trusted Computing Platform, Rob Enderle defends it as the best solution to providing security for connected desktop PCs.

Demo 2004: Web security tools are focus of conference
( 1:39 AM EDT, 02/24/04)
Unlike previous years when the focus was on devices, the Demo 2004 conference this week has been focused on security tools for nearly every aspect of netcentric computing.

Security Sentinel: Spam and Security - Why we should be worried
( 6:39 PM EDT, 02/16/04)
According to Contributing Editor Toni McConnel, spammers and virus spreading hackers often use the same methods to make our on-line experience miserable. But there are tools to eliminate some of the problems.

RFID's Data Avalanche: A Problem or An Opporunity?
( 1:30 PM EDT, 02/16/04)
RFID chips have the potential to produce huge amounts of information. How will companies recognize valuable data and avoid getting buried by what they don't need?

Mobile iA device industry is getting serious about digital rights
( 1:03 PM EDT, 02/16/04)

NPU software spawns network architectures
(12:56 PM EDT, 02/16/04)
There has been so much change in the communications industry during the past few years that it is tempting to focus on the truly revolutionary advances occurring at the systems and network application level.*

NPUs and fabrics together improve QoS
(12:46 PM EDT, 02/16/04)
Technology that uses speeds of 10 Gbits per second isn't just for network cores or backbones anymore.*

Secure network traffic transcends all other considerations
( 2:03 AM EDT, 03/02/04)
Today's connected enterprise faces a security paradox. The very openness and ubiquity that make the Internet such a powerful business tool also make it a tremendous liability.

Gates Grand Vision: Seamless connected computing needs better data flow management
(10:51 AM EDT, 02/04/04)

Analytic View: Are the new CE-based iA gadgets getting harder to use?
(12:47 AM EDT, 01/28/04)
Really. It's not that you're ossifying. Smart phones, mobile iAs and wireless devices shouldn't require 146-page manuals.

Viewpoint: As PDAs and PCs converge, will complexity or simplicity win?
(12:38 AM EDT, 01/28/04)
Convergence is nice, but PDAs should keep the best of their user interfaces and steer clear of becoming mini-PCs.

Viewpoint: Is CE industry pursuing home networking or chaos?
(12:28 AM EDT, 01/28/04)
A "supersession" at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) - or "One Hundred Thousand Nerds in Sin City" - is a chronic case of hothouse hyperbole.

Viewpoint: iPods Aren't Just For Music - They're Tools And Threats For IT, Too
( 8:19 PM EDT, 02/02/04)

Multimodal iA media needs require data streaming-based SoC designs
( 7:52 PM EDT, 02/04/04)
In the new world of streaming data, video content and the need for media processing have become ubiquitous. Video content, traditionally, found in home and office environments is moving into mobile and body networks, and there is a growing need to connect and manage the data flows within and between these two environments in a seamless manner.

System-level IC tools needed to slash consumer iA dynamic power
(11:40 PM GMT, 07/29/04)
System-on-chip designs integrate functions as diverse as wireless communications, MP3, digital imaging and video playback.

Low-power SRAMs improve mobile iA power management
(11:25 PM GMT, 07/29/04)
Reducing power dissipation is a dominant concern in battery-backed applications such as cellular phones and PDAs.

Broadband needs push net device architectures in new directions
( 9:52 PM EDT, 02/09/04)
The dot-com revolution may have slowed, but a variety of factors is making a profound impact on design requirements in the Internet infrastructure.

Mobile iA Power/performance needs test SoC process underpinnings
(11:10 PM EDT, 01/27/04)
A perfect storm of forces-mobility, process technology and system-on-chip complexity-are combining to create a tsunami of challenges for SoC designers who need to manage dynamic power consumption and static leakage at 130- and 90-nm process technologies.*

Network data flow applications requires a data flow CPU architecture
( 9:41 PM EDT, 01/27/04)
Network processor design represents a complex trade-off between cost, performance and flexibility where achieving all three simultaneously has been an elusive goal.

Consumer electronics needs dictate SoC data flow 'pipeline' changes
( 8:49 PM EDT, 02/02/04)
The nature of the problems that embedded developers of applications in consumer electronics often involve the movement of large amounts of data around a system on chip design that would easier to solve if a data flow model is used rather than the traditional sequential control methodology.

Efficient application flow processors key to net edge performance
( 9:15 PM EDT, 01/27/04)
The demand for advanced services, such as Internet Protocol Virtual Private Networks (IP VPNs), application-level Quality of Service (QoS), data encryption, managed firewalls, and address translation, has not subsided, and many customers have expressed a willingness to pay premiums for such special treatment of their important network traffic.*

Feed-forward flow enables design success
( 9:08 PM EDT, 01/27/04)
Designing for low power can drive you crazy. What is commonly referred to as "low-power design" actually comprises two different, but related, activities.*

Viewpoint: Silicon, not just software, key to pervasive media
( 4:07 PM EDT, 01/18/04)
The Next Big Thing in electronics made a slew of appearances at the 2004 Consumer Electronics Show here but may not have been widely recognized for the rising star that it is - and the new generation of small, fast, cheap, connected semiconductor architectures at its foundation was barely acknowledged beyond the environs of a few exhibitors' booths and suites.

Peek Under The Hood: HP/Compaq's TC1000 Tablet PC
( 3:59 PM EDT, 01/18/04)
Straddling the new and old in mobile computing-and hedging its bets on evolving tastes-the HP/Compaq TC1000 morphs from tablet to notebook and desktop PC in the guise of a fairly lightweight, high-performance portable.

Viewpoint: Chip integration is 'threshold event' for wireless media iAs
(12:08 PM EDT, 01/18/04)
Media technology has been reshaping communications - and, by extension, society - since the dawn of the written word. Today's pervasive-media movement has roots in the telegraph, the telephone, radio, television and, most recently, the Internet.

How businesses are getting connected to RFID
( 2:16 AM EDT, 01/18/04)

Range, not throughput, is the real headache in WLAN designs
( 1:56 AM EDT, 01/18/04)*

Pervasive voice-capable WLANs require new algorithms and architectures
( 1:53 AM EDT, 01/18/04)
The territory for large-scale enterprise wireless LANs is mostly uncharted, yet many are now looking at how to build a standards-based, enterprise-grade WLAN for both voice and high-user-density data.*

Overcoming roadblocks to wirelessly connected embedded designs
( 1:51 AM EDT, 01/18/04)

New Ultrawideband wireless spec addresses precise locationing
( 1:45 AM EDT, 01/18/04)
Ultrawideband is a radio communications technique (with recent Federal Communications Commission unlicensed-spectrum allocation) that may be applied to all manner of communications systems, just as narrowband, carrier-based or spread-spectrum techniques may be used for any type of system.*

TCP offload engines will frame the move to 10Gbit/s networking
( 1:38 AM EDT, 01/18/04)
Problems in TCP framing over Ethernet networks must be addressed in next-generation TCP Offload Engines (TOEs) to allow a server and its I/O subsystem to scale to 10 Gbit/second data rates for storage and other applications.*

Multiprotocol 3G basestations will make seamless iA connectivity real
( 1:34 AM EDT, 01/18/04)*

Security coprocessor needs of network designs requires shift to PCI Express
( 1:29 AM EDT, 01/18/04)
Security is becoming increasingly important to networking, generating much recent interest in the internal architecture and operation of specialized security acceleration hardware.*

Proper data movement is critical in Media Processor based design
( 1:25 AM EDT, 01/18/04)*

Mobile iA devices: new tools for new roles
( 1:18 AM EDT, 01/18/04)
The mobile telephone started as just that: a voice communication system.

Media rich mobile CE applications are driving shift to WLAN MIMO antenna technology
(1:14 AM GMT, 09/18/04)
Wireless-LAN technology is not keeping up with the demands of home video networks, interactive gaming, voice-over-Internet Protocol, transportation system access and last-mile data distribution.*

Making the Case for a Flow-Through Security Approach
( 1:11 AM EDT, 01/18/04)
Look-aside processors are the mainstay security mechanism in today's VPN designs. But, these processors may quickly lose ground to flow-through security devices that provide security directly in the datapath. Here's why.*

A good J2ME IDE untangles Java-based Web Services complexity
( 1:07 AM EDT, 01/18/04)

Internet connectity driving embedded MCUs to 32 bit architecture
(12:59 AM EDT, 01/18/04)
InStat/MDR expects 32-bit microcontrollers to grow at a compound annual rate of 22.6 percent between 2001 and 2006. Two driving factors are contributing to that growth.*

Wireless 'camera phone' appliance drives innovations in power, display technologies
(11:40 PM EDT, 01/17/04)
One of the most amazing trends of recent times in ultraportable applications is convergence: smart phones that blend cell phones with PDAs, digital still cameras (DSCs), music players and global-positioning systems (GPSes); audio video recorders that contain camcorders, DSCs, audio players, voice recorders and movie viewers; and digital paper for paper, displays, printers and copiers.

Information security is multi-dimensional
(11:34 PM EDT, 01/17/04)
By now, most organizations are striving for self-improvement in the area of information security.

IPsec can help secure wireless networks and reinforce WEP
(11:22 PM EDT, 01/17/04)

IPsec authentication protocol protects against security breaches
(11:17 PM EDT, 01/17/04)
The proliferation of connected systems is offering huge advantages to individuals and businesses the world over.*

How to design a next generation security appliance
(10:30 PM EDT, 01/17/04)
To design a next-generation small/medium-enterprise (SME) converged security appliance, a number of security hardware, software and algorithm technology trajectories must be considered.*

Using both 1394 and 802.3 in home networks raises QoS issues
(10:27 PM EDT, 01/17/04)
Developing a home audio-video network that accommodates both IEEE 1394 and IEEE 802.3 Ethernet devices presents some challenges.*

High-Speed HSDPA packet service kickstartis 3G migration
(10:09 PM EDT, 01/17/04)
Peak rates of up to 7 Mbits/s and relative compatibility with legacy networks make HSDPA a good first step toward 3G cellular.*

Hardware-based content inspection enhances packet classification
(10:04 PM EDT, 01/17/04)
Network security has become increasingly important as a way to protect the network, the information that flows through it and the user who accesses it.*

Handhelds In the Enterprise: Picking Sides
( 9:54 PM EDT, 01/17/04)

Examining NAND Flash Alternatives for Mobiles: Part 1
( 9:48 PM EDT, 01/17/04)
As the data storage capacity increases in mobile architectures, designers are shifting away from NOR flash architectures toward NAND architectures. This two-part series examines the architectures and the challenges associated with making the move to NAND.*

Examining NAND Flash Alternatives for Mobiles: Part 2
( 9:46 PM EDT, 01/17/04)
As the data storage capacity increases in mobile architectures, designers are shifting away from NOR flash architectures toward NAND architectures. This two-part series examines the architecture choices and challenges associated with making the move to NAND.*

Emerging 3GPP will help wideband wireless compete with DSL, Cable
( 9:42 PM EDT, 01/17/04)*

Connected controllers: embed security or secure the network?
( 9:39 PM EDT, 01/17/04)
The openness of networked communications leads to greater pressure to protect systems from internal and external threats.

Eclipse provides widgets for reliable Web Universal Interface
( 9:34 PM EDT, 01/17/04)
Eclipse has a strong reputation as a reliable and high-quality platform, the result of an agile development process with unit testing and refactoring as well as conceptualization of a flexible and extensible architecture.*

Developing Bluetooth Applications in Java: Part 1
( 9:30 PM EDT, 01/17/04)
To provide more flexibility, engineers need an open API that will allow profiles to work across various Bluetooth devices. The Java community is answering this call with the release of the JSR-82 spec. Here's a look inside.*

Developing Bluetooth Applications in Java: Part 2
( 9:27 PM EDT, 01/17/04)
To provide more flexibility, engineers need an open API that will allow profiles to work across various Bluetooth devices. The Java community is answering this call with the release of the JSR-82 spec. Here's a look inside.*

Standards are driving wireless mesh networks to greater reliability
( 9:22 PM EDT, 01/17/04)
Many organizations recognize the value that a wireless mesh network can provide, but are unsure whether they should implement one that is managed or ad hoc.*

Video streams over IEEE 802.11 WLANs need careful QoS provisioning
During last several years, there has been a significant increase in the interest in the use of packetized video over the wireless networks.*

Web Services security means getting back to basics
 

Web-derived subject-oriented programming simplifies embedded DSP coding
( 9:10 PM EDT, 01/17/04)
Significant advances in programming have been made over the last thirty years, with technologies such as structured programming, object-oriented programming, Booch object-oriented design, etc. Even with these advances, customers want faster, cheaper and easier-to-use code because as systems become larger and more complex, the scale and complexity problem continues to grow.*

Manage WiFi network RF interference with self-organizing swarm logic
( 9:06 PM EDT, 01/17/04)
As the volume of Wi-Fi products increases, how do we control the escalation of radio frequency (RF) interference?*

Widespread wireless iA use requires device-level security
( 9:03 PM GMT, 08/23/04)
Strong security all the way down to the level of the chips that make up mobile wireless devices is a necessity for continued growth in the wireless marketplace.

Resolving software-defined 3G radio wireless bandwidth/dynamic range conflicts
( 8:59 PM EDT, 01/17/04)
Before software-defined radios can be fielded for cellular systems, two simultaneous and often conflicting requirements must be met: wide instantaneous bandwidth and high dynamic range in both the digital and analog domains.*

Choosing the right protocols for mobile multimedia iAs
( 8:54 PM EDT, 01/17/04)
Choosing the optimum protocol for mobile multimedia devices requires careful evaluation of all system and air-interface parameters.*

Channel bonding will move WLANs past 100 Mb/s
( 8:40 PM EDT, 01/17/04)
Using a number of techniques, Atheros' Super G and Super AG technology has enabled a doubling of data rates beyond the industry-standard wireless-LAN maximum.*

Advanced sound processing makes VoIP and WLANs harmonize
( 8:32 PM GMT, 08/23/04)
Wireless LAN systems accentuate the delay, jitter, and packet loss problems experienced in traditional VoIP architecture. But, through good sound processing techniques and QoS enhancements, designers can overcome these challenges.

Band interleaving makes shift to 54Mbps 802.11a easier
( 8:13 PM EDT, 01/17/04)
The number of wireless-LAN users is growing exponentially. But with the majority of this equipment operating in the 2.4-GHz band with only three clear channels, as per 802.11b (11 Mbits/second) and 802.11g (54 Mbits/s).*

Associative Processing Array Solves Mobile App Processor Challenges
( 7:04 PM EDT, 01/17/04)
SIMD architecture provides the processing horsepower, scalability, and low power needed in processing-intensive multimedia applications.*

Advanced software simplifies transition to IPv6
( 7:03 PM EDT, 01/17/04)
The advent of IPv4-to-IPv6 transition tools will allow designers to take advantage of the addressability and efficiencies of IPv6, thereby opening the floodgates to applications that can drive enhanced network services and, eventually, revenue.*

802.3af enables media independent LAN/WLAN power-up interface
( 6:53 PM EDT, 01/17/04)*

802.11n: Defining a high-throughput WLAN
( 6:34 PM EDT, 01/17/04)
At the January IEEE 802.11 interim meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, Jan. 12-15, Task Group "n" is expected to issue a call for proposals for the high-throughput amendment to the 802.11 standard.

10GE On Twisted Pair: What Will It Take?
( 6:30 PM EDT, 01/17/04)
With Gigabit Ethernet technology meeting the price and power requirements of the market, designers are looking to push 10 Gigabit Ethernet connections over copper links. But, to make this happen, some tough technical questions must first be answered.*

Wireless Security - Is Protected Access Enough?
( 6:27 PM EDT, 01/17/04)

Wireless iA multimedia push SoCs to multiprocessor designs
( 6:24 PM EDT, 01/17/04)
Cellular phones are becoming handheld entertainment centers that simultaneously operate as sophisticated wide-pipe wireless telephones.*

Wireless multimedia pushing move to nextgen 801.11n spec
( 6:21 PM EDT, 01/17/04)
The proliferation of wireless networking in the office, at home and in public spaces has generated considerable interest in the technology's potential for serving an ever-expanding list of applications.*

Quantum encryption can secure networks against cyber-attacks
(10:24 PM EDT, 01/10/04)
Traditional cryptographic solutions have relied upon computationally intensive algorithms to encrypt information.

Using the right statistical tools will protect e-mail security
( 9:52 PM EDT, 01/10/04)
Nearly four in every five attacks on enterprise networks target e-mail, according to industry analysts.

Security Sentinel: Copyright is meaningless on the Web
( 9:40 PM EDT, 01/10/04)
In this installment of her regular column, contributing editor Toni McConnel deals with the seemingly socially acceptable practice of stealing copyrighted photos and images off the Web. She reviews some commercially available tools that can be used to prevent it.

M2M: The Killer Application for Embedded TCP/IP
( 3:10 PM EDT, 01/05/04)

Personal View: Instant Messaging abuse requires management, not technology, fixes
( 2:20 PM EDT, 01/05/04)

Zigbee wireless sensor nets will transform industrial control apps
(12:49 AM EDT, 12/15/03)
Modern factories depend on vastly more automation and intercommunication than their predecessors did to operate efficiently.

Transition from wired to wireless industrial nets requires care
(12:36 AM EDT, 12/15/03)
With the development of advanced wireless-networking technologies, wireless communication is becoming more attractive in industrial-control applications, providing many benefits such as faster installation, physical relocation without reconfiguration and dollar savings by eliminating or reducing cable and installation costs, in addition to purging the spaghetti-like mess of wires cluttering most factory environments.

Wireless sensor nets will streamline home/industry data delivery
(12:26 AM EDT, 12/15/03)
With applications ranging from home automation and remote meter reading to industrial sensor networks, low-power, low-cost wireless devices are set to reshape the control and data-distribution landscape.

Wireless sensor device networks demand trade-offs
( 2:05 PM EDT, 12/08/03)
Wireless sensor networks represent an emerging technology that has great potential for widespread applications.

Multimodal iA systems tell a good story
( 2:15 PM EDT, 12/08/03)
The convergence of phenomena such as computer cost and size reduction, their increasing performance, their ubiquity, and the availability of pocket-size high resolution displays has generated more interest in embedded multimodal systems that adopt speech, visual and haptic interfaces as their primary modes of interaction.

Analytic View: Will Mobile SMS replace Internet's email?
( 2:25 AM EDT, 12/08/03)

Secure operating systems becoming commercial necessity
( 1:14 AM EDT, 01/06/04)
The need for a secure operating system is often associated with government projects for the Department of Defense, the National Security Agency (NSA) or other agencies with sensitive information related to national security.

WLAN gaming presents iA subsystem design challenges
( 2:45 PM EDT, 12/01/03)
The highly competitive gaming market is seeing a new set of mobile devices-Nokia's n-Gage and Tapwave's Zodiac-that offer a high-end gaming experience in a compact, multifunction device.

Two way VoIP over wireless nets requires low latency
( 2:30 PM EDT, 12/01/03)
Many factors affect the perceived quality in two way communication.

Handover key to wireless WAN/LANs convergence
( 2:08 PM EDT, 12/01/03)
Thanks to the complementary nature of wireless wide and local area networks, carriers are driving to merge the two within a single device with internetwork mobility.

WirelessUSB may be the best choice for embedded iAs
(12:27 PM EDT, 11/25/03)
One size doesn't fit all when it comes to short-range wireless systems. IrDA is still the hands-down winner for point-and-shoot applications, Wi-Fi continues to be the best for wireless local-area networks and Bluetooth is quickly becoming the standard for ad hoc networks involving cell phones, PDAs or both.

Magnetics, not RF key to personal area networks
(12:12 PM EDT, 11/25/03)
Reliable delivery of wireless streaming voice and audio in the rapidly growing market for portable devices is a demanding technical problem.

USB and Bluetooth will make printers wire free
(12:08 PM EDT, 11/25/03)
Many consumers replace their personal computers every few years but do not replace their printers.

Analytic View: Will Microsoft's Tablet PC be a failure?
(11:56 PM EDT, 11/10/03)
On the first anniversary of the release of the Windows XP Tablet PC operating system, the question remains whether Microsoft's latest pen computing platform can succeed where others have failed before.

Analytic View: Can RIM win the race to the ultimate wireless iA?
(11:53 PM EDT, 11/10/03)
The skeptics believe that within a year or so, RIM will be struggling to keep up with big-time device makers like Nokia, Dell and Palm that crave bigger chunks of the business market RIM has all but dominated.

WiMedia and Ultrawideband Wireless: Separating Hype from Reality
( 3:06 PM EDT, 12/21/03)
To help developers of the next generation handheld multimodal iAs using ultrawideband (UWB) technology to deliver multimedia over wireless, John Canosa of Questra steps through the issues that will help you decide what is real and what is not about this exciting new approach.

Security Sentinel: Website Spoofing 101
(12:24 PM EDT, 10/28/03)

Wireless iAs need flexible security technology
( 2:05 PM EDT, 10/27/03)
Within a relatively short time, wireless communication has evolved from a novelty into an integral part of everyday life. In fact, market research firm Meta Group Inc. reported last year that over the next few years, more than 50 percent of enterprises will deploy personal digital assistants and smart phones for communication, coordination, planning and other corporate activities.

Uncrackable security requires hardware RNGs
( 1:58 PM EDT, 10/27/03)
As wireless network connectivity becomes almost ubiquitous in both private and public sectors, it has also become immensely profitable for criminals to use those networks to invade computers to steal or manipulate information.

Nextgen ARM may be superscalar multiprocessor
( 5:50 PM EDT, 10/23/03)
ARM Holdings plc's next-generation processor will be a superscalar machine that will break through the gigahertz clock frequency threshold that has until now blocked what is mainly the preserve of PC and server microprocessors, according to an ARM executive.

IP's Next Big Step: Household appliances with Web addresses?
( 3:49 PM EDT, 10/21/03)
According to this report by freelance writer Kelly Jackson Higgins, with the shift to Version 6, the Internet Protocol will have the juice to support an era when even refrigerators may have unique IP addresses

How to implement IPv6 on a network connected 8 bit microcontroller
( 6:23 PM EDT, 10/20/03)
According to Robert Muchsel, senior software engineer at Dallas Semiconductor, one impetus behind the move from IPv4 to IPv6 is the accelerating rate at which low cost embedded systems are being linked to the Internet. He outlines the ways in which the full IPv6 suite of protocols can be shoehorned into a small 8-bit microcontroller successfully.

Why is IPv6 taking so long to catch on?
( 6:13 PM EDT, 10/20/03)
Sue Hares, CTO of NextHop Technologies looks at some of the driving forces and delaying factors in IPv6 deployment, one of those technologies that since the late 90s seems to be just "right around the corner," and tries to accurately pin down when it will really take off.

Making J2ME secure enough for mobile iAs
( 2:36 AM EDT, 10/14/03)
As mobile commerce becomes less of a buzzword and more of a reality, transaction security is becoming an important concern for mobile users and wireless application developers alike.

Use internal data acquisition techniques to simplify protocol stack debugging
(12:08 AM EDT, 10/11/03)
Dealing with debugging the network protocol stacks in your connected embedded application requires that you take a different approach to the problem, according to Annamalai Paramasivam of Infosys, such as building in a strong internal data aquisition system.

iA techView: Concerns over home networks take center stage
( 2:38 AM EDT, 10/09/03)
The requirements for media entertainment centers are now becoming the primary focus of semiconductor vendors as they focus on what the home network of the future will be, with attention shifting from the PC to the settop box (STB), and from wired to wireless alternatives.

Security Sentinel: Spoofing is No Joke
( 6:23 PM EDT, 09/29/03)

Using compilation techniques to speed XML code execution
(11:57 PM EDT, 09/22/03)
According to Robert Morgan of Datapower, the eXtensible Markup Language (XML) is becoming the lingua franca of computer exchange on the Inte-rnetwork that comprises the World Wide Web. This means, he believes, moving beyond the traditional interprative coding to more efficient processor specific compilation techniques to achieve the necessary performance gains.

XML embedded Web support eases design
( 9:57 PM EDT, 09/22/03)
XML is rapidly becoming the technology of choice for interfacing embedded systems to applications.

XML services call for security checks
( 9:50 PM EDT, 09/22/03)
Nothing has done more to erode the enterprise security perimeter than the rise of XML Web services.

Embedded software development challenges in an increasingly net-centric environment
( 1:32 AM EDT, 09/13/03)
As this week's ESC illustrates, the net-centricity of many embedded real time designs is now a fact of life. According to Qing Li of Wind River Systems, this will require that programmers pay even more attention to issues such as periodic and aperiodic or sporadic events within a much more complex set of resource, timing, and safety constraints.

Wider View: Is the Electrical Grid Vulnerable to Hackers?
( 1:41 AM EDT, 09/13/03)
Two years after Sept. 11, it is clear that the job of securing the "information superhighways" that have become so critical to our economy is still far from complete. According to Jim Krane of the Associated Press, the power grid and its intimate reliance on network connectivity is one area in the most danger of damage.

Partitioning Bluetooth-Connected Embedded Designs
( 2:16 PM EDT, 09/13/03)
Abdul Aleaf of National Semiconductor guides the developer through the design alternatives available when using Bluetooth for short haul communications between connected embedded devices in a varieity of automotive, office and industrial applications.

Link Aggregation increases bandwidth, adds reliability to networks
( 2:34 AM EDT, 08/28/03)
As bandwidths -- and the number of users, servers and devices -- on the Internet increases, the ability to deliver applications at higher transfer speeds over the network reliably is affected. Vinod Gupta and Mukesh Lulla of TeamF1 describe how the new IEEE 802.3ad standard for a common link aggregation framework will help solve this problem.

Security Sentinel: Help! Help! Somebody call the cops!
(12:06 AM EDT, 08/20/03)
In her latest Security Sentinel contributing editor Toni McConnel recounts her efforts to be a good cyber-citizen while at the same time avoid becoming victim of another ubiquitous virus hiding behind yet another fraudulent spam mail. Her conclusion: in this war against hackers you are on your own, unless you are willing to pay for protection and for help and are willing to wait and wait and ...

View Under the Hood: ARM targets Thumb-2 instruction set at network edge
( 3:22 PM EDT, 08/11/03)
In this View Under The Hood at the details of ARM's new Thumb 2 Instruction Set Architecture, we look at the choices engineers made in the context of the many emerging high volume applications in the network edge infrastructure.

Analytic View: Promise and challenges of emerging technologies in consumer electronics
( 2:38 PM EDT, 08/11/03)
In the view of Dave LeClair and Ray Shapiro of Vibren Technologies, their analysis of the new Internetwork-connected Consumer Electronics market indicates that while new technologies are tremendous opportunities, they also represent bottlenecks to advancement if not addressed quickly

The Linux/Unix Battles: SCO Throws A Wrench Into Linux Future
( 2:05 PM EDT, 08/11/03)
If the courts agree with its stance, the SCO Group could undermine the foundation of the open-source software movement.

Linux OS, tools Simplify Residential Gateway Design
( 2:18 AM EDT, 08/03/03)
Proprietary RTOS architectures have become a hindrance to cost-conscious residential gateway designs. Fortunately, the Linux community has adapted, delivering the protocol support and resource usage needed for home networking apps.

Improving consumer device JVM performance with appropriate benchmarks and optimizations
( 1:47 AM EDT, 08/03/03)

Standards drving killer apps in mobile video iAs
(12:00 PM EDT, 07/22/03)
As mobile operators migrate to 3G networks and services, they see video telephony services as the killer app that will differentiate new 3G service from existing 2G and 2.5G ones.

A Guide To Working With Scalable Vector Graphics OnLine
(12:33 PM EDT, 07/22/03)
Michael Hamilton of eHelp reviews the basics of the World Wide Web's Scalable Vector Graphics standard and what it can mean to traditional Web page design and other applications and provides a list of tools and resoures that will help you get started.

Mobile Scalable Vector Graphics Makes Wireless Multimedia Practical
( 9:31 PM EDT, 07/10/03)
While the Scalable Vector Graphics standard (SVG) proposed by the World Wide Web was originally designed to speed the presentation of graphics and multimedia on Web sites, it is the use of a mobile version in wireless multimedia messaging services (MMS) that will make the standard take off.

RFID will change the way we live and work
(12:58 AM EDT, 07/08/03)

Getting Serious about Wi-Fi Security Standards
(10:36 AM EDT, 07/03/03)
A lack of effective security standards has slowed Business adoption of Wi-Fi but hasn't quashed enthusiasm for the technology. Here's what's being done about it

Fixed wireless networks link mobile WLANs
( 1:40 AM EDT, 06/25/03)
While ad hoc and mesh networks are focused on the interconnection of independent nodes, at some stage these networks will need to connect to the wired Internet.

Mobile iAs, phones need nonvolatile FRAMs
( 1:00 AM EDT, 06/25/03)
In the late 1990s, after more than a decade of ferroelectric-memory development, several companies succeeded in the high-volume production of low-density (less than 1-Mbit) ferroelectric RAM.

Effective Fixed Point DSP Design For Low Cost Consumer Multimedia Appliances
( 4:55 PM EDT, 06/15/03)
In the design of small footprint audio/video enabled consumer media appliances based on fixed point DSP, paying attention to numeric fidelity in your software design will result in lower cost and performance comparable to floating point designs.

Multimedia, video and imaging needs platform FPGAs
(10:54 AM EDT, 06/05/03)

Using DSPs in a networked video embedded design
( 5:27 PM EDT, 06/15/03)

RFID advances bring fundamental changes to security and personal safety
(11:35 PM EDT, 06/05/03)

Privacy issues in RFID
( 7:02 PM EDT, 06/04/03)

RFID 101: The Basics of Radio Frequency Identification
( 6:49 PM EDT, 06/04/03)

MPEG 4 In Multimedia iAs Requires VLIW CPUs
(12:43 PM EDT, 05/29/03)
Digital video technology has generated extraordinary growth in the multimedia industry, encompassing a wide variety of other media, including audio, video, images, computer graphics, speech and data or any combination of those.

MPEG-4 is accelerated and footprint reduced by use of a configurable processor core
( 2:29 AM EDT, 05/14/03)

Optimizing multimedia software for consumer products
(11:10 PM EDT, 05/13/03)
Audio and video software for consumer media products can be quite complex, combining real-time signal processing, network protocols, complex I/O, and sophisticated user interfaces.

Peek Under The Hood: Panasonic's SV-AV10 A/V Recorder
(11:01 PM EDT, 05/13/03)
While not yet meeting the needs of most quality-sensitive picture takers and movie makers, Panasonic's SV-AV10 clears the way for a product category that combines a camcorder, digital still camera, audio player, voice recorder and movie viewer in a versatile, pocketable package.

Rapid application development on mobile iAs requires the use of compact framework
( 6:16 PM EDT, 04/29/03)