Archive - Jun 29, 2009

Silicon Laboratories, a leader in high-performance, analog-intensive, mixed-signal ICs, today announced the Si2170, a complete, globally-compliant hybrid TV tuner with analog TV demodulator in a single CMOS IC. Leveraging Silicon Labs' proven digital low-IF architecture, the Si2170 is the industry's first silicon TV tuner to exceed the performance of traditional discrete TV tuners, enabling TV makers to deliver improved picture quality and better reception for both analog and digital broadcasts. The high level of integration eliminates over one hundred discrete components, enabling simpler design, lower manufacturing costs, higher production yields and improved reliability for integrated digital televisions (iDTVs), set-top boxes and PC TV applications.

Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd., the global leader in satellite navigation, announced the Dakota 10 and Dakota 20 handheld GPS navigators, packing a high sensitivity GPS receiver, worldwide basemap and color touchscreen display into a compact, waterproof device with up to 20 hours of battery life.

VIA Technologies, a leading innovator of power efficient x86 processor platforms, today announced the VIA Global Mobility Bazaar (GMB) Tech Forum Summer, which was held earlier this afternoon at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Shenzhen, China.

Power over Ethernet (PoE), or IEEE 802.3at, is the industry standard enabling devices such as Voice-over-IP (VoIP) phones, wireless-LAN access points, RFID tag readers, sensors, or cameras to connect into a network without also requiring a nearby wall outlet for power. This enhances convenience and flexibility for end users, and also reduces equipment costs, as no external AC/DC power adapter is required. In 2008, VDC Research Group predicted that annual shipments of PoE-enabled Ethernet switches will increase to over 132 million ports by 2012.

IBM and NXP have announced commencement of a pilot to help address the challenge of traffic congestion in the Netherlands. The first practical test of road user charging in the Netherlands aims to demonstrate the feasibility of a new road user charging technique. The new system assigns a fee based on road type, time of day, and the environmental characteristics of the routes driven. This information is displayed to motorists in a clear and easy to understand way.