TSMC's June sales surge 20% year-over-year

TSMC's June sales surge 20% year-over-year

SAN FRANCISCO—Foundry giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. said Tuesday (July 10) that sales in June were up more than 20 percent compared to the same period of 2011, but down compared with the previous month.

TSMC (Hsinchu, Taiwan) said June sales totaled NT$42.87 billion (about $1.43 billion) on an unconsolidated basis, up 20.2 percent from June 2011 but down 1.7 percent from May. Sales through June totaled NT$230.75 billion (about $7.7 billion), an increase of 9.7 percent compared to the same period in 2011, TSMC said.

On a consolidated basis, including revenues from TSMC's U.S. subsidiary WaferTech, June sales totaled about NT$43.43 billion (roughly $1.45 billion), down 1.6 percent from May but up 18.4 percent compared with June 2011, TSMC said. Consolidated revenues through June totaled NT$233.57 billion (about $7.8 billion), an increase of 8.2 percent compared with the same period of 2011, TSMC said.

On Monday, United Microelectronics Corp. (UMC), TSMC's rival, announced that sales for June were greater than in the year-ago period for the first time in 2012.



TAG:TSMC UMC Foundry Sales June

TSMC's June sales surge 20% year-over-year

TSMC's June sales surge 20% year-over-year

SAN FRANCISCO—Foundry giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. said Tuesday (July 10) that sales in June were up more than 20 percent compared to the same period of 2011, but down compared with the previous month.

TSMC (Hsinchu, Taiwan) said June sales totaled NT$42.87 billion (about $1.43 billion) on an unconsolidated basis, up 20.2 percent from June 2011 but down 1.7 percent from May. Sales through June totaled NT$230.75 billion (about $7.7 billion), an increase of 9.7 percent compared to the same period in 2011, TSMC said.

On a consolidated basis, including revenues from TSMC's U.S. subsidiary WaferTech, June sales totaled about NT$43.43 billion (roughly $1.45 billion), down 1.6 percent from May but up 18.4 percent compared with June 2011, TSMC said. Consolidated revenues through June totaled NT$233.57 billion (about $7.8 billion), an increase of 8.2 percent compared with the same period of 2011, TSMC said.

On Monday, United Microelectronics Corp. (UMC), TSMC's rival, announced that sales for June were greater than in the year-ago period for the first time in 2012.



TAG:TSMC UMC Foundry Sales June

玉笔雕画《清明上河图》

玉笔雕画《清明上河图》

翡翠巨作获殊荣

　　本报讯 5年前，当李振庆和高爽在缅甸看到一块2吨重的玉石时，感觉那正是在“青埂峰”下等待他们许久的“通灵宝玉”。李振庆和高爽是中国的玉石雕刻大师，他们一直想以玉石为画卷雕刻北宋画家张择端的《清明上河图》。不过，玉石做的“纸张”太难找，他们为此耽搁了六七年。最终，天赐良玉，工美集团的设计团队和数位玉雕大师经过四年打磨、镌刻、细琢，终于将这幅中国的传世名画用珍贵的翡翠进行华美的展现。在刚刚揭晓的2012中国玉(石)器“百花奖”上，翡翠玉雕《清明上河图》摘得特等奖桂冠，并在北京天坛工美大厦展出。评委认为，作品的动人之处在于“天人合一”。

　　这件巨雕上面共有各种人物600余人，船20余艘，房屋楼阁30多栋，而浮雕、微雕和线雕的手段则让这幅“长卷”更为栩栩如生。

TAG:玉笔雕画《清明上河图》

Utilities ponder battery storage as solar soars

Utilities ponder battery storage as solar soars

SAN FRANCISCO – Growing electricity generation from by solar and wind energy is flowing into California’s electrical grid, forcing utilities here to begin integrating energy storage technologies into their systems as they seek to offset the peak midday energy generating capacity of these “intermittent renewables” with peak late afternoon energy usage.

While traditional “bulk storage” techniques like pumped hydro and compressed air remain the most cost-effective storage methods, utility executives and market analysts at the Intersolar North American conference here said promising storage technologies like zinc bromine flow batteries are being demonstrated on the grid and in utility substations. Persistently high battery costs continue to slow adoption, however.

While next-generation battery technologies like lithium ion remain too expensive for utilities, Mark Rawson, senior project manager for Sacramento’s Municipal Utility District, said technologies like zinc bromine are approaching the $400/kWh price point utilities need to begin widespread deployment of the storage technology.

While lithium ion remains one of them most promising battery technologies, it remains expensive and unproven for grid storage applications. Besides cost, the big question for utilities is whether lithium ion batteries will be “durable and reliable,” Rawson said, adding that automotive applications will likely show whether lithium ion batteries are sufficiently robust for mission-critical power grid applications. If the technology is widely adopted in electric vehicles, for example, Rawson said the resulting scaling would help reduce battery costs below the $400/kWh barrier.

The Sacramento utility is participating in several photovoltaic storage demonstrations, including a Energy Department-sponsored project with lithium-ion battery specialist A123 Systems. For now, Rawson said, “The market still has to develop to bring down lithium-ion battery costs.”

Renewable energy analysts here agreed, but argued that lithium ion and other storage technologies hold great promise as utilities search for reliable storage technologies that would allow them to use greater quantities of electricity produced by solar photovoltaics (PV).

The solar industry is currently shifting from the electricity generation phase to a new “integrated energy” phase in which renewable energy sources are being consumed where they are produced rather than transmitted to other parts of the grid, said Daniela Schreiber, an energy analyst with Germany’s EuPD Research.

“We are currently experiencing the dawn of a new era – PV 2.0,” Schreiber argued, an incremental step in which storage technologies are decentralizing the power grid and allowing consumers to directly consume power produced by photovoltaics.

Schreiber added that the integration of storage technologies into power grids also creates opportunities for new market entrants providing new power electronics and control hardware and software needed to integrate storage technologies into power grids.

Related story:

A123's new battery tech goes to extremes
TAG:Solar Power Battery Storage Storage Technology Lithium Ion Zinc Bromine Energy Utilities

戴比尔斯钻石珠宝见证李小璐梦幻婚礼永恒瞬间

戴比尔斯钻石珠宝见证李小璐梦幻婚礼永恒瞬间

璀璨夺目的钻石凭借源自天地间的永恒之美，以最诗情画意的方式诠释着人类最真挚无暇的情感。伴随每一个重要时刻的钻石珠宝，不仅见证着这些美好的瞬间，更将之化为永恒。卓尔不群的戴比尔斯钻石珠宝（De Beers Diamond Jewellers）以最完美钻石打造珠宝臻品，陪伴爱侣们相濡以沫的人生旅途。这些象征着勇气，爱情和恒久的珠宝杰作护航爱情之舟驶向永远。

2012年7月6日，著名影星李小璐与贾乃亮终于完成了爱情长跑，在万众的惊羡与瞩目下，步入圣洁的婚礼殿堂。在人生中这一最闪耀夺目时刻,李小璐特别选择佩戴了戴比尔斯钻石珠宝（De Beers Diamond Jewellers）璀璨纯美的Wildflowers系列项链和耳环，与洁白如雪的婚纱相得益彰，为这场唯美浪漫的婚礼绽放了更为闪耀恒久的光彩。

温暖的粉色和白色装点的婚礼现场大厅俨然成为一个浪漫唯美的殿堂，众多重量级嘉宾纷纷到场见证这对新人的幸福时刻，为婚礼增添了熠熠星光。凭借超过120多年在钻石领域无以伦比的专业经验，戴比尔斯钻石珠宝（De Beers Diamond Jewellers）是行业内公认的翘楚，品牌以超越4C标准的至臻美钻，映照爱侣一生，象征着对爱情的美好向往与对未来的永恒希冀。李小璐悉心选择的Wildflowers系列珠宝，用精挑细选的完美钻石演绎大自然中傲然绽放的花朵，优雅景致不仅使每一件匠心独具的精品均完美展现每颗美钻的火光(Fire)、生命力(Life)及亮光(Brilliance)，也让奔放盛开的花瓣彰显出最原始的美态。

TAG:戴尔比斯钻石珠宝 李小璐 贾乃亮 婚礼殿堂

AMD warns of Q2 sales shortfall

AMD warns of Q2 sales shortfall

SAN FRANCISCO—Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD) Monday (July 9) cut its estimate for second quarter sales, citing lower than expected sales in China and Europe and weaker consumer market for PCs.

AMD (Sunnyvale, Calif.) said it now expects second quarter sales to be about $1.42 billion, down 11 percent from the first quarter. The company previously said it expected sales to be between $1.59 billion and $1.69 billion, flat to up 6 percent compared with the first quarter.

AMD said it expects second quarter gross margin to be approximately in line with prior guidance. Operating expenses for the second quarter are expected to improve and to be approximately 8 percent less than prior guidance of approximately $605 million, due to tightly controlled expenses, AMD said.


TAG:AMD sales Million

AMD warns of Q2 sales shortfall

AMD warns of Q2 sales shortfall

SAN FRANCISCO—Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD) Monday (July 9) cut its estimate for second quarter sales, citing lower than expected sales in China and Europe and weaker consumer market for PCs.

AMD (Sunnyvale, Calif.) said it now expects second quarter sales to be about $1.42 billion, down 11 percent from the first quarter. The company previously said it expected sales to be between $1.59 billion and $1.69 billion, flat to up 6 percent compared with the first quarter.

AMD said it expects second quarter gross margin to be approximately in line with prior guidance. Operating expenses for the second quarter are expected to improve and to be approximately 8 percent less than prior guidance of approximately $605 million, due to tightly controlled expenses, AMD said.


TAG:AMD sales Million

Arbitration panel sides with Tessera over Amkor

Arbitration panel sides with Tessera over Amkor

SAN FRANCISCO—Technology licensor Tessera Technologies Inc. said Monday (July 10) that the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) arbitration court sided with Tessera in an ongoing dispute with test and packaging provider Amkor Technology Inc.

Tessera (San Jose, Calif.) said the ICC's arbitration tribunal confirmed that Tessera's had properly terminated a license agreement with Amkor (Chandler, Ariz.). The tribunal issued an interim award in favor of Tessera, the company said.

Tessera said it intends to seek an amount in excess of $125 million from Amkor. Under the rules of the case and of the ICC, the parties have only a limited ability to make public disclosures about the arbitration, Tessera said.

In a separate statement issued last week, Amkor said the ICC tribunal found that no royalties are due to Tessera on seven of 10 asserted U.S. patents. The panel also found that royalties are due on four foreign patents related to U.S. patents that the panel previously found to be royalty bearing, Amkor said.
Amkor said the panel indicated it would decide later the amount of royalties and pre-judgment interest Amkore should pay Tessera. The question of whether Tessera intends to pursue its allegations regarding other patents has also not yet been addressed, Amkor said.

Amkor said it estimates that the damages and interest could be around $30 million with respect to the foreign patents.

"Although we are disappointed that the panel did not rule in our favor on all of the claims, we prevailed on the patents for which Tessera made the largest claims for royalties and we expect that the amount of the award will be well below the more than $400 million claimed by Tessera in the arbitration, said Ken Joyce, president and CEO of Amkor, in a statement. Joyce said Amkor does not expect the final judgment amount will have a material impact on the company's liquidity or interfere with its ability to use its technology and conduct business.

"We use litigation in those instances where we are unable to achieve reasonable agreements or where others breach their agreements with us," said Richard Chernicoff, president of Tessera Intellectual Property Corp. “"The current arbitration will bring clarity to the amounts that should have been paid by Amkor under the license."

The tribunal ruling is the latest chapter in a long-running feud between Tessera and Amkor. In January 2009, Tessera announced that the ICC arbitration panel issued an award of $60.6 million to Tessera for Amkor's breach of its license agreement, culminating a long-running dispute between the two parties over a licensing deal. In February 2011, Tessera announced it sent Amkor an official notice of termination of the license agreement between the two companies.



TAG:Amkor Tessera Ruling Abritration ICC

Flemish government promises IMEC cash for 450-mm fab

Flemish government promises IMEC cash for 450-mm fab

LONDON – The Flemish Minister of Innovation, Ingrid Lieten, has made a commitment to invest in the building of clean room facilities for 450-mm diameter wafer processing at the IMEC research institute's pilot wafer fab in Leuven, Belgium.

No specific amount of money from the Flemish government was disclosed but IMEC said the support of the Flemish government will enable the building of a 100 million euro (about $120 million) clean room infrastructure. IMEC said that in total it plans to spend 1 billion euro (about $1.2 billion) on the wafer fab over the next 5 years with a goal of opening the 450-mm clean room facilities in 2015.

IMEC is negotiating a support package with the European Commission and IMEC's industrial partners: the foundries, fabless and fablite companies, equipment and material suppliers.

IMEC wants to continue to play a leading role in the research of semiconductor processes and technologies and that will require a transition of its 300-mm clean room to 450-mm. Leading process technologies at 10-nm and below may never been manufactured on small diameter wafers.

However, IMEC is in competition with the formation of the Global 450 Consortium (G450C) at College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering in Albany, New York. This $4.8 billion collaboration, headquartered and housed at CNSE is supported by the state of New York and includes five chipmakers who have an interest in 450-mm diameter wafers; IBM, Intel, GlobalFoundries, Samsung and TSMC.

It is not yet clear that these companies will want to support 450-mm wafer engineering at two sites. If they do not this could have a damaging effect on the future of the semiconductor industry in Europe, which is relatively strong in semiconductor equipment and lithography technology.

"The continuous growth of IMEC into a high-tech knowledge pole has only been possible thanks to the support of the Flemish Government. We are therefore very thankful for the extra support of the Flemish Government for our 450-mm clean room initiative," said Luc Van den hove, CEO of IMEC, in a statement.

IMEC also announced that under a collaboration with KLA-Tencor, a Surfscan SP3 450 450-mm wafer capable wafer defect inspection system will be installed at IMEC.


Related links and articles:

EuroFab450 is an ambitious dream

IMEC looks at variability beyond 10 nanometer

IMEC offers 14-nm dev kit, test chip to follow 2H12


TAG:European Commission IMEC G450C KLA Tencor ASML Intel Samsung Globalfoundries TSMC IBM

Arbitration panel sides with Tessera over Amkor

Arbitration panel sides with Tessera over Amkor

SAN FRANCISCO—Technology licensor Tessera Technologies Inc. said Monday (July 10) that the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) arbitration court sided with Tessera in an ongoing dispute with test and packaging provider Amkor Technology Inc.

Tessera (San Jose, Calif.) said the ICC's arbitration tribunal confirmed that Tessera's had properly terminated a license agreement with Amkor (Chandler, Ariz.). The tribunal issued an interim award in favor of Tessera, the company said.

Tessera said it intends to seek an amount in excess of $125 million from Amkor. Under the rules of the case and of the ICC, the parties have only a limited ability to make public disclosures about the arbitration, Tessera said.

In a separate statement issued last week, Amkor said the ICC tribunal found that no royalties are due to Tessera on seven of 10 asserted U.S. patents. The panel also found that royalties are due on four foreign patents related to U.S. patents that the panel previously found to be royalty bearing, Amkor said.
Amkor said the panel indicated it would decide later the amount of royalties and pre-judgment interest Amkore should pay Tessera. The question of whether Tessera intends to pursue its allegations regarding other patents has also not yet been addressed, Amkor said.

Amkor said it estimates that the damages and interest could be around $30 million with respect to the foreign patents.

"Although we are disappointed that the panel did not rule in our favor on all of the claims, we prevailed on the patents for which Tessera made the largest claims for royalties and we expect that the amount of the award will be well below the more than $400 million claimed by Tessera in the arbitration, said Ken Joyce, president and CEO of Amkor, in a statement. Joyce said Amkor does not expect the final judgment amount will have a material impact on the company's liquidity or interfere with its ability to use its technology and conduct business.

"We use litigation in those instances where we are unable to achieve reasonable agreements or where others breach their agreements with us," said Richard Chernicoff, president of Tessera Intellectual Property Corp. “"The current arbitration will bring clarity to the amounts that should have been paid by Amkor under the license."

The tribunal ruling is the latest chapter in a long-running feud between Tessera and Amkor. In January 2009, Tessera announced that the ICC arbitration panel issued an award of $60.6 million to Tessera for Amkor's breach of its license agreement, culminating a long-running dispute between the two parties over a licensing deal. In February 2011, Tessera announced it sent Amkor an official notice of termination of the license agreement between the two companies.



TAG:Amkor Tessera Ruling Abritration ICC

Printed electronics startup gains security foil licensee

Printed electronics startup gains security foil licensee

LONDON – PragmatIC Printing Ltd. (Cambridge, England), a developer of printed electronic technology, has announced it has licensed Illinois Tool Works Inc., an $18 billion diversified industrial manufacturer, to use its printed electronics technology. ITW is also set to collaborate with PragmatIC's pilot production program, known as P4.

Under the agreement ITW Foils and Thermal Films Group, a maker of a variety of secure, functional, and decorative films, coatings, and foils for a wide array of customers, will make use of the license to develop and sell printed electronics. ITW provides materials, foils and layers for secure document programs, credit cards, and major consumer goods brands.

ITW plans to combine PragmatIC's printed electronics with other decorative and security features such as holographic metallic foils, enabling such devices to become interactive and challenge-and-response based, PragmatIC said.

"This relationship strongly complements our other P4 partnerships, and we look forward to working closely with them to establish and scale the entire value chain for complete printed electronics solutions," said Scott White, CEO of PragmatIC Printing, in a statement.

"The P4 initiative ensures that it is not just an isolated technology, but rather part of a complete ecosystem enabling commercially viable solutions to be rolled out in the near future," John Schneider, vice president of technology for the ITW foils and film business unit, in the same statement.


Related links and articles:

www.pragmaticprinting.com

News articles:

Printed electronics startup plans pilot production line

Printed electronics startup partners with Holst

Printed electronics lights up beer bottle


TAG:Pragmatic Printing printed electronics semiconductor logic ITW security foil hologram

Cellular execs debate ‘reasonable’ licensing

Cellular execs debate ‘reasonable’ licensing

SAN FRANCISCO – Just what is reasonable licensing? That’s the next big intellectual property question cellular networking executives have started to debate.

An Apple executive recently asked the NGMN Alliance, a group of top technology leaders from carriers and their systems and semiconductor vendors, to weigh in on the subject. Officials at European Telecommunications Standards Institute also hosted a lively discussion of the issue recently.

The call among wireless execs for concrete parameters for reasonable licensing comes as Via Licensing is about to form the first patent pool for LTE. The effort has taken three years and even now lacks some key patent holders including Ericsson, Nokia and Qualcomm.

“My opinion is [settling] this [issue of defining reasonable licensing] is something that will take another five years or more,” said an NGMN Alliance member.

The topic got a public airing at an intellectual property panel at the NGMN Alliance’s recent conference here.

The problem is visceral, said Donglin Shen, chief technology officer for ZTE’s wireless group. When handset makers are asked to pay $4 in royalties on a feature phone that may have a $20 bill of materials cost, “all the profit is gone,” said Shen.

“What’s a reasonable royalty rate is really hard to say,” he added. “The industry talks about fair and reasonable terms, but this is just the intention and there’s no legal binding,” he said.

A royalty of two percent of a device’s cost is sometimes seen as reasonable, said Joe Alfred, director of patent licensing and sales at AT&T. “But what happens if 15 companies have technology they want to license--is 30 percent reasonable?” he asked.

“The industry needs to define reasonable rates, and we better address this before it gets the interest of regulators and their solution isn’t pleasant,” Alfred said.

“Today we see too many companies that don’t want to take a license--they don’t want to pay anything and others have spent billions on tech and standard development,” said Jari Vaario, director of standards IP at Nokia, a large wireless patent holder.

Apple, Google, Nokia, Microsoft, Samsung and others are now part of a sweeping mobile patent war that many say is getting out of hand with injunctions threatened on major new products. “If you stop the availability of a handset its really damaging for operators and now it happens often, so we have to solve it before it creates a crisis in the market,” said Luigi Licciardi, head of technology and standards at Telecom Italia.

“The industry has to find a better way to deal with patents because the patent war today is getting to be a mess,” said Shen of ZTE.

“How do we get to guidelines of what ‘reasonable’ means?” asked Reinhard Kreft, head of standards and IP for Vodafone. “You ask this one question and the hour [for the panel discussion] is gone,” he noted.
TAG:Reasonable Licensing Intellectual Property NGMN Alliance Via Licensing Reasonable Licensing Patents LTE Cellular Wireless NGMN

Cellular execs debate ‘reasonable’ licensing

Cellular execs debate ‘reasonable’ licensing

SAN FRANCISCO – Just what is reasonable licensing? That’s the next big intellectual property question cellular networking executives have started to debate.

An Apple executive recently asked the NGMN Alliance, a group of top technology leaders from carriers and their systems and semiconductor vendors, to weigh in on the subject. Officials at European Telecommunications Standards Institute also hosted a lively discussion of the issue recently.

The call among wireless execs for concrete parameters for reasonable licensing comes as Via Licensing is about to form the first patent pool for LTE. The effort has taken three years and even now lacks some key patent holders including Ericsson, Nokia and Qualcomm.

“My opinion is [settling] this [issue of defining reasonable licensing] is something that will take another five years or more,” said an NGMN Alliance member.

The topic got a public airing at an intellectual property panel at the NGMN Alliance’s recent conference here.

The problem is visceral, said Donglin Shen, chief technology officer for ZTE’s wireless group. When handset makers are asked to pay $4 in royalties on a feature phone that may have a $20 bill of materials cost, “all the profit is gone,” said Shen.

“What’s a reasonable royalty rate is really hard to say,” he added. “The industry talks about fair and reasonable terms, but this is just the intention and there’s no legal binding,” he said.

A royalty of two percent of a device’s cost is sometimes seen as reasonable, said Joe Alfred, director of patent licensing and sales at AT&T. “But what happens if 15 companies have technology they want to license--is 30 percent reasonable?” he asked.

“The industry needs to define reasonable rates, and we better address this before it gets the interest of regulators and their solution isn’t pleasant,” Alfred said.

“Today we see too many companies that don’t want to take a license--they don’t want to pay anything and others have spent billions on tech and standard development,” said Jari Vaario, director of standards IP at Nokia, a large wireless patent holder.

Apple, Google, Nokia, Microsoft, Samsung and others are now part of a sweeping mobile patent war that many say is getting out of hand with injunctions threatened on major new products. “If you stop the availability of a handset its really damaging for operators and now it happens often, so we have to solve it before it creates a crisis in the market,” said Luigi Licciardi, head of technology and standards at Telecom Italia.

“The industry has to find a better way to deal with patents because the patent war today is getting to be a mess,” said Shen of ZTE.

“How do we get to guidelines of what ‘reasonable’ means?” asked Reinhard Kreft, head of standards and IP for Vodafone. “You ask this one question and the hour [for the panel discussion] is gone,” he noted.
TAG:Reasonable Licensing Intellectual Property NGMN Alliance Via Licensing Reasonable Licensing Patents LTE Cellular Wireless NGMN

Marvell CEO named Indonesian diaspora innovator

Marvell CEO named Indonesian diaspora innovator

SANTA CLARA, Calif.-- Marvell Technology Group Ltd. chairman, president, CEO and co-founder, Dr. Sehat Sutardja, has accepted an Indonesian diaspora lifetime achievement award for his efforts in global pioneering and innovation.

Presented by the embassy of the republic of Indonesia at the first congress of Indonesian diaspora between July 6 – 8 in Los Angeles, the award was proffered to Dr. Sutardja for his achievements in advancing technology through innovation in engineering.

Sutardja was likewise recognized for driving adoption of technology into new markets and evangelizing the use of new technologies in developing nations.

“I am incredibly honored and humbled,” said Dr. Sutardja, explaining he was accepting the award on behalf of millions of Indonesians who had left the country “while keeping the Indonesian pride and spirits alive.”

“As a proud son of Indonesia, I am committed to helping Indonesia leapfrog to the knowledge based economy by adapting the most advanced technology that we have developed to make the world a better place,” he said.

Dr. Sutardja, born and raised in Jakarta, personally holds over 260 patents and is regarded as one of the pioneers of the modern semiconductor era. Along with his wife, Weili Dai, Sutardja co-founded Marvell in 1995, today thought of as one of the world’s top fabless semiconductor companies.

The couple have also raised two sons who, following in their parents’ footsteps, have recently become PhD students at UC Berkeley, after completing their graduate degrees in Electrical Engineering.

TAG:Marvell semiconductor award innovation

UMC June sales move into annual growth

UMC June sales move into annual growth

LONDON – Foundry United Microelectronics Corp. has announced sales for June of NT$9,289 million (about $310 million) up 1.1 percent on the same figure in 2011 and up 0.9 percent on the sale in May 2012. June's sales result was UMC's first monthly sales figure to be ahead of its equivalent in 2011.

The sales round out a solid quarter for UMC as it has been rebuilding wafer fab utilization during the quarter from an average of 71 percent in the first quarter.

The second quarter's sales were NT$27,620 (about $923 million) up 16.2 percent on the first quarter sales of NT$23,765 (about $795 million). This sequential increase is larger than is seasonally usual. UMC had said it expected wafer shipments to increase 15 percent in the second quarter on flat average selling prices.

The aggregate sales for the first half of the year were NT$51,385 million (about $1.72 billion) down 8.7 percent on the first half of 2011.


Related links and articles:

Qualcomm signs UMC, Samsung for 28-nm chips, says report

Foundries sales trends diverge in May

UMC breaks ground for $8-billion fab expansion

TAG:UMC foundry semiconductor June sales TSMC

UMC June sales move into annual growth

UMC June sales move into annual growth

LONDON – Foundry United Microelectronics Corp. has announced sales for June of NT$9,289 million (about $310 million) up 1.1 percent on the same figure in 2011 and up 0.9 percent on the sale in May 2012. June's sales result was UMC's first monthly sales figure to be ahead of its equivalent in 2011.

The sales round out a solid quarter for UMC as it has been rebuilding wafer fab utilization during the quarter from an average of 71 percent in the first quarter.

The second quarter's sales were NT$27,620 (about $923 million) up 16.2 percent on the first quarter sales of NT$23,765 (about $795 million). This sequential increase is larger than is seasonally usual. UMC had said it expected wafer shipments to increase 15 percent in the second quarter on flat average selling prices.

The aggregate sales for the first half of the year were NT$51,385 million (about $1.72 billion) down 8.7 percent on the first half of 2011.


Related links and articles:

Qualcomm signs UMC, Samsung for 28-nm chips, says report

Foundries sales trends diverge in May

UMC breaks ground for $8-billion fab expansion

TAG:UMC foundry semiconductor June sales TSMC

Volkswagen overtakes Porsche

Volkswagen overtakes Porsche

You may have heard me going on recently about the strength of the Germany economy in the midst of a host of weak services-oriented European economies. And Germany's automotive industry epitomizes this.

In the electronics sector I tend to think of BMW and Daimler as being the strongest German automotive brands.This is partly because they are towards the top end of the luxury spectrum and partly because – being positioned towards the luxury end – they have been pioneers of increasing electronic content within automobiles. The participation of BMW and Mercedes (a Daimler's automobile brand) in Formula 1, grand prix racing has probably also helped.

However, a news item from last week helps remind us that Volkswagen is, in many ways, a bigger success story in both Germany's and the world's automotive sector. VW announced last week that the deal has been agreed for it to acquire the 50.1 percent stake it doesn’t already own in German sports car maker Porsche. It's a bit like the story of the hare and the tortoise.

VW – of people's car, beetle and minibus fame – has always been much more proletarian that any of those other German brands, but it also wholly owns brands such as Audi, as well as SEAT and Skoda. Now VW is set to pay 4.4 billion euro (about $5.6 billion) to wrap up Porsche in a move that will help cement its role as one of the big three carmakers alongside General Motors and Toyota.

Notable that there is one from the United States, one from Europe and one from Japan. The likes of BMW and Daimler come much further down the rankings in terms of volume of cars supplied.

And in many ways it is those volumes that are important. Electronics is in all vehicles these days. But while Mercedes and BMW may be fine tweaking the smart-card protected and personalized heated passenger sear Volkswagen has been taking the essentials of electronic utlility and safety and applying them to convenient transport across Europe, South America and China. And Volkswagen are reportedly very big in Brazil and China.

Of course, it is arguable as to how green is the proliferation of automobile transport around the world but we who enjoy the convenience of personal transport are in no moral position to dictate that others should not also have it. And Volkswagen is providing that capability with global success, in a way that rivals the success of Airbus in aerospace. And the likes of Airbus, Volkswagen, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, BMW and the rest all provide opportunities for European sales of electronics and semiconductors.

Europe needs more success stories like Volkswagen if it is to crawl out of the wreckage of its own economic car crash.
TAG:Volkswagen BMW Daimler Mercedes Audi Porsche Skoda automotive electronics

Volkswagen overtakes Porsche

Volkswagen overtakes Porsche

You may have heard me going on recently about the strength of the Germany economy in the midst of a host of weak services-oriented European economies. And Germany's automotive industry epitomizes this.

In the electronics sector I tend to think of BMW and Daimler as being the strongest German automotive brands.This is partly because they are towards the top end of the luxury spectrum and partly because – being positioned towards the luxury end – they have been pioneers of increasing electronic content within automobiles. The participation of BMW and Mercedes (a Daimler's automobile brand) in Formula 1, grand prix racing has probably also helped.

However, a news item from last week helps remind us that Volkswagen is, in many ways, a bigger success story in both Germany's and the world's automotive sector. VW announced last week that the deal has been agreed for it to acquire the 50.1 percent stake it doesn’t already own in German sports car maker Porsche. It's a bit like the story of the hare and the tortoise.

VW – of people's car, beetle and minibus fame – has always been much more proletarian that any of those other German brands, but it also wholly owns brands such as Audi, as well as SEAT and Skoda. Now VW is set to pay 4.4 billion euro (about $5.6 billion) to wrap up Porsche in a move that will help cement its role as one of the big three carmakers alongside General Motors and Toyota.

Notable that there is one from the United States, one from Europe and one from Japan. The likes of BMW and Daimler come much further down the rankings in terms of volume of cars supplied.

And in many ways it is those volumes that are important. Electronics is in all vehicles these days. But while Mercedes and BMW may be fine tweaking the smart-card protected and personalized heated passenger sear Volkswagen has been taking the essentials of electronic utlility and safety and applying them to convenient transport across Europe, South America and China. And Volkswagen are reportedly very big in Brazil and China.

Of course, it is arguable as to how green is the proliferation of automobile transport around the world but we who enjoy the convenience of personal transport are in no moral position to dictate that others should not also have it. And Volkswagen is providing that capability with global success, in a way that rivals the success of Airbus in aerospace. And the likes of Airbus, Volkswagen, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, BMW and the rest all provide opportunities for European sales of electronics and semiconductors.

Europe needs more success stories like Volkswagen if it is to crawl out of the wreckage of its own economic car crash.
TAG:Volkswagen BMW Daimler Mercedes Audi Porsche Skoda automotive electronics

Smart TV surges in popularity worldwide, China at the forefront

Smart TV surges in popularity worldwide, China at the forefront

Over one-quarter of TVs shipped during Q1'12 were equipped with internet connectivity, as reported in the new NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly Smart TV Shipment and Forecast Report.

Approximately 27% of TV sets shipped worldwide had internet connectivity, led by Japan, where 46% of sets had networking capability, and Western Europe with 36%. In a good example of how internet entertainment is developing rapidly in emerging markets, China followed closely behind Western Europe with 32% of sets that shipped having internet functionality.

In the report, NPD DisplaySearch further analyzed TV sets by service type. Basic connected TVs can access structured services from broadcasters such as Hbb.TV in Europe, BBC's iPlayer in the UK, Hulu in the US and AcTVila in Japan. Netflix and YouTube also offer such services. According to NPD DisplaySearch, a smart TV can access a branded portal and service, not just publicly available platforms such as YouTube, or broadcaster services.

Within this definition of smart TV, there are sub-categories that differ in the nature of the control of the service offering:"Set maker controlled" sets can have unique services from a portal. No two brands are alike, and the services may be configurable as apps. "Consumer controlled" sets can escape the constraints of a portal and allow the consumer to access the whole internet. These sets typically have a browser inside.

The report indicates that nearly 20% of all TVs shipped worldwide were smart TVs, the highest being in Japan with 36%, with China a close runner-up with 30%. The feature was also strong in Western Europe, over 29% of Q1'12 shipments were of smart TVs. All regions were over one-in-ten, with North America at 18%.

"Connected TV is largely driven by content," said Paul Gray, Director of TV Electronics Research for NPD DisplaySearch. "Where there are compelling things to watch, the internet becomes a major source of entertainment. We are now seeing a second stage of evolution as internet video relocates from a PC screen onto the TV screen. In particular, Chinese consumers have found plenty to watch on the internet, so internet connectivity follows."

Figure 1: Smart TV Penetration, Q1’12 Shipments. Source: NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly Smart TV Shipment and Forecast Report

One of the more surprising findings from the report indicates that no region is being left behind. Developed regions can be expected to have high shipments, and areas with low broadband uptake such as the Middle East and Africa also show a strong interest in internet connectivity.

"It is an interesting trend," added Gray. "There are countries in emerging regions where mobile broadband far outnumbers fixed lines, so consumers are looking to share mobile content on a big screen."

By region, the largest shipments were in China with almost 3.0 million smart TVs shipped. Western Europe was second, with 2.1 million units shipped, while North America was third with almost 1.4 million units shipped. Strong seasonality linked to the Lunar New Year holiday helped increase shipments in China. Western Europe showed weaker demand as consumers there tend to exhibit more caution toward smart TVs.

By region, the report finds that open internet access is dominant in China, as consumers have a shortage of structured services and want to look elsewhere for content to view. However, 2012 models from all major brands incorporate browsers, and this feature trend is likely to proliferate outside of China.

Figure 2: Smart TV Penetration, Q1’12 Shipments by Brand. Source: NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly Smart TV Shipment and Forecast Report

Brands' shipment mix of smart TVs reflects their regional positioning. Chinese TV brands score well due to high shipments in their home market.

Visit NPD DisplaySearch at http://www.displaysearchblog.com.

This article originally appeared on EE Times Europe.

TAG:Smart TV Connected TV Internet

Search engine aims to quiz sensor networks

Search engine aims to quiz sensor networks

A new type of search engine is being developed that can interrogate networks of sensors to give real time answers to questions about the physical world.

The European-funded project, known as SMART, for 'Search engine for MultimediA Environment geneRated content', aims to develop and implement an open source system to allow internet users to search and analyse data from any network of sensors.

By matching search queries with information from sensors and cross-referencing data from social networks such as Twitter, users will be able to receive detailed responses to questions such as 'What part of the city hosts live music events which my friends have been to recently?' or 'How busy is the city centre?' Currently, standard search engines such as Google are not able to answer search queries of this type.

The SMART project is a joint research initiative of nine partners including the University of Glasgow, Atos, Athens Information Technology, IBM's Haifa Research Lab, Imperial College London, City of Santander, PRISA Digital, Telesto and Consorzio S3 Log. "The SMART project will be built upon an open-source search engine technology known as Terrier we have been developing at the University since 2004, and we're pleased to be involved in this innovative research initiative," said Dr Iadh Ounis, of the University of Glasgow's School of Computing Science.

"The SMART engine will be able to answer high-level queries by automatically identifying cameras, microphones and other sensors that can contribute to the query, then synthesising results stemming from distributed sources in an intelligent way. SMART builds upon the existing concept of 'smart cities', physical spaces which are covered in an array of intelligent sensors which communicate with each other and can be searched for information. The search results sourced from these smart cities can be reused across multiple applications, making the system more effective. We expect that SMART will be tested in a real city by 2014."

SMART will develop a scalable search and retrieval architecture for multimedia data, along with intelligent techniques for real-time processing, search and retrieval of physical world multimedia. The SMART framework will boost scalability in both functional and business terms, while being extensible in terms of sensors and multimedia data processing algorithms.

The matching will be based on the sensors' context and metadata (e.g., location, state, capabilities), as well as on the dynamic context of the physical world as the later is perceived by processing algorithms (such as face detectors, person trackers, classifiers of acoustic events and components for crowd analysis). At the same time, SMART will be able to leverage Web2.0 social networks information in order to facilitate social queries on physical world multimedia.

The SMART project is part of the University of Glasgow's growing theme of research on sensor systems. The University aims to ensure that its research portfolio can provide entire sensor solutions, from novel physical sensors, to intelligent applications and visualisations of sensor inputs. The University is also part of the Scottish Sensor Systems Centre, which is funded by the Scottish Funding Council and collaboration between eight of Scotland's leading universities and industry to undertake joint industrial/academic projects into sensor systems.

For more information on SMART: http://www.smartfp7.eu.

For more information on the Scottish Sensor Systems Centre: sensorsystems.org.uk.

This article originally appeared on EE Times Europe.

TAG:Search engine sensor networks ‘Search engine for MultimediA Environment geneRated content SMART

Audi, Sierra Wireless jointly develop and test in-vehicle LTE infotainment system

Audi, Sierra Wireless jointly develop and test in-vehicle LTE infotainment system

In the context of developing an LTE-connected infotainment system, carmaker Audi is testing the AirPrime embedded wireless modules from Canadian technology company Sierra Wireless. While Audi's platform still is in the development and testing stage, Sierra Wireless now revealed that it provides the LTE modules to be used. The system has already been showcased at several industry events this year, including the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas in January, and CeBIT in Hanover, Germany, in March.

Sierra Wireless AirPrime modules are available with varying combinations of LTE frequency bands and fallback technologies, and were the first LTE modules available, allowing Audi to work on the leading edge of wireless technology as LTE networks roll out.

"We recognize that automotive customers, with longer product development cycles and products that stay in operation for several years, face special challenges in integrating rapidly evolving wireless technologies," said Didier Dutronc, Senior Vice President, Embedded M2M Solutions for Sierra Wireless. "We are uniquely positioned to help these customers, with depth of expertise and experience in both automotive M2M requirements and in developing and deploying products for leading edge wireless technologies like LTE. Audi has a long history of technology innovation and we are proud to play a role in developing the connected car of the future."

Sierra Wireless also offers components required for a wireless connectivity solution, from wireless embedded modules and software suites to development tools and services platforms as well as products designed to match the automotive industry's toughest quality requirements, manufactured in an ISO/TS 16949 compliant facility, and supported by automotive specialists. The company also offers engineering, design, and systems integration services that conform to the automotive industry's tough constraints.

Audi started driving tests with the LTE platform in late 2011; the tests are ongoing.

This article originally appeared on EE Times Europe.

TAG:automotive infotainment LTE M2M Audi Sierra Wireless

Sixty percent of new cars will be connected by 2017

Sixty percent of new cars will be connected by 2017

Global OEM connected car system penetration is expected to increase from 11.4% in 2012 to 60.1% in 2017. While penetration in the US and Western Europe will exceed 80% by 2017, developing regions such as Latin America and Eastern Europe will also see strong increases in telematics penetration in new vehicles, largely driven by mandates in Brazil and Russia.

VP and practice director Dominique Bonte comments: "In-car connectivity is quickly transforming the automotive industry, enabling passive and active safety and security and offering infotainment and connected lifestyle services to consumers but also enabling new car ownership, usage, and experience modes such as car sharing, (semi)-autonomous driving, dynamic demand-response electric vehicle charging pricing, and customer and vehicle relationship management services including prognostics and preventive maintenance."

However, the two main issues the automotive industry continues to face are cost and lack of awareness as illustrated by a recent ABI Research consumer survey.

ABI Research's "Connected Car" market database provides detailed forecasts of embedded, hybrid, and converged connectivity solutions including subscribers, service revenue, and hardware shipments and revenues for the United States, Canada, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Latin America, Asia-Pacific, and Africa and The Middle East.

http://www.abiresearch.com.

This article originally appeared on EE Times Europe.

TAG:automotive connectivity infotainment car connectivity smart car connected car telematics

Global tablet usage for viewing TV/Video content doubles year on year, says NPD DisplaySearch

Global tablet usage for viewing TV/Video content doubles year on year, says NPD DisplaySearch

The use of tablets such as the iPad and Android-based devices by consumers for viewing TV/video content more than doubled in 14 regional markets surveyed, according to the latest Global TV Replacement Study, conducted by NPD DisplaySearch.

This growth has occurred in conjunction with increased tablet adoption in these markets. The widespread tablet adoption was driven by improved connectivity infrastructure has facilitated use of these devices as alternate content-viewing devices.

The fastest growing region for tablet usage is Turkey, with tablet use growing from 3.1% in 2011 to 16.5% in 2012. In addition, there was strong tablet usage growth in Germany (up nearly fourfold Y/Y), France and the U.S. (both up more than threefold Y/Y).

Figure 1: Tablet usage for TV/Video content viewing by countries surveyed.

Besides tablets, consumers are also leveraging other alternate electronic devices such as laptops and mobile phones to view TV/video content. The study indicates that more than 70% of consumers use alternate electronic devices such as tablets, notebook PCs, smart phones, MP3 players and desktop computers to view TV/video content.

In mature markets like the U.S., the U.K. and Germany, a higher number of people viewed video content on portable computing devices such as tablets and notebook PCs. In emerging markets like China, Indonesia, Russia and Turkey, consumers reported that they view content on mobile devices such as smart phones, likely due to the relatively high penetration of wireless networks.

"While the trends vary by region, it is evident that consumers around the globe are watching more video and TV content with their portable electronic devices as these provide additional means of accessing content," noted Riddhi Patel, Research Director of Consumer Insights for NPD DisplaySearch. "Despite this increase, however, TVs still remain the primary device of choice for viewing TV content, with 30% of consumers reporting that they view TV/video content on TVs alone."

Figure 2: Alternate ways consumers v iew TV/Video content.

Despite increasing use of tablets and alternate smart devices, TV replacement cycles were shorter in 2012 than in 2011 in all the countries surveyed as consumers expressed the desire for improved picture quality, larger size and HD performance, all of which are fulfilled with their adoption of flat panels. Increasing availability of these sets in a range of sizes and declining prices meet up with consumer needs and preferences globally. LCD continues to dominate global markets as the flat panel technology of choice.

The NPD DisplaySearch Global TV Replacement Study offers a focused view of TV replacement trends in 14 global markets. This study also provides insight into the reasons why consumers are replacing their CRT and flat panel TVs. This unique global study provides clients with country-level insights and information based on nationally representative samples of more than 14,000 TV owners.

Visit the NPD Group at http://www.displaysearch.com.

This article originally appeared on EE Times Europe.

TAG:tablet adoption usage tv video connectivity

Sixty percent of new cars will be connected by 2017

Sixty percent of new cars will be connected by 2017

Global OEM connected car system penetration is expected to increase from 11.4% in 2012 to 60.1% in 2017. While penetration in the US and Western Europe will exceed 80% by 2017, developing regions such as Latin America and Eastern Europe will also see strong increases in telematics penetration in new vehicles, largely driven by mandates in Brazil and Russia.

VP and practice director Dominique Bonte comments: "In-car connectivity is quickly transforming the automotive industry, enabling passive and active safety and security and offering infotainment and connected lifestyle services to consumers but also enabling new car ownership, usage, and experience modes such as car sharing, (semi)-autonomous driving, dynamic demand-response electric vehicle charging pricing, and customer and vehicle relationship management services including prognostics and preventive maintenance."

However, the two main issues the automotive industry continues to face are cost and lack of awareness as illustrated by a recent ABI Research consumer survey.

ABI Research's "Connected Car" market database provides detailed forecasts of embedded, hybrid, and converged connectivity solutions including subscribers, service revenue, and hardware shipments and revenues for the United States, Canada, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Latin America, Asia-Pacific, and Africa and The Middle East.

http://www.abiresearch.com.

This article originally appeared on EE Times Europe.

TAG:automotive connectivity infotainment car connectivity smart car connected car telematics

Smart TV surges in popularity worldwide, China at the forefront

Smart TV surges in popularity worldwide, China at the forefront

Over one-quarter of TVs shipped during Q1'12 were equipped with internet connectivity, as reported in the new NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly Smart TV Shipment and Forecast Report.

Approximately 27% of TV sets shipped worldwide had internet connectivity, led by Japan, where 46% of sets had networking capability, and Western Europe with 36%. In a good example of how internet entertainment is developing rapidly in emerging markets, China followed closely behind Western Europe with 32% of sets that shipped having internet functionality.

In the report, NPD DisplaySearch further analyzed TV sets by service type. Basic connected TVs can access structured services from broadcasters such as Hbb.TV in Europe, BBC's iPlayer in the UK, Hulu in the US and AcTVila in Japan. Netflix and YouTube also offer such services. According to NPD DisplaySearch, a smart TV can access a branded portal and service, not just publicly available platforms such as YouTube, or broadcaster services.

Within this definition of smart TV, there are sub-categories that differ in the nature of the control of the service offering:"Set maker controlled" sets can have unique services from a portal. No two brands are alike, and the services may be configurable as apps. "Consumer controlled" sets can escape the constraints of a portal and allow the consumer to access the whole internet. These sets typically have a browser inside.

The report indicates that nearly 20% of all TVs shipped worldwide were smart TVs, the highest being in Japan with 36%, with China a close runner-up with 30%. The feature was also strong in Western Europe, over 29% of Q1'12 shipments were of smart TVs. All regions were over one-in-ten, with North America at 18%.

"Connected TV is largely driven by content," said Paul Gray, Director of TV Electronics Research for NPD DisplaySearch. "Where there are compelling things to watch, the internet becomes a major source of entertainment. We are now seeing a second stage of evolution as internet video relocates from a PC screen onto the TV screen. In particular, Chinese consumers have found plenty to watch on the internet, so internet connectivity follows."

Figure 1: Smart TV Penetration, Q1’12 Shipments. Source: NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly Smart TV Shipment and Forecast Report

One of the more surprising findings from the report indicates that no region is being left behind. Developed regions can be expected to have high shipments, and areas with low broadband uptake such as the Middle East and Africa also show a strong interest in internet connectivity.

"It is an interesting trend," added Gray. "There are countries in emerging regions where mobile broadband far outnumbers fixed lines, so consumers are looking to share mobile content on a big screen."

By region, the largest shipments were in China with almost 3.0 million smart TVs shipped. Western Europe was second, with 2.1 million units shipped, while North America was third with almost 1.4 million units shipped. Strong seasonality linked to the Lunar New Year holiday helped increase shipments in China. Western Europe showed weaker demand as consumers there tend to exhibit more caution toward smart TVs.

By region, the report finds that open internet access is dominant in China, as consumers have a shortage of structured services and want to look elsewhere for content to view. However, 2012 models from all major brands incorporate browsers, and this feature trend is likely to proliferate outside of China.

Figure 2: Smart TV Penetration, Q1’12 Shipments by Brand. Source: NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly Smart TV Shipment and Forecast Report

Brands' shipment mix of smart TVs reflects their regional positioning. Chinese TV brands score well due to high shipments in their home market.

Visit NPD DisplaySearch at http://www.displaysearchblog.com.

This article originally appeared on EE Times Europe.

TAG:Smart TV Connected TV Internet

Search engine aims to quiz sensor networks

Search engine aims to quiz sensor networks

A new type of search engine is being developed that can interrogate networks of sensors to give real time answers to questions about the physical world.

The European-funded project, known as SMART, for 'Search engine for MultimediA Environment geneRated content', aims to develop and implement an open source system to allow internet users to search and analyse data from any network of sensors.

By matching search queries with information from sensors and cross-referencing data from social networks such as Twitter, users will be able to receive detailed responses to questions such as 'What part of the city hosts live music events which my friends have been to recently?' or 'How busy is the city centre?' Currently, standard search engines such as Google are not able to answer search queries of this type.

The SMART project is a joint research initiative of nine partners including the University of Glasgow, Atos, Athens Information Technology, IBM's Haifa Research Lab, Imperial College London, City of Santander, PRISA Digital, Telesto and Consorzio S3 Log. "The SMART project will be built upon an open-source search engine technology known as Terrier we have been developing at the University since 2004, and we're pleased to be involved in this innovative research initiative," said Dr Iadh Ounis, of the University of Glasgow's School of Computing Science.

"The SMART engine will be able to answer high-level queries by automatically identifying cameras, microphones and other sensors that can contribute to the query, then synthesising results stemming from distributed sources in an intelligent way. SMART builds upon the existing concept of 'smart cities', physical spaces which are covered in an array of intelligent sensors which communicate with each other and can be searched for information. The search results sourced from these smart cities can be reused across multiple applications, making the system more effective. We expect that SMART will be tested in a real city by 2014."

SMART will develop a scalable search and retrieval architecture for multimedia data, along with intelligent techniques for real-time processing, search and retrieval of physical world multimedia. The SMART framework will boost scalability in both functional and business terms, while being extensible in terms of sensors and multimedia data processing algorithms.

The matching will be based on the sensors' context and metadata (e.g., location, state, capabilities), as well as on the dynamic context of the physical world as the later is perceived by processing algorithms (such as face detectors, person trackers, classifiers of acoustic events and components for crowd analysis). At the same time, SMART will be able to leverage Web2.0 social networks information in order to facilitate social queries on physical world multimedia.

The SMART project is part of the University of Glasgow's growing theme of research on sensor systems. The University aims to ensure that its research portfolio can provide entire sensor solutions, from novel physical sensors, to intelligent applications and visualisations of sensor inputs. The University is also part of the Scottish Sensor Systems Centre, which is funded by the Scottish Funding Council and collaboration between eight of Scotland's leading universities and industry to undertake joint industrial/academic projects into sensor systems.

For more information on SMART: http://www.smartfp7.eu.

For more information on the Scottish Sensor Systems Centre: sensorsystems.org.uk.

This article originally appeared on EE Times Europe.

TAG:Search engine sensor networks ‘Search engine for MultimediA Environment geneRated content SMART

Audi, Sierra Wireless jointly develop and test in-vehicle LTE infotainment system

Audi, Sierra Wireless jointly develop and test in-vehicle LTE infotainment system

In the context of developing an LTE-connected infotainment system, carmaker Audi is testing the AirPrime embedded wireless modules from Canadian technology company Sierra Wireless. While Audi's platform still is in the development and testing stage, Sierra Wireless now revealed that it provides the LTE modules to be used. The system has already been showcased at several industry events this year, including the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas in January, and CeBIT in Hanover, Germany, in March.

Sierra Wireless AirPrime modules are available with varying combinations of LTE frequency bands and fallback technologies, and were the first LTE modules available, allowing Audi to work on the leading edge of wireless technology as LTE networks roll out.

"We recognize that automotive customers, with longer product development cycles and products that stay in operation for several years, face special challenges in integrating rapidly evolving wireless technologies," said Didier Dutronc, Senior Vice President, Embedded M2M Solutions for Sierra Wireless. "We are uniquely positioned to help these customers, with depth of expertise and experience in both automotive M2M requirements and in developing and deploying products for leading edge wireless technologies like LTE. Audi has a long history of technology innovation and we are proud to play a role in developing the connected car of the future."

Sierra Wireless also offers components required for a wireless connectivity solution, from wireless embedded modules and software suites to development tools and services platforms as well as products designed to match the automotive industry's toughest quality requirements, manufactured in an ISO/TS 16949 compliant facility, and supported by automotive specialists. The company also offers engineering, design, and systems integration services that conform to the automotive industry's tough constraints.

Audi started driving tests with the LTE platform in late 2011; the tests are ongoing.

This article originally appeared on EE Times Europe.

TAG:automotive infotainment LTE M2M Audi Sierra Wireless

World's first Bluetooth low energy bike speed and cadence monitor is released

World's first Bluetooth low energy bike speed and cadence monitor is released

Specialist smartphone fitness company, Wahoo Fitness, is launching the world's first Bluetooth low energy bike speed and cadence monitor - the Wahoo Blue SC - that employs a Nordic Semiconductor's µBlue nRF8001 Connectivity chip that tracks a bike's lifetime mileage.

The bike sensor offers a lifetime bike mileage tracking feature and will work with Wahoo's existing Bluetooth low energy heart-rate belt and any iPhone 4S or latest generation iPad.

The product announcement follows Wahoo Fitness launching the world's first commercially-available Bluetooth low energy heart-rate belt in January 2012.

The Wahoo Blue SC is immediately compatible - using a Wahoo fitness app - with the iPhone 4S and newest (third) generation iPad that both support Bluetooth v4.0 wireless technology that includes Bluetooth low energy as a hallmark feature. The Wahoo app can also take advantage of many of the inherent features of the iPhone 4S and iPad including GPS mapping to track routes, for example, and the ability to automatically upload recorded bike data to a user's preferred training website.

The majority of new smartphones and tablets will support Bluetooth v4.0- the latest specification version of the wireless technology. Wahoo is also making it iOS API (application programming interface) available to all interested app developers and says it plans to develop similar APIs for other operating systems and product platforms.

The Wahoo Blue SC comprises three parts: a main sensor unit that mounts on a bike's frame between the pedal and rear wheel, a crank magnet that tracks cadence each time it passes this sensor, and a rear wheel spoke magnet that tracks speed and distance each time it passes the sensor (each wheel rotation corresponding to a distance travelled equal to the circumference of the bike's tire within a given time from which the bike's speed can also be calculated).

In operation, the Nordic nRF8001's class-leading ULP performance enables the Wahoo Blue SC speed and cadence monitor to run for up to 18 months from a regular 3V CR2032 coin cell battery under typical usage (three rides a week) conditions.

"With the totally unique lifetime mileage feature - or bike odometer - we are giving users the option to transform their iPhone into a bike computer without need of any extra equipment beyond downloading the free Wahoo Fitness app," comments Molly Andruszkiewicz, Director of Marketing at Wahoo Fitness. "And this second Wahoo Bluetooth low energy product will be followed by a whole range of other sports and fitness devices later this year."

Mike Stashak, Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Wahoo Fitness adds: "By making our API open to all interested app developers, we confidently expect to see a wave of Bluetooth low energy and Bluetooth Smart sports and fitness sensors and apps for the iOS to start arriving over the coming months. And we intend to extend our API to other smartphone and tablet operating systems and platforms in the future."

Mpre information about the nRF8001 Connectivity chip at http://www.nordicsemi.com/eng/News/Press-Center/Press-Backgrounders/About-nRF8001.

This article originally appeared on EE Times Europe.

TAG:Bluetooth low energy smartphone fitness heart rate bike speed cadence monitor Wahoo Blue SC

In-car information deluge raises concerns of driver distraction, analyst says

In-car information deluge raises concerns of driver distraction, analyst says

The ubiquitous presence of Smartphones has led to a demand for comparable functionalities to be present inside cars. Technologies such as touch screens and large displays have become a commodity in the automotive infotainment domain. As vehicles rely more and more on sophisticated forms of technology, the requirements for onboard information displays are becoming increasingly comprehensive and diverse. Driver distraction is becoming a challenge, concludes a study from Frost & Sullivan.

The study, titled "Strategic Analysis of European and North American Markets for Display and Instrument Clusters", finds that in Europe, the market size for central displays, touch screens and head up displays is estimated to reach 9.5 million, 2 million and 0.5 million units, respectively, by 2017. In North America, the market size for central displays, touch screens and head up displays is anticipated to reach 6 million, 3 million and 0.4 million units, respectively, by 2017.

"The availability of Internet connectivity has led to the proliferation of various web services, Smartphone applications and entertainment-related functions inside vehicles," notes Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Krishna Jayaraman. "This has led to the need for large and intelligent information display systems, which could house all the information content."

The growing consumer demand for in-vehicle information related to comfort, convenience and safety has led to an information overload. It has spurred the development of new technologies and bigger displays to portray this information.

"Information management is a big challenge and is closely related to driver distraction," remarks Jayaraman. "Automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are in a situation where they have to achieve a balance between offering new technologies to stay ahead of the competition and keeping the human machine interface (HMI) as easy as possible; prioritisation and splitting information to different in-vehicle displays is the need of the hour."

Driver distraction, fuelled by information overload, highlights the need for HMI solutions which not only store additional information, but also limit the amount of information projected to the driver by prioritising it.

There is an increased need for large central displays to house more information. However, multi-modality of input interfaces alone will not help; information will have to be split to different display options, according to priority.

"For instance, functions which are vehicle-specific and necessary while driving should be projected on the head up displays and instrument cluster, while other entertainment features can reside on central displays," suggests Jayaraman. "Additionally, restricting the freedom to access web-based content to limit distraction will be pivotal."

For more information visit http://www.automotive.frost.com.

This article originally appeared on EE Times Europe.

TAG:automotive infotainment information displays driver distraction research

One in every five wearable wireless devices set for healthcare deployment by 2017

One in every five wearable wireless devices set for healthcare deployment by 2017

A new wave of wearable devices is being launched that will help track and share data from a range of activities and conditions, taking a large share of the wearable wireless devices market, according to ABI Research.

These devices will track the pace of someone's daily run, recognize a fall that might have injured a senior, report the blood sugar level in a diabetic, and monitor the heart rate of a patient in hospital. "The breadth of the potential for this market is not just drawing in consumer giants like Nike and Adidas and established healthcare players such as GE Healthcare and Philips, but a wealth of start-ups and specialist players looking to wearable wireless devices to enable a wide range of networked health applications and services," says Jonathan Collins, principal analyst, navigation, telematics & M2M.

Over the next five years, the market for wearable wireless devices will grow to 169.5 million devices in 2017, up from 20.77 million in 2011, a CAGR of 41%. While the bulk of the device shipments will be in the consumer-oriented sports, fitness, and wellness market, wearable devices will increasingly be adopted across home monitoring and healthcare service applications as well.

"Remote patient monitoring and on-site professional healthcare use will represent just over 20 percent of the wearable wireless device market by 2017, up from less than half that in 2011. "As the devices can be worn and can upload collected data to the network automatically, collected data can not only be more regularly collected but also shared, analyzed, and acted on quicker and more efficiently that existing wired or manpower-laden techniques," says Collins.

ABI Research's report, "Body Area Networks for Sports and Healthcare," examines the potential for devices and applications across a range of sports and healthcare applications, including analysis of a range of embedded technology options including short-range wireless and M2M connectivity.

Visit ABI Research at http://www.abiresearch.com.

This article originally appeared on EE Times Europe.

TAG:wearable wireless device sports healthcare Remote patient monitoring fitness wellness medical M2M

NXP Semi CTO steps down

NXP Semi CTO steps down

NEW YORK -- NXP Semiconductor's management team saw more changes recently as its chief technology officer, René Penning de Vries, stepped down after residing with the company for more than 26 years.

The shakeup comes just months after the resignation of its chief financial officer, Karl-Henrik Sundström. A spokesperson for the company said that both departures were due to personal reasons.

"These are personal changes and they don't have anything to do with [financial] results whatsoever," he said.

NXP [Eindhoven, Netherlands], a leading manufacturer of high-performance mixed-signal and standard products, had a rocky start to 2012 with year-on-year quarterly sales and net income dipping sharply in the first quarter. On a non-GAAP basis, sales fell 9.6 percent to $978 million, while net income fell 59 percent to $48 million. The company is scheduled to release its second-quarter results on July 26.

NXP also appointed Sean Hunkler as executive vice president and co-general manager of operations effective July 16. Hunkler will take over for Peter Kelly, who is now NXP's new CFO. Along with Chris Belden, Hunkler will be responsible for all aspects of the company's global operations.

Hans Rijns, senior vice president research and development, will take over as interim CTO. An announcement of his successor is expected soon.

"The [management changes] don't have any consequences for our product or R&D roadmaps whatsoever," the spokesperson said.
TAG:NXP semiconductor

NXP Semi CTO steps down

NXP Semi CTO steps down

NEW YORK -- NXP Semiconductor's management team saw more changes recently as its chief technology officer, René Penning de Vries, stepped down after residing with the company for more than 26 years.

The shakeup comes just months after the resignation of its chief financial officer, Karl-Henrik Sundström. A spokesperson for the company said that both departures were due to personal reasons.

"These are personal changes and they don't have anything to do with [financial] results whatsoever," he said.

NXP [Eindhoven, Netherlands], a leading manufacturer of high-performance mixed-signal and standard products, had a rocky start to 2012 with year-on-year quarterly sales and net income dipping sharply in the first quarter. On a non-GAAP basis, sales fell 9.6 percent to $978 million, while net income fell 59 percent to $48 million. The company is scheduled to release its second-quarter results on July 26.

NXP also appointed Sean Hunkler as executive vice president and co-general manager of operations effective July 16. Hunkler will take over for Peter Kelly, who is now NXP's new CFO. Along with Chris Belden, Hunkler will be responsible for all aspects of the company's global operations.

Hans Rijns, senior vice president research and development, will take over as interim CTO. An announcement of his successor is expected soon.

"The [management changes] don't have any consequences for our product or R&D roadmaps whatsoever," the spokesperson said.
TAG:NXP semiconductor

并非新疆出产才算和田玉(图)

并非新疆出产才算和田玉(图)

图片资料 图片资料 图片资料 图片资料

　　鉴宝

　　文/图 记者郭晓昊、林琳

　　鉴定

　　本期鉴定者:中国玉雕大师郭海军

　　读者:请专家帮我鉴定这几件白玉是不是和田玉,价值多高？

　　鉴定:从图片看,这几件白玉的玉器是青海料的山料,不是和田玉.和田玉,顾名思义,乃中国新疆和田地区所产的玉石.和田古名和阗,这里所谈的和田玉也就是和阗玉,非广义的软玉,或狭义的“玉”.近年来,和田玉的文化内涵、市场前景和投资回报都随着艺术品市场的火爆而广为人知,但由于目前和田玉概念和分类判定不明确,致使一些人以假充真、以次充好,和田玉声誉受到严重损害.

　　青海玉也属软玉,与新疆和田玉同产于同一个山脉,但颜色比较白,也比较剔透、水灵.因市场价格比较低,常常被冒充为新疆和田玉,青海玉与传统的和田玉还是有一些区别的:青海玉呈半透明状,比和阗玉透明度要好,质地也比和阗玉稍粗,比重比和阗玉略低,质感不如和田玉细腻,缺乏羊脂玉般凝重的感觉,经常可见有透明水线.青海料颜色也稍显不正,常有偏灰偏绿偏黄色,也多有黑白、黑黄、绿白、绿黄相杂的玉料而被用作巧色.

　　和田玉卖不动了？近日,媒体纷纷报道翡翠价格大跌,并称该跌势已蔓延至和田玉.新疆当地的和田玉商家也透露,和田玉近来确实出现销量下滑的现象.有市场人士认为,来自俄罗斯、韩国等国家及贵州、青海等地的“山寨玉”冲击了和田玉市场,不过和田玉的总成交额并未发生太大的变化.有行家认为,和田玉分广义和狭义.在新疆最近出台《和田玉实物标准样品》后,关于和田玉标准之争仍未停歇.究竟只有产地为“新疆和田”才是和田玉,还是完全按照田玉的颜色和质地来进行分类鉴定呢？

　　“市面上可见的‘和田玉’中,其实有不少是俄罗斯玉和青海玉.”中国玉雕大师郭海军告诉记者,青海玉在市面上也很常见.青海玉产于青海格尔木,与新疆和田玉产于同一个山脉,但颜色比较白,也比较剔透、水灵.“韩国玉其玉料较松,且白度不够；贵州玉也有点像和田玉,但颜色显瓷白,而润度不能与和田玉比.不过其物理指标与和田玉相似,可以说也属于大范畴的和田玉.目前市面上的贵州玉还不是太多.”

　　要分辨这几种玉料并不容易,收藏者没有多看多上手,很难掌握几种玉石各自的特点.据他介绍,青海玉的水头较足,新疆和田玉有毛汗孔,难以做假,即使做假也很容易分辨,而俄罗斯玉块头大,颜色白,结构疏松.

　　玻璃加铅造“山寨玉”

　　“有人将现在市场上流行的俄罗斯玉、青海玉、韩国玉和贵州玉等称作‘山寨玉’,我认为并不太妥当,因为‘山寨玉’指的是合成的假玉石,而上述几种料其实都是玉石,只是因为被一些不法商家用来冒充和田玉,倒不如说它们是‘山寨和田玉’.”郭海军认为,这几种玉料的价格比不上和田玉,因此有商家担心这些玉料的大量入市,会压低真正和田玉的价格.不过郭海军并不这么看:“新疆和田玉价格较高,属于高端玉石,其他玉石可以作为玉石市场的补充,占据一定中低端市场.”

　　另外值得藏友注意的是,市场历来都有用玻璃器件冒充玉石雕件的做法,但是由于玻璃制作过程容易使其内部产生气泡,所以辨认难度不高.但目前新的玻璃加铅工艺出现,其特点是几乎不见气泡,由于加了铅,重量、颜色、硬度都非常接近和田玉,因此有以假乱真的可能.

　　新疆和田玉销量大减

　　据悉,新疆最近出台了《和田玉实物标准样品》.按照目前业界有人认为和田玉上升为国家标准后不应该限定产地,只要属于与和田玉同类属性的矿物类玉石都叫和田玉；而另一方认为只有新疆和田生产的才称之为“和田玉”,具有产地属性.不过,经过专家的多方论证之后认为,自古以来和田玉的原料来源就是多样的,只要属于与和田玉同类属性的矿物类玉石都应该叫和田玉,所以这次申报的和田玉标准中没有提出一定要对宝玉标注产地为“新疆和田”才是和田玉,而是完全按照和田玉的颜色和质地来进行分类鉴定.近日,有媒体报道翡翠行情出现下跌,有市场人士担忧,这种跌势也将蔓延到和田玉中.一个新疆当地的商家告诉记者:“今年的和田玉卖不动了.” 该商家表示,新疆当地的和田玉销售总量下降幅度很大.不过,他个人的销售金额没有太大的变化:“主要是因为价格保持坚挺的高端和田玉依然保持吸引力,高端买家依然有信心愿意入市.”

　　尽管如此,大多数商家对于和田玉的市场前景颇有信心.郭海军介绍称,和田玉依然作为中国玉石的“领头羊”引领整个市场往上走.

　　经营和田玉多年的苏老板认为,和田玉的价格跟股票一样,有“缓冲期”.当其价格上涨到一定程度时,买家可能转而购买价格相对较低的俄罗斯玉和青海玉,但是“货比货”后觉得不如和田玉,又可能转回收藏和田玉,再到一定价格高位,他们又可能望而止步,去追逐中低端的玉石.

　　另外,郭海军认为市场会面临洗牌:“这个行当必将面临大浪淘沙的过程.”

　　收藏提示

　　如何判断

　　和田玉价值

　　■ 买家不要听价格鉴定玉器.很多买家不懂行,商家就抓住买家的这个心理,先把玉石价格定高,然后打个很低的折扣.千万要记住,“买家永远没有卖家精”.收藏者最关键的是要对玉的知识有深入的了解,并懂得好坏的评判标准.

　　■ 要懂价格行情.很多人盲目听信“名家名作”,或者只认带皮色的和田玉.但是带不带皮色不是判断和田玉的第一标准,玉质才是最重要的标准.工艺水准高低也很重要.很多消费者认为买了名家名作,就一定能升值.但是名家在一定时期内创作的某一种玉雕可能很好,但不代表每一件都好,还要看性价比.要知道,现在工艺师要扬名并不难,但其作品能否经受时间的考验就难说了.

　　■ 有一定价值的玉器可以收藏,不要“扫垃圾”.目前玉石总体价格攀升,有的收藏者买了很多玉雕作品,无论是材质还是工艺都很差,根本够不上收藏级别.这些不但不升值,也许还不保值.

　　说明:本栏目所鉴定的作品均基于读者所提供的原照片,如需进一步鉴定需要观看实物.

　　问答说明:本栏目鉴定专家分别来自广东省博物馆、广州市文物总店、广州市集雅斋等.读者可将藏品图片发至linlin@gzdaily.com进行咨询,务必选用高度清晰照片.

来源:新浪收藏
分享到： QQ空间 新浪微博 腾讯微博 人人网



TAG:并非新疆出产才算和田玉(图) 翡翠 翡翠手镯 feicui 翡翠观音 jade 七彩云南 云南翡翠 缅甸翡翠 瑞丽翡翠