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Designing Handsets with Modularity
March 6, 2009 6:55 am | CommentsBy Danny Tseng, Cypress Semiconductor Designing a platform with modularity in mind is one approach that can shorten design time as well as enable easier feature upgrades. click to enlarge Figure 1. Architecture modularization of a mobile handset.
FIR Filters Help Improve Audio Quality in Consumer Electronics
March 6, 2009 6:55 am | CommentsConsumer Audio Devices from TVs to Docking Stations to Personal Computers Benefit from the Use of FIR Filters in Providing High Quality Audio at a Reasonable Cost By QuickFilter Technologies, Inc. The U.S. market for consumer electronics goods is approximately $161B and growing at a rate of 8% per year (Consumer Electronics Association Digital America 2008).
Low Cost FPGA-Based HD/SD SDI Transceivers
February 25, 2009 10:46 am | CommentsThe recent advent of low-cost FPGAs equipped with high-performance transceivers and DSP blocks will greatly reduce the build and deployment costs of a video broadcast system. By Shakeel Peera, Lattice Semiconductor Corporation click to enlarge Figure 1.
Redefining the Digital Handset
February 25, 2009 10:46 am | CommentsGreater access to digital audio data off-chip presents an opportunity for applying powerful digital enhancement techniques which can improve speaker performance not just for music but also for voice. By Robert Hatfield, Wolfson Microelectronics In some mobile phone architectures, the evolution of speaker drive technology has recently been struggling to make progress.
Coming to a Screen near You: Innovation Set to Bring Mobile TV to Europe
February 25, 2009 10:46 am | CommentsIn order to market Mobile TV and Mobile Video successfully, service providers and technology companies need to target the specific entertainment needs people have when away from home, rather than just assuming that the populace will be willing to sign up regardless. By Mike Green, European Correspondent Wireless Design & Development The DVB-H infrastructure needed to support video transmission has been in place in Europe for over three years now (it was first showcased to the public at the Winter Olympics in Turin, in February 2006, with crowds being able to tap into the video broadcasts of all the different events taking place).
LTE Testing Challenges
February 25, 2009 10:46 am | CommentsWorking closely with the test equipment vendor is required in order to synchronize feature implementation, reference specifications and timely delivery of the test equipment software. By Paul Gooding, Rohde & Schwarz click to enlarge Figure 1.
Noise Elimination Power Converter Control Circuit
February 25, 2009 10:46 am | CommentsGrounding and care in layout is the key to keeping noise out of the control circuit and allowing correct operation. Grounding and care in layout is the key to keeping noise out of the control circuit and allowing correct operation. By John Bottrill, Texas Instruments click to enlarge Figure 1.
GPS Environmental Challenges Drive Common Test Practices
January 30, 2009 9:05 am | CommentsA receiver's position accuracy is a fundamental challenge of satellite navigation system. As a result, GPS receiver designers must perform a combination of measurements to ensure the device will perform as expected. David A. Hall, National Instruments Geocaching involves discovering various "caches" whose coordinates can be found on the Web and whose contents are located all over the world.
Addressing the Challenges in the Design of High-Performance FOTA Diff Engines
January 30, 2009 9:05 am | CommentsFirmware over-the-air (FOTA) technology makes it possible to detect bugs, defects and design flaws after the handset lands in the subscribers' hands. By Jinsheng Gu, InnoPath Software click to enlarge Simplified FOTA Architecture.
F-RAM Moves to Automotive Infotainment Applications
January 30, 2009 9:05 am | CommentsProtecting infotainment dynamic data is essential. The unique advantage of F-RAM guarantees higher availability & performance. By Duncan Bennett, Ramtron International The use of non-volatile ferroelectric RAM (F-RAM) in automotive applications began with airbag applications. This type of safety critical application was click to enlarge Figure 1.
The Development of a Standard Hand Phantom for Wireless Performance Testing: Part 2
January 14, 2009 10:32 am | CommentsThis is part two of a three part series. Read part one By Dr. Michael D. Foegelle, ETS-Lindgren; Kevin Li, Nokia Corp.; Andrew Pavacic, Paul Moller, Motorola, Inc. Defining the Grip An informal survey of advertised handsets on the market revealed that they could generally be separated into two categories by width.
Testing Challenges of SDR's
December 30, 2008 10:24 am | CommentsA new modeling methodology combines FPGAs and detailed circuit-level modeling in a design-to-test flow. By Greg Jue and David Leiss, Agilent Technologies click to enlarge Figure 1. This high-level design flow begins with the design of key algorithms which can be quickly evaluated in simulation to verify system performance with just a handful of simulation blocks.
Using Next-Generation Non-Stationary Noise Suppression to Enhance Voice Quality
December 30, 2008 6:41 am | CommentsEmulating the way that the human hearing system characterizes and groups the audio stream into sound sources proves to be an extremely efficient and accurate way to suppress both stationary and non-stationary noise. By Lloyd Watts, Founder and CTO, Audience click to enlarge Figure 1a.
Internet Addiction – Does it Really Exist?
December 30, 2008 6:41 am | CommentsBy Nancy Maas, Editor-In-Chief nancy.maas@advantagemedia.com Did you know that compulsive e-mailing and text messaging could soon become classified as an official brain disease? An editorial in the American Journal of Psychiatry a few months back said that Internet addiction - including excessive gaming and e-mail/text messaging - is a common compulsive-impulsive disorder that should be added to psychiatry's official guidebook of mental disorders.
Industrial Community Boosts Productivity Online
December 4, 2008 5:11 am | CommentsBy Angela Hribar, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer GlobalSpec, Inc. A key measure of success for OEMs is their ability to get new products to market quickly. Early on, wireless manufacturers must find and source the right components and parts during product design and manufacturing stages to meet demanding deadlines.
