Consumer Electronics Daily News

CyberSynchs, Mobile Tech Top Ten in Entrepreneur Magazine's Annual '100 Brilliant Ideas'

CyberSynchs, the developer of Universal Data Synchronization technology for electronic devices, has been named in the Mobile Tech category of Entrepreneur Magazine's Annual "100 Brilliant Ideas" feature.

Entrepreneur's annual "100 Brilliant Ideas" takes a look at 10 fast-growing areas of entrepreneurship and chooses 10 companies in each category that "bring jaw-dropping ingenuity to the table." This year's categories span from "pets" to "seniors" and from "health and fitness" to "home improvement."

"Garnering this attention is a major confirmation that the market recognizes and respects our hard work," said Amos Winbush, founder and CEO of CyberSynchs. "Entrepreneur is a prestigious magazine, and we are honored to be part of such an accomplished list of innovative businesses."

The honor comes shortly after Winbush was named "2010 Innovator of the Year" by Black Enterprise Magazine.

Interactive Math Tools at 'Destination ImagiNation'

As tens of thousands of high school students gather this week at Destination ImagiNation, they're getting a chance to compete head-to-head in a fun challenge of speed and trivia, while seeing first-hand the future of interactive math education.

Texas Instruments is the organizing force behind the competition at its Destination ImagiNation exhibit, pitting some of the country's brightest students against each other - and their teachers and parents. Participants will test their knowledge of education-related trivia in a game show-like contest using the latest TI-Nspire with Touchpad handheld learning device.

The interactive and dynamic math classroom technology shown at this conference demonstrates how students' graphing calculator handhelds are networked in a classroom, using the TI-Nspire Navigator wireless classroom network system, to create a shared, real-time learning experience.

Teachers, for example, can send an exercise to each student's device while the entire class works on solutions together via projected screen images. Teachers can track student's individual progress, and replace pencil-and-paper quizzes with quizzes graded in real-time to make sure concepts are understood by the entire class, before moving onto the next part of the lesson.

Students can also work in groups, via this in-class network, to foster shared learning. The new TI-Nspire graphing calculator handheld is available through instructional dealers now and will be available at retail in time for back to school.

For more information on the TI-Nspire with Touchpad, visit www.ti-nspire.com.

Flextronics Expands Partnership With Citrix Systems

Flextronics announced that it will expand its existing partnership with Citrix Systems, Inc. to include the joint design of Citrix's next generation hardware for WAN optimization and secure access appliances and primary outsourcing partner. Flextronics has provided manufacturing and logistics solutions to Citrix for more than five years.

"Flextronics' vast global resources support our hardware manufacturing strategy in several important ways, which is to partner with world class hardware engineers to design great, reliable products for our customers. We also have realized financial improvements, one example being the joint implementation of a LEAN kanban supply chain model that has accelerated cash-to-cash cycles for both companies," said Fred Tiso, Group Director of Hardware Operations, Citrix Systems. "We could not be more pleased with our Flextronics' partnership and we have complete confidence in the team to support our security appliance manufacturing requirements."

"We are very excited to further build upon our established, collaborative relationship with Citrix and help them to develop and build highly competitive products that fully leverage our end-to-end offering, including Flextronics' optimized supply chain and global footprint," said Michael Clarke, President of Flextronics Infrastructure.

Flextronics provides services to Citrix Systems globally through its locations in California, Canada, the Netherlands and Singapore.

Increase Retail Sales for Electronics and Appliances

Retailers of electronics and appliances in the U.S. are expected to experience an increase in sales of their products by $953 million in June, July and August, according to an analytics-based forecast produced by IBM. The forecast represents a four percent increase compared with the same period last year.

The IBM forecast is produced using statistical and analytical software to evaluate both the long-term sales trend and seasonal peaks. IBM consultants use these predictive techniques to help clients improve performance by addressing complex issues of supply and demand. These techniques also aid clients in planning product mix, new store locations, staffing and advertising spend.

"Retailing is an extremely dynamic industry, affected by powerful factors ranging from the economy to fast-moving trends," said Dr. Michael Haydock, Partner, Business Analytics and Optimization Services, IBM Global Business Services. "Analytics give retailers a window into the future that enables them to make better decisions, increase return on investment and provide customers with the products they want."

Simple Tips: Fire Safety with Electrical Devices

May is National Electrical Safety Month. As the month ends, we need to be reminded that the average family powers dozens of electronic devices in their household (computers, printers, game consoles, televisions, monitors), a significant increase compared to 20 years ago.

Deaths from fires and burns are the fifth most common cause of unintentional injury deaths and the third leading cause of fatal home injuries in the United States. Although the number of fatalities and injuries caused by residential fires has declined gradually over the past several decades, the United States' mortality rate from fires ranks seventh among the 25 developed countries of which statistics are available. Many residential fire-related deaths remain preventable and continue to pose a significant public health problem.

Flame retardant chemicals are used to coat the components of electronic devices, giving escape times of up to 15 times longer. In the event of a fire, the difference between two minutes and 25 minutes can mean saved lives and property.

When it comes to fire safety in the home, most people focus on the kitchen and smoke detectors. However, five out of ten home fire deaths occur in households with smoke alarms. The many electronic devices located in our homes, including the family room and home office, deserve their own fire safety audit. 

Susan Landry, Advisor for Fire Safety & Advocacy at Albemarle, a global manufacturer of flame retardants for more than 40 years and creator of GreenArmor, a new eco-friendly fire safety solution, offers four tips that are easy to implement and will enhance the fire safety of the electronic devices in your home.

1. Electrical outlets: Make sure an electrical outlet is properly grounded and has the sufficient power rating. A surge protector provides a safe and reliable connector to the wall outlet and can handle the demands of any electronic device. The models with multiple outlets can accommodate computer-related paraphernalia, such as CPU, monitor, printer and speakers. DO NOT use a standard extension cord suitable for a vacuum cleaner to connect electronic devices to the wall outlet.

2. Computer: When you walk away from your PC for an extended period, turn off the monitor. Because monitors generate high voltage internally, they may potentially start an electric fire or trigger an explosion in a combustible environment. There's a small button, usually in the lower right hand corner of the screen's frame to click the monitor off; you can click it on again when you return and resume using the computer.

3. Television and entertainment centers: If your TV sits in a cabinet or on any wooden furniture, make sure there is sufficient space around the set for air to circulate. Similarly, keep cloths, newspapers and other potentially flammable items away from all vents on the TV set.

4. Fire extinguisher: A dry chemical fire extinguisher is appropriate for electrical fires, so purchase one and keep it safely stored nearby. If you do use it, be careful to clean up all the powder afterwards. The powder that has been discharged can cause a short circuit in electronic equipment.

Keep fire safety in mind at your home or office all year round.

iPad Turns into Extra PC Monitor for More Screen Space

Avatron Software, a leading developer of applications for the Apple iPhone OS platform, just launched its new Air Display app that turns any iPad into an extra monitor for netbook, laptop or desktop computers, adding up to 70 percent more usable screen space. Following the launch of the app, Air Display moved up to the top-grossing third-party app position on iTunes.

The lightweight app improves productivity by allowing users to reposition windows or workflow elements onto the separate screen to free up more workspace. It is ideal for pairing with small laptops, such as the MacBook Air. A Windows version is currently under development.

Air Display connects the devices over a localized wireless network and leverages the iPad's auto-rotation feature, allowing the device to be rotated in portrait or landscape orientation as needed. The iPad can be positioned to the left or right of the primary screen, and the device's hallmark touch-screen functionality can still be used to manipulate features on the iPad screen, just as if it were being used alone.

For easy installation, the required Mac components are installed to the main machine, with the Air Display app loaded on the iPad. Once basic configurations are made, the main machine automatically recognizes the iPad as a secondary monitor each time the app is loaded on the device. Once the iPad app is closed, the main machine automatically returns to single-screen mode.

For best results, a stand may be used to position the iPad in the ideal viewing position--a picture frame, plate holder or folding stand works well, as do some iPad cases.

Air Display for iPad is available in the U.S. now for just $9.99 in the App Store. The Mac OS installer is free at Avatron's website. International versions will launch in conjunction with the iPad international launch.

STMicroelectronics Expands its SPEAr Microprocessor

STMicroelectronics, known for system-on-chip technology, announced the new architecture that will be the backbone for the new members of its popular SPEAr (Structured Processor Enhanced Architecture) family of embedded microprocessors, targeting high-performance connectivity and embedded applications.

Leveraging its experience of the production-proven SPEAr300 and SPEAr600 lines, the new SPEAr1300 product line couples powerful dual ARM Cortex-A9 processors with a DDR3 memory interface and is manufactured in ST's low-power 55nm HCMOS (high-speed CMOS) process technology. The dual ARM Cortex-A9 processors support fully symmetrical operation, at speeds up to 600MHz/core for 3000 DMIPS equivalent.

The SPEAr1300 makes use of ST's innovative Network-on-Chip technology for internal peripheral interconnect, assuring support for multiple different traffic profiles, while maximizing data throughput in the most cost-effective and power-efficient way. Initial sampling has already started to early adopters.

The new architecture offers industry-leading performance in terms of DMIPS/MHz and power consumption/DMIPS ratios, in addition to cost efficiency and customizability advantages. The availability of integrated DDR3 memory controller and a full set of connectivity peripherals like PCIe, SATA, USB and Ethernet, among other features, make the SPEAr1300 the ideal choice for high-performance applications including networking, thin client, videoconferencing, NAS (Network-Attached Storage), computer peripherals, and factory automation.

"This new architecture for the SPEAr family builds upon the unrivalled low power and multiprocessing capabilities of the ARM Cortex-A9 processor core," said Loris Valenti, General Manager of ST's Computer Systems SoC Division. "Upcoming SPEAr embedded microprocessors will deliver an unprecedented combination of processing performance, memory throughput, flexibility and low power for next-generation connectivity appliances."

Embedded microprocessors from the new SPEAr1300 product line will be announced over the next few months, expanding ST's SPEAr family and providing an extensive choice for leading customers.

Tyco Electronics Begins 'around the circuit' Blog

Tyco Electronics introduced the launch of a new blog today. Hosted by some of the passive component industry's leading engineering and marketing professionals, around the circuit is intended to provide insights and observations on market trends, current and emerging technologies, and industry news. It will also include links to white papers, case studies and other useful information related to circuit protection. In addition to the Tyco Electronics bloggers, guest bloggers will, from time to time, share their expertise on particular topics.

Around the circuit will address developments and issues in the automotive, communications, industrial, multimedia and portable electronics industries. Designed to provide an interactive forum for high-quality discussions on electronics in general and circuit protection in particular, the goal of the blog is to give design engineers an opportunity to discuss, debate and learn more about the rapidly changing electronics industry.

"Creating and maintaining this blog is another way for Tyco Electronics' circuit protection professionals to share their expertise with the design engineering community," said Guillemette Paour, Global Market Manager in Automotive, Tyco Electronics' Circuit Protection business unit. "In addition to observations and open discussions on relevant topics, we intend to offer free tutorials, how-to videos, and links to useful resources, but most of all we look forward to a progressive and productive dialog."

Sony's Reader Expands Globally

Sony is preparing to make its digital book reader available in several new markets that include Japan, China and Australia, as well as further European expansion to encompass countries such as Italy and Spain. Sony intends to influence its relationships with local retailers, publishers and distributors to introduce the Reader along with a host of local content to help ensure the best possible reading experience.

 

Sony hopes for a strong global demand for eReaders and eBooks in 2010, specifically within Asian markets. Asia represents one of the fastest growing eBook and eReader markets, with Japanese eBook sales topping $500 million in 2009. China is not far behind predicting the country will become the world's largest eReader market by 2015.

 

The Reader's seamless integration with Sony's Reader Store recently enabled Sony to reach the 10 million eBook download milestone, and it will be working towards having relevant, local-language content available either through its own or local affiliated book stores, upon entering new countries. Since launching the Reader in the United States in 2006, Sony has expanded it into North America and Europe. Today, the Reader is available in eight countries across the world, including the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Netherlands, Austria and Switzerland. Sony's Reader Store is currently available for users in the United States and Canada.

SRS Premium Sound in New High Performance Series of Netbook PCS

SRS Labs, manufacturers in surround sound, audio, and voice technologies, announced that Hannspree Inc is incorporating the SRS Premium Sound audio suite within its upcoming feature-rich line of SN series netbook PCs for PC multimedia experience for music, movies and games.

 

Without a doubt consumers are looking for capable computers, but increasingly demand a more convenient and portable form factor. SRS Premium Sound is a suite of custom-tuned SRS patented audio solutions designed specifically for PC applications that will provide Hannspree SN users with a fully immersive and natural surround sound experience from any kind of speaker configuration, including, laptop/netbook speakers, desktop speakers or headphones, complete with deep, rich bass and crystal clear dialog. Premium Sound dynamically optimizes subtle nuances and rich sounds buried in the original music and video content, making audio come to life through a truly engaging multimedia experience.

 

Hannspree's SRS-equipped SN series netbook PCs are available now throughout the USA, Europe and APAC regions.

 

Additionally, SRS Labs is holding a PC sweepstakes commemorating SRS WOW's 10th anniversary of being featured in Windows Media Player and its monumental achievement of reaching a market penetration of over a billion units. The sweepstakes ends June 14th 2010. To enter for your chance to win, please visit www.srslabs.com/anniversary.