Communications

Smartphones let you do almost everything over Wi-Fi, so why do we still have to use up cellular minutes when making a call? That’s the thinking behind Republic Wireless, a new hybrid phone network that lets you seamlessly make calls using any available Wi-Fi hotspot, falling back to the regular cellular network when you move out of Wi-Fi range. The company ...

Integrated Device Technology is claiming a breakthrough in accuracy for CMOS oscillators with its first device to show ±50 ppm frequency accuracy. The chip firm sees a move away from traditional quartz crystal-based timing circuits driven by the search for power reduction CMOS-based devices can offer power and cost savings in replacing traditional quartz crystal-based oscillators. “The transition away from quartz-based oscillators has begun,” said Fred Zust, ...

Conexant Systems is offering an eight-channel video/audio decoder designed for surveillance camera applications. The CX25828 features eight NTSC/PAL video decoders, nine audio ADCs and one audio digital-to-analogue converter for audio playback or two-way communication applications. The system-on-chip (SoC) is the latest in a line of products from Conexant specifically designed for advanced, high-capacity DVR video surveillance products that capture and ...

Richard Wilson discovers new silicon supporting an emergent industrial communications interface technology which warns of sensor link failures.   IO-Link, the industrial system communications interface with a 230kbit/s data rate and its own in-built diagnostics, has recently seen important chip support from Maxim Integrated Products and Elmos Semiconductor. Maxim Integrated Products has introduced a physical-layer (PHY) transceiver for IO-Link, the industrial ...

Frontier Silicon sees global deployment of digital radio accelerating and it has introduced software for its DAB/DAB+ digitail radio platforms which adds enhanced text and image capability with DL Plus and RadioVIS technology. DL Plus is an advanced text feature currently broadcast as part of the new national DAB+ service in Germany. “The major launches of DAB/DAB+ broadcasts we have seen in Germany and Hong ...

Carlson and Neul are to jointly develop a white space radio networking system that will marketed as affordable broadband comms in rural regions of the world. Volume shipments of the new system are planned before the end of 2011, with samples and development equipment available before then. “Millions of people around the world do not currently have access to decent broadband at affordable prices. In ...

EM Microelectronic, the chip arm of Swatch, has announced the Bluetooth V4.0 qualification of its EM9301 0.8V transceiver. The IC is a single-mode master/slave controller providing Bluetooth low energy function from the radio up to the host controller interface (HCI), optimised for low voltage and low energy systems such as wireless sensors, remote controls and monitoring. “With operating supply voltage ...

It’s not easy sleeping with tubes up your nose, but when doctors want to monitor a person’s breathing they have few other choices. A new wireless system promises to do away with intrusive medical technology – but instead it might end up being used as a surveillance tool to track people’s movements and activities behind closed doors. While testing some ...

Broadcom says NFC (near-field communications), the wireless financial transaction technology will be deployed in smartphones in volume next year. “A lot has been happening around NFC in the last six months, 2012 will be the key year,” Craig Ochikubo, v-p and general manager of the wireless personal area networks business at Broadcom told Electronics Weekly. NFC is a very short-range wirless technoliogy designed to ...

Today, AND Technology Research (AND TR) of Theydon Bois in Based on Renesas’ M16C/6B single chip ZigBee silicon, the AND TR design kits are tuned to provide optimum RF performance in the most demanding situations and have been tested for interoperability at ZigBee Smart Energy interoperability events. The kits include “TestZED” modules that can be used in product prototyping and ...