How pathetically appropriate, that stories about the queues forming for purchasing an over-accessorized and oversized bar of soap fall in the same week that news is interrupted to alert...

Posted by Loring Wirbel on Jun 30, 2007 11:27 AM in Communications

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

Fifteen years ago, I joined EE Times, taking a job as business editor. I knew it was a great publication and I vaguely understood that semiconductors and software was fascinating...

Continue reading "May the wind always be at your back"

Posted by Brian Fuller on Jun 29, 2007 03:20 PM in Industry

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

Many star athletes know when to quit. Others just don’t know when to hang up their shoes until they’ve been beaten to a pulp and have to crawl away. So...

Continue reading "Executive fatigue"

Posted by Bolaji Ojo on Jun 28, 2007 09:33 PM in OJO-Mojo Tech Report

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

Thanks to Jorge Magalhaes of Motorola and Joe Pavalat of PICMG for weighing in with some specifics about the market for ATCA. My email has been humming with chorus of...

Continue reading "ATCA backers sound off"

Posted by Rick Merritt on Jun 28, 2007 03:12 PM in Computing

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

The housing market is a pillar of the U.S. economy and by extension a major factor in the global market. Recent weaknesses in that sector is showing up in retail,...

Continue reading "Look before leaping in 2nd half"

Posted by Bolaji Ojo on Jun 27, 2007 04:51 PM in OJO-Mojo Tech Report

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

Struggling server vendor SGI hopes to distinguish itself by using Infiniband natively in its Carlsbad server blades released today and geared for high-performance clusters. The move makes sense because Infiniband...

Continue reading "Intel still loves Infiniband"

Posted by Rick Merritt on Jun 26, 2007 02:57 AM in Computing

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

Trouble in paradise? Looks like LSI's acquisition of Agere was a bad idea....

Continue reading "Trouble in paradise for LSI, Agere"

Posted by Mark LaPedus on Jun 25, 2007 01:38 PM in Semiconductors

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

Freescale's entertainment control platform and network layer were developed with the consumer in mind. So says today's release from the company's Freescale Technology Forum, in Orlando, Florida....

Continue reading "Perpetual search for universal remote"

Posted by Nic Mokhoff on Jun 25, 2007 01:04 PM in Consumer

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

It looks like the big telecom OEMs are not interested in a move to standard chassis and backplanes, according to an excellent report in the EE Times print edition today...

Continue reading "ATCA's failure points to blades"

Posted by Rick Merritt on Jun 25, 2007 11:52 AM in Computing

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

There’s something deliciously ironic about the Blackstone Group's initial public offering. A company that specializes in buying and taking public companies off the equity market has itself turned around to...

Continue reading "No place to hide"

Posted by Bolaji Ojo on Jun 25, 2007 08:49 AM in OJO-Mojo Tech Report

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

There is an unintended consequence of over promotion awaiting Apple Inc. when its iPhone debuts as expected later this month. The product, which essentially is a juiced up consumer electronic...

Continue reading "Coming soon: "You have the iPhone too!""

Posted by Bolaji Ojo on Jun 25, 2007 08:00 AM in OJO-Mojo Tech Report

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

A minor flap has erupted over the imminent closure of Intel Corp.'s fab in Colorado Springs, stemming from a decision by the U.S. Labor Department that fab workers are...

Continue reading "The Great Fab Worker Retraining Debate"

Posted by Loring Wirbel on Jun 23, 2007 12:07 PM in Semiconductors

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

How to assess the conference formerly known as Supercomm, now re-christened NxtComm? Traffic certainly was up from the last few years, and the occasional traffic lulls were more of...

Continue reading "NxtComm: How Do Content and Infrastructure Combine?"

Posted by Loring Wirbel on Jun 22, 2007 03:07 PM in Computing

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

Hitachi has developed an interface that sits on your head and analyzes brain blood flow, then translates brain motion into electric signals....

Continue reading "Thinking couch potatoes"

Posted by Nic Mokhoff on Jun 22, 2007 10:49 AM in Consumer

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

Pity poor Metro Ethernet Forum (oops, excuse me, we're supposed to use the acronym MEF with no spellout, as Ethernet is even being considered for long-haul transport these days)....

Continue reading "MEF: Too Busy for Two Shows"

Posted by Loring Wirbel on Jun 21, 2007 07:38 AM in Communications

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

The network equipment OEMs who attend the carrier-based conference variously known as Supercomm, Globalcomm, and now NxtComm, have always been known for a relaxed attitude toward the competition. Nortel...

Posted by Loring Wirbel on Jun 21, 2007 07:29 AM in Communications

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

I am seeing an increasing number of people with ear clips now that Bluetooth is becoming more widespread on cellphones. But a review of the hardware suggests it will be...

Continue reading "Video shades for summer"

Posted by Rick Merritt on Jun 19, 2007 12:24 PM in Computing

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

Blast from the past. Arrowhead Research Corp. announced that Arthur Swift has been appointed CEO and president of its majority-owned subsidiary, Unidym Inc., a developer of carbon nanotubes....

Continue reading "Swift goes from processors to nanotubes"

Posted by Mark LaPedus on Jun 18, 2007 07:59 PM in Semiconductors

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

The SIA has just cut its 2007 global semiconductor revenue growth forecast from 10 percent to 1.8 percent. But as usual--and with a straight face--Advanced Forecasting claims it got the...

Continue reading "I'm the greatest (forecaster)"

Posted by Mark LaPedus on Jun 18, 2007 06:59 PM in Semiconductors

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

Chris Caso, semi analyst for FBR Research, is leaving the investment banking firm. So for now, FBR is dropping coverage of some big name semi stocks: AMD, Intel, Intersil, Linear,...

Continue reading "Caso leaves FBR, firm dumps semi coverage"

Posted by Mark LaPedus on Jun 18, 2007 06:17 PM in Semiconductors

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

Apple Inc.’s iPhone is going to be a hot product. It’s also going to be on a fast track to commoditization, joining an expanding list of electronic gadgets that start...

Continue reading "A curse that strikes again and again"

Posted by Bolaji Ojo on Jun 18, 2007 12:04 PM in OJO-Mojo Tech Report

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

One of the more interesting from-the-trenches reviews of the recent Design Automation Conference (DAC) can be found at the Verilab web site, where several engineers give their impressions of products...

Continue reading "Verification engineers blog about DAC"

Posted by Richard Goering on Jun 14, 2007 08:16 PM in EDA Software

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

Linux's Big Daddy Linus Torvalds and Sun Microsystems chief Jonathan Schwartz traded public barbs online this week. Linus got it started saying Linux took the EDA chip design market away...

Continue reading "Linus: Sun ain't that open"

Posted by Rick Merritt on Jun 14, 2007 11:51 AM in Computing

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

Kodak's new image sensor technology promises to make dark, blurry digital photos a thing of the past. Canon's new multi-function printer is "revolutionizing" digital production printing. The outputs of both...

Continue reading "Images blur digital divide"

Posted by Nic Mokhoff on Jun 14, 2007 11:34 AM in Consumer

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

Anyone hear from Spreadtrum lately? All I hear are rumors and such, like they have withdrawn an IPO and the handset chip business is taking a hit from increased competition...

Continue reading "Spreadtrum IPO in play"

Posted by Mike Clendenin on Jun 14, 2007 12:24 AM in China

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

The longer I cover the semiconductor industry the more I notice the people who've been around forever as much as I notice the people who are no longer in the...

Continue reading "There's hope yet"

Posted by Brian Fuller on Jun 13, 2007 12:06 PM in Industry

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

Well, the drive for better power/performance in the data center is clearly gaining traction. But don't be fooled by the news about the Climate Savers consortium yesterday, most of the...

Continue reading "Not easy being green"

Posted by Rick Merritt on Jun 13, 2007 11:28 AM in Computing

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

With the launch of the iPhone expected in about two weeks, Taiwan smartphone maker HTC Corp. is hoping to get a head start with its new "stylish smart device with...

Continue reading "Apple: Please don't Touch"

Posted by Mike Clendenin on Jun 13, 2007 06:21 AM in China

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

Bluespec's shift away from point tools and towards more complete electronic system level (ESL) solutions is representative of a maturing industry. And it may be just what it takes to...

Continue reading "ESL moves from point tools to ecosystems"

Posted by Richard Goering on Jun 12, 2007 09:04 PM in EDA Software

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

Satya Chillara, an analyst with Pacific Growth Securities LLC, on Texas Instruments' mid-quarter update:...

Continue reading "TI's mid-term report card"

Posted by Mark LaPedus on Jun 12, 2007 12:22 PM in Semiconductors

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

One out of two ain't bad in the state of Texas. Texas Instruments has recently delayed the production date of its 300-mm fab in Richardson, Texas....

Continue reading "Samsung opens 300-mm fab, but I'm not going"

Posted by Mark LaPedus on Jun 12, 2007 12:07 PM in Semiconductors

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

Our man Bolaji Ojo wrote a thoughful piece this week about the impact of private equity investors on our industry. Now comes news that makes this trend even more intriguing....

Continue reading "Private equity's hidden allure"

Posted by Brian Fuller on Jun 12, 2007 11:32 AM in Industry

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

Last week, Atmel filed its delayed financials for 2006 after being hit hard by a stock-option probe and a proxy fight. Here's what is REALLY interesting about Atmel, according to...

Continue reading "Atmel to sell fabs, says analyst"

Posted by Mark LaPedus on Jun 12, 2007 11:02 AM in Semiconductors

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

So Via Technologies got in touch with me yesterday. They wanted to "clarify" something that one of their guys said at Computex regarding WCDMA — sort of like how press...

Continue reading "Via really likes WCDMA, really"

Posted by Mike Clendenin on Jun 12, 2007 02:22 AM in China

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

A lot of today's news from Apple was all about pushing OS X ahead as a server operating system. But there's a limit to how far this can go and,...

Continue reading "Jobs plays Jeeves"

Posted by Rick Merritt on Jun 11, 2007 05:29 PM in Computing

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

Mentor Graphics' Wally Rhines looks to take over markets where, as he says, the "incumbent gorilla fails." But with the Sierra Design Automation acquisition, he's facing one tough set of...

Continue reading "Wally Rhines vs. the 'incumbent gorillas'"

Posted by Richard Goering on Jun 11, 2007 04:53 PM in EDA Software

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

Rumors are running rampant that VLSI Research had a layoff. Analyst David Lammers was apparently let go in the process....

Continue reading "Lammers no longer at VLSI Research"

Posted by Mark LaPedus on Jun 11, 2007 02:26 PM in Semiconductors

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

The print edition of our local libertarian daily paper, Colorado Springs Gazette, loved putting a banner headline June 10 on a weekend report from Privacy International in London, calling...

Continue reading "Google: Do No Evil or Empire of Evil?"

Posted by Loring Wirbel on Jun 11, 2007 01:00 PM in Communications

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

At the end of May, after a shareholder meeting discussing executive compensations, the normally acerbic Denver Post columnist Al Lewis gushed that Qwest Communications chairman and CEO Dick Notebaert...

Continue reading "Dick's Cheering Section"

Posted by Loring Wirbel on Jun 11, 2007 12:26 PM in Communications

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

OK, so this is way outside the China blog turf, but it seemed so cool that I wanted to get a link to the original news from MIT. WiTricity? Cool...

Continue reading "MIT strikes with wireless electricity"

Posted by Mike Clendenin on Jun 10, 2007 09:16 PM in China

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

Flextronics’ planned acquisition of Solectron raises numerous questions about both the transaction and the EMS market....

Continue reading "A hard deal to swallow"

Posted by Bolaji Ojo on Jun 8, 2007 06:06 PM in OJO-Mojo Tech Report

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

Private equity investors are paying closer attention to technology companies. That’s because the sector has cleaned up a lot of its mess....

Continue reading "Buyouts: The great game of bait and switch"

Posted by Bolaji Ojo on Jun 8, 2007 06:05 PM in OJO-Mojo Tech Report

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

Stay vigilant. Recent developments in the U.S. economy will impact electronics manufacturers....

Continue reading "The calm before the next storm"

Posted by Bolaji Ojo on Jun 8, 2007 04:08 PM in OJO-Mojo Tech Report

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

Every year at the Design Automation Conference, I pace the aisles looking for EDA startup companies I haven't heard of before. Here's this year's crop....

Continue reading "The hunt for new startups at DAC"

Posted by Richard Goering on Jun 8, 2007 03:33 PM in EDA Software

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

OK, here's this week's round-up for Dongxi, brought to you by Cai Yan. This week's headlines include: TD-SCDMA tests (finally) wrap up; Lenovo CMMB phone pops up; RFID tags to...

Continue reading "Dongxi"

Posted by Mike Clendenin on Jun 8, 2007 07:49 AM in China

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

I don't know what to make of this one, except that either SigmaTel's CEO or the Reuters reporter were distracted by the increase in booth babes at Computex this year...

Continue reading "SigmaTel issues non-guidance guidance"

Posted by Mike Clendenin on Jun 8, 2007 06:51 AM in China

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

Forget about Intel and its Classmate PC. Nicolas Negroponte should be watching out for Quanta, its manufacturing partner in the One Laptop Per Child program. Quanta showed off a PC...

Continue reading "Watch out OLPC, Quanta learns fast"

Posted by Mike Clendenin on Jun 8, 2007 06:49 AM in China

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

Former Qualcomm executive Allen Salmasi does not hide the fact that his model for the new NextWave company ("NextWave 2," or NextWave Wireless) is his old alma mater Qualcomm....

Continue reading "Problems and Prospects in NextWave's Model"

Posted by Loring Wirbel on Jun 7, 2007 07:33 PM in Communications

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

I've let it be known in the past that I'm no fan of either side in the Broadcom/Qualcomm war. It's the old image of two scorpions arrayed for battle....

Posted by Loring Wirbel on Jun 7, 2007 07:27 PM in Communications

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

Attendance at the Design Automation Conference is slightly down this year from the past few years, and the traffic in the aisles reflected it. Moreover, there doesn't seem to be...

Continue reading "DAC attendance, excitement lag"

Posted by Richard Goering on Jun 7, 2007 06:40 PM in EDA Software

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

Reports are out that Nintendo's library of downloadable game classics continues to grow....

Continue reading "Watch out for acute "Wiiitis""

Posted by Nic Mokhoff on Jun 7, 2007 01:07 PM in Consumer

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

With reports that Cadence Design Systems may be in discussions with private equity firms, there's plenty of talk at the Design Automation Conference about the pros and cons of private...

Continue reading "What EDA CEOs think about private equity"

Posted by Richard Goering on Jun 6, 2007 11:59 PM in EDA Software

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

The future of computing is all about getting everything on the Net to create an era when computers can automatically monitor and control all sorts phenomena once beyond the reach...

Continue reading "Speck Trek"

Posted by Rick Merritt on Jun 6, 2007 10:37 AM in Computing

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

At a Computex forum today, Via Technologies showed off a WCDMA R99 system integrated platform that includes a baseband SoC, RF transmitter and RF receiver, along with the protocol software....

Continue reading "Via plays with WCDMA"

Posted by Mike Clendenin on Jun 6, 2007 02:12 AM in China

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

There's considerable talk here at the Design Automation Conference (DAC) about reports that Cadence may go private. One unanswered question is whether it would make any difference to customers....

Continue reading "Cadence private: good or bad for customers?"

Posted by Richard Goering on Jun 5, 2007 07:16 PM in EDA Software

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

Here's an interesting chemistry experiment: Pour former Apple hardware chief Jon Rubinstein into a glass beaker with Palm founder Jeff Hawkins and apply competitive heat at a level of a...

Continue reading "Palm's Jeff and Jon Show"

Posted by Rick Merritt on Jun 5, 2007 02:13 PM in Computing

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

I noticed something odd about this year's Design Automation Conference (DAC): no new DFM startups, hardly any DFM announcements. Is this the end of an era?...

Continue reading "Is this a no-DFM DAC?"

Posted by Richard Goering on Jun 4, 2007 09:11 PM in EDA Software

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

The 44th Design Automation Conference is off to rousing start with the rumor that private equity birds are circling around Cadence Design Systems. It has a lot of industry insiders...

Continue reading "DAC and the EDA distribution dilemma"

Posted by Brian Fuller on Jun 4, 2007 01:36 PM in Industry

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

Consumer Reports has identified the five biggest complaints about digital cameras from 13,000 reader responses. Battery life and sun-lit LCDs come in as fourth and fifth gripes....

Continue reading "Wanted: lasting batteries, emissive displays"

Posted by Nic Mokhoff on Jun 4, 2007 11:26 AM in Consumer

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

The latest dispatch from Light Reading on the rumored battle for Avaya Inc. suggest that both Nortel Networks Inc. and private-equity firm Silver Lake Partners have bid the asking...

Continue reading "Smoke and Mirrors, Part 2"

Posted by Loring Wirbel on Jun 2, 2007 09:40 AM in Communications

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

There's no lack of guidance for next week's Design Automation Conference (DAC). Both John Cooley and Gary Smith have come out with their "what to see at DAC" lists....

Continue reading "Cooley, Smith offer "what to see" lists for DAC"

Posted by Richard Goering on Jun 1, 2007 06:13 PM in EDA Software

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

I tapped into two great veins of computer history this month. I've been staying up late watching the Bill & Steve videos the Wall Street Journal has been posting to...

Continue reading "Computer history gems"

Posted by Rick Merritt on Jun 1, 2007 12:44 PM in Computing

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

Is lemming-like behavior a given tendency of active communication markets? It sometimes seems as though chip vendors and set-top box specialists have become so enamored with the Verizon FiOS view...

Continue reading "PON Glut Ahead?"

Posted by Loring Wirbel on Jun 1, 2007 11:30 AM in Communications

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---

I used to have a column called Dongxi awhile back. The word translates to East-West, but when put together it means "stuff." So once in awhile I'll collect the items...

Continue reading "Dongxi"

Posted by Mike Clendenin on Jun 1, 2007 05:07 AM in China

Permalink | Comment on this blog entry

---