Embedded Technology Journal Update

a techfocus media publication :: July 3, 2007 :: volume VIII, no. 01

FROM THE EDITOR

This week, Apple released the much-anticipated, often over-hyped, cooler-than-cool iPhone. As embedded systems designers, we cannot ignore this event. We must learn. Our latest feature looks at the intangible concept of cool, and how we can design products that not only meet the spec, but delight our customer.

Thanks for reading! If there's anything we can do to make our publications more useful to you, please let us know at: comments@embeddedtechjournal.com. If you'd rather sound off in public, please post your comments or questions in our new Journal Forums.

Kevin Morris – Editor
Embedded Technology Journal

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Strengthen your skills and speed your time to market
at the ARM Developers’ Conference!
100 track sessions on embedded applications from hardware and software partners and ARM Licensees. Design centers and exhibitions on the show floor, forums and special analyst presentations, and the largest exhibition of ARM technologies in the world:
October 2-4, 2007, Santa Clara Convention Center

More Information

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JournalJobs.com – the job board for FPGA Journal and Embedded Technology Journal is now re-launching with a host of new features and capabilities. In celebration of JournalJobs.com grand re-opening, we’re offering free job postings through July 31, 2007. Go online, post a job, pay nothing, and watch for those qualified resumes to come knocking on your inbox.
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CURRENT FEATURE ARTICLES

Creating Cool
Lessons from the iPhone
Freescale Goes Multi-Core
Comprehensive Roadmap Shows Strategy
Launching Linux
Open Source OS Off to Space
Parallel Processing Considered Not Harmful
by Dick Selwood, Embedded Technology Journal
Enigmatic EDA
DAC Highlights Dilemma
Flying Embedded Technology
When Business and Pleasure Overlap
Cranking up the MIPS
Introducing the 74K
William Shockley
Dick Selwood reviews "Broken Genius"

JOURNAL WEBCASTS

LatticeXP2 FPGAs: SRAM + Embedded Flash = No Compromise, Full-Featured Non-Volatile FPGA Design Solutions sponsored by Lattice

Learn to Design with Stratix III FPGAs’ Programmable Power Technology & Selectable Core Voltage sponsored by Altera

Using Processors in FPGAs? The industry's only soft IP ARM7 core for Flash FPGAs sponsored by Actel

Low Power FPGA design with Actel IGLOO, the 5µW FPGA for cool portables sponsored by Actel

ARM7, Analog,Flash and FPGA in a Single Chip Actel's ARM in Fusion sponsored by Actel

Introducing Actel Fusion – the world’s first Flash-based FPGA, with Memory and Analog front end sponsored by Actel

Introducing Spartan-3AN FPGAs – Non-Volatile Secure Platform for Highest System Integration sponsored by Xilinx

Creating Cool
Lessons from the iPhone

The new iPhone is out.

Don’t panic, but you need to make some changes.

First, when you go home today, do something for the other side of your brain – you know, the right side. Don’t roll your eyes, this is important. It’s for your career.

It doesn’t really matter what you do, as long as it engages your intuition rather than reason. Go hear a band. Visit an art show. Dance. Finger paint.

As embedded systems designers, our job is to create products for people to use in their everyday lives. Our engineering training teaches us to problem solve. We are given a set of requirements from Marketing (more on that later), and the problem is to come up with a system that meets all of those requirements – or as many as possible. USB connectivity? – Check. SD card slot? – Check. Touch screen? - Check. Six days’ standby time? – Check. Cool? – Whoa, wha.. hang on a minute. How do you do "Cool"? [more]