Embedded Technology Journal Update

a techfocus media publication :: December 11, 2007 :: volume IX, no. 11

FROM THE EDITOR

This week, we look at a new demo kit from Actel and Attodyne that lets us experiment with using an Igloo programmable logic device to drive a variety of LCD video displays. With the fast changing LCD display market, it pays to have some flexibility built into your design so you can adapt to the latest technology as it arrives. Putting programmable logic in your display-driver chain could be just the solution that gives you that flexibility without compromising on power, cost, or board area. Our latest feature has the details.

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

EVENTS and ANNOUNCEMENTS

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Learn how to deliver media-rich user interfaces for your
consumer electronics devices with Inflexion Platform UI
from Mentor Graphics.

Download the technical paper. “Compelling and Powerful User Interfaces Made Easy” to see how Inflexion Platform UI helps embedded designers overcome the challenges of changing an embedded UI.

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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 December 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

Billions and Billions
Actel Drives LCD Displays
Mobile Lockdown
Securing the Wireless World
Altium Goes 3D
Board Design Can Be Fun
Modeling for High Quality GUIs: Cracking the GUI Host-to-Target Challenge
by Marty Bakal, Telelogic
and Ariel Bautista, Tilcon Software Ltd.
Embedded in Birmingham
by Dick Selwood
New Kid in Class
Nios II Joins the Processor IP Race

JOURNAL WEBCASTS

Xilinx Virtex-5 Power Optimization & Power Design Guidelines (Xilinx)

Virtex-5 FPGAs and PlanAhead Deliver Maximum Performance (Xilinx)

Accelerate Delivery of Built-in Ethernet Solutions Using ilinx FPGAs and Gigabit Ethernet Development Kit (Xilinx)

Discover How to Design With and Take Advantage of the PCI Express Hard Block in the Virtex-5 FPGA (Xilinx)

Discover How the Complete Virtex-5 PCI Express Solution Reduces Risks for Your Application (Xilinx)

An Introduction to the Xilinx Virtex-5 FPGA Family (Xilinx)

Addressing Size, Weight, and Power Constraints (Altera)

Enable High-Volume Applications with New Low-Cost FPGAs (Altera)

Implement PCIe, GbE & SRIO with Altera's Low-Cost FPGAs (Altera)

CHALK TALK Advancing SoC Verification Methods – Join Amelia Dalton as she talks with experts from Mentor Graphics on processor-driven test and other techniques for solving your system-on-chip verification problems. (Mentor Graphics)

CHALK TALK Real World Solutions for FPGAs in Ultra Low Power Applications - Join Amelia Dalton as she examines the Low Power Reference Platform from Arrow, Altera, and Linear Technology - proving that FPGAs really can run on batteries. (Altera, Arrow, Linear)

CHALK TALK Did you miss the ARM Developers' Conference? Join Amelia Dalton for Journal Webcasts' coverage of the event - it'll be just like you were there! (Journal Webcasts)

Billions and Billions
Actel Drives LCD Displays

Riddle: What numbers 3.8 billion in 2007 and is expected to grow to 4.5 billion by 2011? The population of China? Nope, that’s only up to 1.3 billion – we’re looking for triple that. World population is about 6.6 billion, so that’s not it.

Hint: It’s an electronic component. Ooooh, why didn’t we say so in the first place? OK, well, we might be close to that many transistors on a chip? Nope, these components are much bigger than transistors, and 3.8 B to 4.5 B in four years wouldn’t be tracking Moore’s Law would it?

If you answered “LCD Displays,” well, probably you read the title of the article. Oops -- I wonder how many times THAT’s given us away? [more]