There is really nothing new about GPS: the technology was reinvented from the old. After satellite communications was established, scientists and engineers started to look for different ways of utilizing this fascinating space marvel. Radio navigation systems had been developed during the World War II for aircraft operations,… Read More
Author: Majeed Ahmad
GPS Chronicle: The Early History
3 Key Frontiers for Samsung’s Next Mobile SoC
Samsung’s Exynos 7420 system-on-chip (SoC) is now at the top of the world when it comes to performance and power efficiency benchmarks. It’s also won accolades as the first mobile chipset manufactured using the 14nm FinFET fabrication process.
However, the mobile chipsets landscape is hypercompetitive, and there… Read More
This is how FPGA Prototyping Works
FPGA prototyping has come a long way since the late 1980s when chipmakers began using FPGA devices for building system prototypes of ASIC designs. The utility of a working FPGA prototype allows hardware designers to develop and test their systems, and it provides software developers early access to a fully functioning hardware… Read More
Analog/Mixed-Signal Data Management with Custom Designer
In recent years, a number of technologies as well as the constant desire for faster and more pervasive mobile communication systems have set in motion a well sustained growth trend for the “next big thing” such as the Internet of Things (IoT), wearables, automobile electronics, advances in medical devices etc. In all these areas… Read More
Is Interconnect Ready for the Post-mobile SoCs?
The interconnect technology is one of the unsung heroes of the system-on-chip (SoC) revolution. It’s the on-chip networking fabric that is used to link various IP cores on an SoC floorplan. The technology facilitates links between multiple processors, on-chip memories, hardware accelerators and more. In other words,… Read More
3 Design Hooks of Atmel MCUs for Connected Cars
In February 2015, BMW reported that it has patched the security flaw which could allow hackers to remotely unlock the doors of more than 2 million BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce vehicles. Earlier, researchers at ADAC, a German motorist association, had demonstrated how they could intercept communications with BMW’s ConnectedDrive… Read More
3 Projections About Nokia’s Smartphone Reboot
I have written a book on Nokia’s smartphone problem. The name of the book is Nokia’s Smartphone Problem: The End of an Icon? and it chronicles the Finnish company’s journey from a mobile handset maestro to a smartphone also-ran.
Nokia’s smartphone story began with the launch of the Communicator 900—arguably… Read More
Apple Watch Design Revisit with a Wi-Fi Twist
Apple Watch is the world’s most celebrated gadget in 2015. At the same time, however, early product reviews highlight some issues about slow apps, less than impressive user experience, and short battery life.
Apple, the master of artful integration, has done well for its reputation of elite hardware and has been able to … Read More
Design Data Management: An Analog IP Porting Case Study
IQ-Analog Corp. offers “off-the-shelf” data converter intellectual property (IP) for multiple foundries. The San Diego, California–based semiconductor design firm also provides analog front-end (AFE) technology that it tailors according to customer needs. And that’s where the dilemma begins.
IQ-Analog’s… Read More
Is Avago Chip Industry’s Cisco?
If Ford is a reference model for value chain in the Industrial Age, Cisco is the icon of the twenty-first-century digital economy. The networking gear maker, who achieved phenomenal growth with the rise of the Internet, has been remarkably successful in snapping up and integrating scores of companies for products it could not … Read More
Intel High NA Adoption