Leading semiconductor test equipment supplier Advantest Corporation (TSE: 6857) has introduced its Wave Scale™ generation of channel cards for the V93000 platform, which delivers unprecedented levels of parallelism and throughput in testing radio-frequency (RF) and mixed-signal ICs for wireless communications. Designed for highly parallel multi-site and in-site parallel testing, the new V93000 Wave Scale RF and V93000 Wave Scale MX cards substantially reduce the cost of test and time to market for today's RF semiconductors while creating a path for testing future 5G devices. The new cards target the RF and wireless communication market segments by providing highly efficient test solutions for the semiconductors that drive LTE, LTE-Advanced and LTE-A Pro smart phones as well as LTE-M, WLAN, GPS, ZigBee, Bluetooth and IoT applications. The new cards can handle today's market requirements and also projected technology changes for 5G networks. V93000 Wave Scale cards are architecturally advanced compared to current market offerings. Traditional RF test solutions have been using multi-site testing for RF devices, such as quad- or octal-site testing, but they test one RF standard per site at a time. Wave Scale RF and corresponding Wave Scale MX cards can simultaneously test multiple standards or multiple paths within each RF device, achieving in-site parallelism and high multi-site efficiency to significantly reduce the cost of test for these complex RF devices. The Wave Scale RF card has four independent RF subsystems per board with individual stimulus and measurement frequencies to allow testing of LTE, GPS, Bluetooth and WLAN devices at the same time. Each subsystem has eight individual ports, which simultaneously fan out the RF signal, and up to four independent measurement instruments. This enables each RF subsystem to be used for up to eight sites for running both RX (receiver) and TX (transmitter) tests simultaneously, delivering as many as 32 sites per card. The Wave Scale RF can support up to 6 GHz with each of its 32 RF ports per card. Along with its 200-MHz bandwidth and various other features including internal loopback and embedded calibration, this ensures a wide application range extending toward future 5G semiconductor devices. Optimized for analog IQ baseband applications and testing of high-speed DACs and ADCs, the Wave Scale MX high-speed card has 32 fully independent instruments per board and an additional parametric measurement unit (PMU) at each pogo for highly accurate DC measurements. Its 16-bit AC source and measurement functions provide optimized performance for dedicated baseband communication standards. With its 300-MHz bandwidth, this card can handle the latest advanced modulation standards including out-of-channel measurements on aggregated baseband channels. A flexible I/O matrix reduces loadboard complexity and boosts multi-site testing capabilities, providing full functionality at every pogo. No dedicated calibration equipment is needed, with only IQ calibration requiring a separate board. Both new V93000 cards, Wave Scale RF and Wave Scale MX, feature a hardware sequencer that controls the parallel, independent operation of all instruments. "Wave Scale allows our customers to keep pace with faster technology changes on upcoming generations of semiconductors," said Hans-Juergen Wagner, senior vice president of the SoC Product Group at Advantest Corporation. "Using Wave Scale, current and next-generation devices can be tested more efficiently and cost effectively, leading to faster time to market." The first Wave Scale cards have been installed at a fabless semiconductor company in China, where they are being used to test current LTE Category 6 devices and develop test protocols for LTE-Advanced Category 10 and Category 16 communication ICs and beyond. Advantest is now taking orders for Wave Scale RF and Wave Scale MX cards. Volume shipments to customers are expected to begin in the third quarter of this calendar year. About Advantest Corporation A world-class technology company, Advantest is the leading producer of automatic test equipment (ATE) for the semiconductor industry and a premier manufacturer of measuring instruments used in the design and production of electronic instruments and systems. Its leading-edge systems and products are integrated into the most advanced semiconductor production lines in the world. The company also focuses on R&D for emerging markets that benefit from advancements in nanotech and terahertz technologies, and has introduced multi-vision metrology scanning electron microscopes essential to photomask manufacturing, as well as a groundbreaking 3D imaging and analysis tools. Founded in Tokyo in 1954, Advantest established its first subsidiary in 1982, in the USA, and now has subsidiaries worldwide. More information is available at www.advantest.com.

With rising global competition, shortened product life cycles and increasing demand for small-quantity mixed-model production, businesses around the world are endeavoring to accelerate Industry 4.0 development and the top priority is to upgrade traditional robots and machines with intelligent systems. Computer-on-modules (COM) that are at the heart of robot or machine controllers provide the quickest shortcut to an intelligence upgrade.Industry 4.0 is the dominant trend that has spurred the popularity of intelligent automation and smart factories based on intelligent machines (IM) and intelligent robots (IR). The critical challenge for manufacturers is turning legacy non-intelligent machines and robotic arms into IM and IR that enable computing, measurement, motion control and machine vision to enable customization of products and flexible mass production on the factory floor.Traditionally, leading machine and robot manufacturers used to develop their own controller boards. However, with new generations of CPUs being launched at accelerated speeds and machine equipment needing to incorporate the latest functions to meet Industry 4.0 demands, manufacturers have had to frequently change their controller board designs. Time delays required for designs to pass certifications also result in increased time-to-market. To circumvent these problems, manufacturers are starting to evaluate the use of embedded COMs as the computing core of customized carrier boards for their control boards. Machine equipment can therefore be upgraded with a simple replacement of the COM with the latest CPU and no need to redesign the entire control board, significantly accelerating the product development cycle.COM improves development efficiency but also introduces challengesThe COM design model combining the core module and carrier board has the advantage of boosted flexibility but there are still challenges to overcome. First of all, a COM is not a complete single board computer but is the system's core and controls peripheral applications through connections and specialized functionality on the carrier board. In the case of equipment malfunction, the added complexity may make it more difficult to identify the source of the problem from the carrier board, COM or peripheral cards. Therefore, without help of a professional team, locating the root cause can be time consuming.In addition, manufacturers with ambitions to develop IM or IR solutions tend to engage in projects that are diverse and often involve complex requirements such as firmware changes and BIOS customizations. Support for multiple operating systems including Windows, Linux and RTOS is also required so specific development kits are needed to ensure smooth development of both the carrier board and software. However, as many suppliers are outsourcing a large part of their development work to third-party vendors and have no plan to train their own software engineers, they lack the ability to solve problems independently and promptly provide the necessary technical support.ADLINK technical team provides on-site support for troubleshootingA leading international robotic arm manufacturer faced the challenges described above during its transition from internally designed controller boards to the adoption of the COM concept. ADLINK's COM Starter Kits complete with reference designs were able to eliminate most of the customer's problems.When customers encounter difficulties during development, ADLINK's technical team responds quickly and effectively to assist in addressing system integration issues, whether or not they are directly related to the COM. When necessary, our highly trained staff will visit the customer's on-site location to find the root cause of the problem. ADLINK is always ready to provide professional support to customers during the entire development process.With regards to R&D, ADLINK has made a significant investment in the establishment of a signal measurement laboratory. All computer input and output signal waveforms can be measured to ensure the COM design and manufacturing comply with the strictest standards. Moreover, complete design for manufacturing (DFM) verification principles are also introduced in the product design stage. All efforts are aimed at guaranteeing the utmost in product compatibility and reliability. ADLINK is also a step ahead of the competition in launching products with a wide operating temperature range to meet a variety of challenging customer requirements.ADLINK provides complete solution with one-stop design and manufacturingWith the exception of printed circuit boards, ADLINK develops its COM products independently from scratch, from design to manufacturing, and therefore has the ability to meet a wide range of customer requirements, including firmware changes and BIOS customizations. Comprehensive support is provided for Windows, Linux, VxWorks and QNX operating systems, drivers and board support packages (BSP). Also available reference carrier boards and a wide range of interface conversion kits to speed up the development process for customers.ADLINK is among the world's five Premier Members of Intel® Internet of Things Solutions Alliance so it has the advantage being able to deliver early sampling, leading competitors by over two months. ADLINK is also able to launch new COM products that keep up with every new generation of Intel processor, allowing customers to integrate the latest technologies into their control systems.In summary, the rapid rise of the Industry 4.0 trend is driving a booming market demand for intelligent machines and intelligent robots. Manufacturers of IM or IR solutions are joining efforts with the ADLINK COM team to accelerate the introduction of a wide range of intelligent automation applications, bringing the smart Industry 4.0 initiative closer to reality.The COM design model combining the core module and carrier board has the advantage of boosted flexibility

The driving forces of cloud technology, big data analytics and the Internet of Things (IoT) have sparked a new wave of innovations for the retail industry. For retailers, the transformation to Retail 4.0 requires the integration of omni-channel retailing and online-to-offline (O2O) commerce. One of the key technologies to unlocking this transformation is digital signage.In the past, digital signage only provided one-way information delivery. With the advancement in image processing and IoT sensor technologies, digital signage today now provides smart, interactive technologies to engage customers in new exciting ways. The rise of more smarter, connected digital signage is bringing unprecedented opportunities for the retail market, helping retailers to become early adopters of Retail 4.0.Looking back at the retail evolution, the earliest form of retailing was open shelf stores, which then evolved into modern self-service supermarkets that marked the beginning of retail chains like Walmart and Tesco and the transition from Retail 1.0 to Retail 2.0. In Retail 3.0, the retail industry was introduced to e-commerce and gave rise to big online retailers like Amazon and eBay. Now in Retail 4.0, the retail industry has taken a path to O2O commerce, where physical retailers provide offline customers with interactive online shopping experiences, reshaping the value of brick-and-mortar stores.Jenny Shern, Assistant Vice President of NEXCOM's Interactive Signage Platform Business Unit (ISP BU), believes that interactive digital signage will become the catalyst to the Retail 4.0 transformation. Communicating information with vivid visual aids, digital signage is the most ideal point of interest to deliver sales-oriented content. Furthermore, with the integration of interactive technology and improved image processing, digital signage can display tailored messages to a specific customer, and simultaneously engage the customer with virtual interactions to increase product interest and dwell time. This will enhance the shopping experience, allowing customers to learn more about the product, increase purchase intent, and ultimately improve sales.Digital Signage: The Heart of Building Smart Retail SolutionsShern further points out that digital signage can integrate add-on software to create smart retail solutions that respond to the three major trends in Retail 4.0: omni-channel commerce, smart retail system and big data analytics.For omni-channel commerce, connected O2O kiosks can help physical retailers to integrate multiple online channels to provide real-time tailored advertising, product searching and checkout services, reinvigorating customer interactions and shopping experiences. O2O kiosks can also integrate augmented reality (AR) technology and serve as a virtual product assistant to provide more in-depth information. Additionally, O2O kiosks can offer in-store digital services such as product label scanning, automatic checkout and customer call support to reduce wait times and improve service levels. When not in use, O2O kiosks can also display promotions or entertainment content.For smart retail systems, in-store digital signage with image processing and tracking technology can visually see, sense or even hear the presence of nearby customers, and display dynamic content based on demographics. Take NEXCOM's smart retail solution for instance, which consists of the NDiS B535 digital signage player and exclusive in-house software PowerDigiS. The bundled solution integrates technologies such as high resolution camera, facial recognition, radio-frequency identification (RFID), electronic shelf label (ESL) and beacon notifications. It also integrates Microsoft Azure cloud service platform for data analysis of viewer demographics such as age, gender and other attributes to display content tailored to the interest of a target audience group.Boosting In-store Traffic with Big Data AnalyticsShern states that there is an increasingly fierce competition between businesses in the retail industry. Retailers are relentlessly finding ways to optimize retail management efficiencies and customer shopping experiences to increase in-store traffic and sales while reducing operating costs. By utilizing retail analytics, retailers can analyze customer buying behavior, effectiveness of product placements, in-store traffic patterns and other parameters, allowing retailers to revise strategies and adjust resources accordingly to improve operations. To provide the image processing performance required for such analytics, NEXCOM's high-performance digital signage player NDiS B426 features discrete NVIDIA graphics which can simultaneously analyze video streams of four IP cameras.Nelson Chang, Product Division Manager of NEXCOM's ISP BU, further adds that for retail analytics software, NEXCOM has collaborated closely with various regional partners to study and survey the needs and preferences of different markets to accurately provide the user interface and analytics algorithms relevant to each different sector. Customizations to fulfill special requirements are also available upon request.Facing Retail 4.0, brick-and-mortar retailers must have omni-channel and O2O strategies. Digital signage can help retailers with the implementation.

Gigabyte Technology has announced the availability of two new variants of GeForce GTX 1070 graphics cards. They are the small form factor GTX 1070 Mini ITX OC Edition (GV-N1070IXOC-8GD) and the dual-fan GTX 1070 Windforce OC Edition (GV-N1070WF2OC-8GD).Measuring 17cm in length, the GTX 1070 Mini ITX OC Edition is designed for building compact gaming PC or HTPC powered by the latest Pascal GPU. Equipped with three pure copper heat pipes that directly sit on GPU and a single 90mm blade fan with semi-passive cooling, the cooling module is able to dissipate heat effectively while keeping the fan operating at a low noise level, according to the vendor.Engineered with the Ultra Durable chokes and capacitors, the graphic card ensures performance and durable system lifespan. Compared to the reference's 4+1 power phase design, the card is built for overclocking with the 5+1 power phases, making the MOSFET working at a lower temperature for more stable voltage output.With a click of the OC Mode button built in the newly developed Xtreme Engine utility software, gamers can overclock the card.Gigabyte also offers a dual-fan solution, the GTX 1070 Windforce OC Edition, which packs the Windforce 2X cooling system, featuring two 90mm fans, two pure copper composite heat pipes, directly touching GPU, and blade fan design, together delivering an effective heat dissipation capacity at lower temperatures. The 3D Active Fan provides semi-passive cooling, as the fans will remain off when the GPU is under a set loading or temperature for low power gaming.The GTX 1070 Windforce OC Edition also uses the Ultra Durable internal components to enhance overall performance and product lifespan. Its 6+2 power phases allow the card to be overclocked with more stable voltage output.Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1070 Mini ITX OC Edition graphics cardPhoto: CompanyGigabyte GeForce GTX 1070 Windforce OC Edition graphics cardPhoto: Company

The Taiwan International Fisheries and Seafood Show 2016, co-hosted by the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) and My Exhibition, will take place on Nov. 9-11 at the Kaohsiung Exhibition Hall on a larger scale this year. With 250 local and international exhibitors on more than 500 booths, it is expected to draw some 7,000 professional visitors to the expo this year.According to TAITRA, the first edition of the show saw 215 exhibitors on 418 booths last year and attracted 6,500 visitors, including 700 professional buyers from abroad. After the expo, international media, such as Intrafish from Norway, the Suisan-Keizai Daily News from Japan, and the Undercurrent News from the U.K., posted stories on the event, giving the industries of the fisheries and seafood of Taiwan more visibility and exposure on the international stage.The second edition of the expo, in addition to sections of the fishing gear and technology, fish farming, processed seafood products, and fishery services, will include a section of fisheries biotechnology for the first time. The new inclusion is aimed at promoting the potential of the development of the local fisheries and showcasing the trend of the local industry. The TAITRA hopes to create a more competitive platform for the exhibitors.Taiwan's fishery industry and its production value have played a vital part on the international market. The technology and innovation skills demonstrated by the local companies have made them stand out from their international counterparts. The expo will see manufacturers, suppliers and retailers from the industry gather at the same venue and will again promote Taiwan's fishery industry successfully on the world stage.For more information and visitor registration, please visit http://www.taiwanfishery.com/en_US/index.html

In order to come together and propose complete and effective solutions in Asia's fine agriculture markets, Sphere Exhibits Pte. Ltd. is collaborating with Taiwan trade show organizer My Exhibition, for the Taiwan International Fruit and Vegetable Show (TFVS). The show will receive joint guidance from Taiwan's Head of Agriculture and the city of Kaohsiung when it opens on Nov. 10 and runs until Nov. 12 for the first time at the Kaohsiung Exhibition Center. Running parallel to the second Taiwan International Fishing Exhibit, the agricultural show is expected to attract over 150 companies from 10 nations, and around 5,000 foreign and domestic buyers in total.The Taiwan International Fruit and Vegetable Show is divided into sections for fresh fruit and vegetables, whole wheat products and nuts, production machinery, transportation machinery and service machinery, as well as seminars on Advantages in Vital Agricultural Technologies, Price Adjustment in Production and Digital Marketing. Covering all aspects of the business, organizers of the show leave no stone unturned as they attempt to display the potential of the Taiwanese market in front of the foreign buyers.In the past, foreign investment in Taiwan's agriculture has played an extremely important role in helping business grow. But as the environmental effects of any big industry begin to become apparent, the government is beginning to look into new and improved ways to revise Taiwan's agricultural and economic strategies.Taiwan's machinery industry has seen much competition in recent years, especially against European and American products, and look to gain the edge in sales and service that will bring it success. As the industry launches a campaign to make strides in improving the safety and health of food, it also begins a revolutionary evolution in tactics to accompany progress in biological technology. Given the diversity of Taiwan's food culture, the innovations in food and technology seen at the show will no doubt increase the strength of and the interest in the Taiwanese market.Food safety has become a universal expectation among global consumers. From green energy to clean cultivation to modern fisheries, Asian countries place the care and quality of food in high demand, and Taiwan has been a driving force in bringing about this revolution. What makes Taiwan's efforts special, however, is the fact that its agricultural sector has the entire world for an audience. If Taiwan's agriculture technology, experienced personnel, booming IT sector and technology establishment can combine to create new leadership in agriculture, Taiwan will not only see increases in sales products and rates, but also an increase in its competitiveness in international markets.The expo has already seen participation from Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam, South Africa and the U.S. On the same day, plans have been made for international buyers to meet one-on-one with press to discuss production, international marketing, and other topics.The international discussion will include the International Fruit Marketing Forum, led by Taiwanese economic experts and heavyweight experts from around the world to present talks. Hopes are that the convention will become the "flagship" fruit and vegetable convention. Additionally, the local government agriculture departments of Taichung, Kaohsiung, Hualien, Pingtung and Tainan together eagerly await the event's beginning.For more information and visitor registration, please visit http://www.taiwanfruitshow.com/en_US/index.html

The region's leading security, fire and safety event will take place on 7 – 9 September 2016 at the prestigious Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, Malaysia. Alongside the exhibition, the fourth edition is expected to host various seminars and conferences joined by giant international brands.IFSEC Southeast Asia has served as a centre for the industry's professionals to meet and establish connections while doing business. For the 2015 edition, 7,725 trade visitors from 51 countries attended the event to visit more than 350 participating companies exhibiting their latest technology and products on the show floor. Some world-renowned companies that will be present at the event is Dahua, Sony, Panasonic, Merit Lilin, Samsung Techwin, Vivotek, Bluguard, Sharp-Roxy and more.With strong support from Malaysia's Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government, Royal Malaysia Police, British Security Industry Association (BSIA), Asian Professional Security Association (APSA) Malaysia Chapter, ASIS Malaysia Chapter, CyberSecurity Malaysia, Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) Malaysia, National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health (NEBOSH) United Kingdom, and International Workplace (IW), the IFSEC Southeast Asia 2016 edition is expected to attract more than 10,000 trade visitors.As well as attending the exhibitions that will be filling up 6,000 sqm of the Convention Centre, industry professionals, buyers, specifiers, consultants and end users can attend the free seminars held on the show floors. The annual IFSEC Technology Showcase will have 18 interesting topics and case studies presented by the industry's experts and professionals, who will be covering the whole spectrum of the Security, Fire and Safety industry. NEBOSH, coming on board for the first time, will organise a special seminar for Occupation, Safety and Health professionals in the hope that this would help the industry be aware of the latest issues and solutions. Meanwhile, CyberSecurity Malaysia, the national cyber security specialist operating under the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI), will organise a full-day seminar on cyber-criminals and cyber-threats to personal, commercial and governmental entities, as well as on how to prevent or minimise cyber-attacks.The fourth edition of IFSEC Southeast Asia is projected to be the largest edition ever organised by United Business Media (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd. With the involvement of supporters coming from governmental bodies, authorities and associations, and by providing global innovations to the Southeast Asian market, this event is set to be the leading event for the Security, Fire and Safety industry.For more information and visitor registration, please visit http://www.ifsecsea.com/.IFSEC Security & Fire PortfolioThe IFSEC Security & Fire Portfolio provides a global offering of face-to-face events, education, news and networking to the global security and fire industry. It is made up of live events that include IFSEC International, FIREX International, IFSEC South Africa, IFSEC Southeast Asia, IFSEC India, IFSEC Istanbul and IFSEC & OSH Arabia. Attendees to these live events are able to engage with the community all-year-round on IFSEC Global.com, which provides the latest news, thought-leadership articles and white papers on the security and fire industry.

Taiwan Pavilion, centered on the theme "Innovative Smart Taiwan," welcomes visitors to MWC Shanghai 2016 taking place at the Shanghai New International Expo Center from June 29 to July 1.Taiwan ICT industry is transitioning from hardware manufacturing to value-oriented software services. To introduce achievements in driving the development of Taiwan ICT industry, Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) gathers businesses and organizations including Far Eastone Telecommunications, Z-Com, Melten, ADTC, VAS Creative, Linker Networks, iStaging and ARPlanet Digital Technology to jointly host exhibitions at the Taiwan Pavilion at MWC Shanghai.Taiwan Pavilion will feature exhibitions that demonstrate the Taiwan ICT supply chain's capabilities, encompassing complete small cell network infrastructure, management platforms for IoT applications and smart city services offered through collaborations by telecom service providers and local governments as well as the combination of system services and innovative applications in fields including smart living, education and entertainment, smart commerce and smart healthcare. The Taiwan Pavilion showcases enriched smart service experiences and advancements that drive valuable technological developments around the world.With the expansion of Big Data technologies and the IoT trend, worldwide industries are actively working on building smart cities with sustainable growth. As a result, smart city applications not only are focused on certain corners of the city but also are extending to the management of the entire city. This has also given rise to more and more demanding requirements on network architecture security and management. At Taiwan Pavilion, Taiwan's leading network communication equipment provider Z-Com will showcase 1.4 and 1.8GHz small cell base stations, in-vehicle LTE-Fi and smart antenna AP solutions meant to satisfy the special wireless network bandwidth needs for control and production operations by business organizations and government units that public safety, city management, emergency response, energy, transportation, healthcare and fire safety. These are essential elements to building a smart city. Also on display at Taiwan Pavilion is a smart city IoT management platform, co-hosted by ITRI and American vendor Linker Networks. Based on OpenDC/OS, the platform effectively integrates and controls the coordination between data centers and Mobile Edge containers and virtual machines to provide a flexible platform environment for deployment, management, operation and maintenance of smart city IoT services. Furthermore, the platform has been optimized for integration of smart city IoT and mobile applications. By incorporating core mobile network functions of IoT applications and Z-com small cell base stations and also utilizing the platform's built-in data analysis tools, smart city IoT services are closely in line with people's diverse needs and therefore enable an immersive environment filled with conveniences. Far Eastone Telecommunications will present Industry 4.0 and innovative mobile platforms for enterprises and will also introduce its smart city achievements with Tainan City government, which include Tainan's smart flood prevention efforts that are enabled by 4G wearable devices and water condition monitoring, smart health community built with the "Health+" mobile healthcare program and 4G IoV.Visitors to Taiwan Pavilion will also see a range of application services that respond to people's daily needs. Leading medical application innovator Melten will present smart integrated solutions for hospital wards that fully apply IoT technologies in healthcare. By synchronously integrating all medical information in the hospital on one single platform through the cloud, medical professionals can have a comprehensive understanding of patients' conditions and patients' information confidentiality and accuracy can be ensured to thereby lower the chance of malpractice and raise the quality of smart healthcare environment. ADTC plans to demonstrate a network identity authentication app jointly introduced with five major telecom service operators. The service enables real-name identity verification utilizing a complete system platform, service and application scenarios as well as a smartphone app that binds a cell phone number to a specific handset. It can effectively simplify the procedures required to use network services and resolve disputes arising from network scams and complicated network service registration, authentication and authorization procedures. VAS Creative, a Taiwan-based mobile phone video platform service provider, will exhibit multiple actual applications of an OTT streaming video service platform. The jointly developed platform by VAS Creative, German company CastLabs DRM and American streaming service provider Wowza featuring compliance with international standard, network security protection and enhanced compatibility as well as automatic adjustment of capacity and flow aggregation will help drive the development of the mobile video market.Augmented reality (AR) technologies are maturing in recent years and the diverse and creative AR experiences are another highlight at Taiwan Pavilion this year. iStaging, having received multiple international awards, will showcase the promising AR/VR shopping guide platform, a breakthrough from past AR/VR applications in gaming. iStaging helps shorten the gap between consumers' imagination and the actual space and environment by optimizing the immersive and realistic experiences, in conditions such as home purchase, interior design, furniture arrangement and tourism. Virtual reality (VR) simulates a real environment for consumers to personally experience and marketing through AR/VR experiences will help traditional businesses instantly upgrade. ARPlanet Digital Technology will inspire additional AR creativity and imagination with diverse application scenarios of interactions between virtual world and real life including an AR cafe with AR interactions enabled through smartphones, an AR dynamic classroom combining aesthetics and education and a debut 4D picture book interactive game – iLandAR, a leap from traditional picture books with one-way and passive communication to versatile interactive teaching with tremendously fun games combined with multiple education solutions.Visitors are invited to Taiwan Pavilion to experience exhibitions that combine smart city and IoT applications and demonstrate the Taiwan ICT industry's R&D capabilities in smart city innovations and total solutions. It is hoped the event will introduce more business and partnership opportunities for companies in Asia and the rest of the world as well as promote the sharing of smart city concept and vision.

The Internet of Things (IoT) inspired numerous application concepts, but very few were put into effective practice. The main culprit of this is due to the vast amount of different protocol standards scattered across the industry, creating communication barriers that greatly delay the development of IoT. Only by adopting an attitude towards open innovation can the protocol barriers be overcome.Early IoT applications were developed in silos. Businesses across different industries worked towards their own interest and goals; even businesses within the same industry operated within their own circle with their own preference of the type of industrial protocols and architecture to employ for IoT solutions. The lack of a horizontal collaboration platform gave rise to obstacles against technology exchange.Alex Perng, General Manager of NEXCOM's IoT Business Unit, points out that to push growth of IoT application development, developers need to collaborate with other field experts and proceed collectively, rather than individually. The ability to overcome industry barriers and share disparate resources horizontally from different sectors such as energy, petrochemical, transportation, lighting and building management, will enable the birth of more application possibilities.In order to unify disparate systems and communication standards, a complete system overhaul is required. But without a collaboration platform where hands-on experience and knowledge can be stored, copied and shared among different field experts, a great amount of effort is needed for the redesign. This creates higher barriers to entry for IoT application development. As such, many potential innovations have been buried away. In addition, since most current devices have yet to provide the connectivity envisioned by IoT, the development of IoT applications has been slow to come.Cross-Platform and Cross-Protocol Technology in IoT: Not Exactly Rocket SciencePerng believes that the key to clearing the obstacle for IoT application development is open innovation. Open innovation provides a pool of technology platforms, hardware components and software tools readily at disposal, allowing developers to quickly gather the resources required to bring their creative designs into fruition with the least amount of effort. More importantly, these resource tools are based on a unified standard as opposed to being industry-specific, and therefore are not bound to any proprietary protocol. Developers can rest assured that their products will not become orphaned.Fortunately, a few disruptive technology trends beneficial to the open innovation are on the rise, and the first of which is cross-platform IoT technology.As mentioned previously, due to the silo mentality and exclusive nature of early industry development, many industry-specific technologies were introduced. As a result, to overcome integration barriers and synchronize the different technologies across different fields, extra programming, such as using C, Java, PHP and SQL, was required. However, this was often a time-consuming process. In contrast, new open source tools such as Node-RED allow developers to develop applications in a browser with simple drag-and-drop actions and flowchart-like visuals. Additional programming is no longer needed to connect edge devices with cloud service platforms, effectively bridging the last mile connection of IoT applications.As cross-platform and cross-protocol technology gradually replace early proprietary solutions, not only this will accelerate cross-industry knowledge exchange, but also bring in new technology and perspective from different industries, instigating a new wave of disruptive innovation.Unified Standard and Open Source Tools: Creative Fuels to InnovationsThe second trend is the technological breakthrough of open platforms. Currently, there are hundred thousands of network protocols contending for the position as the mainstream IoT protocol. Any protocol incompatibility will prevent cross-industry knowledge exchange. As a result, protocol integration is inevitable. Furthermore, through open source code and emerging open innovation communities like GitHub, Intel Developer Zone and even NEXCOM's All IoT Cloud (www.alliotcloud.com), developers can quickly acquire IoT-relevant tools and resources, interact and exchange knowledge with experts across different fields, and leverage collective wisdom to overcome any IoT development obstacle previously encountered.Another trend worth noting is the IoT progression to a unified standard. An example of this is the formation of the Open Connectivity Foundation (OCF). The OCF has created a unified and open standard to provide innovators and entrepreneurs infinite business opportunities, and to attract more people to join the ranks of IoT application development. In addition, with a unified standard and open source tools being made publicly available, the open innovation platform can enable more makers, system integrators and startups alike to swiftly enter the world of IoT.Take NEXCOM's All IoT Cloud for example, which is based on the creative ideas of open innovation. It aims to serve as an online IoT marketplace that provides various kinds of open source tools free to download, offering participants an easy way to acquire the needed tool kits for development, and ultimately becoming a B2B and O2O marketplace for IoT supply chain.To fast track IoT application development, developers need to collaborate with other field experts and proceed collectively rather than individually.

Gigabyte Technology has released the GeForce GTX 1070 G1 Gaming graphics card (GV-N1070G1 GAMING-8GD), featuring overclocked GPU, WindForce cooling module and RGB illumination. The Pascal-based card is also equipped with 8GB of GDDR5 memory.The WindForce 3X cooling system incorporates two composite copper heat-pipes with direct touch to GPU, special fin architecture, and unique blade fan design, together delivering an effective heat dissipation capacity for performance at a lower temperature. The 3D Active Fan provides semi-passive cooling, which allows gamers to enjoy gameplay in complete silence when the system is running light or idle. An LED fan indicator provides a user-friendly, instant display of the fan status.The GTX 1070 G1 Gaming features 6+2 power phase technology on the card, allowing the MOSFET to work at a lower temperature to provide more stable voltage output. The card also comes with one-click overclocking via the Xtreme Engine.The smart power LED indicator helps to ensure the system stability at all times. In case of any power abnormality, the flashing LED adjacent to the power connector could immediately bring the issue to the gamer's attention.Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1070 G1 Gaming graphics cardPhoto: Company