Apple has announced that the Apple Watch will be available on April 24 to customers in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, the UK and the US.The Apple Watch introduces technologies including the Digital Crown, an innovation to help users scroll, zoom and navigate without obstructing the display. The Retina display with Force Touch on the Apple Watch senses the difference between a tap and a press, providing a new way to access relevant controls. The Taptic Engine delivers a gentle tap on the wrist whenever the user receives a notification or message.The Apple Watch keeps time to within 50 milliseconds of the universal time standard (UTC). The Apple Watch can be personalized with watch faces ranging from traditional analog such as the Chronograph face, to the information-rich Modular face, or animated butterflies and jellyfish on the Motion face.The Apple Watch's Activity app provides a simple visual snapshot of users' daily activity with three rings that measure active calories burned, brisk activity and how often users stood up to take a break from sitting during the day.The Apple Watch is available in two different sizes, 38mm and 42mm, and in three collections - Apple Watch Sport, Apple Watch and Apple Watch Edition. Apple Watch Sport features a lightweight anodized aluminum case in silver and gray with a Retina display protected by strengthened Ion-X glass and matching high-performance fluoroelastomer Sport Band in five colors. The Apple Watch collection comes with a choice of three different leather straps, a stainless steel link bracelet and Milanese loop, and a black or white Sport Band. The Apple Watch Edition features cases specially crafted from custom rose or yellow 18K gold alloys developed to be twice as hard as standard gold, a Retina display protected by polished sapphire crystal and a choice of straps and bands with 18K gold clasps, buckles or pins.The Apple Watch delivers up to 18-hour all-day battery life and comes with a unique charging solution that combines Apple's MagSafe technology with inductive charging for a quick connection.Beginning April 10 in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, the UK and the US, the Apple Watch will be available for preview, try-on by appointment at Apple's retail stores, and available for pre-order through the Apple Online Store. On April 24, The Apple Watch will be available online or by reservation in Apple's retail stores and select Apple authorized resellers in China and Japan. Customers who purchase online or in-store from Apple will be offered personal setup to customize and pair the Apple Watch with their iPhones.The Apple Watch is available in three collections, Apple Watch Sport, priced at US$349 and US$399; Apple Watch, available from US$549 to US$1,099; and Apple Watch Edition with prices starting at US$10,000.Apple Watch smartwatchesPhoto: Company

Cadence Design Systems has announced that Global Unichip achieved first-silicon success integrating tri-band analog front-end (AFE) intellectual property (IP) with WiGig (IEEE 802.11ad), enabling integration of digital logic and analog monolithic die in an advanced 28nm complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) process. The availability of the silicon-proven Cadence tri-band AFE IP running at 3.5 Giga-samples per second (GS/s) saved GUC's end customer over a year of total development time.The tri-band AFE IP is available for immediate integration and tapeout, according to Cadence.The WiGig specification enables near-field streaming of uncompressed HDTV content and has emerged as a leading innovation to cut the HDMI cord in TV entertainment rooms, as well as flexibly extend the HDTV experience into other venues, Cadence said. Citing ABI Research, Cadence indicated that over 1.5 billion chipsets with 802.11ad will be shipped in 2018.The tri-band AFE IP includes WiGig (802.11ad) and Wi-Fi (802.11n or 802.11ac), and enables the throughput rate of up to 3.5GS/S needed to support uncompressed HDTV video. The AFE IP contains new dual-analog-to-digital converter (ADC), dual-digital-to-analog converter (DAC), phase-locked loop (PLL), oscillator and fast wake-up functions. The IP provides customers the flexibility to build SoCs for applications including Internet of Things (IoT), tablets, PCs, shared workstations, media hubs, network-attached storage (NAS), set-top boxes and digital/HDTVs."The wireless market continues to evolve quickly with demand for higher throughput requirements. We are investing in this emerging area to have the expertise to accelerate our customer's product time to market," said Yawlin Hwang, worldwide sales VP of Global Unichip. "We chose to work with Cadence on this emerging market segment as they not only offered the silicon-proven AFE IP, they also surpassed the performance requirements for the interface."

The benefits of industrial wireless networks in IP surveillance is growing significantly. Wireless technologies can allow digital surveillance video to be easily transmitted in outdoor and remote areas. However, in harsh environments, enterprise wireless networks are unable to satisfy the high demands of connectivity and reliability, therefore, industrial grade wireless network devices are designed to deal with the more demanding requirements found in harsh outdoor environments.Industrial wireless is exceptionally well suited for providing a remote monitoring link to cameras located in an isolated area. Long range industrial wireless is also suitable for linking buildings together in rural areas where installing physical cables such as fiber optics is not cost effective.Today's industrial networks face a set of difficult communication challenges. How to ensure reliable mobile connectivity for vehicles and equipment are critical. The device should not only survive under extreme temperatures but also the constant shock and vibration of mobile applications. Standard networking protocols such as latency, jitter and packet-loss are also of high concern when selecting suitable equipment for IP surveillance systems.Antaira Technologies' wireless networking devices are designed to solve commonly encountered connectivity issues. The constantly increasing rate of traffic causes serious congestion issues in network throughput. Antaira wireless products have a built-in IEEE 802.11n standard to improve bandwidth to 300Mbps, a much faster throughput than the ones found in the IEEE 802.11 a/b/g standards. With a continued focus on advancements, Antaira Technologies is also looking into the most up to date wireless standards. Wireless features such as the emerging IEEE 802.11ac protocol will increase the maximum available bandwidth to speeds of up to 1.3 gigabits per second.Furthermore, wireless devices have been adopting more advanced security protocols such as WPA2, IEEE 802.11i and IEEE 802.1x to ensure that the privacy of data transmission is protected. The combination of IP surveillance with wireless technology results in a reliable and more secure alternative to hardwired applications and offers the following features:* Eliminating installation costs* Mobile application by applying 3G /4G * Flexible network scalability options* Easy to deploy by using user friendly designed configuration* Supports different modes (AP/Repeater/Router)* Remote monitoring for surveillanceThe advantage of using industrial grade wireless network devices does not only provide resistance for environmental concerns. Industrial grade equipment also offers high bandwidth connections and advanced security options. Both of which are ideal for creating point-to-point connections between locations where traditional hardwiring is not an ideal solution. Industrial grade equipment is the only practical solution in mobile applications; where the constant shock and vibration that is exerted on the equipment would quickly cause failures in commercial equipment that has not been tested or certified for shock and vibration prone environments.The advantages of using a wireless network with IP surveillance systems are endless. According to statistics, Asia has had a tendency to be the leader in the world of security when it comes to the most up to date technologies. Over the next ten years, as reported by Allied Market Research, APAC will see the most growth in the IP surveillance industry with an estimated market size of 57 Billion. With the rapidly growing market, users will encounter a growing number of applications that will require rugged equipment for their applications. This continued expansion of IP surveillance systems in industrial environments will prove the undeniable importance of industrial grade networking equipment.Antaira has offered a full spectrum of product lines that feature reliable Ethernet infrastructures, extended temperature tolerance, and rugged enclosure designs.

Acer has announced the Liquid Jade Z featuring an IPS display with the Zero Air Gap technology to help reduce reflections and Corning's Gorilla Glass 3. The smartphone also supports 4G LTE (Cat. 4) connectivity and a 64-bit quad-core Mediatek processor.The smartphone is equipped with a voice-activated 13-megapixel rear camera with F1.8 aperture and a 5-megapixel F2.2 front camera.The smartphone has several Acer designed innovations such as AcerExtend, which will allow users to take full control of their smartphones via cable or wirelessly using their Windows-based PCs and AcerNAV, a free offline navigation software powered by TomTom and utilizing TripAdvisor POI.The Liquid Jade Z is 7.9mm thin and weighs 110g. The smartphone will become available in March through selected EMEA retailers at a starting price of EUR199 (US$222.23).Acer Liquid Jade Z smartphonePhoto: Company

GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co. Ltd., a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, today announced one of its most rewarding overclocking competition as of yet with the GIGABYTE Z97 - X99 BIG XTU Challenge, its latest contest hosted on HWBOT.org.The GIGABYTE Z97 - X99 BIG XTU Challenge gives the overclocking community a chance to tweak their systems on for a single benchmark, Intel's XTU. By submitting scores to hit a secret target, overclockers cumulate points and run the chance to win not only cash prizes and hardware, but also a trip to Taipei, Taiwan to attend the Computex 2015 IT trade show with GIGABYTE. Skills will be on display on both Z97 and X99 platforms to be able to submit as many scores within a limited window. A lot is on the line; a total of USD $4,000 in cash, 4 GIGABYTE motherboards and an EPIC grand prize!Do you feel up to the challenge? Each of the 4 rounds will have 10 secret target scores which will be revealed only after their submission period. But to guide you, a target range will be announced in advance. Your goal is to submit as many scores within that range during a 3 days period and try to hit the secret score. Participants who hit the secret target score will cumulate a point and have a chance at winning the Grand Prize or cash prize! Good luck to all!For complete contest rules, scoring and more details, please visit the contest page hosted on HWBOT.org:http://oc-esports.io/#!/round/gbt_z97x99_xtuchallenge

Intel CEO Brian Krzanich has announced a series of mobile platforms including the company's new low-cost system-on-chip (SoC) for phones, phablets and tablets, a global LTE solution, new personal computing experiences, and a range of customers for mobile device and network infrastructure offerings.The announcements include the Intel Atom x3 processor series, Intel's first integrated communications SoC solution for the growing value and entry device markets, and the five-mode Intel XMM 7360 LTE Advanced solution, designed for performance and worldwide coverage. In addition, Krzanich highlighted joint efforts with Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson and Huawei to address the demand for new telecommunications, cloud and data center services, improve network efficiencies, and accelerate the industry's move toward a software-defined infrastructure.Krzanich also reiterated that Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge users will have the latest anti-malware solution from McAfee VirusScan Mobile technology built into and activated on their devices.Intel introduced the Intel Atom x3 processor series (formerly codenamed SoFIA), Intel's first integrated communications platform for entry and value tablets, phablets and smartphones. Combining 64-bit multi-core Intel Atom processors together with 3G or 4G LTE connectivity, the integrated communications SoC combines the applications processor, image sensor processor, graphics, audio, connectivity and power management components in a single system chipset. This integration allows device manufacturers to deliver full-featured tablets, phablets and smartphones at affordable price points for the rapidly growing entry and value market segments.Intel said its is bringing the benefits of integrated Intel architecture and wireless communications to customers, including the China technology ecosystem, with greater velocity. Twenty companies, including Asustek Computer and Jolla, have committed to delivering Intel Atom x3 designs.Rounding out its mobile portfolio that scales from the entry to performance segments, Intel also introduced its first 14nm Intel Atom SoC, the Intel Atom x5 and x7 processor series (formally codenamed Cherry Trail) for next-generation tablets and small-screen 2-in-1s. Offering 64-bit support for Windows and Android, Intel Gen 8 graphics, and an option to pair with next-generation LTE Advanced connectivity, the Intel Atom x5 and x7 processor series will power a range of mainstream to premium devices.Customers, including Acer, Asustek, Dell, Hewlett-Packard (HP), Lenovo and Toshiba, have already committed to deliver devices on this platform. The first devices are expected to be in the market in the first half of this year.Intel also announced its third-generation five-mode, LTE Advanced Category 10 modem. The Intel XMM 7360 supports 3x carrier aggregation and download speeds up to 450Mbps. Its compact size and power efficiency enable the Intel XMM 7360 to accommodate a wide range of form factors, from smartphones and phablets to tablets and PCs. It also expands Intel's portfolio of LTE solutions, giving device manufacturers a competitive option to quickly design and launch LTE devices in various market segments and geographies. At Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2015, the company also demonstrated a pre-5G concept system that combines LTE with 802.11ad to deliver speeds of more than 1Gbps using Intel technology end-to-end.In addition to working with Samsung to help protect Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge devices, Krzanich said Intel Security is also collaborating with LG Electronics to help secure personal data. LG Electronics will make McAfee Mobile Security from Intel Security available on the LG Watch Urbane LTE, delivering anti-theft capabilities that allow the owner to lock, locate and wipe the device, if needed. LG Android device users are already protected with McAfee Mobile Security on their devices.Krzanich announced new customers including Brightstar, Deutsche Telekom and Prestigio for the company's True Key technology, a cross-platform application to address the pain point of passwords by using personal factors like facial identification and fingerprints to make logging in easier and safer. Deutsche Telekom will preinstall the True Key product for its customers in Europe. Prestigio will be one of the first mobile device manufacturers to launch the True Key application in Russia and across Europe, making the application available across all of its Android tablets and smartphones by the end of 2015.Krzanich outlined how Intel is working with industry leaders to transform network infrastructure with standardized hardware and software, and helping to accelerate the industry's move toward a flexible, agile software-defined infrastructure. This enables both telco and cloud service providers to improve network efficiencies and accelerate the delivery of new services and capabilities for consumers and businesses.Alcatel-Lucent introduced its virtual radio access network (vRAN) solution, comprised of a virtualized baseband unit that uses general purpose servers with Intel Xeon processors to enable cost savings and increased network performance. The vRAN will be in customer trials this year and commercially available in 2016.Ericsson announced a new generation of data center platforms for the Ericsson Cloud System that enable telecom and cloud service providers to lower their total cost of ownership (TCO) and realize more flexibility and efficiency in their data centers. The company is using Intel Rack Scale architecture, together with management and orchestration software, to optimize and scale cloud resources across private, public, enterprise and telco cloud domains, enabling improved services agility. Ericsson also announced it is working with Intel Security on mobile security for 4G networks.Huawei and Intel are collaborating to deliver robust cloud solutions that will enable telecommunications service providers to transform their data centers. The companies will develop the next generation of Huawei's FusionSphere based on Intel architecture, and will use the Data Plane Development Kit and Open vSwitch to increase network virtualization performance of FusionSphere. These solutions aim to enhance performance that is optimized to minimize TCO for cloud workloads in a scalable and secure manner.Intel Atom x3 processorPhoto: CompanyIntel XMM 7360 LTE Advanced solutionPhoto: Company

Enova, the leading cryptographic ASIC engineering company, introduces X-Wall MX+, SATA-to-SATA (Gen 3, 2 & 1) Real-Time Cryptographic ASIC Protecting "Data-in-Transit" and "Data-at-Rest" with AES ECB/CBC/XTS 256-bit Strength.The X-Wall MX+, the 10th generation of patented X-Wall Technology, is engineered specifically to encrypt/decrypt entire SATA disk drive including boot sector, temp files and operating system with SATA Gen 3 speed at 6Gbps. The X-Wall MX+ enhances both security and performance of its predecessor MX and is progressing for FIPS 140-2 level 2/3 certification.How does it work?The X-Wall MX+ sits between the host SATA adapter and the device SATA controller, encrypting the attached SATA drive with 256-bit AES ECB, CBC or XTS.System performance with X-Wall MX+ engaged is unaffected. X-Wall MX+ is OS independent including embedded OS. Once authenticated, its operation is transparent to all users.Full Disk Encryption, or FDEThe X-Wall MX+ default is to perform full disk encryption protecting entire Data-at-Rest. The FDE solution is OS independent as no extra software component including driver is needed.File/Folder Encryption, or FFEWith add-on software components, the X-Wall MX+ can be configured to protect Data-in-Transit such that confidential files stored in the Cloud remain MX+ hardware encrypted. Only the right secret key can successfully decrypt those encrypted files. The solution is OS dependent as it requires loading extra software component or driver.Enhanced Security for AuthenticationThe X-Wall MX+ has equipped with HMAC, SHA256, RSA 2048, and DRBG, all in hardware. Secure authentication through these cryptographic components is possible. Key management can be versatile, which includes PIN/Password through Pre-boot authentication, TPM, Smartcard, Fingerprint, Single Sign On, or USB type external key token. One or more factor authentications are applicable.As the entire SATA disk drive is encrypted, there is no secret being left unprotected, including PIN and "Secret Key." In an X-Wall MX+ protected system, there is no way to read the data without the right "Secret Key." The X-Wall MX+ technology is compatible with all system designs incorporating standard SATA drive technologies. A limited amount of sample chips will be made available for qualified customers for testing and evaluation.Key Take AwayThe X-Wall MX+ performs full disk encryption with NIST certified AES hardware at SATA Gen 3 speed with conserved power consumption and small foot print. It can also be configured to adapt to securing cloud. It is OS independent and allows secure authentication through built-in HMAC, SHA256, DRBG and RSA2048 cryptographic components.For more information, please contact info@enovatech.net or visit our website http://www.enovatech.com/.MX+ Block Diagram

Indium Corporation was presented with CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY's NPI Award for its LV1000 flux coating for solder preforms at the IPC APEX Expo on Feb. 24 in San Diego, Calif.Sponsored by CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY, the NPI Awards program recognizes the electronics assembly industry's leading new products. Awards are selected by an independent panel of practicing industry engineers.LV1000is a series of flux coatings that offers low voiding, especially in situations where the component footprint will not allow for proper outgassing of volatized flux. Its glossy, even coating is durable, so it can be used in automated assembly processes.LV1000 is halide-free, meeting ROL0 requirements, and passes Telcordia GR-78 testing in the unactivated state. The coating's tolerances are well-controlled, down to 0.5% by weight, to ensure no additional flux is required. LV1000 is versatile, allowing for the coating of unique geometries and sizes.LV1000 is not only a formulation, but a process which produces flux-coated solder preforms that meet the tightest of flatness tolerances, ensuring that electronic components solder correctly, thereby minimizing defects.For more information about LV1000, visit www.indium.com/LV1000. For more information on flux-coated solder preforms, visit www.indium.com/flux-and-epoxy/flux-coated-preforms.For more information about Indium Corporation, visit www.indium.com or email abrown@indium.com. You can also follow our experts From One Engineer To Another® (#FOETA) at www.facebook.com/indium or https://twitter.com/IndiumCorp.

Acer has unveiled the Liquid M220 smartphone, its first Liquid smartphone to run on the Windows Phone 8.1 operating system, featuring a 4-inch 233ppi display.The Liquid M220 features a 5-megapixel auto-focus back-end and a 2-megapixel front-end camera. The back-end camera also sports an 89-degree wide-angle lens for better photo shot.Both the Liquid Leap and Liquid Leap+ smart active bands are compatible with Windows Phone 8.1, making them the ideal companions of the Liquid M220 for users with healthcare demandThe Liquid M220 will also have optional accessories ranging from matching color flip covers to matching color protective cases.The Liquid M220 will become available in April through selected EMEA retailers, starting EUR79 (US$88.42).Acer Liquid M220 smartphonePhoto: Company

Samsung Electronics has announced that it is now mass producing 128GB ultra-fast embedded memory based on the Universal Flash Storage (UFS) 2.0 standard for smartphones. The new embedded memory's UFS 2.0 interface is the most advanced JEDEC-compliant, next-generation flash memory storage specification in the world, the company claimed.UFS memory utilizes "Command Queue," a technology that accelerates the speed of command execution in SSDs through a serial interface, significantly increasing data processing speeds compared to the 8-bit parallel-interface-based eMMC standard, Samsung indicated. Its new UFS embedded memory conducts 19,000 IOPS for random reading, which is 2.7 times faster than eMMC 5.0, the company said.Samsung's UFS memory also delivers a sequential read and write performance boost up to SSD levels, in addition to a 50% decrease in energy consumption. In addition, the random read speed is 12 times faster than that of a typical high-speed memory card (which runs at 1,500 IOPS).In the future, Samsung anticipates that UFS will support high-end mobile market needs, while eMMC solutions remain viable for the mid-market and value segments.For random writing of data to storage, Samsung's UFS embedded memory operates at 14,000 IOPS and is 28 times as fast as a conventional external memory card, making it capable of supporting seamless Ultra HD video playback and smooth multitasking functions at the same time, the company said.Samsung's new UFS embedded memory comes in 128GB, 64GB and 32GB versions, which are twice the capacity of its eMMC line-up, the company disclosed.Samsung's UFS embedded memory package, a new ePoP (embedded package on package) solution, can be stacked directly on top of a logic chip, taking approximately 50% less space, the company noted."With our mass production of ultra-fast UFS memory of the industry's highest capacity, we are making a significant contribution to enable a more advanced mobile experience for consumers," said Jee-ho Baek, senior VP of Samsung's memory marketing. "In the future, we will increase the proportion of high-capacity memory solutions, in leading the continued growth of the premium memory market."Samsung UFS embedded memoryPhoto: Company