The Heraeus Photovoltaics Business Unit will feature two new front-side metallization pastes for c-Si solar cells during Intersolar North America 2014 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, California on level 1 in Booth 7611 from July 8th through 10th. The SOL9620 Series and SOL9621 Series represent Heraeus' latest pastes that enable cell manufacturers to further increase their c-Si cells' conversion efficiencies to an industry-leading level and beyond. The development of these two products are for customers with slightly different LDE applications and processing; however both pastes provide superior cell efficiencies while lowering customers' cost per watt.The SOL9620 Series is outstanding for ultra-lightly doped emitters [ULDE], with surface doping concentrations down to 1xE20/cm3. The SOL9620 Series has demonstrated the highest performance during customer testing, particularly on monocrystalline wafers. Relative to the SOL9610 Series on 110 Ω/sq. monocrystalline wafers, the SOL9620 Series demonstrated an 80% reduction in contact resistance; approximately a 3mV increase in Voc; and up to 0.25% absolute efficiency gains. The unique chemistry of SOL9620 Series also enable the ability to be fired through different combination of passivation layers and at a relative lower peak temperature than standard firing temperatures. This is ideal for PERC applications.The SOL9621 Series has demonstrated great results for regular emitter and LDE applications. When tested against Heraeus' SOL9610 Series on 85 Ω/sq. multicrystalline wafers, customers experienced higher electrical performance: a 50% reduction in contact resistance; a 1-2 mV increase in Voc; and greater than 0.10% absolute efficiency gains. The SOL9621 Series provides customers with a flexible and robust process window, which aids in providing a lower manufacturing cost. SOL9621 is also highly recommended for the 1st and 2nd layer of double printing applications with customers confirmed efficiency gain greater than 0.10% over the best commercially available double printing pastes.To learn more about Heraeus' products and services for the photovoltaic industry, visit us at this year's Intersolar North America at the Moscone Center West Hall on level 1 in booth 7611. You can also go to http://www.pvsilverpaste.com for more information.About the Heraeus Photovoltaics Business UnitThe Heraeus Photovoltaics Business Unit is an industry leading developer and manufacturer of silver metallization pastes for the photovoltaic industry. For over 40 years, Heraeus has built a reputation of innovation, extensive research and new product development in thick film technologies for some of the most prominent companies within a variety of industries. In the field of photovoltaics, the Heraeus Photovoltaics Business Unit applies this history and its innovative technology to offer metallization pastes for solar cell applications. The Heraeus SOL Series of silver pastes is specially formulated to provide higher efficiencies and wider processing windows, resulting in better yields and higher output for cell manufacturers.
The Heraeus Photovoltaics Business Unit will be attending Intersolar North America 2014 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, California from July 8th through 10th, showcasing their new products for standard to ultra LDE cells and PERC cell designs during the exhibition."Heraeus Photovoltaics is pleased to be exhibiting at Intersolar NA for another year. The first metallization pastes for c-Si solar cells developed by Heraeus were created in North America and this region continues to be critical to our success", states Andreas Liebheit, Global Manager of the Heraeus Photovoltaics Business Unit. "At this year's show, we are proud to exhibit our SOL325 Series of pastes for PERC cell designs. This paste, along with our front-side metallization pastes, was used by the Institute for Solar Energy Research Hamelin (ISFH) to produce PERC cells with a record efficiency of 21.2%. We will also showcase our newest front-side metallization pastes for standard to ultra lightly doped emitter cells: the SOL9620 and SOL9621 Series. Our SOL9620 Series has shown excellent results on monocrystalline cells, with absolute efficiency gains up to 0.25%. Our SOL9621 Series has demonstrated greater than 0.10% absolute efficiency gains on crystalline silicon cells and possesses a flexible processing window, providing customers with very consistent cell efficiencies during production runs."Heraeus will also be exhibiting their SOL9650 Series for n-type cell designs. To learn more about Heraeus' products and services for the photovoltaic industry, visit us at this year's Intersolar North America at the Moscone Center West Hall on level 1 in booth 7611. You can also go to http://www.pvsilverpaste.com/ for more information.About the Heraeus Photovoltaics Business UnitThe Heraeus Photovoltaics Business Unit is an industry leading developer and manufacturer of silver metallization pastes for the photovoltaic industry. For over 40 years, Heraeus has built a reputation of innovation, extensive research and new product development in thick film technologies for some of the most prominent companies within a variety of industries. In the field of photovoltaics, the Heraeus Photovoltaics Business Unit applies this history and its innovative technology to offer metallization pastes for solar cell applications. The Heraeus SOL Series of silver pastes is specially formulated to provide higher efficiencies and wider processing windows, resulting in better yields and higher output for cell manufacturers.
Wearable technology can not only be applied to sensory and gesture control, voice recognition, augmented reality, health monitoring, biometrics, and infotainment, but vendors today have also developed brainwave sensing wearable devices that give users the ability to use "thoughts" to "control" different equipment.Amazing wearable from Toronto, CanadaDuring his speech "Wearable technology - Changing the way you THINK" Derek Luke, COO of Canada-based InteraXon, introduced the background of InteraXon, a leading company in developing brainwave technology. InteraXon's development team began conducting EEG related research in 2003 prior to the establishment of the company. The team attempted to produce changes in the surrounding environment with brainwaves, and create compelling life experiences. InteraXon was formally established in 2009, and revealed itself for the first time at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, where the crowd wore brainwave controllers and used their thoughts to control the lights on Niagara Falls, the Canadian Parliament Buildings in Ottawa, and the Toronto CN Tower.Later, InteraXon invested in the development of a thin and light brainwave headband called "Muse." When the prototype appeared in 2011, the CEO of InteraXon, Ariel Garten, unveiled her company's development technology in a TED Talk using "know thyself, with a brain scanner" as the theme. In 2013, InteraXon received first-round financing from Sir Ka-shing Li's private investment firm, Horizons Ventures, and officially introduced Muse in 2014.Multiple sensors to get a feel for what you're thinkingDerek described some previous applications of his company's product, including mind control of lights on a stage and "telepathically"turning on a beer tap to fill a beer mug hands-free. He indicated that EEG (electroencephalography) has actually been in use in the field of medicine for many years, mainly for purposes such as improving sleep quality and concentration. However, EEG use in medical care requires a lot of sensors attached to the head. Not only is it inconvenient, heavy, and unpleasant, but it also is very costly. actiCHamp, for example, is priced at about US$36,000.The Muse EEG brain sensing headband produced by Derek's company comes in two choices of black or white. It is easy to wear, light-weight, and fashionable. With its non-invasive design, it is comfortable to wear on the head. Most of all, it is affordably priced at US$299. Derek then put on the Muse headband for the audience to see for themselves and demonstrated the use of its companion smartphone app. The first step after Muse is put on is calibration (this allows the Muse headband to sense your brainwaves and to adjust the fit to the head); the second step is to relax and let the app guide you on sensing your brain activity; the third step is gathering data which is then relayed to you. It is that simple to use!The Muse brain sensing headband, with seven built-in sensors (five on the forehead and two behind the ears), detects and measures brain activity when it is put on the head and converts the measurements into instant data for the user to see on a mobile device via Bluetooth technology so that the user can understand how his/her own brain is functioning. After a long period of training and recording, Muse will help people better understand their own mind activities so as to relieve stress and improve memory and concentration. People are therefore able to analyze what makes them excited and what makes them focused, which can help users eliminate negative feelings. In the future the user will eventually be able to control various devices through a focused mind.Training your mind to focus and control everythingTechnology products are interactive (i.e. users interact outwardly with the device) while brainwave detection and scanning technology is intraactive (i.e. users interact inwardly with the device). Muse allows you and the product to develop a responsive relationship by scanning and analyzing your brainwaves. Through cycles of iterative intraactions, you are able to use this information to better understand your inner self and show this understanding in the outer world. While smartbands can be used to promote physical health, the Muse headband can be used to promote mental well-being.InteraXon brings together user experience specialists, integrated software/hardware technologies, and a brainwave algorithm database to help the user build his/her own dedicated brainwave model and provide an open platform for brainwave applications. InteraXon currently owns a portfolio of 18+ patents and has developed a wearable sensing headband that combines comfort and fashion. In addition, Muse leads the brainwave detection industry in building a complete ecosystem by joining together the world's most prestigious brainwave researchers, cutting-edge sensor development teams, machine learning based on cloud computing, growing network platform developers, added-value investors, and technical partners to collaboratively promote EEG applications to the consumer market.Derek mentioned that the current hardware spec is applicable to fields including Calm, ADHD, health, and gaming, creating a market value as high as US$30 billion. Calm, an app developed by Derek's company, can be used to train oneself to stay calm using the application for just three minutes a day by monitoring one's brainwaves for the purpose of managing emotions.In terms of applications related to ADHD, developers can design games that improve concentration to teach hyper-active children to stay focused, which may attain the same effect as taking Ritalin. For health applications, Muse can be used with a heart rate indicator in addition to mind training to effectively monitor exercise as well as mental and physical health. As for the gaming market, Muse can be used to enhance the gaming experience, offering new entertainment experiences.Derek concluded his presentation by pointing out that the only limitation to InteraXon's high tech potential is imagination. The company is seeking forward-thinking partners from all fields to jointly develop innovative solutions to help people overcome physical, mental, and emotional barriers for a more colorful and meaningful life.Derek Luke, COO of Canada-based InteraXon
Should wearable devices adopt an integration-based design or module-based design? Take smart glass for example, where increased functions increase the mass and weight of the product, which decreases the comfort level for users. However, although products with simple functions are light, the lack of functionality means users need to supplement it with other products, which is not practical. This article addresses how to adopt module-based designs for wearable devices and maintain the possibility of extending functionality, while keeping the product visually attractive.Wearable glasses deviceShiann-Jang Wang, VP of RD JORJIN Technologies Inc., recently held a speech regarding this topic. Visually, first he tried on two smart glasses that have currently been announced in the market, one from an US-based company and the other from a Japan-based company. Both glasses adopt full-function design but the glasses themselves seemed kind of heavy and not as friendly as ordinary glasses. He took this as an example of the question whether or not humans need this heavy product.Wang noted that Jorjin had many opportunities to work with international smart glass makers in past two years and jointly developed these smart glasses. From the clients' designs, the firm has learned the direction of smart glasses development and has been brainstorming better solutions to design products that meet consumer needs. His topic included areas such as the comparison of integrated designs and module designs, single-lens and dual-lens devices, small, wide and immersive field of views, display only devices and recording features needed, as well as features of the host control interface (HCI) which includes touch, eye, ring, voice and image recognition.Smart glass design conceptWang stated that currently announced smart glasses in the market have features such as a display, camera, sensors, and computing. Why is it necessary to bundle all those components into wearable devices? What kind of glasses are suitable for us and what kind of glasses are suitable for people of certain professions to obtain desirable information when needed? This can be discussed starting with the design concept.Take the exterior, for example; currently there are two categories of design- Uniting and Separating. The former includes all functions into the glasses, such as Vuzix M100. The latter only includes necessary functions onto the glasses while other functions can be added separately, such as with the Epson Moverio BT-200, which this glasses only contain a display, camera and sensor functions, headphones and computing with accessories that can be connected through either cable or wirelessly.Glasses with an integrated design have more functions and hence consume more power. This means battery capacity needs to be increased, which also increases the weight. Glasses with a module design concept separates the glasses from the battery, which can be placed in pockets or bags, moreover, make the glasses lighter and batteries lasting longer.Some products are monocular and some are binocular. Products such as the Vuzix M100 and Google Glass adopt the single-lens design while Epson BT-200 adopts the dual-lens design. Both designs vary greatly in image-generation, light trail and image-projection. For dual lens, the product can produce 3D images and enable users to watch 3D movies. On the other hand, single lens products focus on improved resolution.Smart glasses can be designed for different fields of views (FOVs) such as small, wide, and immersive. Single lens products can provide small FOVs at approximately 10 degrees and can project image similar to a 14-inch display being viewed from five feet away. Most dual lens products can provide wider FOVs. Epson BT-200 can provide an FOV up to 23 degrees and can project images similar to 160-inches viewed from 10 meters away. Meta Pro can provide immersive level of all-angle images.In addition, there are other products that carry special features such as providing display on glasses (like Sony's HMZ family theater) or just cameras (such as Pivothead's HDHF hands-free high resolution camera glasses). Some have embedded sensors like Jins Meme smart glasses that can sense fatigue and can be used during workouts.Best smart glass design - lightweight, power-efficient, and easy to controlWang pointed out the three major factors in designing smart glasses - weight, power consumption, and HCI. For weight, consumers do not want to wear heavy glasses. Full immersion glasses can weigh close to one pound (453g), Google Glass weighs around 65g and Jins weigh around 36g. Hence, what is the ideal weight for smart glasses is a question for everyone to ponder.As for power consumption, Vuzix M100 comes with a 3,800mAh external power supply that can last 6-8 hours. Google Glass claims the battery can last one day. This may be derived from optimizing efficiency of hardware and power management.Thirdly, HCI can be controlled through touch, eye, ring, voice, and image. Whether or not to put all these features onto the glasses itself or use as accessories is a topic worth considering.Module-based design provides strengths for best smart glassesFrom the discussion, we can realize that through module-based design, smart glasses can achieve the strength of being lightweight, having a longer battery life, and better control. Hence, Wang noted, smart glass hardware can be divided into three categories - glass sensor, computer control, and cloud service. In particular, computer control can be connected with cloud services via LTE or Wi-Fi and connected with sensors via the Mobile Industry Processor Interface (MIPI).Jorjin Glasses Turnkey Solutions adopt the Raccoon hardware platform (with an OMAP4460/4470 application processor module), camera sensor board (can support 1.3/2/5/8 mega-pixel CCM sensor modules), in-house-developed Wi-Fi/BT/GPS and LTE/3G modules. The device is smaller than 15x65mm. The solution provides software components such as Wi-Fi Miracast, BLE 4.0, Precise GPS (PGPS), Cisco Compatible Extensions (CCX), facial recognition, image quality control, environment expansion control, barcode scan, 3G/LTE data transfer and voice connection.For glass sensors, Jorjin solutions provide features such as light engine, LCoS display/driver IC, eye flash sensor, and 1.3/2/5/8 mega-pixel CCM module, while keeping the size at 15x35mm. The software solution provides functions such as display quality control, display color compression, still image capture, video image capture, stream and play. All in all, Jorjin has been dedicating to providing module-based solutions in past two years til now and show the company's strength in the smart glasses development market. The firm joins the China Smart Glasses Industry Alliance and has also plays a leading role in developing smart glasses. The comprehensive module-based design and integrated software with the hardware will be the best system solution for smart glasses firms.Shiann-Jang Wang, VP of RD JORJIN Technologies
Wearable devices are a kind of natural extension of mobile devices in a world where we are connected to one another through smartphones and clouds, forming a futuristic lifestyle in which all things are connected and capable of communicating with each other. In order to meet the diverse needs of the market, wearable devices need to be custom designed, using the most suitable "recipes" to cook the most delicious "cuisine" that cater to the market's "tastes." Therefore, when searching for the right "ingredients," we must adhere to the principles of being "small yet complete" as well as "small and cost-effective" Now, the master chef of this field will unveil the recipe for successful wearable devices.Requirements of wearable technologies from the perspective of mobile devicesPankaj Kedia, Senior Director of New Business Development at Qualcomm Technologies Inc., in a speech "Recipe for a Successful Wearable Device," explained Qualcomm's vision and future developmental blueprints for wearable technologies. He started by noting that currently, smartphones are already the most personal and powerful devices in the array of technology products we carry around every day. In the United States, an average of 106 Android apps are launched each day; 75% of users between the age of 18-24 reach for their smartphones immediately after waking up, and approximately 94% of users use their devices to look for local information (news, weather, traffic, etc.); and finally, approximately 79% of users use them to watch videos.In terms of the Company's vision for wearable technologies, Qualcomm believes that the smartphone is the central hub as our personal companion and information center, being able to connect to the cloud to access information and intelligence as well as being able to connect with wearable devices (such as wristbands, watches, shoes, glasses, earplugs, and clothing etc.) via Bluetooth/NFC, thereby becoming a relay station for wearable devices. On the other hand, wearable devices can also be designed to be able to connect directly to the cloud through 3G/4G/Wi-Fi. Therefore, Kedia believes that in the future, all devices will be connected and capable of communicating with one anotherWearable products are experiencing explosive growth, with designs varying based on usage requirementsKedia pointed out that the market for wearable products is rapidly growing, with shipment volumes expected to surpass 200 million units in 2018 (data provided by IHS), of which smart watches are one of the categories with the highest growth rates (GAGR higher than 170%). The top-three application areas for wearable products are: infotainment, fitness & wellness and healthcare & medical. In response to different types of applications, the design of products will take on different styles and sizes.He used a chart of four quadrants divided by a horizontal axis and a vertical axis to portray the industry. The horizontal axis represents connectivity capability and the vertical axis functionality. The first quadrant represents "high-end smart products," which have the highest level of connectivity as well as the most functionality. Examples for this product category would be smart watches or glasses products with built-in Wi-Fi/Bluetooth/Bluetooth LE (low energy) or even 3G/4G connectivity capabilities (categorized as Type 2). The third quadrant represents "products of basic functionality" that have relatively single connectivity capabilities; such products might only have Bluetooth/Bluetooth LE connectivity. Examples for this product category include sports watches, wristbands, and smart clothes (categorized as Type 1).Type 1 devices, which run real-time operating systems (RTOS's) such as Embedded Linux or ThreadX, are mainly used in single-purpose applications that require long-term sensing and always-on operation. Consumers expect batteries for these types of devices to be able to last for up to seven days. Type 2 devices, which mostly run high-level operating systems (HLOS's) such as Android Wear or Tizen, emphasize high performance and rich user experiences, and users are accustomed to charging these devices daily.In light of this, Qualcomm provides many types of "ingredients" and "condiments" for wearable devices, allowing system vendors to select suitable "recipes" based on their needs in order to demonstrate their successful cooking skills:A. In terms of connectivity technologies, Qualcomm provides 3G, 4G LTE, 4G LTE Advanced, Bluetooth 4.0/LE, NFC, GPS (Qualcomm IZat location technologies), and Wi-Fi (Qualcomm VIVE 802.11ac technology).B. In terms of IoT protocols, Qualcomm has the AllJoyn Framework (AllSeen Alliance).C. In terms of interface components, Qualcomm has low power, virtually always on, color touch display (Qualcomm Mirasol display technology), and Pixtronix display technology.D. In terms of processors, Qualcomm has low-power, high-performance custom ARM CPUs, custom low-power DSP engines, and integrated sensor engines for always-on sensor processing.E. In terms of power components, Qualcomm provides wireless charging (Qualcomm WiPower wireless charging technology).F. In terms of multimedia, Qualcomm has hardware image and video engines, as well as low-power audio and voice processing.G. In terms of graphics units, Qualcomm provides its own Adreno GPUs and display processing engines.H. In terms of wireless health, Qualcomm has a cross-platform cloud-based information management system: the 2net platform.A wide variety of ingredients and condiments for developing the best wearable device recipeWith Qualcomm's wide variety of rich ingredients and condiments, how should one develop a successful personal wearable recipe? First, the style has to be cool and it has to be rich in functionality: (1) thinner, lighter, and sleeker; (2) ultra-long battery life; (3) always connected; (4) always on, always sensing and always listening. Therefore, by using components optimized for wearable devices in the designs, the aforementioned requirements can be met.In terms of the first type of requirements, Qualcomm provides highly integrated SoCs (such as Type 2 performance + multimedia + connectivity, and Type 1 signal processing + connectivity), and uses innovative ePoP packaging, capable of accurately maintaining the temperature of the ICs within ranges that the human body can bear. In terms of the second type of requirements, Qualcomm uses processors and displays with low-power architectures as well as aggressive power management technologies to increase the number of days that devices stay active; along with Qualcomm's own WiPower wireless charging and Quick Charge 2.0 fast charging technologies to significantly reduce the time required in charging. In terms of the third type of requirements, Bluetooth/Bluetooth LE can be used to connect devices, while Bluetooth/Bluetooth LE and NFC can be used to connect smartphones, and Wi-Fi or 3G/4G can be used to connect to personal clouds. In terms of the fourth type, always-on and always-sensing requirements can be met by connecting with various types of environment, navigation, context input/output, as well as health and fitness sensor devices.The wearable device market is hot and now is the time to step in. With technologies advancing rapidly, many companies have already entered this market and introduced their first generation of wearable products, stimulating much interest from consumers. Qualcomm is a leader in this industry, providing advanced design and development technologies; what's more is that Qualcomm has also collaborated with the ecosystem within the industry over the years, and is therefore capable of helping customers quickly integrate Qualcomm's solutions into their products, and working together to explore the unlimited opportunities of the wearable technologies market.In summary, Kedia said that wearable devices will be the next big thing in the industry's development and talked about the shape and size of segment will continue to evolve. Therefore, it is imperative to use the right components on the path to developing successful products. Qualcomm provides components and advanced technologies with optimized performance, helping customers develop light, thin and sleek wearable products that have ultra-long battery life, and are always connected, always on, always sensing, and always listening.Pankaj Kedia, senior director of new business development at Qualcomm Technologies
Popular social networking sites enable friends to maintain closer communication. Live feeds of an event can be sent to friends through video sharing so that the receivers can feel that they are there themselves. However, sharing only visual and audio content is no longer enough. If you can send tactile sensations to your friends as well, it can enhance the personal connections and experience. How do you transmit live feeds to others and allow them to have a sense of real presence through the tactile sensation? Let us ask the haptic technology experts to share their research results with us.The new specialized haptic technology provides the most realistic contactRoger Wang, Taiwan Country Manager of Immersion Corporation, gave a speech entitled "Creating a More Engaging & Intuitive Mobile Experiences in User-Created Video and Wearables." Wang indicated that since his company was founded two decades ago, it has been conducting research and developing products in the areas of force feedback, motion and tactile effects. The number of patents already obtained and currently being reviewed totals more than 1,650. At present, the main products provide tactile solutions to enable mobile devices that can playback realistic tactile feelings driven by Immersion's software. These technologies have already been adopted in the mobile device, automotive, gaming, medical, and consumer electronics sectors.The mobile device-dedicated proprietary tactile software, TouchSense, has already been built into more than 800 million mobile phones. The embedded software can produce high-quality tactile responses by using very little power to have the motor create vibrations. It transcends the traditional "visual" enjoyment by adding the "tactile" sensations. Wang indicated that touch is a critical part of human experiences. It is part of our everyday life, and we hope that the mobile devices that we use every day can be equipped with such everyday life experiences as well.The tactile enhances user experiencesImmersion's own surveys on users and various academic studies have found that the people who have used tactile-feedback touchscreens and non-tactile-feedback touchscreens felt that the former ones were easier to use, worked better, were more reliable and more responsive. It lets you know you have touched something, as if you have pressed a real button. The multiple UI sensory expressions (auditory + visual + tactile) will improve the users' experiences.Wang indicated that Immersion's haptic (or tactile feedback) technology can recreate realistic human sensations. Using real-world tactile sensations to the users can increase their sense of trust, change how they feel, and transfer emotions on a personal level. In terms of mobile and wearable devices, this technology can provide a better connection and confirmation to enrich communications between people. In terms of opening up opportunities for innovative design, the technology provides UI and program design tools for creating special tactile effects. It allows OEMs, telecom carriers, content and social media services providers to work with Immersion to design advanced user experiences.Content + Tactile effects = The most realistic feelingsIn today's mobile and wearable devices, creating a corresponding tactile experience on a shared piece of content and enabling the content receivers to feel as if they are on the scene are feats that can be achieved using the haptic technology. Wang used a demonstration video to illustrate the tactile applications. First, the company's TouchEffects Studio software can add tactile effects into your video. For example, when a skateboarder does a kick flip in a skateboarding video, the "Pow" haptic layered effects can be added to strengthen the shared content. When another party receives your shared content, the effect can inspire empathy so that everyone can share the same auditory + visual + tactile experiences.Then Wang played a demo video where a grandfather received a text message containing a video of his grandson. Because the grandfather does not have an unlimited 3G network access, he must watch the video by getting online through a public Wi-Fi service. He has to look for a place that has stronger Wi-Fi signals. At this time, he can know how far the Wi-Fi signals are by feeling the levels of vibration on the device, so that he can avoid the danger of having to watch the screen and walk at the same time. People living in smart homes in the future can use their smart watches or bracelets to control their home appliances such as lights, electronic curtains, and speakers with gestures; and receive feedback through tactile sensations to show whether the appliances has actually received the commands. The strength of the vibration can also represent the volume of sound, etc. Wang randomly selected several participants to personally experience the auditory + visual + tactile sensations, and those who tried it were all amazed by the fantastic and excellent immersive user experiences.For OEMs, incorporating haptic technologies into their products not only can enhance their product differentiation on both the hardware and software sides; these technologies can also create valuable sharing experiences, encouraging consumers to continue using the products. It will drive simultaneous growths for video sharing software, applications, and platforms.Touch designs and experiences of wearable devicesThe recent buzz over wearable devices (smart watches, sports watches, smart bracelets) has inspired numerous applications such as those for text messaging, productivity, social networking, health, fitness records, biosensing, and somatosensory games. Because the wearable devices must be chic, small, and constantly connected to the Internet, some of them do not come with display screens and only use simple LED lights to display information. Tactile senses will come in handy in these cases. Through different vibration frequencies, strengths, melodies and time controls, the skin can feel the incoming of messages instantly. The consumers can privately and discreetly receive notifications, do not have to pick up a cell phone to look at the screen in order to know what types of message was received, and can achieve silent communication.When wearable devices are being designed, factors such as energy consumption, noise, appearance, cost, and unique features must be considered. Immersion's advanced haptic technology can also enable low power consumption and quiet tactile effects, achieved by using small and inexpensive acutators that provide a variety of special responses to create unique and easily distinguishable effects. Therefore, not only can the haptic technology be adopted in text messaging, communication, fitness, health records, and other applications today; it can also be adopted in smart home controls and somatosensory games in order to refine these products even further.Finally, during Wang's Q&A session, he stated that Immersion is a software company that has invested many years of efforts in developing haptic technology and has obtained numerous patents. Its products support Android and other operating systems as well as a host of microcontrollers (MCU). When the content is being shared, the file structures combine video files (such as MP4) and haptic data files (small-size haptic control files) in order to maintain content sharing flexibility. Its haptic technology solutions comprise pure software (equipped with comprehensive API development tools that the hardware vendors can directly incorporate and use) as well as software + hardware solutions (better tactile effect can be produced when used in conjunction with its certified amplifier IC) to provide the most comprehensive and authentic user experiences.Roger Wang, Taiwan country manager of Immersion Corporation
Ever since tech firms started introducing wearable devices - such as the Google Glass, Samsung's and Sony's smart bands and smart watches, and Intel's smart clothing - wearable devices and applications have been identified as an important next-generation technological trend. The tech giants' strategies for the wearables market are also becoming clear.Digitimes and the Taipei Computer Association recently co-organized the "Wearable Technology Summit" to help Taiwan better understand this trend and to help its IT and textile firms seize the opportunities of a new market where they can demonstrate their creativity. Experts from HWTrek, Dialog, Immersion, Qualcomm, Imagination Technologies, Jorjin, Macronix, InteraXon and the Taiwan Textile Research Institute talked about core technologies concerning computing, power consumption, monitoring, wireless connectivity and embedded memory that are needed for wearable devices. There was also a talk on the development of conductive fabric in the textile industry.DTF 2014 Wearable Technology Summit
To give fans an excellent view of the month-long football festival, the host country of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Brazil, is making untiring efforts and arrangements by launching large-scale digital technology in the Arena Pantanal Stadium in Cuiaba. As part of the installation, CAYIN supplied a complete digital signage solution, including 222 digital signage players and 2 content management servers. Connecting more than 300 LED and LCD screens, CAYIN is proud to bring fans a whole new visual experience in the 2014 FIFA.There are 222 CAYIN media players installed in the Arena Pantanal Stadium. By taking advantage of the AV-in function, live games can be broadcasted through big LED and LCD screens to different areas, including the grandstand, VIP rooms, food courts, gift stores, and many more. Fans can instantly capture every moment of the games no matter where they are inside the stadium. The information and wayfinding kiosks are located at the entrances and ticket counters, which can further provide fans with complete information services. Moreover, the dynamic multimedia content can greatly serve as perfect vehicles for promotions or sponsors.In addition, through the installation of two content management servers, administrators can remotely manage up to 500 media players throughout the stadium. The intelligent scheduling management can also allow the users to update multiple players simultaneously to achieve high-efficiency information delivery and management.With the growth of digital technology, digital signage has become a new platform for interactive and diverse communication solutions. By adopting CAYIN digital signage solutions, the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil can provide diverse services, including game schedules, live game broadcasts, real-time advertisements, stadium information, and wayfinding.The Benefits of Stadium Digital Signage - Convey diverse and real-time multimedia messages- Energize the overall fan experience- Empower brands through timely advertising - Enhance management and service efficiencyArena Pantanal Stadium in BriefIn this year's host country, Brazil, a total of 64 matches are being played across its 12 cities. One of the venues in Cuiaba, the Arena Pantanal Stadium, was completed in April and served as a venue for many of the matches during the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The stadium is also called "O Verdao" (the big green) stadium since recycled wood was used for its building. Soil and air quality were accurately monitored during the construction, allowing the stadium to achieve sustainability and environmental responsibility. This environment-friendly stadium can accommodate about 44,000 people, and it will also be able to meet different needs during the 2016 Olympics.CAYIN Technology in BriefCAYIN Technology offers a complete portfolio of appliance-based digital signage solutions, including media players, servers, and software, for various commercial applications, such as education, transportation, retail, hospitality, corporate use, and financial and public institutions. CAYIN is dedicated to being a reliable partner to its clients worldwide and has successfully set up various application references globally. In order to best facilitate the deployment of CAYIN products, the company also provides tailored services to satisfy the ever-growing market demand for almost limitless applications.There are 222 CAYIN media players installed in the Arena Pantanal Stadium.
People are now able to easily project their presentation slides, video streams, gaming scenes and other images from their smartphones/tablets onto a big-screen Ultra HD LCD TV and at the same have the mobile devices recharged. An IC design house mastering high frequency serial physical layer circuit design is making this possible with the emerging MHL 3.0 standard using the widely adopted micro USB connection cable in addition to the 60GHz WiHD transmission technology.Leader in audio-visual interface technology and devicesJim Chase, Chief Evangelist at Silicon Image Inc., started his talk by introducing his company, which was founded in 1995 in Sunnyvale, California, and publicly listed on NASDAQ with revenue of US$276.4 million in 2013. Silicon Image owns more than 1,000 patents related to video interface and is an important leader in audio/video interface technologies including HDMI, MHL, and WirelessHD (WiHD).Chase pointed out that many members of the audience may have already been enjoying technology developed by Silicon Image. It is estimated that by 2015, more than 1.3 billion mobile devices, 400 million consumer electronics, and over 500 million personal computers will have Silicon Image's technology and devices built into their systems.According to a report by ABI Research released in fourth-quarter 2013, 10 of the top 15 smartphone manufactures adopted the MHL interface technology, and nine of the top 10 digital TV suppliers used MHL chips. Customers of Silicon Image's MHL chips include well-known manufactures/suppliers of smartphones, tablets, LCD TVs, audio-visual devices, PC, and home electronics.Introducing MHL 3.0 for mobile applications of multi-screen cloud serviceChase explained that MHL (Mobile High-Definition Link) is a mobile interface standard for HD display devices established jointly by Nokia, Samsung, Silicon Image, Sony, and Toshiba. An existing micro USB cable can be used to transmit 1920x1080 at 60Hz (1080p60) high definition video combined with 7.1 surround-sound audio, driven by TMDS signals from a mobile device to an LCD TV if they each embed an MHL chip. In the meantime, the mobile device, such as a smartphone, can be charged with the power from the LCD TV through the MHL connection. Over 500 million mobile devices including smartphones and tablets in the world to date have adopted the MHL interface standard.The MHL Consortium announced MHL 3.0 in August 2013, which offers plug-and-play feature in addition to transmission of UHD (3840x2160) signal output with no delay, support for HDCP 2.2 for content protection against piracy, and enhanced 7.1 surround-sound audio. MHL 3.0 also supports simultaneous data transmission and touch screen control. The power consumption is as low as 10W, and the data rate is also higher. With MHL 3.0, a user can connect a smartphone to an in-vehicle infotainment device for control and to output audio-visual content to the on-board display.Chase indicated Internet streaming media provider Netflix started offering UHD video streams in first-quarter 2014 and Sony will begin video streaming services in second-quarter 2014. YouTube and M-GO plan to kick off support for UHD mobile video streaming in 2014. Furthermore, Samsung's UHD TV S9, launched the day before 2014 CES, adopts MHL 3.0 technology from Silicon Image to deliver superior new audio-visual experience with UHD at 60fps. Sony Xperia Z2 smartphone, Xperia Z2 tablet, and XBR 950B series UHD TV are also to incorporate the MHL 3.0 specification.MHL 3.0 UHD solutions by Silicon ImageChase presented Silicon Image's MHL 3.0 connection solutions targeting the UHD ecosystem, including Sil8620 UHD/MHL 3.0 transmitter, featuring parallel operation of USB data transmission and HID control, along with HDCP 2.2 video output; Sil9394 bridge/dock IC, featuring a UHD/MHL 3.0 to HDMI 2.0 bridge, and parallel operation of USB data transmission and HID control, along with HDCP 2.2 video output; Sil6031 multimedia switch IC, supporting UHD video output and switching between an MHL 3.0 port and two USB ports.Chase commented MHL has become a major standard for mobile device connection interfaces. There have been more than 300 MHL-enabled products including TVs, audio-visual devices, desktop PCs, notebooks, smartphones, and tablets, totaling over 500 million units manufactured by 200 suppliers in 16 industries. It is estimated that in 2014, 26% of Android smartphones by 17 manufactures will incorporate MHL technology, and the most affordable MHL phone among those is priced at US$150. In addition, over 40% of digital TVs by 20 suppliers will support MHL in 2014.MHL specification supports connection to big screen TVs for purposes including enhancing home entertainment experience, boosting production through image projection for commercial use, connecting mobile devices to in-vehicle infotainment systems, and promoting development of devices for cloud applications. For example, the ROKU Streaming Stick delivering on-demand video, Dell's Project Ophelia, and Sony's Bravia all incorporate the MHL interface, transforming a digital TV into full-featured Android smart TV.Moreover, automobile electronics manufacturers including Pioneer, Kenwood, JVC, Clarion, Alpine, Sony, SoundMAX, Mitsubishi, Daein Tech, and Harman Kardon are also prepared to launch in-vehicle infotainment devices supporting MHL interface.60GHz WiHD mobile solutionsLG, Panasonic, NEC, Samsung, Sony, and Toshiba together with SiBeam, the only IC supplier in the group, were the founding members of the WirelessHD(WiHD) Consortium, established in October, 2006, with Intel and Broadcom joining later on. WiHD (IEEE 802.15c) is a specification for in-room transmission of uncompressed 1080p60 HD display (within a 10-meter distance) in the 60 GHz Extremely High Frequency band with data rates reaching 28Gbps. Eleven manufactures have adopted WiHD technology to develop related products/applications. The WiHD specification was finalized in 2008 with products entering the market in 2009.Chase indicated the 60GHz WirelessHD specification is a wireless transmission solution that prevents interference with 2.4/5GHz WiFi frequency band with minimum delay. It is limited to point-to-point in-room or indoor transmission. The WirelessHD specification also uses smart antenna with direction of arrival (DOA) estimation to enhance transmission performance. After acquiring SiBeam in May 2011, Silicon Image has become one of the few companies capable of providing 60GHz wireless transmission technology.Chase mentioned the third generation WiHD transceiver module, developed with Sil6310 WiHD chip, comes in a PCBA with only half the length of its previous generation, thereby offering lower costs, less power consumption, and compact design space. The UltraGig6400 chip, in a compact 10mm x 7mm SIP package, is even reduced in PCBA dimension by a further 50% from the third generation. UltraGig6400 integrates built-in Sil6400, antenna, and other RF transceiver devices. Sil6400, targeting mobile devices including tablets and smartphones, features a maximum power consumption as low as 500mW to deliver powerful wireless transmission of audio-visual signals with low cost and low energy consumption for mobile devices.Alienware's M14 gaming notebooks, Epson's EH projector, Sony's HMZ-T3W head mount display, and wireless A/V transmission boxes including DVDO Air3 and Gefen wireless adapter are among the products that currently adopt WiHD solutions from Silicon Image.Jim Chase, chief evangelist at Silicon Image
Walking into Computex 2014 at Nangang Exhibition Hall 1F, a constant crowd of attendees surround an eye-catching stage, featuring a massive leader board and a half dozen five-foot tall liquid nitrogen tanks. White clouds of nitrogen billow across the stage, timers count down on the overhead TV screens, and the audience buzzes in anticipation and excitement. This is G.SKILL International Enterprise Co., Ltd. hosting two spectacular and awe-inspiring global overclocking events during Computex week - the 1st Annual OC World Cup and the 3rd Annual OC World Record Stage.G.SKILL is a high-end PC memory module expert and manufacturer, focused on the high-end extreme-performance market segment of the PC industry, and has dominated the overclocking scene in recent years. G.SKILL memory is the most used memory brand in overclocking communities and has held a long-standing world record for the highest memory frequency at 4404MHz. During Computex 2014, the OC World Cup event brought together 6 international overclockers, not only to compete for a single US$10,000 grand cash prize, but also to strengthen the international overclocking community. Meanwhile, the OC World Record Stage brought together five major motherboard manufacturers (ASUS, ASRock, EVGA, GIGABYTE, and MSI) to show off the latest technology at the extreme performance-end of the PC industry by breaking various benchmarking world records, which stands at six new world records this year.Today, we sat down with Johnson Huang, CEO of G.SKILL, to learn more about G.SKILL products and market position, as well as valuable insights into the future of the computing industry, and most importantly, what drives them to fearlessly pursue high performance overclocking. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_E2zHLJQIM)G.SKILL Computex 2014 overclocking eventsUnderstanding the DRAM overclocking market segmentOverclocking (aka OC'ing) is the art of tweaking computer components to run at a specification higher than originally rated by the manufacturer. The DRAM module is one of the computer components that can increase computer performance when overclocked, which is highly sought after by computer enthusiasts and PC gamers, where each fraction of gained performance translates into victory and dominance over opponents.A decade ago, overclocking involved tweaking dozens of timing values and voltages in BIOS, making it a tedious, time-consuming process with little overall success. Today, overclocking DRAM has become a much simpler process, whereas overclocking CPUs and graphics cards remain the same, mainly due to the fact that overclocked memory kits have a guaranteed overclockable frequency when it leaves the factory. All users have to do is simply enable XMP (eXtreme Memory Profile) from within the motherboard BIOS and save – everything else is automatic.This is where G.SKILL excels – providing high performance memory kits that have high availability, high reliability, and high ease of use, while expanding the usage of XMP on the global market. Through close cooperation with major motherboard and CPU manufacturers, G.SKILL continues to raise the standard for memory compatibility on a wide variety of motherboards and processors, which result in memory kits that allows consumers to overclock up to 3000MHz (compared to the JEDEC standard of 1600MHz) by simply enabling XMP. At the time of writing, G.SKILL's own TridentX series is the only brand with 3000MHz memory kits that is XMP validated by Intel.It is a very rewarding market segment, as it leaves very little risk to the users, as well as providing a simple upgrade solution to the PC industry.G.SKILL extreme overclocking memoryContributions of extreme overclockingExtreme overclocking utilizes unconventional methods, such as liquid nitrogen for extreme low-temperature cooling below -196°C, to obtain and extract the highest performance out of a piece of hardware. By doing so, G.SKILL engineers are able to come up with groundbreaking methods to integrate higher performance into new PC memory products, making high performance systems possible for PC enthusiasts and gamers. During this process, it is vital to work closely with motherboard and CPU manufacturers to ensure new products provide an optimized performance experience out-of-the-box.In a computer system, performance comes from a combination of the processor, motherboard, and memory. When any one of these components outpaces the other two in performance, it drives the whole industry forward to innovate for improved products. G.SKILL intends to constantly integrate new innovations into new products, and consequently, to spur the PC industry to a whole new level. The result not only impacts PC enthusiasts and gamers, but also other growing sectors, such as the 2D and 3D graphic content creation industry, which require high system performance to render the ever-expanding resolution of pictures and videos with a multitude of effects.Liquid nitrogen used for extreme low-temperature cooling below -196°CBringing high performance to notebooks and small form factor PCsHigh performance systems used to be exclusive to the desktop market segment. But as newer technology allows more efficient use of silicon real estate, high efficiency and performance CPUs and graphics cards made their way into notebooks and small form factor PCs, while the DRAM being used in these systems remain at standard speeds of 1600MHz.Through close cooperation with notebook manufacturers, G.SKILL developed high-performance and high-capacity Ripjaws-series SO-DIMM memory kits for gaming laptops and high performance small form factor PCs at 1866MHz and 2133MHz. Thus far, G.SKILL is the only memory manufacturer to release 2133MHz memory kits at 1.35V and 32GB (8GBx4), available on July 1st. When installed in compatible gaming laptops, the memory kit automatically operates at its high frequency setting, no user adjustments necessary, providing gamers a one-stop solution to optimally tuned laptops.Gaming product linesG.SKILL's target market segment is and has always focused toward high end systems, PC enthusiasts and gamers. Their newest products reflect their continual dedication to bring the best and newest technology for high end performance systems – Phoenix Blade Series PCIe SSD and Carnage Series 7.1 Gaming Headsets. The Phoenix Blade Series PCIe SSD combines extreme speeds of up to 1900MB/s on PCIe 2.0 x8 lanes with a colossal capacity of 480GB and 960GB. When compared to a SATA3 SSD, this increases transfer speed by 300% and capacity by 400%. As PC games and datasets become larger, the Phoenix Blade Series aims to eliminate load time and limited capacity issues. As SSDs become the prevalent storage solution over traditional platter-based drives, G.SKILL is researching advanced methods to apply overclocking innovations to further maximize the performance of SSDs.The Carnage Series 7.1 Gaming Headsets aim to immerse gamers in their gaming environments and allow gamers to have an edge over their competitors with 360° directional and positional audio via 10 discrete drivers or Dolby Headphone technology, as well as clear communications with teammates with patented ENC (Environmental Noise Cancellation) technology in the headset microphone. G.SKILL's non-stop innovation seeks to bring system performance to the front lines of technology, while providing gamers a wide variety of product choices for the highest quality immersive gaming experience.Burning passion of G.SKILLSo why does G.SKILL devote so many resources into a small niche segment like extreme overclocking? This is a burning question in many people's minds.Mr. Johnson Huang gave us an apt analogy: Formula One cars test the highest extreme limits of vehicle technology, and then the innovations are integrated into high performance cars like Ferrari and the McLaren. G.SKILL does the same, by testing the extreme limits of memory through overclocking, then integrating the innovations into high end systems and drive the high performance systems market segment to new heights.G.SKILL, as a global brand, firmly and passionately believes that the only way to establish breakthroughs in performance standards is by fearlessly investing into extreme overclocking as part of R&D at all costs. Only then, will new technology be continually created and assimilated into the high-end PC industry as the main criteria of future computing performance. That, ladies and gentlemen, is G.SKILL's undying dedication and ambition.
