Two HD connectivity standards, MHL (Mobile High-Definition Link) and 60Hz WirelessHD, are revolutionizing the mobile productivity and gaming experience, unleashing the full potential of today's mobile devices.Mobile connectivity solutions enhance productivity and gaming applicationsDavid Kuo, senior director of marketing for mobile products at Silicon Image, cited market analyst data indicating that total shipments of mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablet PCs, will reach 1.8 billion units globally by 2016. Mobile technologies have seen dramatic shifts, such as 4- to 8-core CPUs, 60 GPU cores and 3G and 4G communication standards, as well as mobile multimedia playback on any platform. Meanwhile, the screen resolution is moving from standard definition to QXGA (2048 x 1536), with Ultra HD (4096 x 2160) coming soon.Not only can smartphones be connected to desktop or laptop displays to provide a PC experience, but mobile gaming is also growing in popularity. There are currently 1.5 billion gamers worldwide; 96% of them play mobile games at least once a day at home and 57% of them have chosen to use a mobile device as their primary gaming platform. MediaTek is working with game developer GameLoft to preload games to mobile devices; Samsung is collaborating with Electronic Arts (EA) to release EA games to Samsung's app store; and gaming accessory manufacturers such as Nyko, Moga, and Green Throttle are focusing on developments for mobile accessories.With both MHL and WirelessHD connectivity, consumers can enjoy an immersive mobile HD experienceKuo indicated that given the latest advancements in mobile applications processors, mobile devices are capable of supporting functions similar to PCs, gaming consoles, TVs, and infotainment systems in automobiles. Smartphone architecture and performance are no longer an issue and the only limitation is their small screen size. Even with the oversized 5.5- to 6-inch smartphones (such as Samsung Galaxy Note 2), their screens are still too small for productivity work (such as using Office), multimedia playback, gaming, or even on-board GPS information display. Therefore, connectivity technologies such as the Mobile High-Definition Link (MHL) is needed to allow mobile devices to be connected to larger external screens.The MHL Consortium, founded by Nokia, Samsung, Silicon Image, Sony and Toshiba, has developed the MHL standard for connecting mobile devices to large displays. MHL delivers 1080p, 60Hz uncompressed video with up to eight channels of digital audio while charging the mobile device. Using the existing connections on the mobile device, DTV or monitor makes it simple for consumers to "plug and play" their HD content. Consumers can also use the DTV remote control to control the mobile device.So far, four out of five major smartphone brands have adopted MHL. It is estimated that as of the first quarter of 2013, the accumulated number of devices with MHL support reached more than 220 million for smartphones and tablets, and more than 40 million for TVs, monitors and adapters. There are over 300 device models supporting MHL.The MHL standard challenges traditional usage models by enabling new applications for PC/productivity, gaming and entertainment. Kuo indicated that MHL technology is being incorporated in the newest TV sticks. MHL-enabled TV sticks developed by Roku offer customized video streaming services. Dell has developed the Ophelia terminal PC stick, which converts an MHL-enabled TV into an Android-based smart PC client. PlayJam has also launched the GameStick that turns a TV into a game console through the MHL connection.MHL technology is connector agnostic, using the most popular connectors on a mobile device and display to transmit video/audio as well as EDID/HDCP/remote control and power signals. For this technology to work, the mobile phone must be equipped with an MHL transmitter chip and the TV/monitor with a receiver chip. For legacy TVs, MHL adapters can be used to connect the mobile device and large display.MediaTek's MT6589 quad-core smartphone reference design incorporates Silicon Image's SiI8338 MHL 2.0 transceiver chip. So far, seven OEMs have released MHL smartphone models based on the MediaTek/Silicon Image reference design.In addition to enabling output to large TVs and monitors, the SiI8338 MHL 2.0 chip uses media data tunneling (MDT) technology that supports touch screen, keyboard and mouse functions.WirelessHD offers a seamless and robust connectivity solutionAccording to Kuo, 60GHz Wireless HD delivers the highest-quality full HD video with near-zero latency. WirelessHD enables a high performance wireless connection for cable replacement applications between mobile devices and the large displays that are in the same room. While the 2.4GHz/5GHz dual-band Wi-Fi technology of Miracast allows multi-room transmission, it suffers from signal interference and latency issues. MHL allows optimal HD output with zero-delay, and its only limitation is that it requires a cable connection.Tests using the GLBBenchmark 2.1 Egypt software to compare Miracast's transmission technology and WirelessHD showed that the former frequently experienced signal packet losses that resulted in mosaic images during gaming due to an unstable wireless connection. The WirelessHD result presented high-quality images with ultra-low latency. In another test where a gaming session was transmitted wirelessly from a smartphone to a TV, Miracast experienced a 200ms delay, which resulted in a poor interactive gaming experience, while WirelessHD had no visible delays.Silicon Image's UltraGig 6400, the world's first single-chip 60GHz WirelessHD mobile transmitter chip in a 10mm x 7mm integrated system-in-package, offers wireless video transmission supporting up to 1080p 60Hz resolution, and the maximum power consumption is only 500mW.David Kuo, senior director of marketing for mobile products at Silicon Image

Infinet Group announces the opening of their high speed digital lab in Hsinchu in June 2013 following the operation of its first digital lab in Taipei which was launched in early 2012. Coping with the 10G high speed digital transmission interface test demands which is led by Intel in the market, Infinet Group digital lab offers a fully functional pre-compliance test and measurement environment to help the local Hsinchu region electronic research and development and manufacturing firms develop new generation IC, wireless and communications, and digital voice/video products in global market.Infinet Group high speed digital lab is equipped with abundant test capacity and technical consultation service addressing the standards for USB 3.0, HDMI, PCI Express, DisplayPort, MIPI, Ethernet, SATA, SAS, MHL, DDR, Thunderbolt as well as impedance component analysis. This lab includes Agilent leading-edge high-end digital test instruments, Wilder Technologies high performance test fixtures, and Infinet high-end RF/Microwave cable adapters to help customers catch the advanced digital application measurement and effectively verify the feasibility of each R&D projects.CEO of Infinet Group, Paul Yang, stated, "Following our 2012 investment in the first high speed digital lab in Taipei, Infinet Group now opens up a second digital lab in Hsinchu to further expand our service coverage. In addition to the high speed digital test software and hardware instruments, this lab offers global standard test fixtures by Wilder Technologies and Infinet high phase stability RF/Microwave cable adapter set. We are confident in helping customers achieve high speed transmission interface product pre-compliance tests. As we continue to offer easy access, real-time, advanced, and right testing solutions and technical services to our customers, Infinet Group will continue to invest in digital solution offerings, including: expanding our application engineering team, enhancing the test instruments in our labs, and strengthening our product portfolios."About Infinet GroupInfinet Group is a professional sales channel delivering leading test and measurement solutions in Greater China (Taiwan and China). Established in early 2000, Infinet Group has built a well-established organization in the region with strong sales, engineering, operation management, customer services, logistics, and marketing functions. Infinet Group includes Infinet-Taiwan, Shanghai Infinet Technology, and ATeam Scientific. Infinet Group is a subsidiary of Spirox Corporation (Taiwan Stock Exchange: #3055). More info of Infinet Group-ATeam Scientific digital lab is available at: www.ateams.com.tw

WiFi technology has become the mainstream for mobile data processing. Industry players have added 60GHz ultra-high frequency wireless transmission under the existing 2.4/5GHz frequency band to meet the wireless connectivity requirements from I/O, to video, to networking.WiFi driving the mobile revolutionTal Tamir, CEO of Wilocity, indicated that WiFi has become the mainstay of mobile data traffic processing. However, the WiFi technology has to be improved because the transmission capacity or architecture it needs to handle is even more demanding than that handled by wired connectivity. From mobile devices, PCs, digital home devices (such as TVs) to networking infrastructure (such as base stations) - going wireless is the trend.Most mobile devices do not come with docking stations. But statistics gathered by Wilocity indicates that over 30% of the computing platforms require new docking solutions. Access points (APs) have become personal wireless hotspots. In the past, people usually stored their data in their PCs' built-in or external hard drives. Today, data can be stored in the Cloud and accessed through a variety of platforms, which are now more mobile-centric than PC-centric. Data transmission now serves a much wider array of e-content, such as videos, pictures and music than just texts.WiFi faces challenges from massive surge in mobile data trafficThe networking infrastructure was primarily based on wired connectivity in the past. But large-scale outdoor base stations needed in the past have been replaced by small-cell wireless backhauls. Such changes in applications and deployments are expected to bring the accumulated number of WiFi devices to more than 2.1 billion by 2014, and more than 30 billion by 2020. Video content accounts for 66% of mobile data, and 60% of this traffic is offloaded to the backend WiFi devices during transmission. It is estimated that by 2017, wireless devices will account for 55% of the transmission traffic, exceeding the volume handled by wired devices. This has raised concerns about whether the existing WiFi specifications can handle the surge in mobile traffic.Tal Tamir pointed out that at present, 802.11g is capable of transmission speeds up to 54 Mbps, 802.11n up to 600 Mbps, 802.11ac up to 1.7Gbps, and the new 802.11ad up to 7 Gbps. According to analysis by the IEEE HEW group, the network traffic jam in 2015 will be worse than that in today's environment, which is primarily based on the 2.4 GHz frequency band. For example, for a 3,600-square foot office with 48 work areas connected by the traditional Gbps Ethernet, the total bandwidth amounts to 48 Gbps. If the 60GHz 802.11ad is adopted for wireless deployment, the total transmission capacity can reach up to 138 Gbps/3,600 sqft when 50% of the users are using the network.Addressing concerns over 60GHz being short-distance transmission, Tal Tamir explained that smaller antenna can be designed for the 60GHz technology coupled with straight ray tracing and reflective transmission technology. If a 60GHz wireless AP is installed at the center of a ceiling with vertical signal reflectors at the four corners of a room, the entire room will be covered by the 60GHz 802.11ad wireless checkerboard-like signal grid. There will be little loss of signal (LOS) for a 4,000-square foot space, except for some areas where the transfer speed may be downgraded to 802.11ac/801.11n. The 1,000 square feet around the center will mostly have the full-speed 802.11ad coverage.WiGig incorporated into WiFiThe IEEE 802.11ad wireless transmission standard was finalized in December 2012. The 60GHz WiGig wireless video transmission technology promoted by the WiGig Alliance in 2009 was incorporated into the WiFi standard, and it is compatible with the existing 802.11b/g/n/ac. WiGig is characterized by bidirectional beam-formed transmission with speeds reaching up to 7Gbps. It can transmit uncompressed Full HD video at a distance of over 10 meters. At present, Wilocity is the only 802.11ad/WiGig chip provider, and a WiGig/WFA plug-fest test will be conducted in 2014 under the latest WiFi Association plan.Tal Tamir played a video showcasing a 100Gbps dense network set up by Wilocity. Over seventy-two 802.11ad/WiGig transceivers were set up in a room. Each computer/notebook is positioned only less than a meter away from a transceiver. Each network device can transmit wirelessly and play 1080p videos, and the actual file copy speed can exceed 50MB/s. According to the project leader, the total transmission bandwidth is over 100Gbps and the transmission bandwidth shared by each square meter (or 10 square feet) can reach up to 3Gbps.Wilocity's tri-band WifiWilocity is a fables IC design company founded in 2007 with the goal of achieving wireless connectivity for monitors, storage devices and peripherals within the next 5 to 10 years. It pioneered the WiGig wireless network chip that has now been incorporated by the IEEE as the 802.11ad standard. Wilocity is currently cooperating with Qualcomm and Marvell to provide 802.11n (2.4GHz), 802.11ac (5GHz) and 802.11ad (60GHz) tri-band wireless solutions, and is expected to unveil mobile 802.11ad solutions in early 2014.Tal Tamir, CEO of Wilocity

After acquiring MIPS in December of 2012, Imagination Technologies simultaneously possesses the four key mobile-platform silicon intellectual property technologies (CPU, GPU, VPU, and RPU) and brings opportunities for the heterogeneous platform integration technology of tomorrow.The four silicon intellectual property technologies that controls SoC networkingAmit Rohatgi, vice president of mobile solutions for Imagination Technologies, stated that all networking SoC devices require key components such as the application processor (CPU), the graphic processor (GPU), the radio comms processor (RPU), and the video processor (VPU). Semiconductor evolutions in the past primarily focused on performances and ignored the serious power-down transistor gate power leakage condition. Imagination possesses the silicon intellectual property for these four key chips, and collaborates closely with upstream EDA, IP providers, SoC designers, and foundries to design optimized power consumption chips through hardware and software innovation. This allows the industry to develop low power consumption and always-connected networking to mobile devices that offers a rich variety of media content.Efficiency upgrade with multi-threaded CPU coresAmit Rohatgi indicated that the CPUs used in current mobile devices under the Linux operating system are prone to cache errors, difference forecast errors, data dependencies, as well as memory performance and other CPU idle time problems that can cause 50-200 machine cycle pipeline stagnations and reduce the overall implementation efficiency to less than 50%. Multithreading (MT) allows a single-core CPU to implement synchronized multi-threaded operations, which can optimize CPU execution units, significantly reduce the total number of execution cycles and stagnation cycles, and improve the application computing output rate to achieve the same objective at lower clocks and reduce system costs.Amit Rohatgi raised an example. If a MIPS multi-threaded CPU is used as the modem chip for a mobile device, the multi-threaded core plus the assistance of a multi-thread optimization RTOS and LTE baseband software stack layer can improve the video/date output rate by 37-57% compared to that of a traditional non-threaded CPU core. When comparable high-end proAptiv and ARM Cortex A15 chips compared (both of which are produced under a TSMC 28nm High-K metal gate process [28nm HKMG]), the former clocks at 1GHz to 2 GHz and the latter clocks at 1.8 GHz. However, the unit execution performance (CoreMark/MHz) of proAptive can reach 4.5 CoreMark/MHz, and the Cortex A15 can only reach 3.5 CoreMark/MHz. Meanwhile, the surface area of the proActive single-core silicon is 1.85 mm2, which is less than 60% compared to that of the 3.25 mm2 Cortex A15.The proAptive has dynamic voltage/dynamic voltage and frequency scaling (DVFS) technologies and can save 50% in power consumption by switching from 1.3V to 0.9V during standby mode, save 33% in power consumption by switching between idle and operational modes, and save 10-20% in power consumption even under the full speed operation. It also features PowerArtist power analysis tool to help system designers reduce overall power consumption.Achieving optimal GPU and VPU unit power efficiency through architectureAmit Rohatgi mentioned that the PowerVR SGX of Imagination uses a tile-based rendering architecture model design to remove 3D objects from the shielding surface data of the screen for recompression transmission to reducing memory bandwidth and optimizing power consumption without sacrificing the graphic performance of the GPU, which is why this chip is adopted by Apple's iPad 4. He cited PowerVR SGX, ARM Mali, and Nvidia Tegra3 power consumption tests conducted by a third party. The results of the test showed that ARM Mali experienced huge shocks when it went from 0.5W to 4W. The Nvidia Tegra3 has an average of 1.7-1.8W and the PowerVR SGX has an average of 0.5-1W, and both consumption ranges are relatively flat.In terms of VPU, standard coded circuits are adopted with the addition of deblocking, discrete cosine transform (DCT), and dynamic forecast/compensation circuits to automatically turn off each circuit block when it is not in use. The embedded DRAM memory of the SoC technology also provides dynamic clock gate control that can save 60% in power consumption. He cited the fact that when Microsoft's Surface tablet is compared to Acer's W510 tablet that adopts the Imagination VPU, during 1080 HD video playback, Acer W510's total/CPU/GPU/Memory power consumption rates of 3.5W, 0.17W, 0.37W, and 0.45W all performed better than Microsoft Surface's power consumption rates of4.21W, 0.35W, 0.51W, and 0.58W, respectively.Regarding the RPU, Amit Rohatgi indicated that radio signal transmissions must consider the location and time where the user chooses to switch between different channels as well as the signal shielding and attenuation caused by the complex and multiple paths. However, intelligent wave acquisition and tracking circuits are like multi-phase antennas that can enhance the 10dB noise ratio and reduce power consumption.Imagination's solution and heterogeneous SoC integration technologyAmit Rohatgi mentioned that Imagination offers technologies for the four major components (CPU, GPU, VPU, and RPU). The MIPS proAptiveas is designed with low-power consumption and multi-threading. The PowerVR SGX graphics chip can improve the unit power consumption performance by 50% under graphic rendering operations. The PowerVR Series4 VPU that provides high-efficiency video coding (HVEC), H.265 HD instant compression coding/decoding, and supports 4K x 2K resolution while consuming less than 10mW of power under the operational state. The Ensigma Series4 RPU provides 802.11ac 2x2 MIMO connectivity, supports all Wi-Fi protocols as well as Bluetooth, TV, and radio, and can maintain low power levels.Imagination is currently developing an image signal processor. Today's mobile devices are equipped with multiple cameras and must execute complex software instructions. The image signal processor can reduce/unload the digital signal processing burden of the CPU and further reduce power consumption.Finally, Amit Rohatgi indicated that Imagination is currently undergoing research and development for a CPU, GPU, VPU, and RPU heterogeneous compute system. The MCM and SiP/PoP system-level packaging would initially be offered at 28nm, and the four-in-one CPU, GPU, VPU, and RPU super single-chip is expected to be implemented under the 20nm process to further exert the power of heterogeneous computing capabilities, such as providing the dynamic voltage/clock switching between CPT/GPU required to enable the maximum of 1 TFLOPS of floating point performance.Amit Rohatgi, VP of mobile solutions for Imagination Technologies

News regarding the demise of the PC has been greatly exaggerated. According to statistics, the majority of networked and non-networked consumer applications still run on a PC. It is important to note though, that the trend in devices features and appearance is being recasted, so quality wireless networking capability is the key to the shrinking and mobilization of the PC.Michael Hurlston, executive vice president of worldwide sales for Broadcom, appeared while wearing Google Glasses to demonstrate the interactive applications of the next-generation device to the audience. He spoke about a 20-year PC obituary report published by CNN, while noting that from 1991-2005, PC shipments went from 23.81 million to more than 200 million units. He added that while Apple released the iPhone in 2007, PC shipments approached 300 million units in 2008.In 2011, the death of the PC argument resurfaced. However, PC sales oddly hit a new record height of 350 million, and only slightly declined in 2012, leading to CNN and The Guardian both pointing out that the demise of PC was greatly exaggerated. However, the media continues to post the question. An April 2013 edition of USA Today indicated that PC will not die; it will only become ultra-mobile. Forbes magazine mentioned that the news regarding to the death of PC is garbage, while The Business Insider even posted the big question of "Is PC dead yet?"Hurlston indicated that in fact, according to statistics, two-thirds of US consumers use two or more devices to surf the Internet, with the total typically being comprised of more than one PC. In addition, 53% of information workers worldwide use three or more devices at work, while 67% of online shoppers have ordered products through a PC. This indicates that the PC still plays a critical role in terms of a connection experience. Meanwhile, 87% of consumers spend at least 10 hours with digital content every day of the week. He pointed out that today's PCs are becoming lighter and slimmer as well as more efficient, and pursue longer battery life and to always stay connected. Tomorrow's PCs will incorporate human-computer interfaces and advance further with device integration to make PCs lighter, thinner, and more mobile. For example, Asus has launched Taichi, a transforming mobile Ultrabook, and other manufacturers have lunched transformable or detachable flat panel Ultrabook products as well.High-quality wireless networking capability drives the fourth wave of PC revolutionHurlston indicated that the first wave of PC revolution was the rise of PCs in the 1980s, the second wave of PC revolution was the development of the Internet in the 1990s, the third wave in the PC revolution was driven by wireless networking in the 2000, and the fourth wave of PC revolution was driven by the always connected capability in the 2010s that requires very high-quality connectivity.Hurlston enumerated a number of examples for PC connection development. 5G Wi-Fi can be used to provide fast and uninterrupted connections and to connect more devices. MiraCast can be used to watch videos through wireless streaming. Touch technology can be used for better interaction. Bluetooth technology can be used to enable the Internet of Things (IoT). Finally, the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) can be used to detect geographical positions and determine user locations. In terms of PC wireless connection requirements, such as anytime Cloud access, stronger wireless network connection service capacity, and longer-lasting battery life to respond to the higher transmission rates to stream high-definition videos wirelessly; 5G Wi-Fi is the only technical solution because wireless video not only requires 5G Wi-Fi uninterrupted video data connection service capabilities, it also require direct interconnection, video agreements, and cross-platform capabilities as well as application support between the devices.5G Wi-Fi with DisplayLink/Miracast, a crossover borderless display demoHurlston invited Vijay, a Broadcom Technical Manager to provide an actual machine demonstration, who then unveiled two LCD monitors and a notebook that were connected with a USB 3.0 cable with DisplayLine software technology to enable three-screen horizon merge display. This heterogeneous device was connected in parallel to a big screen. Two windows were opened on the notebook; a live video feed of the exhibition center was shown, while the other window played a HD video across the two LCD monitors. The videos were all streamed wirelessly through a high-speed 5G Wi-Fi. When the notebook was moved, the position change caused the live recording video changes to instantly be reflected on the three cross-connected large displays.Hurlston also spoke about the Miracast wireless video transmission technology developed by the Wi-Fi Alliance. Through the Wi-Fi Direct technology, data can be transmitted through Wi-Fi devices directly – without requiring a wireless sharing device. This not only simplifies settings, it can enhance transmission performance as well. Miracast with 5GWi-Fi and the near field communication (NFC) protocol can work together to provide better user experiences.The PC is also the hub of IoT. New generation PCs can also handle numerous geographic/ location data such as navigation systems, warning systems, regional sales event information, and indoor map information. Michael Hurlston showcased an Ultrabook that integrated GNSS navigation technology with a built-in gyrometer, magnetometer/compass, and accelerometer; and uses 5G Wi-Fi technology. By providing constant 5G Wi-Fi base station coordinates and detecting the precise position of the Ultrabook, it can accurately calculate the location of the notebook within the room.Broadcom believes that the numerous next-generation convertible/detachable devices such as Asus' Taichi dual screen transformer Ultrabook, the Transformer Prime detachable transformer flat panel/laptop, Lenovo's IdealPad, and Hewlett-Packard (HP) next-generation devices will become the new diverse development styles of the future in the PC market. 5G Wi-Fi networking technology can deliver the optimal application performance and experience to users.Michael Hurlston, executive VP of worldwide sales for Broadcom

FORTREND Tech has conducted one successful OGS tech-transfer case involving a turnkey solution in Shandong, China. Shandong has been working very hard putting their resources in the 3C industries in recent years.Not long ago, Shandong province was still mostly known for its natural and historical resources, such as Taishan, a mountain famous for its natural beauty and historical significance. There is the city of Qufu where the great Confucius was born more than 2,000 years ago. Sandong has long been a vegetables provider for the Chinese capital of Beijing. Along its major highway are a lot of other places of historical significance, such as Linzi, the capital of Chi 2,800 years ago, and Jimo, another important place in Chi. They are some of the places constantly mentioned in history textbooks for elementary school students.But Shandong has changed. Sitting in between Korea, Japan and Shanghai, and boasting a large harbor in Qingdao, Shandong is seeing every one of its cities constructing high tech industrial parks. The province is eager to have a place in the IT industry.Jinan, the capital city of Shandong, is showing a strong commitment to pursuing its goal of becoming an OGS touch panel supplier. It took its first step by searching for potential business partners in Taiwan, and finally chose FORTREND to be its tech partner and production facilities provider.FORTREND custom-designed a complete OGS production line for Jinan. All the equipment was specially sourced from mainstream high-end manufacturers. The equipment was shipped in 60 40ft containers and arrived in Jinan safely in early June 2013. FORTREND sent a team of 80 engineers with another big team from equipment manufacturers to set up the production line in a newly built factory.The mission was completed in early July.On July 11, a grand opening ceremony was held, with Chairman Mr John Wu of FORTREND welcoming all guests of honor at the factory site. Ranking officials of Shandong Province, representatives from the local electronics industries and guests from Japan and Korea attended the ceremony to witness the birth of a new member of the OGS touch panel supply chain.This is also a faithful production partner of FORTREND, and the first automated OGS touch panel manufacturing plant in China, which is very meaningful to the local industry. It also attests to FORTREND's capability of providing its partners with turnkey solutions that cover facility design and equipment purchase. The Jinan plant is a successful case of tech transfer that promises a bright future for the city in the touch panel industry.FORTREND's turnkey OGS touch panel production line helps transform Shandong

Innodisk, a designer and manufacturer of SSDs for commercial and industrial applications, announces the availability of SATA III products for aerospace and defense applications. Innodisk builds upon the Taiwan Top Excellence award winning SATA II based InnoRobust II SSD and brings SATA III speeds to a wide variety of rugged storage products in various form factors, including: 2.5-inch SSD, 1.8-inch SSD, SATA Slim and mSATA.These latest-generation products are speedy, rugged, with military grade data security, smart data protection technology and are backed by Innodisk's world-class engineering support team.Twice the speed of SATA IIInnodisk brings the speed of SATA III to aerospace and defense fields. With sequential read and write speeds of up to 510/340 MB/s, double that of SATA II devices, SATA III storage devices are ideal for rugged, high-speed and low-latency data streaming military applications such as radar, sonar, signal intelligence and image processing.Made for extreme environments - MIL-STD-810F/G certifiedMeeting the military's strict specifications for operating in extreme environments, the complete line of Innodisk's flash and DRAM products are fully MIL-STD-810F/G compliant. A wide variety of rigorous tests must be passed for certification, including: low pressure altitude tests, exposure to high and low temperatures, thermal shock, humidity, shock and vibration.Military grade data securityInnodisk's data security system provides quick erase and secure destroy technologies that meet the standards of the U.S. Navy, Air Force, and Army, the Department of Defense, the National Security Agency and the National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual Supplement (NISPOMSUP).iCell smart data protection technologyiCell is vital for mission-critical applications, where working under extreme conditions and without backup power is unavoidable. This technology provides a mechanism to instantaneously discharge data stored in temporary volatile DRAM buffers to flash storage, to ensure the safety of data during power failures.Dedicated engineering support teamInnodisk's dedicated engineering support team is available to ensure that all of its products are backed by a comprehensive service system. Its software, hardware, firmware, R&D, and field-application engineers all work closely together to provide world-class support for each and every aerospace and defense application. Furthermore, rugged products are specially tailored to fit the needs of each application. A variety of speeds, capacities, sizes, and data security options are available for customization.To showcase its aerospace and defense flash storage devices and DRAM, Innodisk will be exhibiting at the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International's (AUVSI) Unmanned Systems conference in Washington, D.C., from August 12th to August 15th at booth #4156.Innodisk: SATA III now available for aerospace and defense applications

Google has launched its second-generation Nexus 7 and the Chromecast, a device that can be plugged into TVs, PCs, smartphones or tablets for watching online content.The Chromecast is priced at US$35 and works with Netflix, YouTube, Google Play Movies & TV, and Google Play Music, with more apps like Pandora coming soon.Once Chromecast is set up, users can use their phones, tablets or notebooks to browse and cast content to their TVs, play and pause, control the volume, and more. But unlike other streaming solutions, users can still multitask – send emails or surf the web – while watching. It works across platforms – Android tablets and smartphones, iPhones, iPads, Chrome for Mac and Windows (more to come), so users' personal devices are also their remote control.In addition to apps like Netflix, users can use Chromecast to bring a broad range of content available on the web to their big screen, thanks to a new feature in the Chrome browser that allows them to project any browser tab to their TV. From sharing family photos to enjoying a video clip from their favorite news site.Together with Asustek Computer, Google has upgraded the original Nexus 7 with a high-resolution panel and made the device lighter. The tablet is also capable of having more than nine hours of HD video playback and 10 hours of web browsing or reading. The Nexus 7 now features stereo speakers and virtual surround sound from Fraunhofer, giving users rich and immersive audio.The new Nexus 7 is the first device to ship with Android 4.3, the latest version of Android. In Android 4.3, Google introduced restricted profiles, which let users limit access to apps and content. For example, restricted profiles enable parental controls, so certain family members are prevented from accessing mature content. Likewise, retail stores can use tablets to show off product information, and shops can use tablets as point of sale systems. Android 4.3 also now supports Bluetooth Smart technology, opening the door to mobile apps that connect to new devices like fitness sensors. Android 4.3 is rolling out to Nexus devices starting today.The Chromecast is now available for US$35 on Google Play plus Amazon and BestBuy's online shops. It will be available in Best Buy stores across the US starting July 28. For a limited time, users also get three months of Netflix included.The new Nexus 7 starts at US$229, and is available in the US beginning July 30.Google Chromecast TV stickPhoto: CompanyGoogle second-generation Nexus 7 tabletPhoto: Company

Nvidia has unveiled its new flagship technology, the Nvidia Quadro K6000 GPU along with the launch of a new line of professional graphics GPUs for mobile workstations, delivering performance on mobile platforms.The Quadro K6000 GPU delivers five-times higher compute performance and nearly double the graphics capability of its predecessor, the Nvidia Quadro 6000 GPU, and features the largest and fastest graphics memory available currently, claimed the GPU company.The Quadro K6000 GPU is based on the Nvidia Kepler architecture with key performance features and capabilities include 12GB GDDR5 graphics memory, 2,880 streaming multiprocessor (SMX) cores, support for four simultaneous displays and DisplayPort 1.2 and ultra-low latency video I/O and support for large-scale visualizations.Nvidia also revealed a new flagship professional graphics GPU for workstation notebooks, the Quadro K5100M GPU. The Quadro K5100M anchors a new line of workstation notebook graphics that includes the Quadro K4100M, K3100M, K2100M, K1100M, K610M, and K510M GPUs.The Nvidia Quadro K6000 will be available beginning this fall from Dell, Hewlett-Packard (HP), Lenovo and other major workstation providers; from systems integrators, including BOXX Technologies and Supermicro; and from authorized distribution partners, including PNY Technologies in North America and Europe, ELSA and Ryoyo in Japan, and Leadtek in Asia Pacific.The new Quadro mobile workstation graphics product line will also be available beginning this fall from major mobile workstation OEMs.Nvidia Quadro K6000 graphics cardPhoto: Company

As the massive growth of information technology services places increasing demand on the datacenter, Intel has outlined its strategy to re-architect the underlying infrastructure.The company also announced additional details about its next-generation Intel Atom processor C2000 product family (codenamed Avoton and Rangeley), as well as outlined its roadmap of next-generation 14nm products for 2014 and beyond.To help companies prepare for the next generation of datacenters, Intel revealed its plans to virtualize the network, enable smart storage solutions and invest in innovative rack optimized architectures.Diane Bryant, senior vice president and general manager of the Datacenter and Connected Systems Group at Intel highlighted Intel's Rack Scale Architecture (RSA), a design that promises to increase the utilization and flexibility of the datacenter to deliver new services.Rackspace Hosting, an open cloud company, has announced the deployment of new server racks that is a step toward reaching Intel's RSA vision, powered by Intel Xeon processors and Intel Ethernet controllers with storage accelerated by Intel Solid State Drives. The Rackspace design is the first commercial rack scale implementation.As part of its strategy, Intel revealed new details for the forthcoming Intel Atom processors C2000 product family aimed for low-energy, high-density microservers and storage (Avoton), and network devices (Rangeley). This second-generation of Intel's 64-bit SoCs is expected to become available later this year and will be based on the company's 22nm process technology and the Silvermont microarchitecture. It will feature up to eight cores with integrated Ethernet and support for up to 64GB of memory.The new products are expected to deliver up to four times the energy efficiency and up to seven times more performance than the first-generation Intel Atom processor-based server SoCs introduced in December, 2012. Intel has been sampling the new Intel Atom processor server product family to customers since April and has already more than doubled the number of system designs compared to the previous generation.Intel also outlined its roadmap of next-generation products based on its forthcoming 14nm process technology scheduled for 2014 and beyond. These products are aimed at microservers, storage and network devices and will offer an even broader set of low-power, high-density solutions for their Web-scale applications and services.The future products include the next-generation of Intel Xeon processors E3 family (Broadwell) built for processor and graphic-centric workloads such as online gaming and media transcoding. It also includes the next-generation of Intel Atom processor SoCs (Denverton) that will enable even higher density deployments for datacenter operators. Intel also disclosed an addition to its future roadmap - a new SoC designed from the ground up for the datacenter based on Intel's next-generation Broadwell microarchitecture that follows today's Haswell microarchitecture.An Intel executive shows off second-generation 64-bit SoC for microservers.Photo: Company