Global electronic components distributor Digi-Key Corporation, recognized by design engineers as having the industry's largest selection of electronic components available for immediate shipment, announced the signing of a global distribution agreement with LED manufacturer Luminus Devices, a leader in the field of solid-state lighting technology.Luminus' revolutionary Big Chip LED technology offers unrivaled brightness with world-class efficiency. The world's most recognized brands have adopted Luminus' LEDs to enable new markets for solid-state lighting. "Demand for Luminus Big Chip LEDs is accelerating rapidly," stated Keith T.S. Ward, President and CEO of Luminus. "We are excited to be joining forces with Digi-Key, whose outstanding global reach and reputation in distribution of electronic components will help us better serve our customers by driving our technology into the marketplace.""Solid-state lighting is one of the fastest-growing segments in today's fast-paced market," said Mark Zack, vice president, global semiconductor product, Digi-Key Corporation. "Luminus' products, with their value-added and module-like offerings, support our full solution approach. High-efficiency, reliable LED lighting products have seen exponential expansion in recent years and Luminus Devices is among the leading suppliers of these innovative technologies. We are excited to add the Big Chip line to our expansive product offering.""Luminus enables engineers and designers to think differently about lighting through its Big Chip LED architecture. High flux-density LEDs allow solid state devices to replace traditional lighting technologies in applications previously not thought possible," said David Rubin, Director of Sales for North America from Luminus Devices. "Digi-Key has created an infrastructure that enables the lighting community to find the products that meet their needs in developing exciting new lighting solutions, and then deliver those products to the market immediately."These quality products from Luminus Devices are currently available for purchase on Digi-Key's global websitesMark Zack, vice president, global semiconductor product, Digi-Key Corporation

Global electronic components distributor Digi-Key Corporation, recognized by design engineers as having the industry's largest selection of electronic components available for immediate shipment, today announced the signing of a global distribution agreement with the RF Solutions Division of API Technologies Corp. API is a provider of electronic systems, subsystems, RF, and secure systems for defense, aerospace, and commercial applications."API is an industry leader in both the military and consumer markets. Their high-quality RF, microwave, microelectronics, and security solutions are a welcome addition to our current product offering and we look forward to the future of this partnership," said Dave Doherty, vice president, global supplier/product operations at Digi-Key."We believe that having our products available through Digi-Key will make it easier for design engineers to access our broad offering of solutions for critical and high reliability applications," said Mark Lyons, global distribution sales manager at API. "With Digi-Key's diversified and growing global customer base, we look forward to great success in our partnership."The global distribution agreement includes products from API's Spectrum Control and Spectrum Sensors line of products, as well as antenna products from the API's Spectrum Microwave line. These products are now available for purchase now on Digi-Key's global websites (http://www.digikey.com/).Dave Doherty, vice president, global supplier/product operations at Digi-Key

Automatic Fare Collection (AFC) is an automated system for rail transportation that performs ticket vending, ticket checking, fare calculation, fare collection, statistics, clearing, and management tasks; it uses computers, communication networks, and automatic control technology. The structure of an AFC system consists of five levels: fare media, devices to read/write media, depot/station computers, back office systems, and central clearing house. Embedded computers are used in all the systems except for the tickets, and station terminal equipment has relatively special requirements: compact systems, with abundant COM and USB ports, multiple displays, etc. For those reasons, unique specifications have been developed for Booking Office Machines(BOM), Ticket Vending Machines(TVM), Ticket Checking Machines(TCM), and Gate Control Systems(GCS). Requirements A high degree of integration—on-board CPU, RAM, and application interfacesFanless designCompactMultiple display supportStorage method: Industrial-grade SSD, CFReal-time operating system: DOS, WindowsR XP, XPE, CE, Vxworks, Linux, QNXHighly securityVibration- and impact-resistantSystem Diagram Conclusion We see that computer development for AFC continues to tend toward low power consumption, fanless design, self-diagnosis and remote management, data backup, high reliability and security, and flexible modular design. Advantech products have been applied in AFC systems in China for a long time. The earliest Advantech products in these applications consisted of single board computers plus PC104 I/O cards directly embedded in AFC machines. But as systems evolved, I/O requirements increased along with demands for greater reliability for use in harsh environments. Advantech developed system solutions specifically for AFC applications. Consequently, Advantech's highly-integrated, low-power, fanless, high-reliability products meet the industry's I/O specifications, and provide System Integrators with their best options. Advantech products are currently embedded in AFC systems in the subway stations of such major cities as Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen. Automatic Fare Collection (AFC) is an automated system for rail transportation that performs ticket vending, ticket checking, fare calculation, fare collection, statistics, clearing, and management tasks. ITA-1710: IntelR Atom D525 DC Wide Range Compact System with Dual GigaLAN, 10 COM ports and Dual Display Find more related products/solutions/videos

EgisTec, developer of UniQXcess, released today a new productivity app called CloudHub. CloudHub is a cloud-based file management solution for handling multiple cloud storage accounts with limited free storage space. By combining the free space available in these accounts, it enables users to enjoy unlimited free space and conveniently manage them with only one single login using CloudHub. With the advanced CloudBoost technology, users can also enjoy faster downloading and uploading of their files. Furthermore, there is no risk of data leakage as the files are transmitted within the cloud environment."These days, savvy and cost conscious internet users have multiple cloud storage accounts so that they can take advantage of the unique offerings of each product and the free space availability. However, managing all of them can be a hassle with multiple login requirements and users can get muddled with so many different cloud storage interface." said EgisTec's chief developer. "So, our team envisioned a product to allow users to have a bird's eye view of all their cloud storage in one single account. This tool not only improves productivity and convenience, it also helps users to save money by unifying all the available free storage space into one huge account."CloudHub currently supports popular storage providers such as DropBox, SugarSync and Box, with more coming in the future. Files can easily be downloaded and uploaded from the PC client and viewed offline in multiple handheld devices. Furthermore users can sync their files from Cloud to Android devices and open in-App applications directly. All files are backed-up locally so even if the cloud storage is no longer inexistent, users will still be able to view them in their CloudHub account. Key features of CloudHub include:• Multiple cloud storage providers can be unified into one single account, using one single username and password• Bird's eye view of multiple cloud storage in one window• Faster file downloads & uploads • Sync files from Cloud to Android devices.• Upload local files from PC client• File Upload: Upload files, photos, videos etc. to the CloudHub directly from Android devices• Local Files: Downloaded files are available on the device for offline viewing.• Files can be directly opened from the Cloud into other Apps i.e. Office editors, picture editors etc.• Multi-Device Support: CloudHub can be installed on Windows PC, Android Phone and Tablet.Compatibility, Pricing and AvailabilityWindows version is a 30-day trial, and the Pro is $29.95Android: Lite version and Pro version ($0.99)For more information, please visit http://www.egistec.com/en/cloud/cloudhub.aspxAbout EgisTecEgis Technology Inc. (EgisTec), a leading provider for software security applications. The brand is backed by a team of expert developers who have been in the software development industry for many years. EgisTec headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan, with an office in Hangzhou, China.For more information please visit http://www.egistec.com/

Advantech-Innocore is proud to announce the launch of the latest addition to its well established DPX-S-series of products. Utilizing the remarkable new AMD Embedded R-Series Platform, the DPX-S430 is a complete industrial computer platform for gaming applications. In common with all DPXR products, the DPX-S430 includes a full feature set of I/O, COMs and security designed specifically for gaming devices.It is in the area of graphics performance that the new DPX-S430 excels. With both the AMD R-Series integrated Radeon GPU and the flexibility to add PCI-Express x16 graphics cards, the DPX-S430 offers an unparalleled combination of performance and scalability.The AMD Radeon HD7000G graphics of the DPX-S430 will allow game designers to produce a stunning visual experience for their players. The graphics supports DirectXR 11, Shader Model 5, OpenGLR 4.2 and OpenCL 1.1 standards as well as HD Decode for video (H.264, VC-1, MPEG-2, DivX). In addition to the conventional VGA and DVI video interfaces, the DPX-S430 also offers a DisplayPort 1.2 interface with 5.4Gb/s link speed (resolutions up to 4096x2400@60Hz) and daisy chaining, ready for the future as Displayport devices become available.The platform also offers considerable flexibility with the adding of a graphics adapter card via a full PCIe x 16 v2.1 graphics card slot for high performance applications, multiple displays (up to 10 independent displays) or for future in-field upgrades. AMD Dual Display acceleration is also supported to allow the chipset graphics engine to work in co-ordination with discrete AMD Radeon GPUs such as E6760/E6460, and 7000 and 8000 series GPUs in the future. Flexible display configurations can be controlled using AMD Eyefinity technology including video wall spanning for single large surface (SLS) configurations.Craig Stapleton, Advantech-Innocore's Product Director commented, "With the release of the DPX-S430 we are excited to add another strong product to Advantech-Innocore's range of gaming platforms. We offer the widest range of products to suit all applications and our well established roadmap means customers can choose an Advantech-Innocore product with full confidence. The DPX-S430 offers a considerable step up in performance while still maintaining backwards compatibility with older generations of DPX-S series products. We have done this in the DPX-S430 by including a careful mix of new technology such as USB 3.0, DisplayPort v1.2, Quad core processers while still keeping some of the legacy interfaces that customers in gaming need".The revolutionary graphics performance is coupled with great compute power thanks to the R-Series APU architecture with support for AMD Turbo CORE 3 technology. The board is available with a range of APUs from Dual core through to Quad Core up to 2.3GHz (3.2GHz in Turbo mode).Craig continues, "Both AMD and Intel are developing some significant improvements in chipset technology and for customers able to use integrated graphics these improvements provide a very cost attractive solution. Advantech-Innocore continues to create a roadmap of exceptional quality using the latest technology combined with in house manufacturing and local supply and service. Customers will be able to continue to rely on us as the market leader in this field provided cutting edge product for many years to come."Customers who would like to upgrade from their existing DPX-S series platforms can do so with little integration work due to the consistent mechanical and software footprint and the support of our global support network.DPXR-S430 from Advantech-Innocore offers latest AMD R-Series APU performance in a field proven formatFurther information (http://www.advantech-innocore.com/) or by email at (sales@advantech-innocore.com)

Advantech, the embedded platform and iService platform provider, is happy to announce Android 4.0 support on its HIT-W181. HIT-W181 is an 18.5", 16:9 full-flat PCT or multi-touch terminal, with features including 2.0 megapixel camera, WiFi, VOIP, barcode reader, RFID, NFC, MSR and fingerprint reader. The slim, fanless all-in-one system, powered by an IntelR Atom or IntelR Core i7 processor is ideal for retail, exhibition hall, education/campus, vending, self-service and kiosk applications, where a fast, elegant and efficient system is needed. The availability of Android 4.0 is the first for Advantech and the first in the industry. Android 4.0 is more stable, runs faster, and offers a number of enhancements which are now available to the HIT-W181 infotainment termainal.HIT-W181 is Ahead of the CurveThe announcement of Android 4.0 is exciting and handset manufacturers are scrambling to take advantage of the new features it offers. Advantech is already there, and in the industrial computer space no less! This is great news for end users of the HIT-W181 in areas such as retail, exhibition hall, education/campus,self-service, vending and kiosk, as well as for system integrators looking to take advantage of improvements in the Android environment.Enhanced Interface, Communications and SecurityAndroid 4.0 has a number of new features. It has replaced hardware/programmable buttons with a set of virtual keys, allowing quick and easy application development. Additionally, Android 4.0 brings native NFC (near field communications) support which will appeal to transaction-based applications that need reliablecommunications between handset and the HIT-W181 display. Security in Android 4.0 has also been greatly improved. The system supports face recognition coupled with auto-login for simple and secure authentication.Android 4.0 is Faster and More StableHIT-W181 is able to take advantage of improvements in stability and speed that are a part of Android 4.0. System speed is 30% faster than under Android 2.3 and operating system stability has been enhanced giving the platform the stability needed to serve critical applications. Memory management under Android 4.0 has also been improved with better memory allocation and deallocation of tasks running on the system. The result is that HIT-W181 runs leaner and faster.Advantech will continue to roll out support of Android 4.0 for its other HIT series Hospitality Infotainment Terminals: the HIT-W221, HIT-W151 and HIT-W121. For more information about HIT-W181, or other Advantech products and services, please contact a local sales office or visit us on the web at http://www.advantech.com/.About AdvantechFounded in 1983, Advantech is a leader in providing trusted, innovative products, services, and solutions. Advantech offers comprehensive system integration, hardware, software, customer-centric design services, embedded systems, automation products, and global logistics support. We cooperate closely with our partners to help provide complete solutions for a wide array of applications across adiverse range of industries. Our mission is to enable an intelligent planet with Automation and Embedded Computing products and solutions that empower the development of smarter working and living. With Advantech, there is no limit to theapplications and innovations our products make possible.Find more information(http://www.advantech.com/ais/news.aspx?doc_id=%7b3302917A-8D63-44FE-A8C2-41E8251485B)The slim, fanless all-in-one system, powered by an IntelR Atom or IntelR Core i7 processor is ideal for retail, exhibition hall, education/campus, vending, self-service and kiosk applications, where a fast, elegant and efficient system is needed.

Imagination Technologies, a leading multimedia technologies company, has achieved Wi-Fi Direct certification for its Ensigma UCCP IP Reference Platform. Wi-Fi Direct is a certification mark for devices supporting a technology that enables Wi-Fi devices to connect directly, making it simple to do things like print, share, synch and play without joining a traditional home, office or hotspot network.Imagination's Ensigma UCCP IP platforms are a unique range of low-power solutions enabling the reception of a wide range of analogue and digital TV, mobile TV, and digital and analogue radio broadcast standards, as well as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity standards, on a single device.With Wi-Fi Direct, mobile phones, cameras, printers, PCs, and gaming devices can now connect to each other directly to transfer content and share applications quickly and easily. Devices can make a one-to-one connection, or a group of several devices can connect simultaneously. Connecting Wi-Fi Direct-certified devices is easy and simple, in many cases only requiring the push of a button. Moreover, all Wi-Fi Direct connections are protected by WPA2, the latest Wi-Fi security technology. With Wi-Fi Direct, users do not need an access point or internet connection - their personal Wi-Fi network goes with them wherever they go.Ensigma Series3 Wi-Fi capabilities include: 802.11a/b/g/n + MIMO (Multiple-Input and Multiple-Output), plus Bluetooth v3.0.By incorporating the latest wireless communication technology on its Ensigma Series3 platforms, Imagination is able to offer significantly increased data throughput, sensitivity, and other key performance metrics, while limiting bandwidth requirements and lowering transmit power.Information in this release on Wi-Fi Direct features is provided by the Wi-Fi Alliance. See also: http://www.wi-fi.org/discover-and-learn/wi-fi-direct

As one after another handheld consumer electronics gadgets such as tablets and smartphones emerges in the market, touch panel technology, with its capability to enable smaller devices, lower manufacturing cost and intuitive user experience on small screens, is no longer confined to conventional industrial/commercial applications like kiosks, KTV jukeboxes, machines at production lines, POS and ATM. It is gradually replacing traditional keyboard/mouse as the major interface for man-machine communication and interaction on personal devices.DisplaySearch forecasts that global touch control module shipment will reach 1.4 billion units by 2015 with a revenue totaling US$9 billion. Japan's Fuji Keizai also estimates that by 2016, the market will grow 110.5% from 2011 with a total output at JPY775.3 billion.Multi-touch already a trend for touch panelsPIXCIR COO Vincent Fuentes said more and more daily-life hardware and applications (such as 3D interactive games and web mapping devices), even Microsoft's Windows 7 and Windows 8 operating systems, begin to support touch control interface. In view of this trend, global touch panel market will enjoy dramatic growth in the next few years.Multi-touch technology, which enables multi-finger motions on one panel, has been particularly popular since the launch of the Apple iPhone due to higher operation flexibility when compared to single-touch, personalized input methods, and its more intuitive and simple usage that can do without painstaking learning processes.Currently, touch panel technologies that are mature enough include electromagnetic, SAW, optical (CMOS imaging and infra-red), pressure detection, capacitive (surface capacitance and projected capacitance) and resistive modules (analog and digital.) Resistive modules are more widely adopted as it was developed long time ago with lower manufacturing cost.Due to soaring demand for multi-touch, however, related technology has evolved as applications and operating systems advance from the simpler two- and three-point touch to 10-point that is stricter on report rate, power consumption and false alarm standards. Among all the above-mentioned touch control technologies, only projected capacitance can meet all the requirements. This is why almost all all-in-one (AIO) PCs or ultrabooks on exhibit at Computex 2012 were equipped with projected capacitive panels.Optimization of product should start with casing design, cover lens thickness and electrode layout selectionProjected capacitive technology is basically based on capacitive sensing, which detects the changes of capacitance in ITO contacts on ITO glass in order to identify the touch positions and motion trajectory when users touch the screens with fingers. Therefore, it can precisely get the accurate touch positions without alignment, and the subsequent characteristics of near-field probe and greater sensitivity will prevent scratches and cracks of the screens for longer device life.Fuentes said projected capacitance technology include self capacitance and mutual capacitance. He explained that self capacitance is modified by the direct coupling between a finger and one electrode, and the touch position is located by measuring the changes of capacitance in the electrode. Mutual capacitance is the coupling between two electrodes.It is noteworthy that in order to avoid crosstalk between fingers that can lead to touch position misjudgment and floating, a good return path is necessary when designing panels and self capacitance should be as low as possible.Floating can be directly subjected to circuit (the closed loop circuit between device and user), self capacitance and mutual capacitance that vary with the device's casing, size, power line (power supply connecting exterior alternating current or direct current), user location and the way the device is held. It is not directly linked to the device's driving voltage and sensing technology. Fuentes continued that vendors can start with design and integration of device casing, cover lens thickness and electrode layout selection to increase the panel's sensitivity and identification efficiency under multi-touch mode.Differences and solutions of various electrode layoutsFor the SITO case, common electrode layouts include Diamonds, Hollow, Empty, Matrix, Radiator and Islands. Tested with 6mm electrode pitch and 8mm touch point diameter, each electrode layout delivers different performance in linearity, floating (portable devices), SNR, covers thinner than 0.5mm and screens larger than 12 inches.Except for the category of large screens, the Radiator layout performs well in all aspects. The Diamonds layout is good in thick covers and large screens, but is doing OK with linearity and SNR while performance in thin covers and floating is even worse. Vendors can choose suitable layouts according to their needs, or make some adjustment in relevant design parameters to achieve best performance.For example, in the Radiator layout vendors can optimize its fin pitch for best effects. According to tests done by PIXCIR, when pitch is smaller than cover the mutual signal is doing well but the ITO loading would be too high. On the contrary, ITO loading is good if the pitch is larger than cover but its mutual signal will be weak.Therefore, the best way is to equalize the pitch and the cover so that mutual signal and ITO loading will be in range acceptable for vendors. Ring width is the key for the Hollow layout. Ring width must match the cover lens thickness. Fuentes said the ITO to ITO gap should match the process rule and should follow the optical requirement (typically 40-100um.)PIXCIR recognized for long-time devotion to projected capacitance technologyPIXCIR CEO Jiin-Wei Hung said his company has been devoted to the development of projected capacitance technology since the iPhone emerged. The company has six core patents in Europe, the US, Korea, Japan, China and Taiwan, and has been licensed with EU patents. As for Taiwan, PIXCIR also has 244 patent applications, with 133 in reviewing process and 61 approved.Its Tango method has been widely adopted in the handset market (such as DIFO 4.3-inch handset, Dell 5.0-inch MID, CGMobile 4.0-inch handset, Lenovo 5.0-inch MID, GuoXT 4.3-inch handset, Ramos 8-inch tablets, etc), as well as in consumer electronics products like digital cameras and coffee machines.Hung emphasized that PIXCIR is not only a partner of WPG Holdings but also a qualified supplier recommended by Qualcomm and Spreadtrum. Hung forecast that with Tango's module manufacturing cost lowering to the same level as resistive panels, more mature OGS technology and growth opportunities brought by upcoming Windows 8/ultrabook, capacitive touch panels will replace resistive touch panels in a very short time and become mainstream in the market.As market demand expands rapidly while supply fails to keep up with it, a war in the touch panel market is bound to begin. PIXCIR will hold on to the Tango series' market positioning philosophy and continue to develop touch control ICs with the highest price/performance ratio, offering the best touch panel solutions to industrial control, home appliances, telematics and consumer electronics products.Jiin-Wei Hung, CEO, PIXCIR (right)Vincent Fuentes, COO, PIXCIR

Frankwell Lin, the President of Andes Technology Corporation and a veteran with years of experience in market observation, said despite mainstream in the personal computing market has evolved from the single type of open-architecture PC products to various closed embedded devices like smartphones, tablets, digital TVs, smart grid and telematics in an era with all sorts of consumer products and applications, "speed-focused," "micro-oriented" and "smart" features will be the ultimate goals for these products no matter how situation changes.In addition to the ever-decreasing size of system/SoC, simpler CPU codes for faster computing of device, less power consumption and lower software/hardware manufacturing cost, the new generation of devices starts to enter a new era of being micro-oriented, smart-focused and smart via integration with various sensing/identification/processing and mobile components, user interfaces suitable for mobile/home application, and the omnipresent connected environment (such as London's Urban OS).New generation of smart devices should enhance power efficiency and support various communications protocolsLin said in view of this new era, the new generation of consumer devices should support touch screens, auto screen rotation, gesture or voice control, and auto detect/control of outside conditions such as temperature and image. They should also have intelligent features like a feedback mechanism for proper control and monitoring, or capability for schedule-driven activities.Moreover, indispensable features include versatile connectivity to USB, Ethernet, BT, Wi-Fi and Zigbee, personalized setup, storage and usage of personal data and corresponding security features, and longer battery life with standby and sleep modes.In order to achieve various requirements of the above-mentioned devices, there must be support from related systems and hardware/software. Andes Technology has developed various CPU IP lines to help vendors transform themselves toward smarter products.In fact, Andes Technology's AndesCore series has long been welcomed by vendors in the market. N12 and N10 products have also accumulated many successful cases of application in Linux-based devices of networking, virus scan, surveillance, eBook, thin client, portable multimedia, wires display and wires communications.Most vendors of SSD, eMMC/eSD, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, as well as those involved in protocol stack, weak leveling, block management, hardware engine control and typical program size larger than 100KB that need CPU to cover, adopt AndesCore because of its high performance and compact code size, said Lin. As for vendors of touch controller and battery gauge/protection, as well as those involved in measure current, voltage, temperature and short circuit, position calculation and perform cell balancing, the appeal is high power efficiency and small gate count.AndesCore is widely adopted by vendorsAndes Technology estimated that since the launch of the AndesCore series in various specs, about 100 million units of embedded equipment around the world have been based on innovative SoCs built by clients with the company's processor IP products. Lin said this year his company will release the latest AndesStar V3 instruction set and the N13 and SN8 series that are based on the architecture, in an effort to offer more software support and satisfy various market demands from downstream clients.For example, AndeStar V3 instruction set can support virtual hosting and priority-based interrupt preemption for faster speed and lower power consumption. It also offers all-C embedded programming and more robust debugging. "AndeCore products based on this instruction set have other additional features with different models. For example, N1337 is a product based on AndeStar V3 with 64bit caches.Compared to the previous instruction set, AndeStar V2, the new V3 made a lot of improvements. In terms of code size reduction, for example, the instruction set features function prolog and epilog, shift followed by ALU operations, branch on small constant, repeated code sequences and V3M for most frequently used V3 subset for MCE. On average, code size can be reduced by 15% after compilation and MCU benchmarks can even achieve at least 20% reduction.Moreover, V3 instruction set also has many instructions for voice applications required by smart equipment. As V3 instruction set is a reinforced version of V2, the former adds 38 new instructions (19 32-bit and 19 16-bit instructions) on top of strengthened compilation of original instructions. With great backward-compatibility, programs written on V2 are still useable in the new version so there is no need for extra time and cost for re-programming.AndeStar is more competitive in code size and efficiencyIn a comparison between AndeStar and 8051, Lin noted that: when executing 16-bit average computing, 8051's code size can reach 12 bytes and it takes 11 cycles to finish processing, but AndeStar only needs 4 bytes and 2 cycles; in executing 16-bit multiply computing, 48 bytes/48 cycles and 8 byets/8cycles are respectively needed for 8051 under generic and mem-mapped HW modes, while AndeStar only needs 4 bytes and 1 cycle. In terms of code size or efficiency, AndeStar is more competitive than 8051.CPU-specific features are usually written in assembly language in order to accelerate execution and reduce code size after compilation, said Lin, describing it as a great burden for developers. In view of this, Andes Technology provides component libraries in all-C language for CPU resource management, system startup code and ISR, so that vendors can benefit from simple development, ease of use, reduced code size and faster execution.Responding to different needs from various applications, AndesCore have diversified its products to achieve greater balance in terms of conflicting execution efficiency, energy consumption and wafer size than other competitors.For example, there is no need to focus on speed for remote controller, IOT/WSN and power meter. Andes Technology offers N8 series for entry-level equipments smaller than 100MHz. Economic devices in 100-200MHz like MCU, BT/Wi-Fi/GPS, PC peripheral, storage, touch panel and MP3 can adopt N9 series. As for highly-professional/safety control platforms such as switch, gateway, client device, STB, smartphone, smart TV, smart card, NFC and mobile payment, they can also find support from N13 and SN8 series.Vendors should choose CPU IP carefullyLin stressed that we are in the emerging phase towards a micro-oriented and speed-focused smart era, and SoC is the key for people to enter this era. So how vendors choose CPU IP for SoC in their products is the core element for future success. Andes Technology has long been devoted to R&D of design solutions to be embedded in micro-controllers since foundation. For instance, Andes N8 is regarded by many IC designing houses as the best solution for upgrade from 8bit MCU to 32bit.As for tablets, Andes has been proven successful in applications for tablets such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, FM, touch control, power management, etc. Lin believes that with more and more equipment embedded with SoC in people's daily lives, vendors like Andes Technology will play important roles in the future supply chain of the industry.Frankwell Lin, President of Andes Technology

According to the Vice President of Advantech EmbCore Group, Miller Chang, "There are many definitions for an Intelligent City; from collective intelligence of a city's population, to artificially intelligent environments where embedded information and com munication technologies disappear into the physical objects and the surroundings in which we live, travel and work. Whatever the definition, the cloud will be the final key that unlocks this vision of the intelligent city."With the rapid expansion of industrial automation applications, many vertical industries have adopted automation as the way forward to grow their businesses. Traditional automation equipment has limits, but with cloud-based systems, communications cover a much greater area and intelligence can be embedded into the physical environment. This means machines and devices throughout the city can identify and communicate with other machines and devices,as well as the city's population—enabling the intelligent city to evolve and grow over time.Examples of an Intelligent CityAdvantech's "Enabling an Intelligent Planet" mission matches precisely with the concept of an intelligent city. For example, Digital Signage displays in department stores have to display a multitude of products and manage precise content for each vendor on each floor. And it may be practical, due to the distance of each device, to tailor individual content for each vendor to each display. But, this is simply not practical in other scenarios such as in train stations, banks, or chain stores. Replacing content manually one-by-one will be drawn out and time-consuming. By managing geographically dispersed equipment via cloud services, and by integrating the hardware and software services, these devices can be managed remotely from the backend, delivering regularly updated content from the cloud. This represents a breakthrough in time management constraints but also allows greater control over all terminals, giving constant feedback on their status and maintaining reliable operation.Automation Cloud Goes MainstreamCloud computing is becoming mainstream in the automation industry. All automation products not only must have a certain amount of networking features, but they also need to include features that take advantage of cloud-based services. In terms of advantages, Miller Chang believes that it is in the reduced cost of system management. Service providers will host services for multiple companies; sharing complex infrastructure is costefficient and customers pay only for what they actually use.In addition to a substantial decline in the cost of system management, the industrial cloud can initiate new types of business strategy, benefits include:Fast: The most basic cloud services work out of the box, cloud computing allows businesses to skip certain procurement and capital expenditure phases.Up-to-date: Most providers constantly update their software offering, adding new features as they become available.Scalable: With cloud hosting, businesses can grow quickly because cloud systems are built to cope with sharp increases in workload.Mobile: Cloud services are designed to be used from a distance, so if the workforce is mobile, employees will have access to most systems on the go.Advantech are already used to applications with intelligence built in, but the cloud adds much more to the city economy and its evolution by making possible more connections between devices and people.Find more information, please visit: http://www.advantech.com/Thanks to advanced IT and automation technologies, the systems that make our city work are increasingly becoming intelligent.