Cover Story
Unusual Hit Products Created by the Internet
The Japanese market in 2006 yielded more than just a few products that turned into hit items, surpassing the predictions made by the industry and the manufacturers themselves. Behind this lie changes in consumer tastes and the environment surrounding products. Electronics companies must accept those changes and hurry along the building of new development frameworks.
Part 1 Analysis
One unexpected hit product after another-consumers are the ones who decide a product's value
Part 2 Case Study
Products become hits due to unique ideas for use-the Internet is a frequent source of new ideas
Leading Trends
2007 International CES: Seeing the TV of Tomorrow
2007 International CES marked the 40th occasion of the conference since its inauguration in 1967. The highlight of the show was the topic of what would be the next major area of competition among television manufacturers after 1080p displays. Industry players livened up the conference with enthusiastic demonstrations of video display technology used to elicit display capabilities and technology used to deliver Internet content to television screens without having to divert through a PC.
Leading Trends
2007 North American International Auto Show: US Manufacturers Get Wrapped Up in Hybrids
When it comes to environmental strategy, US automobile manufacturers are falling far behind their Japanese counterparts. In an attempt to revive their fortunes, General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Company each unveiled next-generation hybrid vehicles. Competition between Japan and the US appears about to get underway in the development of batteries, which are vital to these efforts.
Keyword
IPTV
Tech Tale
How to Make a Small Robot for Exploring Asteroids (Part 3): Use Parts and Your Head
Embedded Systems Academy
Tutorial of the Embedded System (Part 2): The Key to Device Control Is Accurate Time
Buyers' Guide
SSCG
Countermeasures against electromagnetic interference (EMI) are growing in importance as LSI operating frequencies increase and devices take on multiple functions. One viable measure expanding its field of application is the use of spread spectrum clock generators (SSCG). SSCGs, which first appeared during the 1990s in printers and PCs, are now being used in digital consumer appliances and are also expected to be employed in portable devices. As the market for SSCGs expands, so does the number of manufacturers, providing users with increasing options. However, SSCGs cannot combat EMI fully by themselves and must be used in conjunction with existing countermeasures. It is crucial to be able to determine the situations in which they are most feasible and the effect they are likely to produce. This article explains the principles of SSCG operation and areas to pay attention to when browsing through the catalogs.
Guest Paper
The First Pre-Crash Safety System for Mini-cars
Pre-crash safety systems use radar and cameras to detect obstacles and prevent collisions, or alleviate injury to vehicle occupants when a collision cannot be avoided. Due to their cost, the systems were previously installable only in luxury vehicles. Recently, however, they have become available as an optional item even in affordably-priced vehicles. And then in October 2006, Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd. included a pre-crash safety system in configurations for its fully revamped "Move" model, a first for a mini-car. The system is controlled based on two-point measurements made using a laser radar embedded into the front bumper and a single-lens camera attached to the rear-view mirror. The laser radar and single-lens camera are comparatively cheap, though each one makes up for the deficiencies of the other. The engineer in charge of the system's development explains the intent behind the development and the technology employed.
NETs
How to Manage Chinese EMS Companies (2nd Half)
We asked KFE Japan Co., Ltd.'s Junichi Fujioka about his experience with and ideas on electronics manufacturing services (EMS), which are contracted to carry out design and manufacturing of electronic devices. Fujioka has been engaged in product planning, procurement and quality assurance for home electronics in the Taiwan-Hong Kong-China area since 2001. This second half of the article deals with how he confronts issues relating to deadlines and quality. His methods are founded on personal networks, language ability, cultural understanding and technical skill.
NETs
How to Write Documents in Order to Protect Inventions (1st Half)
Test notes, reports on findings, design drawings, specification sheets-engineers are constantly swamped with documentation requirements. Documents are important not only for carrying out regular activities, but often come in handy as evidence in court. Experts tell us the proper way to create these documents. This first half of the article looks at how to take notes during the development of a given technology.
Interview
Japan Patent Office's Deputy Commissioner Toshimichi Moriya: "Let Inventions Fly throughout the World"
What's New
- Apple Uses UI and iPod to Try to Break into the Smartphone Market
- INTERNEPCON JAPAN: Focus Is on LSI Internal Substrate Technology and Wafer Level CSP
- A Bluetooth Patent Suit Surfaces and Takes a Shot at Matsushita, Samsung, and Nokia
- Due to a Patent Issue, Canon Makes SED Inc. into a Completely Owned Subsidiary
- Technology Using Contents Metadata to Automatically Set AV Settings Appears
- Does Intel's Support of DisplayPort Mean the Demise of the UDI Next Generation Interface?
- Technology for Arranging Nano Sized Holes at 25nm Intervals Shows a Path to 1TB/In2
