Cover Story
The Winning Formula for Electronics Companies
What magic did electronics giant Sony Corp. use to conjure up its dramatic comeback? Investment funds are the foes of old-fashioned top executives. But are they allies of engineers? The world is storming in on Japan’s stronghold digital camera market!
Toward Recovery
Something is stirring down at Sony
Interview: Sony Executive Deputy President, Katsumi Ihara
We will be pushing forward with our “strategy to win”
Prescription
It’s not too late to be part of the rebirth of electronics—do nothing and you are doomed!
The Situation in the United States
Investment funds teaming up with companies—Japan’s general electronics field is being closely watched
The Mobile Market is Rallying
Further restructuring is inevitable to make it on the global stage
Digital Cameras Bracing for a Fight
Surviving horizontal division of work, without being deceived by the passing boom
Special Feature
The World’s Thinnest Mobile Phones—the Solid N703iµ and the Adventurous P703iµ
Japanese mobile phone manufacturers have been competing to develop thinner products ever since the release of Autumn/Winter 2006 models and that competition is intensifying with the release of Spring 2007 models. Leading the pack are the FOMA N703iµ and FOMA P703iµ models of NTT DoCoMo, Inc. Both models are only 11.4mm thick, making them the world’s thinnest flip-style W-CDMA mobile phones. But two very different approaches were used to achieve identical thinness—you could call them the “straightforward N703iµ” and the “adventurous P703iµ.”
Special Feature
By Changing from a Personal Device to a Net Device, Web 2.0 Will Revive the PDA
New Internet services with PC-like usability—mobile devices equipped with communications functions that allow access to those services have arrived in Japan. Some products may merely look like conventional PDAs with added-on mobile phone network connections. But their purpose is quite different. The aim is to enable access to new, so-called “Web 2.0”, web-based services. Coming up with a mobile device that is just as easy to use as a PC, however, has its snags. Sometimes the best way to raise usability is to narrow down applications and functions.
Special Feature
Small Fuel Cells: Seeing the Leading Edge of Developing Fuel Cells for Mobile Devices
Since January 2007 it has been possible to carry fuel cartridges on board an aircraft for use in fuel cells for mobile devices. During fiscal 2007, international standards covering safety, performance testing methods and compatibility will be established, removing obstacles to the commercialization of fuel cells using methanol, formic acid and liquefied gas (butane) as fuel. At the Small Fuel Cells 2007 symposium held March 7-9, 2007, a lecture was given on direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC), for which commercialization seems near. The event also offered a glimpse at initiatives targeting practical application of other types of fuels cells that will be able to provide greater power.
Keyword
The Information Voyage Project
Key Person
P.A. Semi, Inc., President & CEO, Dan Dobberpuhi: “Design Is a Team Sport”
NE Interview
ITU’s Former Secretary-General Yoshio Utsumi, “To Win in the World, Establish a Strategy for the Country”
Guest Paper
The Processor Design Policy Change Driven by Multi-Core
Increasing operating frequency drastically increases power consumption. Meanwhile, fundamental performance enhancements cannot be expected through improvements to architecture such as additional pipeline stages or complicated out-of-order operations. Seeking a way out of this blind alley, microprocessor engineers have relied on a switch to multi-core processors, in which multiple CPU cores are integrated on one chip. Design approaches and evaluation criteria will vary greatly in comparison to conventional single-core processors. Anant Agarwal, who was involved in the development of the 16-core “Raw” microprocessor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Markus Levy, who is promulgating multi-core microprocessors as head of the Multicore Association, explain the potential and challenges of using multiple cores, as well as changes occurring in microprocessor and SoC design.
Documentary
Why Did the Multi-Company Cooperative Fab Become a Debacle? (Part 1)
Academy
Tutorial of Embedded System (Part 7): Real Time OS (Part 1)
NE PLUS
Learning from the First Steps: Technology Practices from Wireless Device Development
Tutorial
Understanding Color Space (Part 1): RGB and XYZ
The color display capacity of products such as flat panel TVs is improving and it is now possible to reproduce colors that appear in the natural world more how they really look. From shooting/recording and transmission to playback/display, creation of environments that offer a richer color space is intensifying. This article offers an explanation of color spaces, knowledge of which is essential to understanding these technologies.
Tutorial
Parts for Reducing Energy Consumption in Wireless Circuits: Polar Modulation Technology (Part 1)
Polar modulation is a technology through which signals are amplitude-modulated while the power amplifier is saturated. As there is no need for a high-linearity power amp, the method can be counted on to lower power consumption. This installment explains why a linear amplifier circuit is required and provides an overview of polar modulation.
Tutorial
An Intellectual Property Course (Part 1): Inventions that Can Be Protected by Patents
For engineers, basic knowledge about intellectual property is becoming standard, just like English language ability. This tutorial will help you come to terms with and enhance your basic knowledge. In it we explain the intellectual property basics by solving problems posed in an intellectual property exam (level 2) run by a private sector organization. At the end of the sixth installment, we will carry out a test of how much you know based on questions from past exams.
Watcher / Samsung
Supported by Currency Exchange in the Past, the Future Calls for Handling Horizontal Division of Work
News
- The Over the Air Digital Broadcast Copy Control Rule Will Be Changed to Allow Several Copies
- The EU Is Moving to Impose Duties on Digital Cameras and LCD Monitors
- Taking Apart the Apple TV: The Design Emphasized the External Appearance
