Cover Story
The Ambitions of Android
Google Inc.’s Android software for mobile phones will be made available to the general public free of charge, which means anyone will be able to make an Internet-accessible handset without too much difficulty.Where do Google’s ambitions lie? What will the mobile phones and digital consumer electronics of the future be like?
The Impact
Google has lifted the lid on Pandora’s box—mobile phone development is about to undergo a major transformation
Google has entered the mobile phone market.The company will, for example, be providing operating systems free of charge to anyone who wants to develop an Internet-accessible mobile phone.Mobile phone operators and manufacturers, semiconductor companies and software developers are largely welcoming the move.Besides the fact the software will be free, there are other advantages such as service compatibility and the open source development platform.However, there is also a downside—these firms could possibly lose the upper hand to third-party newcomers in the areas of service provision and device development.Potentially, ripples could spread from mobile phones to all kinds of digital devices with Internet capability.
Interview
Mobile phone culture is becoming open and free
Andy Rubin—Director of Mobile Platforms, Google Inc.
ndroid Anatomy
Envisaging mobile phones two years from now to realize PC-level functionality
Mobile phone software does not materialize overnight.Android, which should make an appearance as early as 2008, has so far only been partially revealed.We can, however, get an idea about its configuration and design concepts from the publicly disclosed information.The platform employs a Linux kernel, but everything else is considerably different from Linux.While design is based on an original virtual machine, compatibility with existing Java programs is included in a bid to incorporate the best of the best.
Special Feature
Teardown: Opening Up an Organic EL Television
Sony Corp. has released the XEL-1, the world’s first organic electroluminescent (OEL) television.Besides the impressive display characteristics of the organic electroluminescent panel, the television’s unique design, featuring separate display and circuit units, is attracting a lot of attention.Analyzing each of the internal components one by one, we acknowledge the role heat countermeasures play in realizing the 3mm-thick display.
Special Feature
Teardown: Opening Up a Design Oriented Multi-function Printer
Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., whose share of the world laser multifunction printer market has surpassed almost all Japanese brands, has brought out its next piece—the SCX-4500 series, featuring the refined exterior design for which Samsung is known.While some functions pale in comparison to rival products within the same price range, the company has put together a distinctive product through shrewd product planning and careful selection of development themes.We took the machine apart to gain insight into the company’s design approach and packaging innovation.
Special Feature
The Boom in Spin Injection MRAM Aims for Automobiles and Mobile Phones
Research and development relating to non-volatile magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM) is thriving. At the 52nd Annual Conference on Magnetism and Magnetic Materials (MMM), held in November 2007 in Tampa, Florida, a range of elemental technologies aimed at realizing MRAM products integrated to a level on a par with dynamic random access memory (DRAM) were introduced in response to the miniaturization trend. Grabbing the limelight were MRAM products that combine a technology called spin torque transfer with the perpendicular recording often used in hard-disk drives (HDD). The potential for application in automotive and mobile phone fields is expanding.
Guest Paper
Realizing a 30% Reduction in Power for 1seg Reception Using an Adaptive Control Algorithm
Sharp Corp. has developed technology that dramatically reduces the power consumption of ISDB-T one-segment (1seg) broadcast receiver circuits. The company has produced an actual prototype receiver chipset using the technology, confirming that power consumption can be cut by up to 32%. Application is foreseen in products such as compact tuner modules for Sharp mobile phones. The engineers who undertook the development offer an explanation of the “adaptive current control algorithm” inserted to lower power consumption as well as related device technology.
Documentary
A Patent Battle on EnemyTerritory (Part 3): The Texan Lawyer and the Gelephant
Tutorial
Avoiding Solder Defects through Thermal Design (Part 2): The Problem Is Not with “Manufacturing”
The problem of defective solder joints won’t be resolved if it is viewed solely as a manufacturing issue. Distortion, which leads to defective solder joints, may originate not only in the soldering process but also as a result of thermal expansion of parts due to a rising temperature. The problem has to be viewed as a design issue. Temperatures must be kept down while the device is in operation or during reflow soldering, and low-distortion parts and structures are required.
Tutorial
Digital Television Seminar (Part 1): MediaFlo—A Mobile Oriented Broadcast Able to Co-exist with 1Seg
In Japan, television broadcasts to mobile devices have already commenced through 1seg services under the ISDB-T format. MediaFLO, developed by Qualcomm Inc., is a broadcasting technology for mobile equipment that was devised for fee-based content distribution. The company asserts that MediaFLO and 1seg can exist side by side in the Japanese market.
Keyword
ITS (intelligent transport system)
Key Person
TomTom Asia, Inc., Wei-Wen Kao: “We’re Starting to Get Interested in the Japanese Market”
NE Interview
HoseiUniversity, Faculty of Social Sciences, Associate Professor, Hideaki Shirata: “The Law Is Just an Instrument of Control, Engineers Should Proceed Freely”
The rift between electronics manufacturers and organizations consisting of copyright and related rights holders is widening as a resolution is sought to issues pertaining to music and video copyright and to copyright protection. Hideaki Shirata, researcher of copyright law and one of the founders of MiAU (Movements for Internet Active Users), tells us about the unfolding debate and how copyright law ought to be.
News
- Dark Clouds Gather Around Japan’s Content Protection Scheme for Over the Air Broadcast Digital TV
- ISSCC 2008: The Drop in the Number of Papers from Korea and Taiwan Shows a Change in Their Strength
- Toyota Develops New Types of “Partner Robots”
- IEDM: A Myriad of Technologies Aiming for the “Next Step” in NAND Flash Memory Appears
