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Copyright(c)2007 Nikkei Business Publications, Inc. All Rights Reserved. All editorial content and graphics on this Web site may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the express permission of the copyright owner. |
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Nikkei Electronics |
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July 14, 2008News 11 Symbian Also Goes Open Source and Establishes New Cellphone Software Organization Analyzing eMobile's Ultra-Cheap Cellphone Matsushita Electric Industrial Prototypes High-Efficiency SHG for Green Laser Bellnix Develops New DC-DC Converter for Use in Both Analog and Digital Format NE Interview Seiko Epson, President, Minoru Usui: “If There is a Printer Alternative, We will be the First to Make it” p.38 In the 1990's, Seiko Epson Corporation introduced inkjet printers touted to produce photo-level image quality, thereby solidifying its position as one of the leading printer manufacturers. Mr. Usui, who created the inkjet head that is at the core of these products, has been appointed president of the company. We asked Mr. Usui, a former engineer, about the direction in which he intends to guide the company's research and development division. Key Person Google Inc., Senior Software Engineer, Christophe Bisciglia: “Cloud Computing will be the Next-generation Computing Method” p.43 Keyword Smartphone p.44 World Report From Cover Story Moving Away from Automobiles p.51 Part 1: Once-in-a-lifetime Rapidly Changing Industrial Structure; Service Business as a Profit Source Tightening environmental regulations and surging oil prices are accelerating the development of electric vehicles. Just as the horizontal division of labor produced stronger companies in the PC industry, so that service providers subsequently began to dominate, electrification may also serve to establish a new profit model in the automotive industry. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for many companies—including automakers, electronics manufacturers, after-sale service companies, and venture companies—to flourish. Part 2: Use as Part of Infrastructure p.58 Electrification Can Change Lives and Accelerate Linkage to the Power Grid As electric vehicles come into wider use and their linkage to the electrical power infrastructure is deepened, it may become possible in the future to utilize the rechargeable batteries installed in electric vehicles as part of the electrical power infrastructure. However, the current lithium-ion rechargeable batteries are too expensive for the realization of such a business model. Rather than having users individually own lithium-ion rechargeable batteries, it will be necessary to create a new business approach that does not force users to shoulder that financial burden. Corporations that have realized the need for such a new business model have already begun taking steps toward offering such services. Part 3: Changing Lifestyles p.66 The Unchanging Convenience of Cars Under the Banner of New Services Against the background of an aging population and the younger generations' shift away from cars, the number of people who do not own cars will increase. However, the benefit offered by cars - the fact that they can take people to their destinations whenever they want - will not change. New transportation services and businesses will emerge to take advantage of the unchanging benefits of cars, utilizing cars that have become information terminals thanks to advances in telecommunication technologies. Route information delivery services, car sharing, and connection to public transport systems are some of the most promising areas. Special Feature Verification: Dubbing 10 Upheaval p.97 The Digital Content Trading Promotion Committee (DCTPC) of the Telecommunication Council of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications confirmed an agreement between the interested parties at its 40th Meeting on June 19, 2008 to implement Dubbing 10 following approximately two weeks of preparation. In response to a request from DCTPC, the Association for Promotion of Digital Broadcasting (Dpa), made up of broadcasting companies and device manufacturers, officially announced on June 23 that a switch to the application of Dubbing 10 would take effect at 4:00 am on July 4, a delay of approximately one month from the original schedule of June 2. The switch comes just in time to impact marketing activities ahead of the Beijing Olympic Games. Report from the COMPUTEX TAIPEI 2008: Going Beyond Eee PC p.103 Every Maker Pushing Compact Low-Priced Laptop PCs Taiwanese makers, which are dominating the PC market, are setting their sights on this new market pioneered by Eee PC. Many products and prototypes intended as the successor to Eee PC were shown at the recent COMPUTEX. In the area of PNDs and digital photo frames, where price competition has been brutal, manufacturers are trying to survive by offering multi-function products. Rapid Size Increases in FPGA p.111 Most or all of the functions of cell-based Application-specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs) and Application Specific Standard Products (ASSPs) are now being replaced with Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), a direction which, along with the increasing usage of FPGAs as companion chips, is expected to steadily expand the customer base. “We have entered a phase in which an entire ASIC can be replaced with an FPGA. There is no longer any reason for a customer to be content with replacing merely part of an ASIC with an FPGA” says Sam Rogan, President and Representative Director of Xilinx K.K. A strong pull in this direction is coming from the recent rapid promotion of smaller design rules instituted by FPGA manufacturers. Symbolic of this trend of FPGA manufacturers aggressively promoting smaller design rules is the high-functionality FPGA “Stratix IV” in the 40-nm generation, launched by Altrera in May 2008. With their design rules coming into the 40-nm generation, FPGAs will soon be neck and neck with ASICs and ASSPs in terms of circuit size and performance. Documentary Origin of Innovation: Development of Matsushita Electric Industrial's UniPhier (Part3) p.119 Matsushita Electric Industrial's UniPhier concept unifies the technical foundations (platforms) of all of the company's digital consumer appliances. The first example of this concept in the home AV field was created for the commercialization of a Blu-ray Disc (BD) recorder. The SoC (system on a chip), “PH1-Pro,” developed by Matsushita became the first chip that could be used in both TVs and recorders. Matsushita engineers then began considering the possibility of including an H.264/MPEG-4 AVC encoder in the next-generation version, “PH1-Pro?.” NE Plus Learning the Technology for Developing Ubiquitous Image Input Functions Tutorial Media Merger and Telecommunication Methods (First Half) p.124 With the goal of merging telecommunication and broadcasting, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications is leading efforts to pass the Telecommunications Law (tentative name). We asked Mr. Nakamura, an expert on the Telecommunications Council, to explain the hurdles that must be overcome before the law can be enacted. Part 1 describes the significance of the Telecommunications Law, as well as trends and issues in the communication and broadcasting industries. Advances in Optoelectronics Toward the Era of High-Capacity Communication p.131 Major advances are being made for optoelectronic devices, with significant performance improvements achieved by combining materials such as Ge and InP with Si. Anticipating the arrival of an era of high-speed, high-capacity data communication based on optoelectronics, manufacturers are busily developing new technologies. Academy Session 2: Technologies that Support Processor Speed Increases p.14
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