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***Broadcom and Lucent Technologies Joint Home Networking Proposal Selected As 10 Mbps Home Networking Specification (July 27)
Lucent Technologies Microelectronics Group and Epigram, Inc. is now the basis for the Home Phoneline Networking Alliance's HomePNA 2.0 standard for 10 Megabit per second (10 Mbps) home networking technology. Epigram, then an independent corporation and co-submitter of the proposal, is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Broadcom Corporation.
High-speed home networking gives consumers the benefits of networking home PCs and intelligent devices, enabling home users to simultaneously access high-speed Internet services from two or more computing or entertainment devices using an existing in-home telephone line, as well as a single modem and Internet service provider.
The HomePNA is a consortium of more than 90 companies from the PC, consumer electronics, and network equipment manufacturing industries that aim to deliver easy-to-use, affordable, high-speed networking solutions over existing telephone wires. Lucent and Epigram are HomePNA members.
http://www.homepna.org
http://www.broadcom.com
http://www.lucent.com/micro
http://www.lucent.com
***Exemplar Logic Targets One Million Gate Programmable Logic Devices With Release of LeonardoSpectrum Synthesis Tool (July 26)
Exemplar Logic announced LeonardoSpectrum synthesis tool that simplifies the design process in programmable logic devices (PLDs) of one million gates or more.
LeonardoSpectrum 99.1 features include:
Improved team design flow capabilities that enable electronic design engineers to develop field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) by working together at the block level, resulting in faster and more efficient chip designs.
An approach to incremental synthesis that can accelerate design iterations, reducing cycle time from hours to minutes.
Algorithms that enable LeonardoSpectrum to analyze an entire million-gate design and automatically make chip-level optimizations that reduce area and improve chip performance.
Quality of results improvements of up to 60 percent in area and timing performance.
LeonardoSpectrum 99.1 features several technologies from Actel, Altera, Dynachip, Lattice/Vantis and Xilinx. These devices, combined with existing technologies, give customers extensive programmable logic support available, allowing them to make complete device price/performance tradeoffs.LeonardoSpectrum 99.1 is available immediately. Prices for node-locked PC versions start at $4,500. The tool runs on Windows NT, 95 and 98, Solaris and HP-UX platforms.
***Cypress, IDT and Micron Team to Provide QDR SRAM Architecture (July 26)
Cypress Semiconductor, IDT, and Micron Technology announced that they have jointly defined and developed a SRAM architecture for future high-performance communications applications. The Quad Data Rate (QDR) SRAMs target the next generation of switches and routers that operate at data rates above 200 MHz.
The three companies are working together to ensure that customers will have multiple sources for the SRAMs by developing pin- and function-compatible products. The development of the QDR SRAM architecture included input from networking industry leaders. The devices are designed to increase memory bandwidth compared to existing SRAM solutions in applications such as switches and routers, and will serve as the main memory for look-up tables, linked lists and controller buffer memory. A family of high-performance QDR SRAMs is defined to ensure customers have the security of consistent multiple supplier roadmaps.
ZBT and NoBL products, with 3.3-volt or 2.5-volt standard LVTTL I/Os and a flexible data structure, meet the requirements of communications systems operating between 66 MHz and 200 MHz. Targeting emerging systems operating beyond 200 MHz data rates, the QDR SRAMs will have two ports that independently run at double data rate (DDR), resulting in four data items per clock cycle. Depending upon the application, the QDR SRAMs can more than double the SRAM bandwidth.
Each vendor will design and manufacture the devices in its own technology and fabrication facilities, and will deliver products according to its own internal development schedules. All expect to make specific product availability announcements during the next year.
http://www.QDRSRAM.com
http://www.cypress.com
http://www.idt.com
http://www.micron.com
***A Future in the Sky
By: Amanda Rogos
(July 26)
Almost like Moore's Law, as the market for telecommunications grows, the number of broadband access solutions seems to double. So far the battle has largely been between cable modems and xDSL. Yet from the shadows, MMDS, LMDS, Ka-Band satellite and other wireless technologies have begun to deploy broadband systems claiming to offer bandwidths greater than 1 Mb/s.
Broadband wireline technologies are currently ahead in deploying services. Cable modems will have an estimated 14 million global subscribers by 2002 and DSL will have about 10 million. Satellites on the other hand have been slow to market and have planned to offer a one-way solution that may be inefficient for Internet applications. High frequency wireless as well has its limits with line of site and rain fade/weather issues.
Those in the wireless and satellite business hope to change the situation by making their solutions competitive with wireline. At the recent WCA (Wireless Communication Association International) and Satellites and the Internet '99 conferences, providers like Intelsat boasted rapid implementation, the ability to provide backbone capacity to areas un-served or under-served by cable, and high-speed data rates as proof of their abilities.
At the WCA conference, MMDS providers praised the FCC for its adoption of the reconsideration for two-way services in the MMDS spectrum allowing them to offer interactive services to customers across the United States. (This rulemaking Docket No. 97-217 (Report No. 99-7) will be available to the public in the near future). MMDS services operated in the 1.9 to 2.7 GHz range and provide up to 33 channels. A second band, 27.5 to 29.5 GHz is also available, providing up to 49 channels.
They also expressed hope in another proceeding, a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) and Notice of Inquiry involving subscriber premises receptions and access rights to buildings for fixed wireless access (June 10th - Docket No. 99-141) that would allow providers to place antennas on, or cables in, multiple dwelling units (MDUs).
In the United Sates approximately 28% of all housing units are located in MDUs. In addition, many businesses are located in multiple tenant environments. Therefore access by competing telecommunications service providers is critical to the successful development of competition in local markets.
In order to provide services to these types of establishments, telecommunications carriers must access the facilities within the building or across the landowner's premises in order to transport their signals. The carrier can either install its own equipment on the premises or obtain access to existing facilities to achieve this.
In either situation, carriers have testified that both building owners and incumbent LECs have obstructed reasonable access with non-/recurring fees, per linear foot basis charges, and a variety of other charges that are not based on their costs and are may not be imposed on incumbent carriers.
At this point the FCC is seeking comments from competing providers on their preferred engineering arrangements within MDUs and on several requirements under consideration at the FCC for incumbent LECs including a provision that forces LECs to provide cable television systems and telecommunication carriers with nondiscriminatory access to any pole, duct, conduit or right of way they own/control. Also included in the comments is a Winstar petition asking for rooftop access for microwave communication. Comments are due August 13th and replies will be made by September 3rd.
The specific applications resulting from these FCC decisions varied by provider although the general consensus was that residential areas not covered by broadband services and small to medium sized businesses (SMEs) were the target market for MMDS and LMDS. Attendees also agreed that most markets could not be covered by wireless alone, but would end up having a "basket of technologies" combining DSL, cable, and wireless to offer the best solutions for the consumer.
Currently, the active players in this market are small companies like Spike Technologies and SpeedChoice (described in articles below) who provide small businesses and consumers Internet access, high-speed video and data. As the market grows however, this may change. Sprint has decided to enter the market by acquiring Videotron USA, Transworld Telecommunications, People's Choice Television, American Telecasting, Inc. and is finalizing the acquisition of SpeedChoice (The Board of Directors and Shareholders of both companies have approved the deal yet it must still get FCC approval which is expected in August/early September before it can proceed with the official transfer of MMDS licenses).
MCIWorldCom will also become an MMDS competitor by acquiring cable television company CAI Wireless Corp and Prime Cable as well as spectrum in the MMDS market which will allow the company to reach 50% of the consumers in the United States.
At the Satellites and the Internet conference speakers predicted growth in the global satellite industry from $2 billion in 1999 to almost $20 billion in 2004 (including VSAT, Internet, and broadband).
The keyword at this conference was cache - pushing popular content closer to the user to reduce the load on servers and lower transmission cost. Irwin Communications estimated that the United States backbone provides 80% of Internet content. Consequently, their prediction was that providing Internet backbone access for ISPs, and caching and multicasting content for regions outside the United States would offer market potential for satellite companies.
On the multicasting side, Pioneer Consulting estimated that the market, would consist of mostly small and medium size businesses (SMEs). According to Pioneer there are about 7 million SMEs in the United States with 3.2 million involved in information intensive markets. Subscribers in this market were predicted to increase from 2,000 in 1998 to 647,000 in 2007 with revenues at about $6.61 billion.
One-way satellite providers like DirecTV and DirecPC have had the most visibility so far in the market. Their services, broadcast content to users for between $20-80 per month. DirecTV offers more than 210 channels sent to users via an 18-inch receiver placed on the consumer's roof while DirecPC offers 400kbps downloads of websites, broadcasts and usegroups. These systems have had relative success, but are not suited for two-way interactive Internet applications.
Other companies like Intelsat are testing multicast-to-cache systems (their system is called IDS - Internet Distribution System) to be used by kiosk sites (ISPs) to provide international connectivity. The system, and others like it, will allow the ISP to maximize their bandwidth use, while decreasing Internet user response times which will provide cost savings to both the ISP and consumer.
In the future players like Spaceway (online in the United States in 2001 and worldwide in 2003) will offer two-way Internet services at T1 prices (according to estimates) although with the way cable modem and DSL prices are dropping, it may be difficult for satellites to compete in developed countries that have wireline infrastructure available.
A table comparing access methods, and their associated bandwidth, coverage, monthly cost, and providers is available at:
http://www.wave-report.com/Accessmethods.htm
Companies
· SpeedChoice
--With 200 megahertz of licensed radio wave spectrum at the 2.1 and 2.5-2.7 GHz frequency provides high-bandwidth data, Internet, audio and video transmissions to residential homes, business and Internet Service Providers (ISPs).--The service is delivered using terrestrial based, radio transmitters located the tallest point in a metropolitan area. Using a single transmitter, the company can serve a 35 mile radius coverage area to provide 99 data streams (previously 33 analog channels), each transmitting at 10 Mbit/s creating a "Fiber-in-the-Sky" wireless network. This capacity can be expanded beyond this with the use of cellularization, a method that reuses the same frequency by building multiple transmission sites.
--The consumer is given a 10-inch digital receiver that will be placed in line of site to the transmitter - usually placed on the consumer's roof. Although LMDS has some weather issues, MMDS signal performance is not affected by rain, snow or fog.
The company offers several services including:
--One-way Business or Residential dialup, with downstream rates of T1 or greater and dialup for the return. Residential pricing includes a $34.95 monthly fee, $10 monthly modem lease fee, (or modem purchase for $249.95) and a $149.95 installation fee.
--Business Use with ISDN, Frame Relay or DS3 providing downstream rates of 2-10 Mbps (depending on service). Business pricing varies with applications and requirements.
--In May 1999 SpeedChoice also released 2-way services which include similar data rates downstream (as the one-way service) and upstream rates of 32Kbit/s (with 128Kbit/s bursts if the bandwidth is available). This service is priced at $54.95 for residential areas, and $99 for single workstation small businesses.· Spike Technologies
--Offers a Broadband Wireless Local Loop (BWLL) through a system called the PRIZM Broadband Delivery System, operating in the 2.1-2.7 and 3.4-3.7 GHz bands. PRIZM is a point to multipoint delivering 220 Mbps, scalable to over 20 Gbps, of bi-directional, full-duplex bandwidth with four 4 MHz channels. Users get 10 Mbps burst rate upstream and downstream delivering digital services through an Ethernet connection.--The system's narrow beam sectored antenna technology splits the coverage area into 22 pie-shaped sectors, with different sectors using the same frequency, which increases system capacity compared to traditional systems.
--The company offers high speed data transmissions and Internet access (10 Mbps), IP telephony, VoIP, video conferencing, video-on-demand, data warehousing, backhauling t1 lines, and remote MIS support.
--This system has been installed on three continents, and can be deployed in less than 8 weeks although time to link new subscribers can be less than a couple days.
· Tachyon, Inc.
This system will provide a two-way connection via KuBand GEO satellites from the end users' premises to the Internet at higher than T1 speeds. The system uses a connectionless multiple access system that sends packets of data to/from the satellite.
Tachyon predicts reliability better than fiber and stated that although the system will be subject to some latency, it has a fewer number of "hops" than terrestrial systems which also suffer from a certain amount of latency issues.According to the company advantages of the system will include a single visit installation within 10 days of order, simple connection from Ethernet to indoor unit, and system upgrades performed remotely from NOC.
The company will rollout services in late 1999. The system will target small businesses, branch operations of large enterprises, resort centers, and high-end consumers as well as hospitals, schools, and libraries. Prices will vary according to service needs but will be equivalent with terrestrial service. The equipment will be at PC-level prices.
http://www.tachyon.net
http://www.spke.com
http://www.speedchoice.com
Satellites offer a high-speed way to receive data broadcasts using caching and point-to-multipoint techniques to push data to the consumer. One question at the Satellites conference questioned the ability of the satellite services to be competitive when broadband wired access falls below the $200 price level. Currently satellite services are one-way, using dial-up for the return path. Systems like Spaceway, which could offer two-way services are years from market release. Cable modems will have the advantage of being a quick to market, low cost solution. How will satellites compete? This is an interesting question that conference attendees quickly dismissed with the pretence of taking the conversation offline and giving others an opportunity to ask questions.
Even Nicholas Negroponte, who gave a keynote at the conference, challenged the satellite providers to compete with traditional wireline services by providing as close to symmetrical two-way services as possible, stating that once satellites could provide this service globally, systems with only a footprint would be at a severe disadvantage.
Researchers predict that less than 2% of Internet traffic worldwide is provided by satellite. They also predict that only 2-3 Ka band systems will survive the telecommunications market. We agree with these estimates and predict an uphill battle for these types of satellite services - time to market and cost of service being the prohibiting factor to consumer and remote regions.
MMDS on the other hand offers possibilities for consumers that DSL and cable modems have not. Rollouts have proved that the technology is reliable, affordable and therefore a good alternative to wireline services. The main limitation on this market, in our mind, is that the market is slowly being taken over by MCIWorldCom and Sprint. If these two powerhouses absorb all providers, a monopoly situation may develop that raises prices. This will be their downfall in this competitive marketplace.
***CPS and ARM Partner To Develop Location-Enabled Mobile Phone Technology (July 26)
Cambridge Positioning Systems Limited (CPS) and ARM announced they are working together to accelerate the integration of CPS' CURSOR location technology into ARM Powered digital cellular telephone handsets. This partnership will bring safety and security benefits to ordinary mobile phone users around the world by providing a caller's location to the service provider being called.
In addition to the personal and child safety applications, CURSOR will open location-based services to the mass market through services such as route-finding and asset-locating as well as corporate, closed user group applications such as field sales, engineering management or vehicle management. Until now, the location based information services market has been constrained by the high cost of equipment for GPS-based solutions and the low accuracy of mobile network cell ID solutions.
The CURSOR system is currently being demonstrated in a large-scale implementation of mobile phone positioning services around Cambridge, UK. Other international trials are scheduled in the future.
The CURSOR mobile location system works by comparing the relative times of arrival, at the handset and at a nearby fixed receiver, of signals transmitted by the underlying mobile network Base Transceiver Stations (BTS). The elements of a CURSOR system consist of the CURSOR-enabled handset, a network of CURSOR Location Measurement Units (CLMU), a central CURSOR Mobile Location Centre (CMLC). The CURSOR system overlays an existing mobile network and provides the location of a caller to a service provider. The CLMU provides reference data to the CMLC for calculating positions.
The CURSOR system overlays any GSM network and is accurate to 125m or better. This complies with the recent US Federal Communications Commission Phase 2 mandate requiring all calls from mobile phones to identify the user's location for emergency calls by October 31, 2001. The technology is due to be rolled out in 12 months.
CPS and its service partners-Vodafone, the AA and Maxon-are using the showcase to help identify customer requirements for location-based services. CURSOR will be demonstrated to representatives of ARM's semiconductor partners at the end of July. The ARM/CPS collaboration will enable telephone handset manufacturers to implement CURSOR, an Enhanced Observed Time Difference (E-OTD) location system, as most of the integration work will already have been completed.
CPS is a venture-capital funded organization formed in late 1995 to develop and market CURSOR, a system which provides location services for digital mobile phone users. CURSOR will be the first GSM multi-application location system in the market and takes the form of a minor software upgrade to a GSM mobile phone. It will provide vehicle roadside assistance and travel information services. CPS will work in partnership with value added service providers, handset manufacturers and network operators to achieve this.
CPS plans to launch CURSOR in the UK in 1999 and then roll out the service throughout mainland Europe and the US beginning in 2000. Investors include 3i, Cambridge Research and Innovation Ltd, Prelude Technology Trust PLC, Sofipa International and a number of private shareholders.
***Mitsubishi Electronics Unveils 3D-RAM5
(July 26 )
Mitsubishi Electronics America's Electronic Device Group announced the 3D-RAM5 (M2V40092DWG) integrated frame buffer memory architecture, silicon combining DRAM and logic with a 1024-bit internal bus for 3D graphics. 3D-RAM5 is designed in Mitsubishi's 0.25-mm HyperDRAM process technology and integrates four times the density of the fourth-generation 3D-RAM (3D-RAM4) into a package that is only 3.2 percent larger. As result, 3D-RAM5 supports high-resolution, large-screen displays with 75 percent fewer chips for high-end 3D graphics applications, such as digital content creation - in its preferred 16:9 high-definition television (HDTV) format - and mechanical computer aided design (MCAD).
Moving hardware acceleration for raster operations, blending, and stencil modes from a separate graphics controller to the memory chip while at the same time widening the memory bus to a full kilobit enables higher 3D pixel rendering speed while minimizing power consumption. Thanks to its memory bus width and to a 14 percent increase in the chip's clock rate, the bus delivers a 9 Gbyte per second data rate. A typical application uses at least four pieces of 3D-RAM5 per system, resulting in a 36 Gbyte per second minimum aggregate data bandwidth from the frame buffer DRAM.
The 3D-RAM5 architecture allows each M2V40092DWG chip to incorporate 40 Mbits of embedded DRAM in four interleaved banks (accessed via a 1024-bit wide memory bus), plus a dedicated hardware accelerator and an SRAM pixel buffer. The chips support all of the blending and stencil modes for industry-standard application programming interfaces (APIs) such as OpenGL specification 1.2 and its optional imaging extensions, and Microsoft's DirectX 7.0.
The 3D-RAM5 architecture provides four banks of synchronous DRAM, 8 Kbits of on-chip triple-ported SRAM cache, and an on-chip arithmetic logic unit (ALU). The fully OpenGL compliant ALU eliminates the need for read-modify-write (RMW) operations between the rendering controller and the frame buffer. The result is a true "write-only" interface for all the blending, depth check, stencil (as described in the OpenGL specification), and 256 raster operations for Microsoft Windows 95 and 98 device-independent bitmapped display drivers.
Eight global customers are using the original 3D-RAM technology in their products, including Sun Microsystems, IBM, Real3D, and Evans & Sutherland. Several PC OEMs have chosen this technology for their personal workstation family of products, including Compaq, Hewlett-Packard, Siemens, and Gateway.
The 3D-RAM5 (M2V40092DWG) is available in a 256-pin plastic ball grid array (PBGA) package that occupies a 17-mm x 17-mm footprint, and is functionally and electrically backward compatible to previous 3D-RAM generations. Samples are now available, with volume production scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of 1999.
***Geometrix Announces 3D Scanning Technique (July 23)
Geometrix announced that it has developed a 3D scanning technology called Dynamic Laser Scanning, offering order-of-magnitude cost reductions in precision 3D capture for the CAD and 3D animation markets. The patent-pending process extracts surface profiles at sub-millimeter accuracy using a handheld laser pointer, a standard video camera, and Geometrix VideoModeling software.
Unlike conventional laser scanners that require a complex beam scanning mechanism permanently calibrated to a camera, the technique automatically calculates geometric relationships between laser source, camera, and subject in real-time. Using a laser pointer that emits a sheet of laser light, the user "paints" the subject with light, resulting in precise, dense, real-time 3D profiling of all visible surfaces.
Geometrix will integrate the technology into the next release of 3Scan, its 3D object scanner, without raising the price of the product. Existing customers will be upgraded at no additional charge. At $7,495, 3Scan will be capable of outperforming scanners priced four times higher by generating complete geometry and photorealistic textures in minutes, without requiring manual stitching of disparate views.
***Discreet Ships 3D Studio MAX R3 Software (July 26 )
Discreet announced the worldwide availability of 3D Studio MAX Release 3 software. Shipping with the 3D Studio MAX R3 software is a free update to Character Studio Release 2.2. With a collaborative workflow environment and new renderer, 3D Studio MAX supports hundreds of third-party commercial and free plug-ins. In a separate announcement, Discreet and Digimation unveiled plug-in bundles that combine some component applications designed for use with 3D Studio MAX R3 .
3D Studio MAX R3 software is designed to enable professionals to work on specific aspects of the same project while combining discrete elements into shots, animations, or game levels. The 3D Studio MAX R3 software also boasts a redesigned renderer that retains the speed of its predecessor while delivering superior results and simplifying the process of creating realistic images, scenes and special effects. Other enhancements include nestable external references, application-wide scripting, macro-recording, a customizable work environment, powerful organic modeling capabilities, and a host of other new features that accelerate the creation of digital content.
Headlining the collaboration features of 3D Studio MAX R3 is External References, which allows artists to include in their projects specific objects or entire scenes from other files, and to introduce animation, materials, or models, as they desire. Artists can then edit the original portions, and their changes propagate through all related files. In addition, a proxy system within the External References tool enables users to manipulate and animate complex objects interactively.
Artists can also mold their production environment to suit the task at hand. The 3D Studio MAX user interface is now customizable, enabling artists to view only those toolbars and menus they need for their current project. Users can also create their own custom layouts for any aspect of production, including modeling, animation, and materials editing. These layouts are loadable and portable, so artists can use them as needed and on any system in their production environment.
For 3D Studio MAX R3 software, Discreet also rebuilt the MAX Renderer and transformed into plug-ins such specific rendering steps as anti-aliasing, sampling, shaders, and shadows. The use of plug-in rendering features gives artists the flexibility to choose which rendering results they want at any given time, thereby improving the speed at which they can achieve a particular "look." This approach also simplifies the process of creating rendering-related plug-ins with the Software Developer's Kit (SDK).
Plug-ins help artists make customized use of features such as anti-aliasing and shading. Discreet also optimized the Renderer's displacement mapping in this release and extended it to polygon meshes. This allows all geometries within 3D Studio MAX software to take advantage of realistic and efficient surface displacement. With Rendering Effects, post processes are applied immediately after a frame is rendered and are interactively adjustable thereafter. Current Rendering Effects include Flare, Glow, Ring, Ray, Secondaries, Star, Streak, Highlight, Blur, and Film Grain.
Discreet also announced plug-in bundles from Digimation that provide a way for 3D Studio MAX R3 users to purchase plug-in applications available including Rodin, DaVinci, Texture Labs and Particle Studio.
Discreet also announced that it expects close to 100 commercial and free third-party plug-ins will be available today as 3D Studio MAX R3 comes to market. Commercial 3D Studio MAX plug-ins will be available through individual developers and through Digimation, which provides Discreet customers with a process for locating and purchasing third-party plug-ins for Discreet software.
3D Studio MAX R3 is available today worldwide in U.S. and International English. It will be available in French, Italian, German, Spanish and Japanese by the end of August. The suggested list price in the U.S. and Canada is US$3,495 from Authorized Kinetix" Resellers. Upgrades from 3D Studio MAX R2.x are available for US$795. A Character Studio R2.2 patch, a compatibility release that runs with MAX R3, is included on the 3D Studio MAX R3 CD.
Discreet also announced the immediate availability of interactive Courseware for 3D Studio MAX R3 software. Created for digital content creation professionals- as well as for students, educators, and resellers - the Courseware provides an in-depth
guide to 3D Studio MAX R3 software. Available today, the Courseware includes a printed book and an interactive CD-ROM
stocked with tutorials, reference materials and examples Courseware is US List priced at $75
***Apple Introduces Airport Wireless Networking (July 21)
Apple has introduced AirPort, a wireless local area network (LAN) solution that provides untethered Internet access for its iBook consumer portable. Apple's AirPort solution includes the AirPort Card, which fits inside the iBook, and the AirPort Base Station, which contains a 56K modem and a 10BASE-T Ethernet port for connecting to a phone line, cable modem, DSL modem or local area network for terrestrial Internet access.
AirPort is based on the industry standard IEEE 802.11b.
iBook, a computer designed for wireless networking, includes two built-in antennas and a slot for the optional AirPort Card. The AirPort Card, working in conjunction with the AirPort Base Station, enables data to be transmitted between iBooks and the AirPort Base Station at speeds of up to 11 megabits per second. Up to ten iBooks can share a single AirPort Base Station simultaneously from up to 150 feet away.
Apple teamed with Lucent Technologies to design and deliver AirPort. The 18 month-long collaboration has resulted in a cost-effective and easy-to-use wireless networking solution.
Apple's iBook consumer portable, available in September for U.S. $1,599, features a 12.1-inch (diagonal) active-matrix TFT SVGA display; a PowerPC G3 processor running at 300MHz with a high-speed 512K backside L2 cache; and up to six hours running time on a single charge of its Lithium-Ion battery. The AirPort Card is a U.S. $99 option and easily installed by consumers. The AirPort Base Station is U.S. $299. Additionally, Apple will offer a wireless card for its current line of PowerBook G3 professional notebooks.
***Release of Cadence's Cierto Signal Processing Worksystem Enhances Integrated System-To-ASIC Flow (July 26)
Cadence Design Systems announced availability of its Cierto signal processing worksystem (SPW) software for system design and authoring of intellectual property (IP) used in digital communications and multimedia systems, such as third-generation cellular phones, digital cameras, wireless personal digital assistants (PDAs), and high-definition television (HDTV).
This revision includes tighter integration with the Cadence Affirma NC hardware description language (HDL) simulators for efficient cross-level debugging; enhanced libraries for third-generation cell phone design; the capability to change data-types without modification to the schematics; increased compilation and execution speed of up to 500 percent; and other productivity features, including simplified creation of parameterized IP.
Both the communications and multimedia libraries have been expanded. The communications libraries now include baseband and physical layer processing for wideband code-division multiple access (CDMA) systems according to the 3G partnership project (3GPP) standards, as well as antenna models, and design examples of 3G video cellphone systems.
Multimedia libraries now support JPEG2000 and MPEG2 standards and feature a video quality tester that accelerates verification of video systems, such as digital camera, HDTV, and video cellphone. The libraries feature polymorphic technology, which automatically converts any block or model between floating-point, fixed-point, and other representations. This enables efficient system exploration by allowing parameters to be modified throughout the design flow compared to traditional approaches that require editing and modification of the actual model to convert to other representations.
The Cierto IP block wizard can import languages including C, MATLAB, DSP Cores, and hardware description languages, for the creation of parameterized IP. Its template process allows the user to create parameters, such as bit width, port designations, and data types, as well as add behavioral features to the model. The created IP blocks can then be combined to create a complete system.
In addition to productivity improvements, enhancements in execution speed have resulted from improved code efficiency and reductions in overall cycle time for code generation, compilation, and debugging.
For greater levels of integration, the Cierto signal processing worksystem C-language and HDL models can be exported to the Cadence virtual component co-design (VCC) products, which will be available in production later this year. VCC is the an environment for the rapid evaluation of system architecture through the co-design and reuse of software and hardware IP at the system level.
The Cierto signal processing worksystem also links to the Cadence Affirma Spectre RF analog simulator providing a complete end-to-end model radio frequency (RF) to baseband DSP solution for wireless applications. The radio RF model from the Affirma Spectre RF circuit simulator can be exported to the Cierto signal processing worksystem where it simulates faster than with other solutions.
Methodology services and custom consulting as well as modeling services are available to help customers accelerate the adoption of the Cierto signal processing worksystem into their design environment and use features and capabilities.
Cierto signal processing worksystem is available for UNIX-based workstations from Sun Microsystems and Hewlett-Packard at a U.S. list price starting at $50,000.
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