Sensors, radio transmitters and GPS modules all feature low power consumption. All it takes is a few milliwatts to run them. Energy from the environment -- from sources such as light or vibrations -- may be enough to meet these requirements. A new measurement device can determine whether or not the energy potential is high enough.
A group of researchers at the University of California, Riverside Bourns College of Engineering have developed a technique to keep cool a semiconductor material used in everything from traffic lights to electric cars.
Gallium Nitride (GaN), a semiconductor material found in bright lights since the 1990s, is used in wireless applications due to its high efficiency and high voltage operation. However, the applications and market share of GaN electronics is limited because it is difficult to remove heat from them.
The development of a new combination of polymers associating sugars with oil-based macromolecules makes it possible to design ultra-thin films capable of self-organization with a 5-nanometer resolution. This opens up new horizons for increasing the capacity of hard discs and the speed of microprocessors.
Here is good news for those who can’t afford smartphones. As the penetration of social networks over mobile devices is on constant rise, the two Indian phone device vendors- Micromax and Spice-- are all set to launch smart-feature phones next month. Enabled with MRE technology, the handsets will facilitate differential experience to customers with hundreds of applications and services. Vikas Jain, business director, Micromax, said that the company wants to offer unparalleled experience to its customers on sub-Rs.5,000 phone device.
Taiwan-based mobile handsets chipset manufacturer MediaTek signed a deal with social networking site Facebook to bring the site on entry level feature phones through its new solution-MRE. "Under this partnership we will integrate Facebook into MediaTek mobile platform solutions. This truly enriches the end user experience and increases more premium value for handset vendors," said MediaTek corporate vice president Cheng-Te Chuang.
Heeding to the request of stakeholders, TRAI has extended the deadline for comments on mobile wireless broadband services (4G/LTE) to November 30. The regulator had issued a pre-consultation paper on August 19 seeking industry comments. TRAI in a statement said, "In view the request of the stakeholders for extension of time for sending their comments and also the importance of the issue, all the stakeholders may now submit their written comments by November 30, 2011, and counter comments by December 7, 2011."