The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) Unmanned Systems 2014, in sunny Orlando, Florida, was a veritable bonanza for cool aerospace and military hardware. Walking through the hallowed halls of the Orange County Convention Center and witnessing the latest wares from Sikorsky, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, i-Robot, and various other big and small names, […]
Solar-powered UAS provides “silent operation”
Imagine a flying Prius (in electric mode) with all the blather of a mime and you’ve got the Silent Falcon sUAS. This solar-powered small unmanned aerial system (sUAS) was one of the cooler wares on display at the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) Unmanned Systems 2014 in sunny Orlando, Florida. Unmanned systems are […]
ECN IMPACT Awards honors outstanding achievement in design engineering
On Tuesday, May 6th, ECN held its first annual IMPACT Awards, honoring outstanding achievement in electronic design and headlining a marvelous EDS 2014. The awards recognized the top products and services across 18 categories spanning the design engineering landscape, and in 2013, the industry beheld no shortage of innovation. The IMPACT Awards acknowledged unparalleled engineering […]
EDS 2014: IHS chief discusses technologies that will shape our future
As the “leading provider of diverse global market and economic information”, IHS provides a fascinating perspective on EDS — the “premier annual event for the main players in the international electronics industry.” On Wednesday morning, Dale Ford, Vice President of IHS Technology, was on hand to discuss the state and future of the global electronics market. […]
Vishay wins top prize at prestigious Supplier Excellence Awards
Since 1995, TTI has recognized the industry’s achievements in distribution with the Supplier Excellence Awards, and 2014 saw a number of repeat honorees, including a 14-time winner and a company which took home a trophy every year since the program’s inception in ’95. Read: TTI kicks off EDS 2014 with the “Unbreakable Supply Chain” Melanie […]
TTI kicks off EDS 2014 with the “Unbreakable Supply Chain”
EDS bills itself as the “premier distribution event of the year”, and fittingly, the festivities kicked off with a breakfast/networking event hosted by TTI, a Fort Worth-based distributor of passive, interconnect, and electromechanical components on pace for $3 billion+ in worldwide sales in 2014. You may recall that, in 2000, TTI acquired Mouser Electronics, a […]
Samsung dupes Obama: Why “selfie advertising” needs to stop
What do President Obama, Brad Pitt, and Jennifer Lawrence have in common? They’ve all become unwitting props in a viral Samsung advertising campaign that relies on spontaneity, selfies, and tricking people — including the most powerful man in the world — into becoming brand ambassadors. And it needs to stop. You’ve probably seen the viral […]
Stop the madness! Facebook’s purchase of Oculus won’t trigger Armageddon
The alternate title for this piece could’ve been “The Internet entitlement mentality” (part II), because that’s what Facebook’s acquisition of Oculus has triggered in millions of disgruntled techies and industry analysts. And it stinks. Read: The Internet entitlement mentality On Tuesday, March 25, Facebook acquired Oculus VR for approximately $2 billion, which includes $400 million […]
Would You Mortgage Your Home for a TV?
Because the forthcoming 105-inch curved Ultra-HD OLED TVs from Samsung and LG can’t possibly fit any reasonable definition of “affordable.” But then, CES — the “global stage for innovation” — is no stranger to expensive toys that no one can afford (check out last year’s 110-inch 4K monstrosity from Samsung). This year, the two South Korean […]
Amazon’s drone-delivery service is a pipe dream (for now)
Forget same-day delivery. Amazon wants to make 30-minute deliveries a reality with a quasi-futuristic fleet of miniature drones. But for a service built on speed, “Amazon Prime Air” may have a long shelf life. Don’t hold your breath (or place your orders) anytime soon. By now, you’ve heard the breathless reports touting Amazon’s 30-minute drone […]