Rambus has unveiled its Mobile XDR memory architecture for next-generation mobile devices. Based on Rambus’ Mobile Memory Initiative introduced last year, Mobile XDR offers a high-bandwidth, low-power memory architecture to enable advanced applications in next-generation mobile devices such as smart phones, netbooks, portable gaming and media devices.

CommAgility has unveiled a new module that provides a complete Digital Baseband design including L1 PHY (physical layer) L2 RLC/MAC (Radio Link Control/Media Access Control), S1/X2 interface and security processing for LTE (Long Term Evolution) or WiMAX in the compact single width, full-size Advanced Mezzanine Card (AMC) form factor.

For advanced wireless applications, the new CommAgility AMC-2C87W3 integrates the PHY, RLC/MAC, transport (including all backhaul and air interface security) and antenna connectivity requirements of eNodeB into a compact solution, and provides end-to-end data handling from raw radio IQ data through to backhaul IP packets.

It’s now ten years since we fretted over how the advent of the new millennium and spectre of the dreaded Y2K bugs would impact the world’s computer systems. Would it bring the global economy to a standstill? In the event the computers continued to function and the potential disaster scenarios never played out. Instead, a decade later, we have had to cope with a real and much more serious economic problem caused by the banks, those stuffy, ‘safe as houses’ institutions.

Harting’s Han Q 4/2 industrial connector – a high-current device that combined four power contacts rated at 40 A each along with two signal contacts rated at 10 A each – is now available with the company’s rapid wiring technology in a move designed to ease field assembly.

While the 40 A power contacts are connected using a standard hex key, the two 10 A signal contacts feature the Han-Quick Lock termination technology that dispenses with the need for special tools, requiring nothing more than a standard screwdriver.

Aeroflex has announced that its TM500 Test Mobile will be the first to market to support multiple UE (user equipment, or handset) emulation in conjunction with measurements for the 3GPP W-CDMA Release 8 DC-HSDPA (Dual Cell High-Speed Download Packet Access) standard.

The TM500 DC-HSDPA Multi-UE Test Mobile will enable 3G infrastructure equipment manufacturers to perform rigorous load testing. They can now test the performance of their DC-HSDPA base stations under conditions of increasing user demand, speeding up the development of infrastructure equipment and its deployment in networks.

C-MAC Technology has extended its agreement with CISSOID to integrate Vesuvio technology into high temperature DC-DC converter designs featuring Magma and Hyperion semiconductor devices. Following on from the successful 20 Watt module based around  the original ETNA chip set, these new state-of-the-art modules offer further improvements in efficiency and packaging density and provide multiple output voltages with life time operation at 225°C.

The extended product range will provide output voltages in the range of 1.2V up to 90% of V_IN at 2A and up to 50% reduction in physical size. Efficiencies of more than 90% above 200°C confirm the leading class position of the product family. Single, dual and triple output voltage modules as well as higher current versions will be available over the coming months.

According to a new report from iSuppli, while the global electronics contract manufacturing industry is set to return to growth in 2010 after a painful 2009, the market still faces major uncertainties over the coming twelve months.

Worldwide revenue generated by the two segments of the contract manufacturing business -  i.e., Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) providers and Original Design Manufacturers (ODMs) - is set to rise to $280.8 billion in 2010, up 7.8 percent from $260.5 billion in 2009. This follows a 13.4 percent decline in 2009 that was spurred by the global economic recession and the resulting electronics downturn.

Ray Alderman talks to Steve Rogerson in our new series of interviews for CIEonline.

Ray Alderman has been executive director of Vita (VME bus International Trade Association) since 1998 and before that he was technical director.

His experience includes four years in military intelligence during the Vietnam war, and he has degrees in business and accounting and computer engineering. He has held positions in mainframe hardware and software engineering, and was a certified microprocessor engineer for several semiconductor companies as well as founder and partner in two start-up board and systems companies and president and CEO of a $40m board vendor. He claims he has been a general irritant to the technology industry for the past 30 odd years.