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Microchip Announces Low-Cost 32-bit MCUs w/ Ethernet, CAN & USB
Microchip Technology Inc. has announced a new, six-member family of 32-bit PIC32MX5/6/7 microcontrollers that provides the same integrated Ethernet, CAN, USB and serial connectivity peripherals with new, more cost-effective memory options.
Dual Output Synchronous Step-Down DC/DC Controller
Linear Technology Corporation announces the LTC3880/-1, a dual output high efficiency synchronous step-down DC/DC controller with I2C-based PMBus interface for digital power system management. The LTC3880/-1 allows for digital programming and read back for real-time control and monitoring of critical point-of-load converter functions.
UniFETT II MOSFETs Optimize Consumer Power Converters
Fairchild Semiconductor has developed an optimized power MOSFET, the UniFETT II MOSFET, which features an improved body diode, reduced switching losses and the capability of withstanding double the current stress during diode recovery dv/dt mode.
RF Micro Devices Unveils Broadband 6-Bit Digital Step Attenuators
RF Micro Devices has announced the launch of its broadband 6-bit digital step attenuator product portfolio, with the availability of the RFSA2614 and the RFSA2624. The devices are optimized for operation across multiple market segments, including 3G/4G/LTE cellular infrastructure, WiMAX, wireless backhaul and other high-performance wireless communications applications.
LED Driver ICs for General Lighting
Power Integrations has announced seven new members of its popular LinkSwitch-PH family of LED driver ICs. The integrated PFC and CC functions allow multiple drivers to be connected in parallel to drive exterior and street area lights efficiently and with functional redundancy.
TI expands MSP430 MCU Value Line
Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) today announced 64 new ultra-low-power MSP430 Value Line microcontrollers (MCUs) that offer 16-bit performance at an 8-bit price. The new MSP430G2xx2 MCUs include integrated capacitive touch IOs, allowing developers to interface directly with capacitive touch pads, eliminating the need for additional hardware and components.
Nordic Semiconductor launches its first µBlue chip
Ultra low power (ULP) RF specialist Nordic Semiconductor ASA has launched the µBlue nRF8001. By delivering sub 12.5mA peak currents and connected mode average currents as low as sub 12µA (for 1s connection intervals), µBlue nRF8001represents the industry's lowest power Bluetooth low energy solution.
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The basic structure of the electric grid today is not much different than it was 100 years ago, other than the fact that it supplies AC rather than DC. Reasons for modernizing the grid include reducing costs; using more renewables; improving reliability; and supporting electric vehicle recharging. NIST has finished reviewing the various protocols for the Smart Grid and is now passing that information back to industry to work out standards. In Arnold's words, "Things are about to become very contentious and argumentative" as standards are hashed out. 
The team at Disney Research has been working on the Tesla Touch prototype for almost a year. Tesla Touch is a touchscreen feedback technology that relies on the principles of electrovibration to simulate textures on a user's fingertips. This article expands on the overview of the technology I wrote earlier, and it is based on a recent demonstration meeting at CES that I had with Ivan Poupyrev and Ali Israr, members of the Tesla Touch development team. 
The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) has loosened its definition of 4G to include LTE, WiMAX, and HSPA+. Clearly, this was caving in to the claims of the operators who are now plastering 4G on anything that has higher data speeds than 3G. So, when LTE-Advanced arrives, you can bet that the carriers will be calling it 5G...assuming that they haven't begun to incorporate that terminology with their next half-step up from "4G." 
