A message thread on our site got me thinking about a very practical problem I face when traveling. Let's say that I am carrying my laptop for business, a tablet or e-reader for entertainment, and my cellphone for the usual purposes. After a five-hour flight, I have a layover, and I need to charge any…
By all indications, 2012 will be a tough year for the electronics industry and most other players in the global economy. Rather than improving, the fiscal and debt troubles in Europe seem to be spreading. The news that borrowing costs for Spain and France have soared to 10-year highs adds to problems in Italy where…
The move to 450mm semiconductor wafer size will inevitably be an inflection point for the industry, with enormous ramifications for the complete semiconductor ecosystem. Those firms with 450mm capability will enjoy a huge competitive advantage of staying on the More Moore node development roadmap, a potential 30 percent lower die cost advantage, and a more…
Would you buy a Chevy Volt hybrid vehicle if you could lay your hands on one? Would I? While test driving the vehicle over a period of four days last week, I sought the views of a few regular folks. They generally liked the car, found it comfortable, and thought the technology inside amazing. Everyone…
As promised, I've taken possession of a Chevy Volt, a gasoline-and-electric vehicle being marketed as a green or environmentally friendly vehicle. It's parked in my driveway in all its red fire truck glory with the Avnet Express logo splashed on the hood and a side sticker from TE Connectivity. After a brief ride to the…
Recent statistics from Internet World Stats rank Latin America at the top for Internet user growth over the last decade. Unfortunately, if we consider Internet penetration ratio as a key factor to analyze usage across the globe, the region is ranked at the bottom. LATINCOM 2011, the most important conference on communications in Latin America,…
This year, {complink 103|Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD)} made its presence known at Comic-Con. It was the sponsor for the annual Eisner Awards — the “Oscars” of the comics industry. More importantly, AMD had a large demo area for PC gaming at the Omni Hotel. In addition, across the street at a local pub, more…
Frequent readers of the Semico Spin know that I am a fan of ComicCon and attend it in San Diego during my family vacation. This is the eighth year in a row we have attended. And as I say every year, there were more nerds than you can shake a light saber at. For those…
As I've previously mentioned, I'm curious about what seems to have become an international obsession with finding the next great Silicon Valley. I don't understand the need for an over-the-top branding effort to give one's city, province, or country a special high-tech tag. Nevertheless, I like watching how innovation moves across regions, wins financial investment,…
This past April, at the annual Electronic Resellers Association International (ERAI) Executive Conference in Las Vegas, Phil Zulueta, chairman of the G-19 Counterfeit Electronic Parts Committee, addressed a crowd of hundreds of independent distributors of electronic components and asked the question: “Who has not had any issues with counterfeit parts?” Crickets. Not one single hand…