Blog Review: Nov. 27

Synopsys’ Brent Gregory is looking at real-world experiments to figure out which EDA software is better. Make sure to check out his stats.

Cadence’s Brian Fuller interviews two Samsung engineers in a video about the image technology in smart phone cameras and just how far it’s progressed. Hint: Don’t forget to charge your phone on your next vacation.

Mentor’s Colin Walls points out an interesting use for embedded hypervisors—security in automotive, industrial and medical systems. As he points out, hypervisors have been around for decades. But this emphasis definitely is a new spin on this technology.

ARM’s Steve McIntyre brings together a group of Debian aficionados for, among other things, “focused hacking.” Beware of the USB with the conference “proceedings.”

Semico Research’s Susan Cadel notes that the healthcare market isn’t just some mobile chip fad. It’s here to stay and ultimately will reshape our lives.

Synopsys’ Marc Greenberg questions whether mobile DRAM shipments will surpass PC DRAM next year. Here’s yet another indication of where things are heading.

Cadence’s Richard Goering digs into the different slices of static timing analysis, concluding that statistical on-chip variation may be the real sweet spot for this technology. Time will tell.

If you think your smart phone has a great display, think again. Applied Materials’ Kerry Cunningham finds some amazing new low-power screen technology at the FPD International show in Japan.

Mentor’s John Day looks at the management of connected cars. Here’s a new term: controller-area network, or CAN.

Synopsys’ Hannah Conrad offers some advice on using Facebook to improve your professional self. All you need now is an account.

ARM’s Ralf Kopsch rolls out a six-minute video tutorial of the company’s microcontroller debug and trace technology. With an emphasis on increasingly smart MCUs, these kinds of tools will be required.

Semico Research’s Adrienne Downey reports on a panel at the Semico Impact conference about security and the Internet of Things. You left how many doors open?

Synopsys’ Eric Huang has discovered a USB-powered humidifier. Who would have guessed?

And in case you missed the most recent System-Level Design Newsletter, here are some standout blogs:

– Mentor’s Jon McDonald says it’s no longer just about software. It’s much more complex.

– Cadence’s Frank Schirrmeister notes that even a system is getting harder to define because it incorporates far more than just the SoCs in the cloud servers, a smart phone or wearable sensors.

– Real Intent’s Graham Bell looks at the need for smarter debug reporting to improve quality.

– Synopsys’ Tom De Schutter examines the relationship between virtual prototypes and alternate worlds.

– Accellera’s Yatin Trivedi points to where to find standards downloads and explains what they’re all about.

– And Arteris’ Kurt Shuler refers to a Gartner report recommending network-on-chip technology for SoCs.