Engineers’ Must-Reads This Week
(June 30 – July 06, 2010)

Automotive chip market set to grow 23.5 percent in 2010, says Gartner
(EE Times 07/05/2010 Peter Clarke)
LONDON—The automotive semiconductor market will grow 23.5 percent in 2010 after declining 21.7 percent in 2009, according to market research company Gartner.

European Batteries opens Finnish plant
(EE Times 07/01/2010 Anne-Francoise Pele)
PARIS—Finland-based European Batteries Oy announces it has inaugurated a lithium-ion battery plant which manufactures large, lithium-ion based battery packs and systems in Varkaus, Finland.

Rapid growth seen for wireless charging devices
(EE Times 06/30/2010 Dylan McGrath)
SAN FRANCISCO—Market research firm iSuppli Corp forecasts nearly 235 million electronics devices with wireless charging capability to ship in 2014, a 65-fold increase from the 3.6 million expected to ship this year.

Gaming and HD video slow decline of desktop PC sales
(IET 07/05/2010 James Hayes)
The emerging trend for buying bigger computers for gaming and video management applications slows the decline in sales of the conventional desktop PCs.
 
Android phone gets a features reboot
(Inquirer.net 07/04/2010 Raquel Gomez)
More phone makers appear to be opting for the Android mobile operating system–an open source platform developed by Google to run their new smartphones.

Interpol calls on Web surfers to help catch fugitives
(Inquirer.net 07/06/2010 AFP)
LYON—International police agency Interpol urges Internet users to help track down hundreds of fugitives wanted for murder, rape, child sexual abuse, and other serious crimes.

Estonia exports e-government worldwide
(Inquirer.net 07/05/2010 Anneli Reigas)
TALLINN—IT titan Estonia exports its e-government technology and expertise across the globe, currently preparing new projects for the Palestinian territories, Afghanistan, and Haiti.

(Published 08 July 2010, Smart Communications, Inc.)