Friday, March 26, 2010

The Latest Bluetooth Technology

There has been a surge in technology that is making things more and more convenient for the everyday person. One of these wonderful inventions is the Bluetooth device for cell phones. These devices are not only a great way of taking the hassles out of everyday life, but they have been known to actually save a few lives in the process. One of the most dangerous things you can do is drive while talking on a phone. Everywhere you look there are people with a cell phone held to their ear while driving down the road. This will distract you and can cause serious if not fatal accidents.

If you have a Bluetooth device it will enable you to talk hands free on your cell phone and still be able to pay attention to everything around you. It enables you to have both hands on the wheel instead of one hand holding the cell phone and the other hand on the steering wheel. With Bluetooth devices you simply put it in your ear and link it to your phone. When you get a call you can speak hands free and stay safe.

Most phones these days are all Bluetooth enabled and linking a device to your phone is as easy as dialing a phone number anymore. The main thing you have to remember is to turn on the Bluetooth setting on your phone so that it can find the device and link with it. Once you have that down, you are all set to talk on your cell phone without any distractions.

Bluetooth is not only just about ear pieces either; you can also link devices together such as your cell phone and laptop in order to download your favorite songs for ringtones. Or you can link two cell phones together using Bluetooth technology to share your favorite ring tones, songs, pictures, and even videos. This lets you skip the problem of having to buy a specific cable to connect your phone to your computer like the older phones used. You can definitely see how the devices have helped ease frustrations.

Puck is a grandfather who writes articles in his spare time. You can check out his latest work on bluetooth about best stereo bluetooth headset and also new information about the bluetrek stereo bluetooth headset.

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Headsets - The New Technology Based Devices

Now a days, the technology is improving very fast in the telecommunication sector. The development of headsets is also the out come of an advanced technology. The working system of these earbuds is similar to telephones. While at the receiving end, a change alights and the incoming electronic signals get converted into the sound.

These days, having different attributes they come in diverse designs and shapes in the market. There are number of mobile phone producers who always stay engaged in presenting the high-tech model of these gadgets because of a drastic improvement in technology. Having various latest wonderful attributes such as microphones and sound controls, they are available in trendy and translucent look. Wireless headphone is acknowledged as the most recent version of them. You don't have to connect it to any other gadget physically through wires, these devices can perform their task properly. Using the latest technologies like Bluetooth, the users are can listen songs without making physical connection with your desktops or laptops.

There are numerous applications which can be attained using headphones these are attachable to compact and portable widgets such as laptops, desktops, mobile phones, DVD player, iPods and other audio players and mp3 players. In addition to this, they are also utilised in BPO industries where people have to attend or make number of calls every day.

Headsets enables the user to enjoy personal music experience or to interact with your buddies. One can move anywhere within the limited range, while using wireless headphones. Their function easier to operate just like a cordless phones. The application using which it is based on similar to cordless phone's application. These devices proves very useful especially at the time when you don't want to disturb your family members and want to watch a film at the same time.

About The Author:-
Dennis Jaylon is a renowned business writer who has years of experience in writing technical reviews, product descriptions and product feature analysis of technical gizmos like Headsets, home phones, DECT Phones, Telephones, Cordless Phones, Panasonic Phones.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dennis_Jaylon

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Characteristics

  1. Embedded systems are designed to do some specific task, rather than be a general-purpose computer for multiple tasks. Some also have real-time performance constraints that must be met, for reasons such as safety and usability; others may have low or no performance requirements, allowing the system hardware to be simplified to reduce costs.
  2. Embedded systems are not always standalone devices. Many embedded systems consist of small, computerized parts within a larger device that serves a more general purpose. For example, the Gibson Robot Guitar features an embedded system for tuning the strings, but the overall purpose of the Robot Guitar is, of course, to play music.[2] Similarly, an embedded system in an automobile provides a specific function as a subsystem of the car itself.
  3. The program instructions written for embedded systems are referred to as firmware, and are stored in read-only memory or Flash memory chips. They run with limited computer hardware resources: little memory, small or non-existent keyboard and/or screen.

History

In the earliest years of computers in the 1930-40s, computers were sometimes dedicated to a single task, but were far too large and expensive for most kinds of tasks performed by embedded computers of today. Over time however, the concept of programmable controllers evolved from traditional electromechanical sequencers, via solid state devices, to the use of computer technology.

One of the first recognizably modern embedded systems was the Apollo Guidance Computer, developed by Charles Stark Draper at the MIT Instrumentation Laboratory. At the project's inception, the Apollo guidance computer was considered the riskiest item in the Apollo project as it employed the then newly developed monolithic integrated circuits to reduce the size and weight. An early mass-produced embedded system was the Autonetics D-17 guidance computer for the Minuteman missile, released in 1961. It was built from transistor logic and had a hard disk for main memory. When the Minuteman II went into production in 1966, the D-17 was replaced with a new computer that was the first high-volume use of integrated circuits. This program alone reduced prices on quad nand gate ICs from $1000/each to $3/each, permitting their use in commercial products.

Since these early applications in the 1960s, embedded systems have come down in price and there has been a dramatic rise in processing power and functionality. The first microprocessor for example, the Intel 4004, was designed for calculators and other small systems but still required many external memory and support chips. In 1978 National Engineering Manufacturers Association released a "standard" for programmable microcontrollers, including almost any computer-based controllers, such as single board computers, numerical, and event-based controllers.

As the cost of microprocessors and microcontrollers fell it became feasible to replace expensive knob-based analog components such as potentiometers and variable capacitors with up/down buttons or knobs read out by a microprocessor even in some consumer products. By the mid-1980s, most of the common previously external system components had been integrated into the same chip as the processor and this modern form of the microcontroller allowed an even more widespread use, which by the end of the decade were the norm rather than the exception for almost all electronics devices.

The integration of microcontrollers has further increased the applications for which embedded systems are used into areas where traditionally a computer would not have been considered. A general purpose and comparatively low-cost microcontroller may often be programmed to fulfill the same role as a large number of separate components. Although in this context an embedded system is usually more complex than a traditional solution, most of the complexity is contained within the microcontroller itself. Very few additional components may be needed and most of the design effort is in the software. The intangible nature of software makes it much easier to prototype and test new revisions compared with the design and construction of a new circuit not using an embedded processor.

Examples of embedded systems

Embedded systems span all aspects of modern life and there are many examples of their use.

Telecommunications systems employ numerous embedded systems from telephone switches for the network to mobile phones at the end-user. Computer networking uses dedicated routers and network bridges to route data.

Consumer electronics include personal digital assistants (PDAs), mp3 players, mobile phones, videogame consoles, digital cameras, DVD players, GPS receivers, and printers. Many household appliances, such as microwave ovens, washing machines and dishwashers, are including embedded systems to provide flexibility, efficiency and features. Advanced HVAC systems use networked thermostats to more accurately and efficiently control temperature that can change by time of day and season. Home automation uses wired- and wireless-networking that can be used to control lights, climate, security, audio/visual, surveillance, etc., all of which use embedded devices for sensing and controlling.

Transportation systems from flight to automobiles increasingly use embedded systems. New airplanes contain advanced avionics such as inertial guidance systems and GPS receivers that also have considerable safety requirements. Various electric motors — brushless DC motors, induction motors and DC motors — are using electric/electronic motor controllers. Automobiles, electric vehicles, and hybrid vehicles are increasingly using embedded systems to maximize efficiency and reduce pollution. Other automotive safety systems such as anti-lock braking system (ABS), Electronic Stability Control (ESC/ESP), traction control (TCS) and automatic four-wheel drive.

Medical equipment is continuing to advance with more embedded systems for vital signs monitoring, electronic stethoscopes for amplifying sounds, and various medical imaging (PET, SPECT, CT, MRI) for non-invasive internal inspections.

In addition to commonly described embedded systems based on small computers, a new class of miniature wireless devices called motes are quickly gaining popularity as the field of wireless sensor networking rises. Wireless sensor networking, WSN, makes use of miniaturization made possible by advanced IC design to couple full wireless subsystems to sophisticated sensor, enabling people and companies to measure a myriad of things in the physical world and act on this information through IT monitoring and control systems. These motes are completely self contained, and will typically run off a battery source for many years before the batteries need to be changed or charged. An Embedded System is a combination of Hardware and Software that may have some mechanical components to perform specific tasks.

Embeded System

An embedded system is a special-purpose computer system designed to perform one or a few dedicated functions,[1] often with real-time computing constraints. It is usually embedded as part of a complete device including hardware and mechanical parts. In contrast, a general-purpose computer, such as a personal computer, can do many different tasks depending on programming. Embedded systems control many of the common devices in use today.

Since the embedded system is dedicated to specific tasks, design engineers can optimize it, reducing the size and cost of the product, or increasing the reliability and performance. Some embedded systems are mass-produced, benefiting from economies of scale.

Physically, embedded systems range from portable devices such as digital watches and MP4 players, to large stationary installations like traffic lights, factory controllers, or the systems controlling nuclear power plants. Complexity varies from low, with a single microcontroller chip, to very high with multiple units, peripherals and networks mounted inside a large chassis or enclosure.

In general, "embedded system" is not an exactly defined term, as many systems have some element of programmability. For example, Handheld computers share some elements with embedded systems — such as the operating systems and microprocessors which power them — but are not truly embedded systems, because they allow different applications to be loaded and peripherals to be connected.