(2) XILINX
Xilinx starts sampling 65-nm FPGAs
eeProductCenter's Peter Clarke says: "Field-programmable gate array vendor Xilinx Inc. has said it has started sampling its first FPGAs made using 65-nanometer manufacturing process technology to customers. The Virtex-5 LX FPGAs are the first of four domain-optimized platforms due to be launched in 65-nm, the company said. "

Readers say:
» "Excellent product."
» "Great, always need more."
» "The amazing capability and capability to support space based missions will make these devices useful for many applications."
» "High performance and low power consumption are key to growth in this market space."
» "It doesn't seem like the Virtex 4 spent much time on the market before the 5 was released. I think a lot of developers will be jumping straight to 5 from II."
» "Need to add Rocket I/O to V5."
» "Its cool that the high end range is increasing, but we want to get the most out of the low end chips first."
» "Not enough to make me change from Altera... yet."
» "Xilinx continues to push the technology for FPGA devices. We hope that this will also lower prices for other families."
» "Great for reconfigurable computing applications!"

USABILITY RANK: 2

(3) CYPRESS SEMICONDUCTOR
PC motherboard clock supports multiple processors and chipsets
eeProductCenter's Ismini Scouras says: "Cypress Semiconductor Corp. has developed a universal clock generator that supports processors and chipsets from multiple vendors, including Intel, AMD, VIA and Silicon Integrated Systems (SiS), simplifying inventory requirements for motherboard makers. "

Readers say:
» "Good product."
» "These have excellent applications for mid-processing bandwidth optimization if not other possibilities beyond just configuration."

USABILITY RANK: 6

(4) NATIONAL SEMICONDUCTOR
High-speed buffers, multiplexers tout ultra-low jitter of 25-picoseconds
eeProductCenter's Ismini Scouras says: "National Semiconductor Corp. has introduced four current-mode logic (CML) signal-conditioning buffers and multiplexers with 25-picoseconds of jitter, which the company claims is the best signal integrity in the industry. "

Readers say:
» "Good product."
» "Higher speed differential signaling is becoming very important for space based instruments and missions. The parts lead the way to more capability."
» "Send me samples!"

USABILITY RANK: 7

(5) XILINX
Tool suite hits the market for 65-nm Virtex-5 FPGAs
eeProductCenter's Ismini Scouras says: "Just six weeks after the Virtex-5 FPGA launch, Xilinx Inc. has made available the Integrated Software Environment (ISE) 8.2i tool suite that is tailored to support its 65-nm devices"

Readers say:
» "Complicated product."

USABILITY RANK: 3

(6) TEXAS INSTRUMENTS
Integrated OHCI Link/PHY squeezes 1394b interface into more notebooks
eeProductCenter's Ismini Scouras says: "Aiming to cram the 1394b interface into more notebooks and PCs, Texas Instruments Inc. launched an integrated open host controller that stacks two link and physical layer (PHY) devices into a package that's less than half the size of existing 1394b silicon. "

Readers say:
» "The usage of Firewire in Laptops is likely to substantially increase with this device (needed) & will be useful in storing Mini-DV video's on CD / DVDs. Good market study by TI again."

USABILITY RANK: 8

(7) INFINEON
Single-chip home gateway supports triple-play services
eeProductCenter's Ismini Scouras says: "An ADSL chip named Danube from Infineon Technologies AG recently hit the market for home equipment manufacturers in the ADSL2+ and broadband IAD (integrated access device) space. "

Readers say: » "Has good performance."
» "High functionality and low part count is a definite winner."
» "Sounds like a Niche market solution."

USABILITY RANK: 10

(8) PHILIPS
Chip maker launches logic products based on 1-MHz Fast-mode plus spec
eeProductCenter's Ismini Scouras says: "Royal Philips Electronics has developed its first I²C logic devices based on the Fast-mode Plus (Fm+) specification, which goes up to a 1-MHz frequency compared with 400-kHz of Fast-mode. "

Readers say:
» "I like it, because it saves pinout in any system."
» "We use I2C extensively for robust microcontroller expansion. Great product."

USABILITY RANK: 4

(9) ALTERA
Quartus II FPGA software version 6.0 sharply boosts productivity
eeProductCenter's Ismini Scouras says: "With an eye toward helping FPGA designers improve productivity, Altera Corp. has made two key enhancements to its latest version of Quartus II design software. Quartus II software version 6.0 features the TimeQuest timing analyzer, a timing analysis tool that provides comprehensive native support for the industry-standard Synopsys Design Constraints (SDC) format. The latest software also includes an expanded team-based design feature that manages team collaboration of high-density designs. Both technology advancements were made to meet customer requirements at 90-nm and lay the groundwork for the next wave of devices at 65-nm. "

Readers say:
» "Good performance."
» "Still not incentive enough to switch from Xilinx FPGA and tools - the learning curve looks scarier more now than it ever did."
» "This article fails to mention the other features of Quartus - it focuses almost entirely on the timing analysis etc - needs at least a final paragraph to include other Quartus options and features."
» "Altera delivers superior tools to aid productivity in FPGA design."

USABILITY RANK: 5

(10) NEC ELECTRONICS
PCIe to PCI/PCI-X bridge offers low power, thin profile
eeProductCenter's Ismini Scouras says: "NEC Electronics America Inc. expanded its PCI Express (PCIe) chip portfolio to include a low-power, single-port PCIe-to-PCI/PCI-X bridge chip.

With a small form factor of 17 square millimeters (mm), the low-power uPD720405 bridge device is suitable for networking and storage applications that have stringent space limitations, such as workstation and server motherboards and low-profile cards."

Readers say:
» "Excellent product."

USABILITY RANK: 9