Video review of the Nokia E63 QWERTY smartphone

Nokia's E71 is a very popular smartphone in the company's business lineup, and it pushed the boundaries for Nokia in terms of design. But all of that metal and internal goodness costs money, so Nokia very wisely decided to take the best from the E71 in terms of form factor and design and put it into a device that won't tug so hard on a user's purse strings. The result is the Nokia E63, an inexpensive and yet still very good looking and capable QWERTY smartphone.

Design and Phone Features

The E63 from Nokia features a trimmed down feature set when compared with the original E71. GPS, HSDPA high-speed data, and the auto-focus camera have been removed. The E63 does still offer base level 3G support and a 2 megapixel camera, though, so all is not lost. The dedicated volume control and power buttons, though, are lost....

The build quality of the E63 is really excellent. The plastics used for the cover are of high quality, and the soft-touch rear cover not only resists fingerprints, but it also offers better grip. The only sign of cheapness at all to be found on the phone is the plug that covers the 3.5mm headphone socket. It's unattached and risks being lost. In spite of that, and the missing volume control (you must use the d-pad) and dedicated power button, many people are actually going to prefer the thicker body of the E63 to that of the more expensive E71.

The QVGA display on the E63 is very nice. It's not huge, at 2.4" across the diagonal, but it's bright and colorful and features an automatic brightness adjustment sensor. The keyboard is compact, but pleasant to use overall, and the d-pad and the keys that surround it are all very well designed.

The E63 comes in three different versions, each of which sport quad-band GSM/EDGE and two bands of UMTS 3G support. The version we tested was not the one destined for North America, though, so we were unable to test 3G data. WiFi, on the other hand, was available and worked well, but the overall connection management system used on the E63 is less than ideal. Bluetooth is also on board, and USB connectivity is provided through a micro-USB connector.

Call audio quality with the E63 is good, but not fantastic, lacking some of the crispness we had hoped for. The speakerphone worked better than we had expected, though. Reception from the internal antenna was very good, and the speaker independent voice dialing application is very handy. I also love how many Nokia smartphones, like the E63, can announce a caller's name when a call is inbound.

The contacts system on the E63 is very complete, and searching from the standby screen is simple. There are a number of profiles on the device that can be configured, and they can be easily accessed by pressing the red call end key from the Nokia Active Standby screen, which features Nokia's unique mode-switching system for quickly reconfiguring the phone for either work or play.

Design and Calling Features

 

Continues : Mobileburn

Weekly Top 10: Nokia N97, Eee PC 1002HA, Holiday Shopping Deals

The big sales days are behind us, but retailers continue to offer nice deals in sales event this week. See the latest offers in our Holiday Sales Shopping News.
Nokia unleashed there most powerful smartphone yet with the Nokia N97. With touchscreen and keyboard it wants to tackle the iPhone in Q1 2009.
We just got our hands on a brand new Asus Eee PC. The Asus Eee PC 1002HA will replace the Eee PC 1000. See our photo gallery of the Eee PC 1002HA. The full review comes Monday.

If you still need gift ideas and check out our huge Top 100 Holiday Tech-Gift Guide.

See also our latest Tech Video Reports.

Source : http://www.i4u.com/

Nokia Siemens Networks doubles EDGE speeds

Siemens Networks has successfully field tested the world’s first Downlink Dual Carrier EDGE end-to-end call with mobile devices, hence proving EDGE network data speeds can be doubled. The software-based solution can drive EDGE speeds up to 592 kbps on existing EDGE-capable GSM networks without major network investments.

Dual Carrier is based on the 3GPP release 7 standard and Nokia Siemens Networks has additional plans to further double the end user experience in up- and downlink performance with the introduction of the technology called EGPRS 2B. As a result, downlink speeds could go up to 1.2 Mbps and and uplink speed up to 473 kbps.

See where’s this going? We could see carriers in emerging markets getting almost-as-3G data speeds without spending tons of cash on new infrastructure. Sounds promising, I tell you that…

[Via: PhoneScoop and Intomobile]

Nokia 2605 Mirage Phone Available Via Verizon @ $49.99

Nokia and Verizon Wireless made announcement about the launching of their latest mobile device, named ‘Nokia 2605 Mirage’.

Targeting young generation and fashion-conscious users, the new clamshell phone has dimensions of 3.22 x 1.65 x 0.62 inches with a weight of just 2.32 oz.

The Nokia 2605 comes with a 1.8 inch internal display screen with 262K colors and 128 x 160 pixels, a 1.2 inch external display with 65K colors and 128 x 128 pixels, a VGA resolution camera with video recording capability and dedicated buttons.  

The Nokia 2605 phone, which integrates the Verizon VZ GPS Navigator and the Chaperone Parent/Child tracking service, also features snap-on faceplates that permit users change from the stock blue to a variety of colors or patterns.

The other astounding features of Nokia 2605 include Mobile Web Mail, VZ Navigator, Bluetooth 2.0, VGA camera, Speakerphone, Voice recognition , Talk time: up to 210 minutes, Standby time: up to 240 hours, a speakerphone, support for VZ Navigator and Chaperone, voice commands, personal organizer options, a 500-contact phone book, messaging, and a Web browser.

Nokia 2605 is a perfect phone to gift and will be available online through Verizon’s official website for $49.99 (approx. Rs 2, 470) along with a two year service contract and a $50 mail in rebates.

Retail units are following much later and won't be available until January 23rd.

Source : http://www.topnews.in/

Nokia tops channel brand affinity survey

Nokia mobile communications proved the highest ranked brand across the Australian channel, according to IDG’s new Brand Affinity report.

Based on responses from more than 100 channel representatives, the survey found the brand with the highest affinity score was Nokia mobile communications, closely followed by HP’s printing division.

HP also took third position with servers, while Canon printers and VMware rounded out the top five. Infrastructure vendors also held strong positions as some of the most recognised brands, with Cisco networking and storage, Sun servers and APC’s business continuity tools all featuring in the top 10. HP’s business software came in ninth.

The IDG Brand Affinity survey listed 65 different brands across a variety of IT and telco categories including printers, notebooks, storage, servers, security, software and mobile communications. Respondents were asked to rank their perception of the vendors as positive, very positive, neutral or negative. Affinity scores were then tabulated based on the range of responses.

In the notebook space, HP and Toshiba chalked up the highest affinity scores and had positive responses of 86 per cent and 78 per cent, respectively. Cisco and Trend Micro garnered the best results for security, while Cisco took out the networking category.

In terms of the number of positive responses overall, Nokia (93 per cent), Canon printers (89 per cent) and HP’s printing unit (87 per cent) were clear winners. Server and storage categories performed well overall, with Sun, HP and IBM receiving above-average scores.

Australia’s two largest telcos had the lowest affinity scores and received the most number of negative votes. Twenty-seven per cent of respondents had a negative perception of Telstra, followed by Optus at 22 per cent. Across IT brands, Dell notebooks had the most negative responses (21 per cent).

Brands with the least penetration in the channel were Secure Computing, Serena Software and Macquarie Telecom.

The channel results are part of a broader brand survey conducted by IDG of 241 IT representatives across government and private sectors. Across all respondents, HP came out trumps with its printer and notebook brands, recording the highest affinity result.

Source : http://www.arnnet.com.au/

Australian “SOS” software app for Nokia phones could save lives

MySpot V.3 “tracking and safety” phone software has been released for Nokia and Symbian phones equipped with a GPS which can track workers such as security guards, nurses, at-risk ex-hospital patients or anyone needing the service, while also offering an “SOS panic button which instantly shows the exact location” of the person pressing the button.

Although any form of tracking device comes with notions of “Big Brother”, the need for some people to be legitimately tracked, coupled with GPS-equipped mobile phones, means a new generation of “sophisticated personal tracking” is now on offer to consumers and businesses.

The Australian developers of the MySpot SOS V.3 “Tracking and Safety” phone software say it has the “potential to save the lives of injured or threatened lone security guards, council workers and a range of night workers from paramedics, mental health nurses, office cleaning staff – in fact anyone who works alone -  and can be used to trace “lost and confused” Alzheimer’s patients plus keep an eye on patients discharged early from hospital.”

Australian “GPS specialists” GoFinder are distributing the application which “captures GPS location data at pre-set intervals controlled by the user and allows supervisors working from a home base laptop to monitor the location and safety of workers in the field at set, pre determined intervals.”

GoFinder spokesman Graham Thomas said: “Of course the software has many other uses apart from the more dramatic obvious life saving scenarios for lone workers in the field who may find themselves in difficult, dangerous and unforeseen circumstances of duress.

“Once installed, the software can also be used to provide a verifiable record of workers (such as a security guard on night rounds) exact location and the time he or she was at that location over a shift period – something which is often a point of contention between the security firm and their clients – and even between guards and management.

“With this software there will be irrefutable proof via a history report and therefore no basis for any argument or dispute whatsoever.

“For travellers, lone forestry workers and the like, the Gofinder Tracking and Safety Phone can  set out a series of electronic ‘breadcrumbs’ showing the exact trail on a Google Map plus the last recorded location, and the time that location was recorded.

“The Gofinder Tracking and Safety Phone enables employers to fulfil their legal workplace duty of care to employees working alone – but could also just as easily be used by parents wanting to ensure the safety of their children to or from school– or just out partying on Saturday night.

“The software works with any telco, is Symbian approved, easily downloaded and installed and doesn’t affect any existing functions.”

Continued on page 2, please read on.

Japan Hot Stocks-Trans Cosmos, Nintendo, Aoyama, Shinki, Otsuka

TOKYO, Dec 8 (Reuters) - The benchmark Nikkei average rose 5.4 percent and the broader TOPIX was 3.7 percent higher as of 0540 GMT on Monday. The following stocks were on the move:

**TRANS COSMOS SLIDES ON OPERATING LOSS WARNING**

Shares of Trans Cosmos Inc fell 12.3 percent to 576 yen after the company said it now expects to post an operating loss this year, citing weakening demand for its call centre and data entry businesses and widening losses in its venture capital division.

After the close on Friday, Trans Cosmos forecast a group operating loss of 2.8 billion yen for the year to March, compared with its prior estimate for a profit of 2.7 billion yen. It cut its sales forecast by 11 percent.

A company spokesman said the economic slowdown has led to a drop-off in demand for its data entry, call centre and digital marketing services, while a slump in the stock market has forced it to write down investments made by its venture capital unit. Earnings from its South Korean operations have also been hit by yen strength versus the won, he said.

Source : http://www.forbes.com/

Walmart Stocks Nintendo Wii For Online Sale

The Nintendo Wii video game console is currently sold out at Walmart, Best Buy and Circuit City. Walmart plans to stockpile the Wii console on its Web site starting Monday. The retailer will also offer bundles with extra controllers.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc will offer a special sale on Nintendo Co Ltd's Wii console on its Web site starting Monday. Some consoles will offer bundles with extra controllers. The Walmart Web site will offer the items while supplies last.

Wii is one of the most popular items to buy this holiday season. Other online retailers including Best Buy, Circuit City and Walmart are currently sold out.

Walmart will offer tens of thousands of the hard-to-get Wii. The special is only available on their Web site. The retailer will offer the Nintendo Wii console for $249 and a $329 value bundle which includes other items like an extra set of controllers.

Nintendo Wii accessories will also be offered on the Walmart Web site starting Monday. These hard to find items include certain Wii video games at a price of two for $30. Other certain accessories such as the Nintendo Wii Racing Wheel will be priced under $10.

Walmart has been the main target for cash-strapped consumers to who are seeking lower prices. The retailer is also gaining market share during the global recession as shoppers search for store discounts.

Source : http://www.newsoxy.com/

Sony: Blu-ray sales are encouraging

Sony believes its Blu-ray high-definition format has finally reached its "sweet point" and sales figures will soon prove this, according to an article published on Home Media Magazine.

During Black Friday chaos and the three days following, both Blu-ray hardware and movie sales were good, according to Sony Pictures Home Entertainment president David Bishop.  Popular movie "Hancock" sold 300,000 Blu-ray units during six days of release -- including Black Friday and the weekend -- with reports of retailers selling out of Blu-ray players, Bishop said.

"The positive in all this is the momentum we are getting from Blu-ray," Bishop told Home Media Magazine.  "It is continuing to grow and 200 percent to 300 percent year-over-year, and the ratio of Blu-ray and DVD sales continues to rise.  That calls for optimism.  For anyone who said that people would just go to digital and skip Blu-ray that has certainly proven not to be true.  Even if you took Blu-ray seperately as a revenue stream, it is probably 20 times larger than digital revenue"

Prior to Black Friday, analysts couldn't agree as to whether or not Blu-ray players would sell well; despite the steep price cuts, a struggling economy was expected to help slow down sales.

Consumers were hesitant to purchase a standalone Blu-ray player because of the extremely high retail price, but prices have dropped, and it'll be interesting to see if Sony, Samsung and other manufacturers will have sales success.  Sony assumes because a larger number of consumers are finally adopting Blu-ray, movie sales will also increase in the coming months as new Blu-ray owners look to purchase more movies.

Looking into the future, Sony obviously has an optimistic look towards Blu-ray sales:  "Well, it is a bit cloudy right now.  But again, I come back to the growth of Blu-ray and I think we are in for a nice ride upward.  The upside on all this depends on what happens at retail.  All things being equal, it should be another 150 percent growth rate for Blu-ray.  By and large we can count on that piece of the business because there is going to be a level of enthusiasm about the format that people will recognize as a value and go out and purchase."

Although it's true digital streaming isn't near as large as DVDs or Blu-ray, it seems more consumers are interested in being able to stream videos and other content directly to their TV.  Samsung and other manufacturers who are interested in supporting Netflix indicates manufacturers are willing to embrace streaming content as long as consumers still purchase the standalone player.

Source : http://www.cdfreaks.com

Win the Ultimate Sony Cyber-shot Digital Camera Package, a $540 Value!

This week's giveaway is a fabulous camera package from Sony! You can enter to win their Cyber-shot DSC-W170 Digital Camera plus a soft carrying case in pink or black, underwater marine pack, and Sony GPS unit, a value of $540!

Click here to enter to win the Ultimate Cyber-shot Digital Camera Package from Sony!

And, be sure to come back NEXT Monday to see what you could win in our next giveaway!

Online entries must be received between 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time ("ET") on 12/8/08 and 11:59 p.m. (ET) on 12/14/08. See Official Rules.

Used by permission of Sony Electronics Inc.

Source : http://www.celebrity-babies.com/

Sony releases second wave of Martini Movies

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is pouring a second wave of its Martini Movie line, filled with new-to-DVD titles targeting classic film buffs.

Featured titles, streeting Feb. 3 (prebook Dec. 11) at $19.94 SRP, span various decades and different genres. Older films include 1959 spy caper Our Man in Havana, based on the Graham Greene novel, and 1951’s Five, which follows the aftermath of a nuclear holocaust.

Also included are relatively current 1988 comedy Vibes with Jeff Goldblum, as well as ’70s films Gumshoe starring Albert Finney and Getting Straight with Candice Bergen.

Sony plans to target catalog-friendly online and book retailers.

“These are titles that have not been seen on DVD, and I feel they appeal to a new generation of DVD buyers who are open to a little bit of tasting and sampling of films they may not have heard of before,” said Marc Rashba, Sony marketing VP.

The studio hopes its Martini line will become a long-term pipeline for new-to-DVD titles.

Source : http://www.videobusiness.com/

Intel breaks record with optical CMOS device

Researchers from Intel Corp. have demonstrated a photo detector built in CMOS that the company claims is the highest performance optical component of its class to date. The avalanche photodetector (APD) described in a paper in the journal Nature Photonics shows the way to designs that could increase the distance or lower power and cost of optical links, Intel said.

The research effort is one of many small steps forward in silicon photonics in recent years from Intel. The company aims to commercialize some of its work in PC platforms in as little as two to three years, said Mario Paniccia, director of Intel's photonics lab who reported the advance.

Intel's APD achieved a gain-bandwidth product of 340 GHz, higher than any previous device made in any process technology. The metric is a broad measure of the component's signal amplification capability at any given speed.

"This is the first time a silicon photonics device has a better performance than a III-V device, in this case specifically indium phosphide," said Paniccia. "We started with goal of getting [in silicon] 90 percent of the performance of [more] exotic materials with an order of magnitude less cost, but we now have a silicon devoice that is better performance than anything measured in indium phosphide," he added.

APDs are primarily used today in relatively costly modules enabling optical links at 10 Gbits/second over tens of kilometers. The Intel APD could support devices with throughput up to 40 Gbits/s at an order of magnitude less cost, Intel said.

An APD amplifies an optical signal by creating tens or hundreds of electron pairs for every photon. The Intel device is something of a hybrid. It uses silicon as an amplifying material, however it also uses a layer of germanium as a light absorption region to allow operating in infrared wavelengths.

"The goal is to put as much of the photonics in silicon as possible, and I think we can do everything except the laser which requires a tiny piece of germanium," said Paniccia. "So it will be a hybrid device in future with a little indium phosphide as a light source," he added.

Intel worked on the project with two researchers from the University of California at Santa Barbara who held the previous record for an APD. "This APD utilizes the inherently superior characteristics of silicon for high-speed amplification to create world-class optical technology," said John Bowers, one of the UCSB professors, speaking in a press statement.

The research was funded in part by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. It was carried out at Numonyx, a non-volatile memory maker spun out of Intel.

Besides use in optical computer and communications links, technology based on the new device could be used to make highly sensitive infrared imaging systems and cameras. It could also be used to create more sensitive biochips or better fibre-to-the-home components.

"I think this is a core technology that has multiple applications goring forward, so it's quite exciting," said Paniccia.

The Intel lab has announced a handful of advances in silicon photonics in the last four years including work in light sources and modulators supporting data rates of 40 Gbits/s and beyond. Much work remains at the research level to create waveguides to channel photons, improve overall device sensitivity and optimize devices for commercial uses likely to initially focus on rates of 10-20 Gbit/s, said Paniccia.

Initially, optical links for PCs will appear at the board level in separate packaging from microprocessors, he added. "We are working to aggressively drive optics in our platforms, and you will see [commercial] optics in the next couple years," he predicted.

Source : http://www.eetimes.com/

Roadmap of future Intel Netbook chips surfaces

An Intel Netbook processor roadmap has emerged showing technology that extends to the 32-nanometer generation of silicon.

Future Netbook showed earlier this year at the Intel Developer's Forum

(Credit: Intel)

One recent version of Intel's handheld and Netbook roadmap shows a chip platform code-named Medfield, which will be based on next-generation 32-nanometer process technology. The roadmap is featured in a report by UBS Securities.

Medfield (2010) will be preceded by Pineview (2009), based on a 45-nanometer process--the manufacturing process currently used in Atom processors. (Note that Pineview has already been mentioned and discussed by other sources on the Web. It is cited in various articles as either a 45nm or 32nm chip.)

(For those keeping track of the confusing swirl of code names, Medfield would be the successor to Moorestown.)

Medfield would integrate the processor, memory controller, multimedia functions, and I/O (Input/Output) into a single chip. The I/O hub has typically been on a separate piece of silicon--as has the memory controller (for Intel silicon) until recently. Like the current Intel Atom lineup, dual-core designs will be offered.

Medfield would also have a PC-based graphics core, the report said.

The report also noted that "the concept of netbooks" will evolve "from from basic web page consumption to multimedia consumption including high-definition (HD) video." Battery life should improve from two to three hours to closer to five hours as wide area network connectivity is added such as WiMAX, 3G/HSPA, and/or LTE. Features such as GPS and touch screens will also be bolted on.

Netbooks are a relative newcomer to the computer industry. They are small--typically with displays less than 10 inches diagonally--weigh less than three pounds, and cheap, usually costing less than $400.

The form factor has been selling well but has become a somewhat controversial design. As this ZDNet video shows, users still aren't quite sure about the utility of the device, since it falls in a gray area between smartphones and ultraportable notebooks.

On the mobile Internet device (MID) front--Intel's platform for handheld devices--the report said that while Moorestown will be based on the Lincroft processor and Langwell chipset, as Intel has indicated in the past, the Lincroft graphics core will come from Imagination Technologies, like the Atom (Silverthorne) Poulsbo chipset today.

Imagination is the same company that licenses PowerVR technology to Samsung, which, in turn, integrates it into silicon used in the Apple iPhone. PowerVR is also used in Intel's Canmore system-on-a-chip (SOC) consumer electronics platform.

Pineview, however, may use Intel in-house graphics, according to the report.

Source : http://news.cnet.com/

Intel develops fast, cheap optical links on silicon

Intel is claiming "world record" performance in optical communications using silicon photonics, in a development announced in the journal Nature Photonics.

Intel silicon photonics

(Credit: Intel)

Silicon photonics-based photo dectors are used to send and receive optical information, particularly in very high-bandwidth applications like supercomputers. Intel says silicon photonics is essential for "ultra-fast transfer of data (in) future computers powered by many processor cores."

The development is significant because it is based on silicon--a readily available, low-cost material used in semicondutor chips today--and outperforms more exotic, pricier materials. To date, Silicon photonics technology, using complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) techniques, has suffered from performance shortcomings.

"This research result is another example of how silicon can be used to create very high-performing optical devices," Mario Paniccia, an Intel Fellow and director of the company's Photonics Technology Lab, said in a statement. The development can be used not only in optical communications but areas such as sensing, imaging, quantum cryptography, and biological applications, Paniccia said.

A team led by Intel researchers created a silicon-based Avalanche Photodiode (APD) to achieve a "gain-bandwidth product" of 340 GHz. Intel claims this is "the best result ever measured for this key APD performance metric" and allows lower-cost optical links running at data rates of 40Gbps or higher.

The research was jointly funded by Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Numonyx, a flash memory chipmaker, provided manufacturing and process development.

Source : http://news.cnet.com/

India Inc wants 26/11 intel lapses probed

NEW DELHI: With security and intelligence lapses behind the Mumbai attack becoming clearer, FICCI president Rajeev Chandrasekhar has written to 
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh demanding an independent inquiry into "what went wrong" with the system. He also requested the PM to make the "findings" public -- like what the US did post-9/11.

Hours before home minister P Chidambaram on Friday admitted to security and intelligence lapses, Chandrasekhar -- a Rajya Sabha member from Karnataka -- shot a letter to the PM, saying, "Only if there is a clear and honest understanding of the `how' and `why' of this attack can we realistically plan the changes and solutions to prevent a future attack."

Saying that there will be a natural tendency of the government's various agencies to sweep the `how' and `why' under the carpet, the FICCI president said, "I urge you to initiate an honest and independent inquiry on why the intelligence and security apparatus was unable to prevent this attack. The findings of this inquiry must be made public or at the very least be available to Parliament and to governments of the future."

In his two-page letter, Chandrasekhar insisted on such an inquiry so that the country could be saved from future terror attacks.

He said, "The objective of this inquiry is not to find scapegoats, but rather to establish the systemic flaws and gaps that need to be addressed to prevent another incident like this."

Citing the example of the US where an inquiry was conducted into the terror attack on World Trade Centre by the 9/11 Commission, the Rajya Sabha member said, "This type of act of introspection and inquiry alone will send a signal of confidence through our countrymen, because it will establish, at the least, that the government is acting."

He also reminded the PM of his earlier letter to him (on August 23, 2006) on civil defence preparation of the country.

Chandrasekhar had then demanded setting up of a comprehensive structure that could knit together the various local civil defence agencies like fire services, Territorial Army, police, central reserve forces, ambulance and health team -- which currently operate with independent jurisdiction and oversight.

Source : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/

Intel Cites Advance in Using Silicon in Data Products; Claim Is Challenged

Intel Corp. is claiming another advance in creating optical communications components from silicon, an effort designed to reduce the cost and increase the speed of transmitting computer data.

The company said it combined silicon -- the low-cost foundation for most computer chips -- with the element germanium to make a device called an avalanche photo detector that achieved record performance. Intel said the development marks the first time that a silicon-based optical component exceeded the performance of an equivalent device made from more costly conventional materials, such as indium phosphide.

But the importance of Intel's announcement was challenged by researchers at Luxtera, a closely held company that is already producing silicon-based optical components.

Optical communications involves encoding information on streams of light particles, generated by lasers. The technology brings big benefits in speed over standard electrical connections, and uses thin glass fibers rather than bulky cables. But optical connections are now mainly used for high-volume long-distance communications -- or connecting servers in massive supercomputers -- because key components often cost tens to hundreds of dollars each.

Researchers are hoping to drive those costs down to pennies by using materials found in conventional chips, a field known as silicon photonics. Intel, in particular, has been churning out a series of research papers describing prototype optical components made from silicon.

Its latest development, which was jointly funded by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, is described in a paper in the journal Nature Photonics. Intel engineers collaborated with counterparts at Numonyx BV, a company comprised of former operations of Intel and STMicroelectronics NV. Experts at the University of Virginia and the University of California at Santa Barbara provided consulting and testing, Intel said.

Photo detectors are used to sense and amplify light pulses generated by lasers. The new prototype detector achieved a "gain-bandwidth product" of 340 gigahertz, which is the highest result recorded to date on that key metric of detector performance, said Mario Paniccia, who directs Intel's photonics-technology lab and holds the title of fellow.

Improvements in detector performance could be exploited in different ways, including boosting the speed data is sent, increasing the distance a signal goes or reducing the energy needed to send a signal a constant length, Mr. Paniccia said. "And we believe we can continue to improve the performance," he said.

Intel initially expects silicon-based optical components to send data between servers in a computer room and between chips in a system, though it later hopes to have optical connections inside its microprocessor chips, too. Mr. Paniccia said silicon-based detectors also could find uses outside communications, in applications such as optical sensors, cryptography and medicine. He didn't give a precise timetable for turning the new components into products, but indicated it would take several years to perfect the technology.

Meanwhile, Luxtera is "ramping up" production of its silicon-based optical components, said Greg Young, chief executive of the Carlsbad, Calif., company. He said the performance described in Intel's paper is "tremendous." But Mr. Young contends that Luxtera researchers actually were the first to top the performance of indium-phosphide photo detectors in research results published more than a year ago.

Mr. Young also asserted that Intel's technology is incompatible with conventional semiconductor-production processes, so it couldn't be used in a so-called wave-guide detector to work alongside other components on one piece of silicon.

Mr. Paniccia said Intel is developing a wave-guide version that could be integrated on a chip.

And many applications, including inexpensive fiber-optic links to homes, don't require wave guides, said John Bowers, a silicon photonics expert and professor of electrical and computer engineering at University of California-Santa Barbara. "It's a huge paradigm shift," he said of Intel's results.

Source : http://online.wsj.com/