Integral Technologies and Hanwha sign LoI to manufacture and distribute ElectriPlast in Asia

BELLINGHAM, USA: Integral Technologies Inc., an emerging leader in hybrid conductive plastics, announced the signing of a Letter of Intent with Hanwha L&C of Korea that contemplates granting Hanwha L&C certain rights to manufacture and distribute Integral’s signature ElectriPlast technology in various parts of Asia.

Integral is the original researcher, developer and 100 percent owner of all intellectual property surrounding the ElectriPlast technology, and markets the ElectriPlast product through Integral’s wholly owned subsidiary, ElectriPlast Corp.

Hanwha L&C's desire to enter into an LOI followed the results of independent testing of ElectriPlast that took place over the past few months. Testing for conductivity, shielding (both electric and electro-magnetic) and mechanical strength all met or exceeded Hanwha L&C's demanding requirements.

The LOI with Hanwha L&C represents Integral's potential expansion into Asia. “We are excited to possibly have a strategic partner like Hanwha L&C manufacture and distribute ElectriPlast in the large regional manufacturing Asian base,” said William Robinson, Integral’s chairman and CEO.

“We appreciate that Hanwha L&C understands the uniqueness of the revolutionary technology behind our conductive pellet, and we recognize the value to Integral to potentially have such a respected strategic partner like Hanwha L&C with its multitude of Asian marketing channels.”

Specifically, the LOI contemplates Integral and Hanwha L&C entering into definitive agreements granting an exclusive license to manufacture and distribute ElectriPlast in Korea. The LOI further contemplates a non-exclusive license to distribute ElectriPlast in China, Japan and Taiwan, as well as a right of first refusal to extend the exclusive license to manufacture in Korea to China, Japan and Taiwan and to make the non-exclusive license to distribute in China, Japan and Taiwan an exclusive license.

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Nikon ships new immersion scanner

TOKYO, JAPAN: Nikon Corp. announced that the NSR-S621D ArF immersion scanner began shipping to IC manufacturers in January to deliver ultra-high productivity and superior overlay accuracy for the most demanding immersion double patterning layers.

The S621D is the latest evolution of the Streamlign Platform, which is already employed globally for NSR-S620D immersion scanners, and was also recently integrated in the leading-edge NSR-S320F dry ArF scanner. The successful combination of Stream Alignment and Five-Eye FIA systems enables world-class throughput of 200 wafers per hour (125 exposure shots/wafer).

In addition, the proven Bird’s Eye Control system uses interferometers in conjunction with encoders to deliver overlay accuracy ≤ 2 nm with optimal stability, while the mature Modular2 Structure simplifies installation and maintenance functions.

The semiconductor industry is currently transitioning to development and high volume manufacturing of 20 nm generation process devices, with the most critical layers exposed using ArF immersion scanners and incorporating double patterning (DP). In order to minimize costs, productivity and yield are of vital importance to IC makers.

The S621D builds upon the established Streamlign Platform, incorporating further hardware and software developments to deliver industry-leading overlay accuracy and throughput. The NSR-S621D is the most advanced scanner for high volume immersion applications, and fully satisfies the aggressive requirements of DP manufacturing.

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NEC Display Solutions expands AccuSync series with 24-inch LCD desktop monitor

HIMSS12, CHICAGO, USA: NEC Display Solutions of America, a leading provider of commercial LCD display and projector solutions, announced the 24-inch AS241W to its AccuSync Series of value-driven desktop monitors. This series is ideal for small-to-medium-sized businesses, schools and government offices.

The LED-backlit AS241W, which joins the AS171, AS192, AS191WM and AS221WM displays, offers a full range of environmental compliance, including EPEAT Silver, ENERGY STAR 5.1 and TCO 5.2 ratings. This full HD display boasts a quick 5ms Rapid Response time that delivers virtually uninterrupted, undistorted viewing of high-speed, full-motion video. Energy-saving ECO Mode enables users to toggle between pre-configured brightness settings that reduce power consumption, heat generation and extend the life of the AS241W.

“The AS241W is our first 24-inch 16:9 display in the AccuSync family, a popular size with the great features our SMB customers need for daily tasks,” said Lynn Gu, product manager at NEC Display Solutions. “Many customers have moved to wide-format screens because of their ability to allow the viewing of multiple applications simultaneously. This practice is proven to increase productivity in the workplace.”

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Brocade cloud-optimized application delivery switches allow customers to “Predict the Future” and create new services

NEW DELHI, INDIA: Brocade announced significant software advancements to the Brocade ServerIron ADX Series of cloud-optimized application delivery switches designed to help customers gain greater application control and service scalability.

The Brocade OpenScript engine is an open platform for innovation, with the ability to intelligently predict the effect on the network before introducing scripts into production. This allows ADX customers to customize their service delivery for improved scalability and performance. Together with an OpenScript community and tools to enhance network management and performance enhancements to IPv6, this comprehensive set of new capabilities greatly increases the competitiveness of the entire Brocade ServerIron ADX family of products.

“Application delivery performance, scalability and flexibility are critical requirements for our customers. These requirements have a direct effect on our ability to scale our business while exceeding customer expectations,” said Rob Jackson, Solution Line Leader for Networking and Security at Rackspace. “With the Brocade ServerIron ADX, we look forward to continuing our success with the platform and implementing stable, customizable traffic management capabilities so that our new and existing customers can maintain greater application control.”

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DIY fashion accessories - from watch to bracelet

February 1st kicks off a month long series of DIY accessory tutorials! I am so excited to have several guests sharing their DIY ideas with you here on my blog! Each day you will get a new tutorial from a new guest! 

I hope you enjoy all the ideas that will be shared, pin a few (or a lot) and of course - create something new to accessorize with! 

I am sharing an idea today. A DIY bracelet that was once a watch! I thrifted this bracelet/watch and also the metal medallion piece (.50 cents total!)

 The watch didn't work and I never watch anyway but I liked the beaded strap. The metal medallion fit perfectly over the watch face and I knew I had chunky bracelet in the works! 

I picked some fabric and traced around the medallion with a fabric marker. Then I cut it out.

I applied the fabric to the medallion with some Mod Podge and let it dry. 

Then to add a shiny coat I applied a layer of Diamond Glaze and let it dry. It gives it a "professional" look.

Using some good, strong, craft glue I apply the medallion to the watch face and again - let it dry! 

And it's done! Really easy and inexpensive too but original! I'll be linking up HERE to share my idea!

See you back here tomorrow for DIY accessory tutorial from a guest blogger!

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HP intros Pavilion dm4 notebook PC

NEW DELHI, INDIA: HP has expanded its ultraportable consumer notebook PC portfolio with thin and light products that provide the ideal balance of mobility and high performance.

With powerful performance in a small package, the HP Pavilion dm4 includes the latest Intel Core processors, Beats Audio and 14-inch (35.56 cm) diagonal high-definition (HD)(2) LED display for a rich multimedia experience.

The HP Pavilion dm4 Beats Edition offers an enriched listening experience with Beats Audio and delivers the signature black and red Beats Audio design to suit the style-conscious. The redesigned HP Mini 210, which is equipped with Beats AudioTM, features a convenient mobile companion for on-the-go consumers.

Designed to tackle daily tasks on-the-go while maximizing performance, the HP Pavilion dm4 boasts a 1-inch (2.54 cm) thin profile in front and 14-inch (35.56 cm) diagonal high-definition (HD) LED display for an optimal mobile entertainment experience.

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LED TVs LED required amount reduced by 30 percent; low price to stimulate LED TV penetration rate to soar to 70 percent

TAIWAN: As the penetration rate of LED TV continues to rise and the related LED technologies become more mature, global brand names’ product and price strategies will be more aggressive regarding the LED TV market.

According to a survey conducted by LEDinside, the LED research division of TrendForce, benefitting from the new LED applications, the number of LED units required for every LED TV can be reduced by 30% in 2012. Moreover, the LED TV’s penetration rate in the LCD TV market is expected to increase to 70% in 2012, which will benefit LED backlight module, LED package and LED chip makers to a certain extent.

LEDinside indicates that LED TV’s penetration rate will most definitely rise in 2012, which will be a driving force for the LED industry. The low cost direct type backlight not only narrows the price gap between LED LCD TV and CCFL LCD one, but also provides a better resolution. Additionally, Smart TV’s internet access and user-friendly interactive designs are the new features that appeal to consumers.

The TV brand vendors will focus more on value-added product to increase profit and also put more emphasis on interactive features and the internet access. Given that CCFL backlight is bound to be phased out eventually, brand vendors will be more inclined to adopt LED backlight and stimulate sales by lowering the price.

According to LEDinside, the edge-type LED backlit TVs will mainly adopt 5630 and 7030 package in 2012, which will each account for 50% of the market share. As for the low-cost direct type LED backlit TVs, the specifications are yet to be unified, but the new generation LED together with the lens are three times more expensive than the 5630 module. However, since they do not require light guide plates, the backlight module’s cost can be reduced by 15 percent.

At present, most LED makers are still waiting for product certification. It is estimated that a wide adoption will occur in 2H12, and some more aggressive manufacturers will launch products with the new module in 1H12.

2012 LED TV penetration rate and price gap between backlight modules
Also, according to WitsView, the panel research division of TrendForce, the 2012 worldwide LCD TV shipments will amount to 217 million units; LED TVs penetration rate is expected to increase to 65-70 percent. With the decreasing cost, the price gap between LED backlight module and CCFL backlight one will continue to narrow. For example, in terms of 32-inch TV, the price gap between LED backlight module and CCFL backlight module is estimated to narrow to under $10 in 2H12.

As for the TV brand vendors, South Korean makers aim to increase LED TV’s penetration rate to 70-80 percent in 2012. On the other hand, due to the decreasing domestic demand, Japanese TV brand vendors are not as aggressive as their South Korean counterparts in regard to LED penetration; they focus more on increasing profit and the market shares in the emerging markets instead. Benefiting from Taiwanese panel makers’ increasing open cell exports, the self supply of Chinese TV brand vendors’ LED backlight module will further increase.

In terms of the demand end, impaired by the stagnant global economy in 2011, LED TV’s total shipment in 2011 fell short of expectations. Hence, LED TV and backlight market’s revival depends on the end-market demand. With TV brand vendors launching low-price LED TVs, LCD TV sales is expect to pick up in the emerging markets, which will benefit the LED backlight market.

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