Embedded Systems, Boston, welcomed the world's eager throngs of engineers ready for an early Fall "sneak peak" into the new and cool for 2007 / 2008. Indeed, this year CMP has gone Web 2.0 with new online venues for participation and sharing with your fellow engineers a la 'Facebook' and 'Twitter.' Details, here. Here is eg3.com's special show coverage; for in-depth details (complete vendor index, and all news releases), go here.

contents:

• embedded software: tools, software testing, and qnx goes open
• small form factor boards
• what is? what is "rugged?" what is "security?"
• conference calendar

Finally, on the business side, QNX made a radical change in its business model, opening access to the source code of its QNX® Neutrino® realtime operating system (RTOS) under a new hybrid software licensing arrangement. For those interested in all the details, check out the Hybrid Software Model microsite at QNX as well as Foundry27, the new portal for QNX developers.

Finally, FPGAs are near and dear to our hearts (check out eg3.com's new FPGA guide), and Connect Tech used the show to launch their FreeForm/PCI-104 single board computer. FreeForm/PCI-104 is a flexible, reconfigurable board that combines a user programmable FPGA with a 32-Bit, 33 MHz PCI-104 interface. The advantages of PCI-104's high bandwidth, along with the versatile FPGA architecture allows users to create a high speed data interface and control solution that is uniquely suited to each individual application. The board is one of the first, if not the first, to combine FPGA technology with the PCI 104 standard. Cool.

But by far the most practical and intriguing announcement of the show (a.k.a., "best of the show") was that by Atmel of the world's first family of EEPROMs with a 64-bit embedded hardware encryption engine, four sets of non-readable, 64-bit authentication keys and four sets of non-readable, 64-bit session encryption keys. Called CryptoMemory®, the new devices provide a low-cost, truly secure means of preventing product counterfeiting and/or piracy. The product implicitly asks us, "what is 'security?'" Its answer is that the most important security may be had via authentication - a characteristic that can be used to authenticate (and secure) products as diverse as parking meters, energy meters, set top boxes and even FPGAs. (FPGAs, it is well known, have a security weakness at the memory level and this Atmel device can be employed to improve FPGA IP security.) Whether your device is attacked by malicious military hackers or just commercial rivals seeking to flood the market with fakes, Atmel's new EEPROM family is an inexpensive and powerful solution. And look for an RFID solution soon. Plus, the company is announcing a $49.95 developers' kit available from Digikey. Product page, here; announcement, here. Security, after all, is not just security from hackers, but also security in terms of a consumer's or OEM's ability to "authenticate" a product and a manufacturer's ability to prevent unauthorized product cloning and fakery.

> To browse all 'conferences', click here.

about e-clips

e-clips alerts you to the best new Web resources, books, shows,companies, etc. based on your keyword 'profile,' e-clips will alert you each week about news, white papers, books, seminars, etc., that exactly match your selected keywords. find out more at http://www.eg3.com/eCLIPS/

submit items to e-clips

submit news, white papers, demo's, and other 'cool items' to info@eg3.com or check out the online media kit @ http://www.eg3.com/go/

modify your e-clips profile

to modify your profile, click here. to cease receipt of this e-clips, respond to this email with 'CEASE' in the subject line. or, to cease all e-clips to your account, click here or email cease@eg3.com from your primary email account.