It’s almost time to hit the skies, as the 18th annual IEEE Wireless and Microwave Technology Conference (WAMICON 2017) will commence on Monday, April 24. Held in Cocoa Beach, Florida, the conference will address up-to-date multidisciplinary research needs and interdisciplinary aspects of wireless and RF technology. This years theme: “Emerging Technologies for 5G Systems.” This…
Unlicensed Spectrum: What It Is & How It’s Affecting Test
*This Editor’s Note will appear in the March/April Edition of WDD. There’s an unlicensed revolution well underway in wireless. With an eye toward 5G, many carriers across the globe are starting to turn to unlicensed technologies like Licensed Assisted Access (LAA) and LTE-Unlicensed (LTE-U) for carrier aggregation to extend both their reach and ability to offer…
Tech Hack: How To Boost Your Home WiFi Signal Using Household Items
Before I begin, I must warn you—this hack takes a little patience. OK, now that that is out of the way, let’s begin. You’ll need a plastic CD case, a glue gun, a pair of wire strippers, a soldering gun, and a coaxial cable. Essentially, you make an antenna out of the clothes hanger, which…
This GPS Display Serves Up Directions Without Blocking Your View
There are already plenty of distractions while driving, your GPS shouldn’t be one of them. That’s the idea behind the HUDWAY Glass Heads-Up Navigation Display, which converts your smartphone into a futuristic, see-through display, serving up GPS instructions without obscuring the road. Installation is easy—you simply install the HUDWAY on your dashboard, then set your…
Photos of the Day: China Rolls Out World’s Largest Amphibious Aircraft
An official news agency says China has unveiled the world’s largest amphibious aircraft that Beijing plans to use for marine missions and fighting forest fires. The Xinhua News Agency said the AG600 rolled off a production line in Zhuhai in southern China on Saturday. It measures 37 meters (121 feet) in length with a wingspan…
What The Tech? 4 iPhone Battery Misconceptions
Get the (iPhone) facts straight! Below I uncover four common Apple iPhone battery misconceptions. Misconception 1: You should completely drain your iPhone’s battery before re-charging it. Fact: Apple’s iPhone uses a Lithium-Ion battery, as opposed to the old type of battery, made of nickel cadmium. Lithium-Ion batteries are resilient, and they’re smart, so realistically you can charge…
Photos of the Day: Solar Impulse 2, the Sun-Powered Plane
The brainchild of Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg, Solar Impulse 2 (Si2) is the first solar airplane to have achieved an oceanic crossing: 5 days and nights from Nagoya, Japan, to Kalaeloa, Hawaii. Piccard and Borschberg, with aspirations to make Si2 the First Round-The-World Solar Flight, powered only by the sun, with no fuel or…
Everything You Need To Know About Solar Impulse 2, The Sun-Powered Plane
Solar Impulse 2 (Si2) is not the first solar airplane, but it is the first to fly day and night, without any fuel, only using energy stored in its batteries. The brainchild of Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg, Si2 is the first solar airplane to have achieved an oceanic crossing: 5 days and nights from Nagoya, Japan, to Kalaeloa,…
Top 5 From IMS 2016
Last week I had the opportunity to hit the conference center in San Francisco for IMS 2016—the International Microwave Symposium, organized by the IEEE Microwave Theory and Technique Society. The need for speed and the growing appetite for wireless devices are fueling the growth of the RF and microwave industry. Products at frequencies up to…
The Wayv Of The Future: Portable, Battery-Operated Microwave
When I talk about the Microwave industry to “outsiders,” they usually think I’m referring to actual Microwaves, as in the ones that heat up your dinner. Typically, as most of you probably know, I’m not talking about the trusty ol’ kitchen appliance. But in this case, I really am. And so is NXP. At IMS…