Mentor Blogs

On September 23, 2010, the Department of the Army (U.S.) issued solicitation W9124D10IPADS for the purchase of 587 Apple iPads prepared to the following specification: “Item shall be equal to the salient characteristics of the Apple 32GB iPad with Wi-Fi + 3G.” Requirements include: - 32GB of storage that operates on skip-free flash memory eliminating the need for a hard drive and provides instant … Read More

soldier, Software, Mil-Aero, Computer, COTS, Milaero, Military, Operating System, Android, Electronic, iPhone, Mentor, Embedded Systems, Mentor Graphics, Electric, Mentor.com, electrical, Hardware, Geek, iPad, soldiers, Warfighters

The Apple iVolution has been going strong since the initial release of the iPod on October 23, 2001. Apple has significantly impacted cultures around the world; you can’t go around a corner these days without seeing the tell-tale white ear buds hanging from someone’s ears. iPods were so successful that they were followed up with a touchscreen variant, the iPod Touch, which was followed by the hugely … Read More

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Mil-aero organizations the world over are investigating, and even already adopting, non-ruggedized, commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) computing and communications devices, including Apple’s popular iPad. It’s appealing: sleek, slim, compact, shiny. All good things. What it is not, not yet anyway, is rugged enough to withstand military and aerospace environments, missions, and applications. Some may recall … Read More

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Android is sexy, as are the ever-increasing number of smartphones and PC tablets that take advantage of Google’s operating system (OS). Military personnel, even officials at the highest ranks, agree. Soldiers want to use Android devices and Apple’s iPad in the field, while on a mission, communicating, socializing, killing time, or blowing off steam. Soldiers have historically been frustrated by the … Read More

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Raytheon Intelligence and Information Systems, a division of Raytheon in Waltham, Mass., can lay claim to unveiling what is arguably the hottest news to come out of AUSA 2010, the annual meeting and exposition of the Association of the United States Army, held last week in Washington, DC. It’s RATS. I’m not kidding. The acronym is unfortunate, but the system may hold the key to greater mission effectiveness, … Read More

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Android addicts are everywhere. Even those who didn’t anticipate using a larger number of apps on their smart phones are finding themselves downloading a new app almost daily. Google’s Android mobile operating system (OS) is making waves throughout the commercial market; and now, thanks to Raytheon engineers in Waltham, Mass., it is likely to change the face of the digital battlefield. Soldiers are … Read More

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It is hard to imagine, but even modern aircraft rely on relatively old power switching technology. The electrical distribution unit (EDU) is the first or primary piece of equipment that distributes power on aircraft after it is produced from the generators. Current technologies used in these systems are electromechanical, meaning a piece of conductor physically has to move to make or break connections … Read More

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The mil/aero community is beginning to turn to current bleeding-edge computing technology, and move away from lengthy design cycles that result in fielding technology that is often four to five, or even 10 years, behind the commercial curve. The network-centric battlefield—in which the right information is delivered to the right person at the right time—is starting to take shape, and it requires secure, … Read More

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DoD Apps Store in our future? I have noticed at recent industry conferences and exhibitions a predominant focus on software, marking a larger seachange in the military and aerospace industry. Case in point: ESC 2010 in San Jose. ESC was always the venue at which I, as a mil-aero systems architect and geek-of-all-trades, could roam exhibit aisle after aisle looking at hardware. Tangible chips and boards, … Read More

Software, Silicon, Milaero, battlefield, DoD, Military, network-centric, Operating System, App Store, Geek, Mentor Graphics, Mentor.com, Hardware, Microsoft, Embedded Systems, Mil-Aero, Mentor, soldiers

Welcome to part two of my four-part (part one) ESC 2010 blog series. Today’s topic: shifts in the industry. One of the biggest trends I observed at the show was the start of a paradigm shift in the evolution of Electronic Design Automation (EDA) software companies and their products. EDA software companies have traditionally provided the software tools and services to create modern day semiconductors, … Read More

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