0406EN-Wireless.doc
@head: eE-Newsletters Entice Invite Wireless Designers Online
@text: Much has changed in the world of technology trade publications over the last six years. These changes are perhaps most evident in the coverage of analog-RF-wireless technology. Today, less than a handful of print publications remain exclusively focused on covering the technical technical-development aspects of analog-RF-wireless systems. And only half of that meager handful provide staff-written editorial.
Furthermore, the two and a half remaining electronic electronic-industry pubs only cover analog-RF-wireless as part of their total editorial offering. Chip Design magazine – ,which focuses on chip chip-level concerns –, is no exception, although. I do, however, provide coverage for analog-related design and test challenges in every issue of either the magazine or iDesign online. (See this issue’s Focus Report, “Integration of Analog-RF IP Challenges SoC Designers.”)
So where do analog, RF, and wireless engineers go to read the latest news and learn about important technology issues? More and more are going online. This makes sense for a number of reasons. First, advertisers in the EDA tool and semiconductor world are shifting more advertising dollars into online publications. Second, the demographics of analog-RF-wireless engineers are changing. The traditional older, white, male engineer with defense experience is giving way to a younger, more multinational engineer who . That engineer is more likely to turn to the Internet for technical news and reports.
These are the mainFor these reasons why , I recently launched the Wireless Chip Designer e-newsletter. Now, iIt may seem as if I’m merely riding on the latest publishing trend, but few things are farther from the truth. You see, bBefore becoming editor Editor of Chip Design magazine, I was senior Senior editor Editor for another fine print publication called Wireless Systems Design (WSD). Headed by Cheryl Ajluni, WSD magazine focused on the system-level hardware and software development of analog-RF-Wireless wireless systems.
Aside from writing technical pieces for WSD magazine, I also created and edited one of the first technical e-Newsletter newsletters in the analog space. It went by the boringly functional title of Wireless Systems Design Update. But I soon discovered that the online readership was anything but boring. They Those readers insisted upon a more free free-flowing, conversational (bloggish) style of writing. So I adopted – or actually returned to – a relaxed and personal style of editorial that blended the decimation of the delivery of information with story telling.
I had a blast writing bloggish viewpoint pieces that covered everything from hacking into your own Wi-Fi network as a security test to suggesting that 802.11 VOIP voice-over-IP (VoIP) would triumph over 3G technology. I even concocted a short Sci-Fi story about how a small-office/home-office (SoHo) software programmer how lost all of his data through an unsecured Wi-Fi connection on Halloween. Pretty spooky stuff!
One of the more personally rewarding articles had to do with the roots of our wireless world. In this piece, I explained how most of today’s wireless wonders had their roots in technology that was researched and developed by the Defense defense community. This piece allowed my me to re-establish contacts with my lost brethren at one of our nation’s leading Defense defense R&D facilities, known simply as “China Lake.”
Why am I torturing you with my rambling trip down memory lane? Undoubtedly, you’ve seen through my rather transparent ploy to whet your interest for my new e-newsletter, Wireless Chip Designer (WCD). But don’t be misled. Unlike my former WSD Update e-newsletter, WCD will look at the wireless world from the perspective of a chip developer. Like WSD Update, it will contain the latest news, technical information, and industry perspectives, sprinkled with a bit of the “creative creative-technical technical-writing” style that many past readers seemed to enjoy.
While I no longer have time to write in every issue of my e-newsletters, I will drop- by to share a viewpoint or two. But even better, both the e-letter executive Executive editor Editor – Cheryl Ajluni – and I will provide viewpoints from some of the best and brightest minds in today’s analog-RF-wireless world. Granted, it may be that some engineers in the traditional analog-RF-wireless market may think that find online publications deviate a bit too much, deviating from the tired tried and true works that are little more than editorialized data sheets. Still, I think that the emerging global analog-RF-Wireless wireless market of younger engineers engineers—who hail from a variety of nationalities and background backgrounds--will find the new format more comfortable, entertaining, and efficiently informative.
In fact, my closing editorial for WSD Update echoed this sedimentsentiment:
”Wireless technology is one of the few markets that continues to shine in the semiconductor universe. Likewise, those publications that faithfully cover the wireless space - in all its diversity - should continue to shine, as well.
http://www.wsdmag.com/Articles/ArticleID/9187/9187.html.