PDA development tool

MobileBuilder(TM)2.0 is a development tool for Palm OS(R), Pocket PC(R), and Windows(R)CE, 2000, NT, 98, 95, and MS-DOS(R)handheld devices. The tool lets users create a single application design for multiple operating systems, even changing the target platform at any time in the development process by selecting a different OS from a drop-down menu.

Telxon Corp., 3330 West Market St., Akron, OH 44334-0582; FAX (330) 664-5030; www.telxon.com .

Cycle time predictor

MoldCool Estimator software is designed to predict mold cooling and cycle times for any injection molded component. It evaluates mold designs, cooling channel size, and location; calculates required chiller tonnage; and stores all quotes and calculations in memory. The software runs on Windows 95, 98, and NT 4.0.

CAE Services Corp., 280 Belleview Lane, Batavia, IL 60510; FAX (630) 761-9391; www.caeservices.com .

Knowledge management software

The Lotus K-station is a new knowledge management portal, designed to enable collaboration for users by giving them a single point of access to critical information. A combination of Lotus' tools and services with collaborative tools like Sametime and Quickplace, it will run on Windows NT or 2000. Users can customize interfaces in their "personal places," or submit passwords to join "community places." Then they can use a template library to build functional "meeting rooms" organized by occupation, activity, task, or project.

Lotus Development Corp., 55 Cambridge Parkway, Cambridge, MA 02142; www.lotus.com .

Touch-sensitive keyboard

This 105-key keyboard with integrated mouse is designed for rugged applications with indoor and outdoor public access and process control. Without switching contracts, membranes, or moving parts, the keyboard operates by detecting changes in the high-frequency matrix. It can be used even with gloved hands.

EAO Switch, 198 Pepe's Farm Road, Milford, CT 06460; FAX 203-877-3694; www.eaoswitch.com .

Media convergence software

The Convergence Engine integrates voice, video, and data for broadband multimedia communications, such as e-commerce sites, corporate intranets, and personal web portals. It is based on VX-Series(TM)media servers, which are open platforms for hosting broadband applications. And it uses netHance(TM)software packages, which are designed for next-generation telcos and DSL, cable modem, and Internet telephony service providers.

Ridgeway Systems and Software, 9600 Great Hills Trail, Suite 150W, Austin, TX 78759; FAX (512) 502-1773; www.ridgeway-sys.com .

Automated electrode design

QuickElectrode is a CAD/CAM tool for automating the electrode process, including burn area selection, electrode design, management, documentation, and manufacture of solid or surface geometry. It is designed to reduce tool manufacture lead times for mold and die makers, and to get electrodes to market faster. And the QuickElectrode Navigator allows several users to work collaboratively on the same part.

Cimatron Technologies Inc., 19500 Victor Pkwy., Suite 300, Livonia, MI 48152; FAX (734) 432-6601; www.cimatron.com .

Flexible keyboard

This flexible keyboard measures 19.6x6.9x0.3 inches, weighs 1.5 lbs, works in temperatures from 5 to 50C, comes with a PS/2 connector and 6.5-ft cable, and can be rolled up for easy transportation. It is IP68 waterproof and is washable, for applications in office, industrial, marine, mobile, recreational, and medical.

Man & Machine Inc., 3706 West St., Landover, MD 20785; FAX (301) 341-4078; www.man-machine.com .

CAD Web publishing

3D Instant Website is a tool that allows SolidWorks users to create and publish live Web pages with 3D interactive content, allowing better communication between all members of the design and supply chains. Users can publish designs either to a SolidWorks-hosted site or to a local intranet, all without requiring any Web server infrastructure. Once inside the password-protected site, viewers can rotate, zoom, and pan 3D models without downloading or installing any viewers or CAD software.

SolidWorks, 300 Baker Ave., Concord, MA 01742; FAX (978) 371-7303; www.solidworks.com .

2D CAD

ME10 2000+ is the latest version of the 2D CAD package, now including: a 2D-to-3D transition accelerator kit; a customizable Windows-compatible user interface; and a free library of ME10 extensions. It is also optimized for collaboration, allowing users to track drawings and documentation. It is available now for Linux, HP-UX, and Windows 98, 2000, and NT.

CoCreate Software Co., 3801 Automation Way, Suite 110, Fort Collins, CO 80525; FAX (970) 206-8001; www.cocreate.com .

Chip development software

SystemView and Real Time DSP Architect (RTDA) are a system design and simulation software product, offering fixed and floating point DSP system design, C code generation, and integration with Texas Instruments' Code Composer Studio(TM)for rapid prototyping, real time analysis, and quicker debugging. Users can design, simulate, and test chips for communications, DSP, signal processing, and RF/analog systems.

Elanix Inc., 5655 Lindero Canyon Rd., Suite 721, Westlake Village, CA 91362; FAX (818) 597-1427; www.elanix.com .

Optical character reading

This Optical Character Verification (OCV) software uses Cognex' Patmax(R)technology for automated confirmation of component nomenclature on printed circuit boards. The user can create vectoral models of the desired characters, so OCV can associate multiple character combinations for each component, to accommodate multiple vendors.

Vision Inspection Technology LLC, 179 Ward Hill Ave., Haverhill, MA 01835; FAX (978) 372-1767; www.vitechnology.com .

GPS simulator

GPSView 2000 is used for weapon system development as a visualization and diagnostic tool for performance analysis of GPS systems in real-time vehicle scenario dynamics. Its 3D visualization and joystick control enhance the utility of the IEC SCS2400 GPS Satellite Constellation Simulator. And it provides reproduction of real world terrain, fuselage, and inertial effects on GPS receiver performance.

Interstate Electronics Corp., 602 E Vermont Ave., Anaheim, CA 92803; FAX (714) 758-4148; www.iechome.com .

Graphing software

Origin Student Version is an academic edition of this graphing and analysis software, available to students for $99 for a three-year license. It has the ability to import many data formats, open Excel workbooks within the application, customize graph attributes, and create templates. Analysis features include linear and nonlinear curve fitting, FFT, baseline and peak analysis, and descriptive statistics.

OriginLab Corp., One Roundhouse Plaza, Northampton, MA 01060; www.originlab.com .

3-Watt SBC

The Nimble Engine(TM)single board computer uses just 3W of power, has no fan and no hard drive, and operates on standard 24V dc. It is designed for applications in monitoring and control systems on oil and gas pipelines, water reclamation projects, or other environments dependent on solar power or seldom-changed batteries.

Nimble Microsystems Inc., 300 Commercial St., Suite 27, Malden, MA 02148; FAX (781) 321-8833; www.nimblemicro.com .

Double data rate memory

The LP-Stack(TM)Double Data Rate (DDR) SDRAM has data rates up to 266 MHz, and system-level bandwidth up to 2.1 GB/s, for applications from servers to desktop PCs in graphics, telecom, and networking. It works by stacking two 128Mb 66-pin TSOP1, 2.5V SDRAM chips, creating a 256Mb stack in the same footprint. A double 256Mb stack (total 512Mb) is also available.

Dense-Pac Microsystems, 7321 Lincoln Way, Garden Grove, CA 92841; FAX (714) 897-1772; www.dense-pac.com .

Desktop card reader

The V4HF compact desktop IC card reader is designed for applications in e-commerce and network security. It comes with ActiveX components software, so users can create applications with Visual Basic, Visual C, or other languages. Supporting T0, T1, T14, EMV, and 2-wire and 3-wire memory cards, it has transmission speeds of 9,600, 19,200, and 38,400 bps, with an operating temperature range of 0 to 45C.

Omron Electronics, 1 Commerce Dr., Suite 250, Schaumburg, IL 60173; FAX (847) 843-7787; www.info.omron.com .

Flash memory chips

The 32Mb Am29BDS323 and 64Mb Am29BDS643 flash memory chips combine simultaneous read/write architecture with a high speed Burst Mode interface and low voltage requirements, the company says. Operating at speeds from 40 to 54 MHz, they are designed for applications in next-generation cell phone technology.

Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), 1 AMD Place, Box 3453, Sunnyvale, CA 94088; www.amd.com .

Part libraries

Edition 4.0 of the PartSpec and PlantSpec CD-ROMs include much larger parts libraries than the previous editions. PartSpec's coverage has increased from 170 to 194 manufacturers, and PlantSpec has risen from 54 to 61. Both include custom selections of 2D and 3D parts, displayed as dimensionally accurate .DWG, .DXF, or .FAT drawings, legible to most CAD packages. Since the specs are stored parametrically, there are hundreds of millions of possible parts. The CDs are free to qualified engineers.

Thomas Register, Five Penn Plaza, New York, NY 10001; FAX (212) 290-7335; www.thomasregister.com .

Communications systems design

The Communications Systems Design (CSD) Pack for Mathcad performs dynamic simulations of communications, signal processing, and control systems, so engineers can create virtual prototypes on their desktops. It uses VisSim/Comm(TM)for modeling and simulation, and MathSoft for its library of wavelet, image, and signal processing functions.

MathSoft, Inc., 101 Main St., Cambridge, MA 02142; FAX (617) 577-8829; www.mathsoft.com .

Knowledge management

TechOptimizer 3.5 is designed to solve design engineering problems by tapping into its Effects Module, a collection of over 7,500 scientific and engineering formulas in all areas of engineering, physics, and chemistry. Its context-sensitive help wizard steers users toward understanding the parameters and potential solutions of a problem. And users can search on each idea to find out if there is an existing product or technology that addresses it.

Invention Machine, 200 Portland St., Boston, MA 02114-1722; FAX (617) 305-9255; www.invention-machine.com .

Computer training tool

LinkNet-II is an interactive instruction and monitoring system that allows instructors to demonstrate computer tasks directly on students' monitors, and to scan students'progress from a single console. It also displays the instructor's screen on each student's monitor, so his mouse will move in real time on all screens. And an instructor can take control of a student's screen to give help, then return control to the student.

Applied Computer Systems Inc., 3060 Johnstown-Utica Rd., Johnstown, OH 43031; FAX (740) 892-4838; www.acs-linksystems.com .

Windows CE hardware set

PaneLink is a complete set of hardware designed for optimal performance of Windows CE 2.12. It includes a 200 MHz SH4 processor with 32 MB SDRAM and 16 MB flash ROM, as well as an Ethernet port, RS232 serial port, and analog touch screen with flat panel display options of 6 in., 10.4 in., and 12.1 in. It is designed with the ruggedness needed for factory floor applications, according to the company.

Ann Arbor Technologies, Box 3083, Ann Arbor, MI 48106; FAX (734) 995-1593; www.a2t.com .

600 MHz SBCs

The PCI-P3D840 and PCI-P3S840 are single board computers designed for applications with CTI, server, open communications, and large-scale networking tasks. The D840 has two Pentium III 600 MHz processors combined with 2 GB Direct Rambus memory and 64-bit bus support. The S840 offers a single Pentium chip, for more cost-effective performance.

Teknor Applicom Inc., 616 Cure-Boivin, Boisbriand, QC Canada J7G 2- 2A7; FAX 450-437-8053; www.teknor.com .

Multi-channel processor

The HEGD12 is a 2.5 MHz, multiple-channel, 16-bit A/D mezzanine module which supports eight analog inputs, each with its own converter. It allows multiple channels of analog data to be sampled at high speed, then processed in real time, for applications such as underwater sonar. It ships in 1, 2, 4, and 8 channel configurations.

Traquair Data Systems Inc., 114 Sheldon Rd., Ithaca, NY 14850; FAX (607) 266-8221; www.traquair.com .

Data acquisition board

The PCI-5500MF, priced at $199, supplies a low-cost 12-bit analog input, PCI-bus data acquisition board. Its features include a 90kHz sampling rate, eight analog input channels, 1024 word A/D FIFO, a programmable A/D pacer clock, 16 digital I/O lines, and software compatibility with LabVIEW(R), TestPoint, LabTech Notebook, and LabTech Control.

ADAC Corp., 70 Tower Office Park, Woburn, MA 01801; FAX (781) 938-6553; www.adac.com .

CNC machining optimizer

Optimization and Performance Management System is Windows-based software for programming and graphically monitoring the optimization of CNC machining operations. Based on continuously monitored spindle loads, it uses OptiMill, OptiTurn, and OptiDrill to adjust the feed rate in real time for each tool and material.

OMAT Control Technologies; FAX (617) 305-9255; www.omat.co.il .

Data acquisition system

The WavePort(TM)high-speed, PC-based data acquisition system is designed for field and portable applications, with either voltage or vibration signal conditioning in a single package. It comes standard with 16-bit resolution, pulse trigger, and up to 24 channels of signal conditioning. Its packaging has enough room to accommodate most user-supplied PCs and power adapters, even with the lid closed.

Iotech, 25971 Cannon Rd., Cleveland, OH 44146; FAX (216) 439-4093; www.iotech.com .

8-bit Internet access

The Embedded Webserver Software Suite runs on the company's Z180 8-bit microprocessor family, so customers don't have to migrate to a more expensive 16- or 32-bit platform to leverage the Internet. The suite delivers the necessary addressing space (1 Mbyte) and processing power (833 MHz) to incorporate all Web protocols.

ZiLOG, 910 E. Hamilton Ave., Campbell, CA 95008; FAX 408) 558-8300; www.zilog.com .