Tag Archives: LED

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

Rudolph Technologies Schedules 2013 First Quarter Earnings Conference Call for May 2, 2013

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By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

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Rudolph Technologies Schedules 2013 First Quarter Earnings Conference Call for May 2, 2013

FLANDERS, N.J.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Rudolph Technologies, Inc. (NAS: RTEC) , a leading provider of process characterization equipment and software for wafer fabs and advanced packaging facilities, will release results for the 2013 first quarter, after the market closes on Thursday, May 2, 2013. In conjunction with this release, Rudolph will host a conference call, which will be broadcast live over the Internet. Paul F. McLaughlin, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, and Steven Roth, Chief Financial Officer will host the call. The call will take place:

May 2, 2013
4:30 PM (EDT)

To participate in the call, please dial (888) 603-6873 (Domestic) and (973) 582-2706 (International), reference Conference ID #35291129 at least five (5) minutes prior to the scheduled start time. A live webcast will also be available on the Company’s website at www.rudolphtech.com

To listen to the live webcast, please go to the website at least fifteen (15) minutes early to register, download and install any necessary audio software.

There will be a replay of the conference call available from 5:30pm EDT on May 2 until 11:59pm EDT on May 9, 2013. To access the replay, please dial 855-859-2056 (Domestic) or 404-537-3406 (International) at any time during that period and use Conference ID 35291129.

A replay will also be available on the Company’s website at www.rudolphtech.com.

About Rudolph Technologies

Rudolph Technologies, Inc. is a worldwide leader in the design, development, manufacture and support of defect inspection, advanced packaging lithography, process control metrology, and data analysis systems and software used by semiconductor device manufacturers worldwide. Rudolph provides a full-fab solution through its families of proprietary products that provide critical yield-enhancing information, enabling microelectronic device manufacturers to drive down the costs and time to market of their products. The Company’s expanding portfolio of equipment and software solutions is used in both the wafer processing and final manufacturing of ICs, and in adjacent markets such as FPD, LED and Solar. Headquartered in Flanders, New Jersey, Rudolph supports its customers with a worldwide sales and service organization. Additional information can be found on the Company’s website at www.rudolphtech.com.

Investors:
Rudolph Technologies, Inc.
Steven R. Roth, 973-448-4302
Senior Vice President & CFO
steven.roth@rudolphtech.com<br …read more

Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Automobiles

Official: Renault Twin'Z concept revealed, Twingo replacement takes shape [w/video]

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By Jonathon Ramsey

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Renault teamed with Welsh designer Ross Lovegrove, known for his works inspired by nature, on the Twin’Z concept. The supermini city car is the fifth in Renault’s six-stage concept cycle modeled on human stages of life, after the DeZir (Love), Captur (Exploration), R-Space (Family) and Frendzy (Work). The Twin’Z is all about play and spaciousness, an all-electric powertrain allowing a unfettered cockpit and rear-wheel drive athletics.

Inspired by the heritage of the Renault 5 (which might also be returning in concept form) and the Twingo, it has been introduced at the Salone Internazionale del Mobile di Milano, the annual furniture design showcase in Italy. The Twin’Z brief is to conjoin “the world of furniture and the automobile.” On top of Renault’s bodwork design, Lovegrove and his associates detailed the bumpers, LED light patterns throughout, wheels and interior.

That cabin is probably the most striking aspect for there being so little to it. Instead of an instrument panel – and storage, it appears – there is a smartphone near the steering column that displays crucial data and a tablet on a pedestal between the front seats with supplemental diagnostics. Occupants sit on carbon fiber seats wrapped in a woven textile, those in the rear will find the seats emerge from the Twin’Z’s bodyshell.

The boggling interior gets an equally interesting LED lightscape inside and out. Starting at the grille, twin-line lights give the Twin’Z a face before waving, curlicuing and climbing over the roof, on every interior surface and down the rear glass to the taillights. Even the wheels receive the illuminated due, a green hue mimicking “intelligent growth structures.”

There’s a huge gallery of the Twin’Z for your enjoyment, and a detailed press release below with lots of words to please your inner organic-inclined aesthete just below. As we saw with the Captur concept becoming the Captur production CUV, this little velveteen blue showcase could offer clues to the coming Twingo.

Continue reading Renault Twin’Z concept revealed, Twingo replacement takes shape [w/video]

Renault Twin’Z concept revealed, Twingo replacement takes shape [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 09 Apr 2013 17:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Autoblog

Automobiles

Review: 2013 Lexus GS450h [w/video]

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By Zach Bowman

2013 Lexus GS450h

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An Unlikely Star in the Lexus Stable

Think about Lexus for a second. Odds are your gray matter is busy regurgitating images of the company’s middle-aged RX crossover or possibly the midsize ES sedan. As the volume movers for Toyota’s luxury fleet, the two are the default ambassadors for everything with an italicized L pinned to the grille, and that’s a damned shame. As the 2013 GS450h is so willing to point out, Lexus engineers are busily crafting models that offer drivers more than a safe luxury choice.

As the master of fuel-sipping battery propulsion, Lexus has brought the impressive width of Toyota hybrid engineering to bear on the GS450h. The result is a vehicle that manages to sneak its hybridness by you with buttery acceleration, stone quiet operation and brakes that don’t feel like you’re trying walk around the house in Velcro socks. The drivetrain doesn’t feel the need to beat you over the head with its battery pack or announce to the neighborhood that you’re saving the world one whispery mile at a time. Both driver and passengers get to enjoy a luxury car that just so happens to be a hybrid instead of the other way around.

There’s no denying just how striking the GS has become outside. For all the ridicule Lexus endured for its new Predator-maw corporate look, the design snatches eyeballs quicker than a cross Master Pai Mei. Up front, the nose manages to look fresh without straying into garishness, though Lexus designers are walking a fine line here. While the LED daytime running lamps are a bit derivative, we love the complex and sculpted lower valance. Like other hardware in the Lexus toolbox, the GS gives you plenty to look at head on.

Continue reading 2013 Lexus GS450h [w/video]

2013 Lexus GS450h [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 09 Apr 2013 11:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Autoblog

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

Cree Lights Way to Savings for Geneva, N.Y. Tops Friendly Markets

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By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

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Cree Lights Way to Savings for Geneva, N.Y. Tops Friendly Markets

New Grocery Location Saves Energy and Maintenance Costs with Cree ® LED Lighting

DURHAM, N.C.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Tops Friendly Markets, a leading full-scale grocery retailer in the northeast United States, recently selected energy-efficient LED lighting by Cree, Inc. (NAS: CREE) to illuminate its 51,364-square-foot store in Geneva, N.Y. The store, which opened in November 2012, features Cree® CS18™ luminaires and CR24™ trofferslighting the aisles, specialty departments and pharmacy for an estimated energy savings of 70 percent over the T5 fluorescent lighting that Tops Markets had previously installed.

“Tops Markets has always been progressive in designing energy efficiency into its store. When we heard about the Cree CS18 linear luminaire, we conducted a test installation in Buffalo and the results were excellent,” said Dan Jaskza, energy consultant for Tops Markets. “Not only did the Cree LED lighting product offer us 70 percent energy savings [over the previous T5 fluorescent design], but also improved lighting quality without compromising lighting levels.”

Featuring Cree TrueWhite® Technology, Cree CS18 and CR24 architectural troffers provide exceptional color rendering, helping to improve the visual shopping experience by making the merchandise colors more vibrant and appealing. In addition, the Cree CS18 troffers solve the need for strong vertical light levels when mounted on the store’s 13-foot ceiling.

“Consistent, high-quality light levels from top to bottom of the shelf are a critical need for retailers as they look to enhance the overall shopping experience,” said Mike Bauer, vice president of lighting sales, Cree. “The CS and CR troffers deliver the lighting quality Tops Markets desires, with the added benefits of low-maintenance and energy efficiency – ultimately supporting the bottom line.”

Designed to offer up to 100,000 lifetime hours, Cree CR24 troffers help Tops Markets reduce energy consumption by offering dimming capabilities – key considerations for the 24-hour store. In addition to savings achieved through dimmable light levels and decreased maintenance costs, the Cree LED troffers are backed by a 10-year limited warranty. Tops Markets estimates the Cree system will pay for itself within two-and-a-half years.

“For any supermarket operator today, whether they are building a new store or implementing an upgrade, Cree LED lighting is a must-do solution,” Jaszka continued. “It offers energy savings, quality of light and is also fantastic in terms of maintenance reduction.”

A second Tops Markets location featuring Cree CS18 luminaires …read more

Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

B/E Aerospace Announces First Lavatory Retrofit Award

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By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

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B/E Aerospace Announces First Lavatory Retrofit Award

WELLINGTON, Fla.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– B/E Aerospace, Inc. (NAS: BEAV) , the world’s leading manufacturer of aircraft cabin interior products and the world’s leading distributor of aerospace fasteners and consumables, today announced that one of its airline customers plans to retrofit its fleet of Boeing 737 aircraft with B/E Aerospace modular lavatories. The airline also plans to retrofit its entire fleet of 737 aircraft, with B/E Aerospace Aircraft Ecosystems® vacuum toilets, and eventually to upgrade the cabins of its 737 fleet with B/E Aerospace LED lighting systems.

Through a combination of seat pitch adjustments, installation of B/E Aerospace lavatories, toilets and LED lighting, the airline plans to upgrade the interiors of its existing 737 fleet to more closely approximate the appearance and economics of their new to be delivered 737’s which will have both the B/E Aerospace modular lavatories and toilets as well as B/E Aerospace LED lighting systems. The lavatories incorporate patent pending, Spacewall® technology, which frees up floor space in the cabin, creating the opportunity to add up to six incremental passenger seats per aircraft. The B/E Aerospace lightweight LED lighting system which features adjustable lighting with full spectrum color capabilities, provides superior cabin ambiance and unprecedented lighting control.

“We are very pleased to announce our first 737 retrofit award for our modular lavatory systems. The B/E Aerospace lavatory is being developed in close coordination with Boeing and will become standard equipment for their new 737’s. Boeing believes that the B/E Aerospace lavatory provides significant advantages to the interior of the 737 aircraft. Our lavatory has an improved look and feel, provides more useable space, and is more comfortable for passengers. In addition, through the design of the lavatory interior and antimicrobial coatings on the interior surfaces, the lavatory is cleaner and more hygienic. We expect to begin delivering certified lavatories to Boeing in the second half of this year,” stated Amin J. Khoury, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of B/E Aerospace.

“We look forward to working with our airline partners on retrofitting their 737 fleets with multiple B/E Aerospace products. These awards specifically underscore our reputation for innovation driven by our successful R&D programs,” continued Mr. Khoury.

Certain portions of the retrofit program are firm while other portions are under options. The first retrofit modular lavatories are expected to be delivered before the end of 2014. However, in addition to the modular lavatory and …read more

Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Automobiles

Light Bars Make Everything Better: BMW Adds M6 Gran Coupe to Roster of MotoGP Safety Cars

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By Alexander Stoklosa

As BMW enters its 15th season as the official car of MotoGP, it’s gifting the series’ safety-car fleet a brand-spanking-new M6 Gran Coupe. As the latest M car to hit consumers, the M6 Gran Coupe is a natural fit for safety-car duty. Besides, the burliest Gran Coupe looks unbelievably cool even before BMW adds a light bar, so there’s that.

The M6 Gran Coupe safety car gets the typical complement of doo-dads relevant to making it both highly visible and, er, safer. There’s a unique front fascia adapted to accomodate a pair of LED driving light arrays, black wheels, black grilles and fender vents, an Akrapovic exhaust system, Recaro racing seats, and of course, a roof-mounted light bar. The mostly white M6 Gran Coupe gets further amped up with an M-signature blue, purple, and red stripe job. Serving alongside the Gran Coupe is an M6 coupe introduced for last season and an M5; there’s also an M3 coupe for the safety officer, two M550d xDrive Touring (wagon!) medical cars, and two S1000RR HP4 safety bikes.

The new M6 Gran Coupe safety car with the whole MotoGP support gang.

The M6 Gran Coupe safety car made its debut at last weekend’s MotoGP season opener in Qatar. But if you’re determined to see this particular fleet of M-badged safety vehicles in the metal, the next stop on this season’s MotoGP calendar is the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, later this month.

…read more

Source: FULL ARTICLE at Car & Driver

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

Panasonic Debuts 3rd-Generation VariCam with Native 1080P, AVC-ULTRA Recording and Expanded Off-Spee

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By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

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Panasonic Debuts 3rd-Generation VariCam with Native 1080P, AVC-ULTRA Recording and Expanded Off-Speed Shooting; Announces Native 4K Resolution LCD Production Monitor

LAS VEGAS–(BUSINESS WIRE)– At the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) annual convention, Panasonic has unveiled its third-generation VariCam® HD production camera, and a new 31″ LCD production monitor with native 4K resolution for 4K/2K/HD cinema production. The recently announced AJ-PX5000G and AJ-PD500, the company’s first P2 HD camcorder and recorder with native AVC-ULTRA recording and built-in microP2 card slots, will be shown for the first time here.

Panasonic also announced major sales to broadcasters Griffin Communications and Denali Media Holdings.

The third-generation VariCam improves upon the camera brand’s signature features–off-speed shooting and film-like image production—while incorporating Panasonic’s new AVC-ULTRA family of video codecs. The camcorder utilizes three advanced, full 1920 x 1080p wide dynamic range MOS imagers for native 1080/60p recording/operation, and boasts a true RGB imager/prism system that provides full resolution color. With an EFP-style body, the VariCam’s 2/3″ B4 lens mount enables use of native format prime lenses and servo zooms, eliminating the expensive and cumbersome workarounds required when using such optics on larger formats. Among the camcorder’s top-level production features are real-time high frame rate, off-speed recording to 120fps in full 1080p (in AVC-Intra Class100), a wide dynamic range and 24-bit LPCM audio. The camera will feature a range of high-quality recording formats including AVC-Intra Class100, AVC-Intra Class200 and AVC-Intra Class4:4:4. The third-generation VariCam will be available early next year, with pricing to be announced.

The BT-4LH310 is a 31-inch 4096 x 2160 resolution LCD monitor for unrivalled 4K/2K monitoring in the field, including use in a video village for live viewing of 4K cameras and devices with I/Os as well as for viewing of dailies. The 4LH310’s 4K 10-bit IPS panel affords native 4K resolution (more than four times that of full HD), a wide viewing angle, and faithful reproduction of up to 1.07 billion colors. Equipped with a production-tough aluminum frame, the BT-4LH310 features multiple professional inputs (including HD-SDI, 3G-SDI and HDMI); true color processing with a 3D look-up table (LUT); HD/SD closed captioning; 28V DC operation for field use; and an eco-friendly panel with mercury-free LED backlight. In addition to 4K, the 4LH310 Iis ideal for 2K and HD resolutions, meaning it can be used for all types of cinema production and post production. The BT-4LH310 will be available in fall 2013, with pricing to be announced.

The 2/3-inch, 2.2M 3-MOS AJ-PX5000G combines superb image production, light weight and innovative expandability. The camcorder features 720p and 1080p/i recording, and is the …read more

Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

Why Kulicke and Soffa Is Ready to Rebound

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By Brian D. Pacampara, The Motley Fool

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Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool’s free investing community, chip equipment maker Kulicke and Soffa Industries has earned a coveted five-star ranking.

With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at Kulicke and Soffa and see what CAPS investors are saying about the stock right now.

Kulicke and Soffa facts

Headquarters (founded)

Singapore (1951)

Market Cap

$807.1 million

Industry

Semiconductor equipment

Trailing-12-Month Revenue

$785.0 million

Management

CEO Bruno Guilmart (since 2010)

CFO Jonathan Chou (since 2010)

Return on Equity (average, past 3 years)

36.8%

Cash/Debt

$494.2 million / $0

Competitors

ASM Pacific Technology

BE Semiconductor Industries

Teradyne

Sources: S&P Capital IQ and Motley Fool CAPS.

On CAPS, 96% of the 351 members who have rated Kulicke and Soffa believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward.

Just yesterday, one of those Fools, personaltrader, tapped Kulicke and Soffa as a particularly attractive bargain opportunity:

The valuation is just comical. Market cap of $300M when you subtract out cash, no debt and P/FCF of 4 (closer to 1.5 when you subtract out cash), P/E of 5 (2 when you subtract out cash) and reasonable P/B. Very cyclical, but poised to weather any storm. Potential growth with increasing smartphone competition and LED market expansion (CFL’s have mercury, LED’s last 20 years, so market will shift).

Of course, despite its five-star rating, Kulicke might not be your top pick. The Motley Fool’s chief investment officer has selected his No. 1 stock for the next year. Find out which stock it is in the brand-new free report: “The Motley Fool’s Top Stock for 2013.” Just click here to access the report and find out the name of this under-the-radar company.

Want to see how well (or not so well) the stocks in this series are performing? Follow the TrackPoisedTo CAPS account.

The article Why Kulicke and Soffa Is Ready to Rebound originally appeared on Fool.com.

Fool contributor Brian Pacampara has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Copyright © 1995 – 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

Why McDonald's Wins as the Dow Wavers

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By Dan Caplinger, The Motley Fool

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Today’s trading in the Dow Jones Industrials demonstrates the ongoing battle between bulls and bears over the prospects for the economy. On one hand, signs of strength in the housing sector have bolstered hopes that the key driver of economic activity will continue to pick up and benefit workers throughout the economy. Yet this morning’s data on jobless claims added to concerns that overall employment trends continue to lag behind, raising fears that the U.S. may join other countries around the world in seeing already-sluggish growth rates decelerate further. After yesterday’s big drop, the Dow has regained 37 points, or 0.25%, as of 11 a.m. EDT today. The S&P 500 is up by a similar percentage, and the Nasdaq is down slightly.

Yet even if the economy is poised for a slowdown, certain stocks will likely benefit. McDonald’s is up more than 1% this morning, climbing above the $100 mark and approaching all-time highs. Even as the company faces a strike in New York City by workers who want better pay, McDonald’s attracts defensively minded investors because of its record of holding up well in past downturns. The fast-food giant was one of the few stocks that actually rose during 2008’s bear market, and with stocks teetering at current high levels, investors want that kind of protection again.

Best Buy has gained almost 10% after making a deal with Samsung to feature in-store Samsung shops within Best Buy retail locations. With Best Buy having announced yesterday that it would discount third-generation iPad tablets by 30%, it’s clear that the electronics retailer is trying to play the rivalry between Samsung and Apple to its best advantage. Apple shares have dropped 0.8% this morning, as the Best Buy move only highlights the iDevice giant’s struggle to convince investors that its growth story is still intact.

Finally, organic LED specialist Universal Display has risen 6.7% after getting an upgrade from analyst firm Needham. The stock remains well off its lows, as the company has waited for display makers to adopt its OLED technology in larger applications, especially big-screen TVs. With plans to ramp up production in the next year, though, Universal Display remains a valid long-term play on the future of OLED use in mainstream tech products.

Today’s gains for McDonald’s don’t change the fact that it was one of the worst-performing blue-chip stocks of 2012. Our top analyst on the company will tell you whether the most recent rebound in McDonald’s is for real, and he’ll shed light on whether McDonald’s is a buy at today’s prices. Click here now to read our premium research report on the company.

…read more

Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

Pixelworks® and ACCESS Collaborate on Officeviewer to Enable Content Viewing and Presentations witho

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By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

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Pixelworks ® and ACCESS Collaborate on Officeviewer to Enable Content Viewing and Presentations without a PC

Officeviewer enables projection capability without a PC using USB host

SAN JOSE, Calif. & SUNNYVALE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Pixelworks, Inc. (NAS: PXLW) , a pioneer in innovative video and display processing technology, and ACCESS CO., LTD, a global provider of advanced software technologies to the mobile and beyond-PC markets, today announced the companies are collaborating on Officeviewer to bring projection capability without a PC to a full range of projectors — from traditional mainstream projectors to small LED or laser-based portable and pocket projectors. Officeviewer offers users the convenience of using a portable USB thumb drive to view content and make presentations when a PC isn’t available or convenient.

As part of this collaboration, ACCESS ported its NetFront™ Document Viewer to Pixelworks’ existing platform of digital projector solutions. Officeviewer leverages USB host functionality in Pixelworks’ connected display processors, such as the Topaz platform family, to effectively eliminate the need for a PC to make presentations. The Officeviewer software solution is now available for integration by customers of new and existing Pixelworks SoC projector platforms, including the Company’s latest generation Topaz family of display processors.

“ACCESS and Pixelworks, respective leaders in software and projectors, have successfully collaborated to bring this innovative solution to market and improve the user experience for our customers,” said Graham Loveridge, Sr. Vice President of Marketing at Pixelworks. “This projection capability will be available for a range of platforms, including the Topaz SoC family, and will ultimately be designed into nearly every leading projector brand. As such, we expect giving a presentation or viewing content without a PC to eventually become mainstream.”

“Similar to the growing trend of projection capability without a PC, viewing or sharing documents and content across connected devices has become a standard expectation for consumers in a connected world,” said Kiyoyasu Oishi, Senior Executive Officer, Global Business Unit, ACCESS CO., LTD. “By combining these projection and document viewing technologies, consumers will no longer need to use a PC to present and share documents, making it simpler and more efficient to work and collaborate.”

Features of Officeviewer include:

Automobiles

Official: 2014 Porsche Panamera arrives with new E-Hybrid, long-wheelbase models

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By Steven J. Ewing

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Porsche will officially unveil the refreshed 2014 Panamera at the Shanghai Motor Show later this month, and there’s a whole lot in store for the updated model, far beyond the minimal styling tweaks you see here. Sure, there’s a new fascia with more prominent LED lighting (including full LED headlamps) and the rump has been tweaked ever so slightly, but the big news for 2014 concerns what’s underneath that rakish skin.

First up, Porsche will now offer a Panamera S E-Hybrid model – a plug-in hybrid that builds on the technology first introduced in the Panamera S Hybrid that we tested in 2011. For this new application, a more powerful electric motor and higher-performance battery have been fitted (official specs have not been released just yet), and Porsche says the battery can be recharged in just two and a half hours when the car is plugged in to a 240-volt outlet, and the charging (as well as other vehicle data) can be monitored via a new Porsche Car Connect app available for Android and iOS devices.

The E-Hybrid will have an all-electric driving range of “greater than 20 miles” and will be able to travel at speeds up to 84 miles per hour solely on electric power.

As for performance, the E-Hybrid will reportedly have an all-electric driving range of “greater than 20 miles” and will be able to travel at speeds up to 84 miles per hour solely on electric power. And because this is a Porsche, performance has not suffered – the automaker says the Panamera S E-Hybrid will be able to hit 60 mph in 5.2 seconds on its way to a top speed of 167 mph. Total system output for the E-Hybrid is rated at 416 horsepower and 435 pound-feet of torque, and an eight-speed Tiptronic S transmission will be used with this application.

Speaking of performance, Porsche will be offering a new 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V6 engine in the Panamera, which replaces the naturally aspirated 4.8-liter V8 from the S and 4S models. This new engine is good for a power increase of 20 horsepower and 15 pound-feet over that V8 (bringing the final numbers up to 420 and 383, respectively). While official fuel economy numbers haven’t been released just yet, we’re told that this new engine, combined with the standard seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and auto start/stop, will offer significant fuel economy improvements.

Lastly, and perhaps most fitting to the car’s planned debut in China, Porsche will be offering extended-wheelbase versions of both the Panamera 4S and Turbo. Called the Executive models, these cars offer 5.9 inches of extra length in the wheelbase, and come standard with “an extensive range of standard features,” including Porsche’s adaptive air suspension with Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM).

The 2014 Panamera will go on sale in the US starting late in 2013, priced from $78,100 for the base model and reaching as high as $161,100 for …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Autoblog

Computers

Reviewed: Three touchscreen displays that bring Windows 8 to life

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You don’t necessarily need a touchscreen monitor to use Windows 8, but swiping your finger to invoke the Charms bar is a lot more fun than holding down the Windows key and pressing C. I’ll admit that initially I had to force myself to use the new touch gestures, but after a short time with the OS I found myself reaching out to touch even my MacBook Pro’s screen.

Since the debut of Microsoft’s latest operating system, monitor manufacturers have been working to bring touchscreen support to desktop users. At first it was near impossible to find a display that responded to all the gestures in Windows 8, but now we’re able to review three 23-inch models with 10-point multitouch support (meaning the monitors recognize all 10 fingers on both your hands). 

We put the three monitors through a gauntlet of tests to find which one offers the best value, quality and feature set to win a spot in your workstation.

Acer T232HL

Acer’s T232HL is a 23-inch, 10-point touchscreen LCD monitor with a resolution of 1920 by 1080. It uses environmentally friendly LED backlighting and a high-quality IPS panel for wide viewing angles.

To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at PCWorld

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

Acuity Brands Reports Fiscal 2013 Second Quarter Results

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By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

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Acuity Brands Reports Fiscal 2013 Second Quarter Results

Net Sales Rise 6 Percent to $487 Million; Adjusted Diluted EPS Increase 9 Percent to $0.62

ATLANTA–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Acuity Brands, Inc. (NYS: AYI) (“Company”) today announced fiscal 2013 second quarter net sales were $486.7 million, an increase of $29.0 million, or 6 percent, compared with the year-ago period. Excluding special charges and related temporary expenses in both periods, fiscal 2013 second quarter adjusted net income was $26.7 million compared with adjusted net income of $24.0 million for the prior-year period, an increase of 11 percent. Adjusted diluted earnings per share (“EPS“) for the second quarter of fiscal 2013 were $0.62 compared with adjusted diluted EPS of $0.57 for the year-ago period, an increase of 9 percent. Net income for the second quarter of fiscal 2013 was $24.7 million, or $0.57 diluted EPS, compared with $19.5 million, or $0.46 diluted EPS, for the year-ago period. A detailed discussion of adjusted net income and adjusted diluted EPS, together with a reconciliation of these measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measure is provided below.

Vernon J. Nagel, Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Acuity Brands, commented, “We are pleased with our fiscal 2013 second quarter results as we continue to execute our strategies to extend our leadership in the North American lighting market through the introduction of new and more energy-efficient lighting solutions, including the acquisitions of Adura Technologies and eldoLED to expand our wireless lighting controls and high-performance, intelligent drivers for LED-based lighting systems.”

Mr. Nagel continued, “The year-over-year and sequential increase in net sales reflects favorable trends in order rates that we experienced during the second quarter as well as the continuing adoption of LED lighting solutions, which more than doubled from a year-ago and now represents approximately 15 percent of our total sales. We believe that second quarter sales growth was positively influenced by customer projects that were delayed from the first quarter and released during the second quarter as the resolution to various political and budgetary uncertainties became clearer. This influx of orders from certain channels had a distortive impact on the mix of products sold and unfavorably impacted gross profit margins in the second quarter. Our second quarter results also included temporary inefficiencies and costs associated with the closure of our Cochran, Georgia production facility which was principally completed by the end of the quarter. Excluding these costs and inefficiencies, adjusted operating profit margin was 9.9 percent, which …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

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Schindler Introduces World's Most Advanced Elevator that can be Powered Exclusively by Sunlight

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By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

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Schindler Introduces World’s Most Advanced Elevator that can be Powered Exclusively by Sunlight

News facts:

  • The Schindler Solar Elevator commercially available in Europe, India in 2013; in the U.S. and other global markets in 2014.
  • Supplies from up to 100 percent of elevator power needs in residential and low-rise commercial applications.
  • Reduces energy costs while ensuring operations during power interruptions.

MORRISTOWN, N.J.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Schindler introduced the world’s most advanced affordable, solar-powered elevator system today, a trailblazing technology that underscores the company’s dedication to developing innovative, sustainable solutions for urban mobility challenges.

Inspired in large part by its partnership with the revolutionary Solar Impulse project, the zero fuel airplane aiming to fly around the world propelled only by solar energy, the Schindler Solar Elevator is a hybrid system designed to supply from up to 100 percent of the elevator’s power needs from rooftop solar panels and a proprietary Hybrid Energy Manager (HEM) that stores the solar energy in batteries until needed.

“First customer installation testing in Barcelona, Spain, proved the efficiency of the new system,” said Eric Rossignol, R&D system project manager at Schindler. “The Schindler Solar Elevator not only reduces energy costs and avoids the costly power-peaks caused when elevators begin each trip, but it can run independently of the power grid so it can continue operating during power interruptions or blackouts.”

Design Simplicity

Solar panels can supply most of the Schindler Solar Elevator‘s power requirements, which will vary depending on size and daily traffic. Backup power needs are provided by a one-phase grid connection, which is significantly simpler and less costly to install and operate than the standard three-phase connection. The Schindler Hybrid Energy Manager collects and stores the clean energy generated from the solar panels and the elevator operations to provide backup energy supply should a power interruption occur.

The new solar elevator system uses a standard Schindler 3300 gearless machine room-less elevator, which is already up to 60 percent more energy efficient than hydraulic elevators. The elevator system includes many features that are designed to save energy and reduce costs: stable start; a frequency converter with an energy efficient standby power mode; controls that automatically switch car lights to standby mode and LED car lights. The Schindler 3300 …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

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KYOCERA Announces Enhanced, Unified Display Division

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By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

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KYOCERA Announces Enhanced, Unified Display Division

New Business Unit Integrates Kyocera Display America, Inc. Into Kyocera Industrial Ceramics Corporation’s LCD Division

PLYMOUTH, Mich.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Kyocera Industrial Ceramics Corporation (KICC), today introduced Kyocera Display Division, a new business unit combining the strengths of Kyocera Display America, Inc. (the former Optrex America, Inc.) and Kyocera Industrial Ceramics Corporation’s (KICC) LCD Division.

The merger results from global parent Kyocera Corporation‘s previously announced intent to transfer its LCD-related business operations to Kyocera Display Corporation (KYD) in Japan and consolidate KYD‘s regional sales subsidiaries into other local Kyocera Group subsidiaries. As a result, Kyocera Display America, Inc. merged into KICC effective April 1, 2013, creating the new Kyocera Display Division within KICC.

This integration optimizes the strengths of both organizations and will facilitate the expansion of Kyocera’s North American liquid crystal display and touch-panel businesses. The combined enterprise will streamline operations for greater efficiency while positioning Kyocera for continued success. Customers will benefit from a unified sales force offering superior customer service and a broad line of display products and solutions for the automotive, industrial, medical and consumer markets.

The new Display Division carries a 36-year history of LCD expertise in key industrial and automotive markets. Kyocera offers long-term product availability, which distinguishes the company as a preferred and reliable supplier for industrial, automotive and medical applications.

Kyocera’s products include high-performance, cost-effective TFT and passive display solutions. As a leading manufacturer of LCD products, Kyocera is known for its advanced technology and high quality. Kyocera produces state-of-the-art low temperature polysilicon and amorphous silicon panels of various sizes suitable for automotive and industrial use and provides flexibility to support mid- to high-volume production runs.

Kyocera displays are developed using the latest high-efficiency, long lifetime LED backlighting solutions in both standard and high brightness (1200 nit) versions to ensure readability for both indoor and outdoor use. Other features include touch-screen options, built-in LED driver control, advanced super-wide-view technology to deliver true color and wide viewing angles and a wide operational temperature range to support the extreme environments of automotive and industrial applications.

With its strong engineering team, the Display Division provides technical support and guidance from the early design to production phases of product development, offering various technical solutions to customers, including toolkits, touch-screen lamination and assembly services through its sub-contract assembly production facilities in Plymouth, Michigan and Tijuana, Mexico.

…read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

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Veeco MOCVD Chosen for CEA-Leti and Aledia's New Nano-LED Venture

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By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

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Veeco MOCVD Chosen for CEA-Leti and Aledia’s New Nano-LED Venture

PLAINVIEW, N.Y.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Veeco Instruments Inc. (NAS: VECO) announced today that CEA-Leti, a world-renowned research lab based in Grenoble, France, has selected Veeco’s TurboDisc® K465i Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD) system for its program with Aledia, its nanowire-LED partner.

Aledia is a start-up company spun out of the CEA-Leti labs in 2011, and based at the CEA site. It counts among its three founders two former CEA researchers, Xavier Hugon and Philippe Gilet. Aledia’s goal is to manufacture 3D nanowire-based LEDs for solid-state lighting applications on thin silicon wafer substrates, of 8 inches or greater in diameter, at a cost significantly below that of conventional planar LEDs. Nanowires are thin crystalline structures that, when electrically charged, can emit a broader spectrum of light than conventional LEDs, and can be grown on industry-standard silicon substrates. Aledia’s nanowire technology was originally developed at CEA-Leti, and Aledia and CEA-Leti continue to develop nanowire technology in close cooperation.

Fabrice Geiger, Head of CEA-Leti’s Silicon Technology Division, commented, “We are confident that Veeco’s MOCVD system is the right equipment to help make this technology successful.”

According to Giorgio Anania, Aledia’s President and Chief Executive Officer, “The TurboDisc reactor will be an important element of our strategy to take this potentially game-changing technology towards the commercialization phase. In partnership with CEA-Leti, we selected Veeco because our analysis indicated that at this time their MOCVD systems showed the best financial returns for 8 inch wafer production on the market.”

William J. Miller, Ph.D, Veeco’s Executive Vice President, commented “We are looking forward to working with CEA-Leti and Aledia on their efforts to commercialize nanowire LED technology, which shows promise to accelerate the industry’s roadmap towards cheaper and more efficient LEDs.”



About CEA-Leti

CEA-Leti is one of the top research institutes in Europe, with 1700 researchers and a 250 million Euro budget focused on basic research publications, applied research patents, pilot line prototypes and mass production products. CEA-Leti has over 1,880 patents in its portfolio, has created over 50 start-ups and spin offs, has 47 common laboratories with industrial partners and …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

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GE's LED Refrigerated Display Lighting will Mean $600,000 Annual Savings for Specialty Grocer

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By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

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GE’s LED Refrigerated Display Lighting will Mean $600,000 Annual Savings for Specialty Grocer

EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio–(BUSINESS WIRE)– When specialty frozen food retailer M&M Meat Shops began developing a new strategy to become more competitive, it explored various store improvement projects that would enhance shopper experience, build the bottom line, and could be replicated across its 430 franchise locations as part of a multi-year renovation mandate. The grocer found one cost-cutting answer in GE’s ImmersionTM RV40 LED refrigerated display lighting for reach-in cases. The energy-efficient LED retail lighting systems will save M&M Meat Shops about $600,000 in lighting costs annually once installations are complete.

M&M Meat Shops is replacing refrigerated display lighting in 430 locations across Canada with GE’s more energy-efficient LED systems. (Photo: General Electric)

“With its 5000-degree Kelvin temperature, GE’s new LED system creates beautiful, bright, white light. It brings out the crispness of our signature white boxes, making them really pop in the vertical cases and impact the visual appeal of the entire store,” said Dianne Chalmers, senior manager of construction at M&M Meat Shops.

Franchises are replacing T10 fluorescent lights with Immersion RV40 LED lighting systems. At a $.10 kWh rate and 12 hours of operation a day, the average M&M Meat Shops location will save about $870 a year in lighting energy costs alone.

GE’s LED refrigerated display lighting solution will also eliminate the maintenance cost of replacement ballasts and high-output fluorescent lamps—an approximate $525 savings per store.

This brings combined energy and maintenance reductions to nearly $1,400 for each franchisee to complete its lighting upgrade. To date, 150 M&M Meat Shops locations have made the switch to GE’s ecomagination℠ LED technology, a combined $210,000 annual lighting cost savings. These savings will grow to about $600,000 a year across all 430 stores when the renovation cycle is complete.

For more information about the GE Lighting products used in this project, visit www.gelighting.com. To learn more about GE’s commitment to innovative solutions to today’s environmental challenges while driving economic growth, visit www.ecomagination.com.

About GE Lighting

GE Lighting invents with the vigor of its founder Thomas Edison to develop energy-efficient solutions that change the way people light their world in commercial, industrial, municipal and residential settings. The business employs about 15,000 people in more than 100 countries, …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

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Fairchild Semiconductor's Power Supply WebDesigner Now Provides CCM, Non-Isolated PFC Buck and Buck

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By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

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Fairchild Semiconductor’s Power Supply WebDesigner Now Provides CCM, Non-Isolated PFC Buck and Buck LED Driver Designs in Under a Minute

New Modules Provide Optimal Design with Complete Schematics, Inductor Design and Bill of Materials

SAN JOSE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Fairchild Semiconductor (NYS: FCS) , a leading global supplier of high performance power and mobile semiconductor solutions, has enhanced Power Supply WebDesigner – an online design and simulation tool that provides complete designs in under a minute – to include complete continuous conduction mode (CCM), non-isolated active PFC buck and buck LED driver designs.

From user-specified design inputs, the Power Supply WebDesigner (PSW) tool allows designers to choose all the components used in a design or have the tool automatically recommend the design values – providing Fairchild part numbers where applicable. PSW can automatically recommend design values, or allows the user to evaluate their own component choices.

While using the tool, designers can accept default recommended values, or spend time optimizing the important details to their unique design needs. Designers can get quick, accurate estimates on design performance, and refine design choices as they go. The tool also allows them to spend the time to perform detailed simulation analysis and learn the insights of how their design and its hardware prototype will work with higher degree of confidence.

When a design is complete, PSW creates a BOM which can be sent to their procurement department or instantly procure the components online, saving time on documentation or sourcing parts elsewhere. Additionally, they can save their design for future reference or pass the design on to other engineers.

Using the Power Supply WebDesigner tool provides the inexperienced designer a quick guided design, while the experienced designer can take their requirements and further customize critical design factors.

Updates:

  • Fairchild’s latest CCM buck and non-isolated PFC buck LED drivers are added options for PSW users, supporting Fairchild’s family of LED drivers.
  • First-available LED online tool designed to help design EMI filters, predict power factor (PF) and total harmonic distortion (THD).
  • PSW features have been extended to include the special driver requirements of low power (≤ 20W) …read more
    Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
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Acuity Brands Earnings: An Early Look

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By Dan Caplinger, The Motley Fool

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The new earnings season is about to begin, but a few companies on off-quarter fiscal years are just now getting around to reporting their quarterly results. Acuity Brands is about to release its quarterly earnings report. The key to making smart investment decisions with stocks releasing their quarterly reports is to anticipate how they’ll do before they announce results, leaving you fully prepared to respond quickly to whatever inevitable surprises arise. That way, you’ll be less likely to make an uninformed knee-jerk reaction to news that turns out to be exactly the wrong move.

Lighting may not sound like the most interesting business, but Acuity Brands has turned providing cutting-edge lights for both commercial and consumer uses into a solidly profitable enterprise. Let’s take an early look at what’s been happening with Acuity Brands over the past quarter and what we’re likely to see in its quarterly report on Wednesday.

Stats on Acuity Brands

Analyst EPS Estimate

$0.62

Change From Year-Ago EPS

8.8%

Revenue Estimate

$468.5 million

Change From Year-Ago Revenue

2.4%

Earnings Beats in Past 4 Quarters

1

Source: Yahoo! Finance.

Will Acuity Brands see the light this quarter?
Analysts have been increasingly concerned about Acuity’s earnings prospects in recent months, having cut their earnings-per-share calls on the most recent quarter by $0.08 and chopping more than $0.27 per share off their consensus for the full 2013 fiscal year. The shares have reflected those concerns, as they rose less than 3% during the first three months of 2013 despite a strong overall market.

Acuity is a lighting specialist that has a wide range of products that include light-emitting diode technology. LEDs have been a hotbed of investor interest lately because of their application to the display industry. Cree‘s LED business encompasses not just pure lighting but also video screens for computers and mobile devices, which have seen huge growth lately. Universal Display has gone a step beyond conventional LEDs, turning to organic LED technology as a potential source of efficiency gains and finally starting to ramp up production.

But even as Universal Display, Cree, and a host of other players fight over various parts of the consumer and tech markets, Acuity goes beyond those applications to pull in other lighting needs as well. With lighting systems and controls that serve commercial needs as well as daylighting systems that utilize and enhance the effectiveness of available natural light, Acuity seeks to cover all its bases in the industry. That can cause problems in some economic environments, as Acuity’s commercial business has been more sensitive to prevailing economic conditions, especially in parts of Europe.

In its quarterly report, watch for Acuity to discuss its recent buyout of Dutch LED-driver manufacturer eldoLED. The move should enhance Acuity’s ability to deliver new innovations in solid-state lighting and bolster its leadership in the indoor/outdoor lighting space.

Acuity relies …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance