New Password Save Option

Most of us don't want Windows (or our browser) to store our passwords. How about an option that lets you store the length of the username and the password. That way, while typing the username or the password, if you accidentally press ENTER when you meant to press SHIFT, it can prompt you to hit ENTER again to submit? Yup, ENTER is too close to SHIFT.

Livescribe App

They want the Livescribe to catch on like the iPhone - legions of people developing apps for it. Here's one that geeks might appreciate:

Write an app that will give an audio reading of the value of a resistor based on its colour code. So, you have to get the camera on the tip of the pen close to your resistor and get the program to look at the code lines and report the value audibly in English (oder andere lingua). This should be a no-brainer considering the other apps that are out there.

Now, how soon do you think it'll be before Taiwan has figured out the livescribe and brought the price down to $10?

Amorphous Solar - Enhanced Community Security

Video cameras to monitor communities are a bit hard because they invade privacy. But, motion detectors should be fine. Give your patrol officer a heads up when he's on the other side of the property and someone's breaking into a car on this side. How - use a motion detector that looks like a rock. Solar panels might be a giveaway - but, maybe you could disguise them as a garden lamp too. So, you want to distribute the solar cell in a random way. Just a thought.

TSMC's New Business Model

(I hope)

Let their customers bypass both Cadence and Mentor. Here's what they need to do :

Download Berkeley spice and customize it and robustize it - ensure no non-convergence issues with their models. Cost ~300k, time ~ 1 yr, 4 people.

Download the open-source EDA tools for schematic and layout and customize them and professionalize them. Cost ~4 million, time ~ 1 yr, 30 people. Might want to subcon here.

Then, generate libraries that your customers can use - standard cell digital libraries and also some analog stuff - voltage references, regulators, VCOs, etc. These must be proven on silicon and macromodels that can be used with the simulator should be available. The IP should be provided too - so customers can tweak. This is akin to Cadence providing ahdlLib. Cost ~40 million, time ~ 2 yrs, 40 people.

Then, customize the simulator and design environment to make models transparent to the user. The user should never have to worry about models and should also never be able to look at the models. Of course, the user can rig up the simulation to get the characteristics of the devices and thereby write his own model for use with another simulator, but the effort should be unnecessary. Cost ~10 million, time ~ 1 yr, 10 people.

Now, let people download the tool and libraries from your website for free. They can now try out designs and see if they work and if they work in simulation, can go search for funding to get the chips fab'd/manufactured.

eyePhone

I'm surprised thinkgeek hasn't thought of this one yet. Simple - bluetooth headset built into a spectacle frame.

Take it one step further - a full-fledged head mounted display that you can use glance and blink to control. How about that? Of course, form factor should still be a normal pair of glasses. Something like Mission Impossible? If Cruise actually had an iPhone in that movie, it would have made sense to some people.

TI MSP430 Enables Secure USB Data Stick

Surprised it hasn't been done before. Use the Chipcon radio's RSSI (if available) to get an idea of the distance. Then, (you carry the base station on your belt or in your pocket - it never leaves your person), if the MCU detects the distance between you and your USB stick is more than X, it starts screaming. Simple, elusive. You see, there needn't be any layoffs at all. There's plenty of worthwhile work for everyone.

MSP430 Application Compiler

Now, I'm not talking about compiling C code. Microchip and Atmel might already have this. Not sure about TI.

Here's the idea. You get the user to describe his application in words and you use a parser to tell him what components he needs to put his system together. Of course, you're encouraged to stick to a certain syntax and limited vocabulary. For example.

Pressure sensor interfaced to MSP430, connected wirelessly to PC through USB.

Now, the parser can tell him he can just use the EZ430-RF200 demo kit, suggest some I2C based pressure sensors, etc. Childishly simple.