Pat Hindle, MWJ Editor

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The number of global insurance telematics users will grow at a CAGR of 90% from 1.85 million in 2010 to 89 million in 2017 according to ABI Research.  Insurance telematics or usage based insurance (UBI) is not new as Progressive was trialing solutions back in 2002 but there is a renewed interest in this market which is migrating from pay as you drive (PAYD) to pay how you drive (PHYD) based on continuous driver behavior monitoring and analysis.

Now that Q4 2011 results are in, ABI Research is reporting that Apple finally topped the smartphone market and Andriod suffers its first decline in market share.

Swami editor, Pat Hindle, makes his annual predictions with 12 items for 2012. He also reviews how his 2011 predictions turned out. Read his 2012 predictions and comment or make your own on his blog.

Here are the top 10 most viewed articles this year on the Microwave Journal web site: The Current State of Technology and Future Trends in Wireless Communications and Applications Cognitive Radar: The Next Radar Wave? RFID: The Next Generation Auto-ID Technology A Compact, Omni-directional, Circularly Polarized Microstrip Antenna Making Thermal Resistance Measurements without Test Diodes or Thermal Stages An Analog Approach to Power Amplifier Predistortion Trends in Defence Electronics: Technological Convergence in Radar and EW Xinger®-III Doherty Combiner Offers Advantages Over a PCB Combiner Two-arm Archimedean Spiral Helical Antenna with Wraparound Absorber Modern RFID Readers Half of these articles...

This market insight report compares Q3 shelfshare trends in smartphone and non-smartphone markets across the world. The analysis was carried out using SpecTRAX, from Strategy Analytics which covers 13,000 handset models from 140 network operators in 31 countries. This month’s shelfshare report uses data from Q3 2011 to reveal: - Smartphones accounted for 49% of global shelfshare with non-smartphones accounting for 46% of operator shelfshare. - Smartphone presence in operator portfolios has doubled in three years and now the market is dominated by big brands. Mobile phone portfolios are being filled up with smartphones, tablets and USB dongles at...

A couple of guys from MIT have started Supermechanical and developed a WiFi module that can connect sensors to the Internet. According to their project listing on the KickStarter website, "Twine is the simplest possible way to get the objects in your life texting, tweeting or emailing. A durable 2.5" square provides WiFi connectivity, internal and external sensors, and two AAA batteries that keep it running for months. A simple web app allows to you quickly set up your Twine with human-friendly rules — no programming needed. And if you're more adventurous, you can connect your own sensors and use...

In Strategy Analyitcs' monthly report on handset for data from September 2011: 95% of handsets that entered the market featured Bluetooth, setting a new record for any one month - in Q3 2011 as a whole 89% featured Bluetooth, 18 of which featured version 3 57% of handsets announced had on-board GPS – setting another record for a single month 12 models had 8 MP cameras as the upward trend in resolution continues Processor speeds increased with 23 models having 1 GHz or greater processors and dual core processors featuring on 7 models According to Strategy Analytics, handsets are...

ABI Research recently reported that the total market for standards-based wireless connectivity ICs is expected to exceed 3.5 billion units per annum in 2011. “Broadcom leads the market with Qualcomm, CSR, and Texas Instruments all snapping at its heels,” says Peter Cooney, practice director, semiconductors. The market will total more than $11 billion per annum by 2014. Wireless connectivity technologies are well-established in many electronic device markets. Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and GPS are becoming ubiquitous in certain devices, such as smartphones, with attach rates approaching 100% in some cases. Rapid growth is forecast for newer technologies such as NFC and...

I don't normally point out specific products but I like to highlight new technology or products first to the market. RFMD has introduced the industry’s first surface mount GaN power doubler module aimed at CATV networks. It uses a combination of GaN HEMT and GaAs pHEMT technologies and provides high output capability from 45-1003 MHz with excellent distortion performance. Performance 45 to 1003 MHz GaAs/GaN Power Doubler Module 61dBmV Rated Power High Current Mode: 450mA at 24V DC Low Current Mode: 350mA at 24V DC Min. Gain: 22.5dB at 1GHz Saves ≈ 50% PCBA Area versus SOT115J (with external...

I call the end of Oct through the beginning of Nov Military Month as we typically attend EuMW, MILCOM and AOC during this period along with our publication of the Oct Government/Military issue . At EuMW 2011, Microwave Journal coordinated a full day Defence/Security Forum in Manchester. The morning sessions concentrated on Security technologies such as through the wall radar, IED detection, etc. Strategy Analytics put on a lunch and learn session covering Defense Budgets and Trends followed by afternoon sessions covering the challenges of next generation radar and testing. It concluded with an executive forum with speakers from Defense...