Welcome to the summer 2008 edition of Nuvation’s CURRENT! Nuvation recently turned 11 years old, and celebrated in San Jose and Waterloo, while growing our newest office in Shanghai, China. We are proud of the positive feedback from our clients and the repeat business you entrust to us.  A big thank you!

In this issue of Nuvation’s CURRENT, we discuss the very popular topic of DSP vs. FPGA design in an embedded system. With both technologies advancing and converging on many fronts, which of the technologies is more beneficial? One of our senior design engineers, Bamdad Afra, outlines the factors to consider to choose the best device for your design. Our second headliner is a user's guide to engineering outsourcing. Written by the man who has seen it all in this field, our very own VP of Sales & Marketing Chris Hallahan pens an article that is crucial for anyone considering outsourcing an engineering project. From indivual contractors to medium-sized Electronic Design Services (EDS) firms, and to offshoring, this article covers all the ins and outs of outsourcing and simplifies the daunting task of selecting an outsourcing solution.

In addition, at the Freescale Technology Forum last month, Nuvation debuted it's latest robot innovation, "Air-HockeyBot 1000". Utilizing advanced algorithms developed by Nuvation for puck motion estimation, game strategy, and visual field distortion correction, Air-HockeyBot challenged 8 out of every 10 players from scoring in their first 3 minutes! Nuvation and the robot went on to be awarded the People's Choice Award for best innovation! Watch the video here.

In other news, Nuvation kicked off its 11th year by launching the Nuvation eStore. Four of Nuvation's reference designs are currently available through the eStore, including the IP Camera Mini, IP Camera PoE, Intelligent Video Server (IVS), and Multichannel Video Front End (McVFE). Celebrations for the anniversary were thoroughly carried out with drinks, games, and robot splendour at our yearly Cinco de Mayo event in San Jose and annual summer party in Waterloo. Click to see more photos from the San Jose event.

Lastly before closing, I must add, to meet our growth plans Nuvation is looking for seasoned talent and gifted individuals to join our world-class design teams in San Jose, California, Waterloo Canada, and Shanghai, China.  With an opportunity to work on leading-edge products across a range of applications, from consumer electronics to communications, our people are always developing new skills.  Our environment here at Nuvation is dynamic & fast-paced, but we have a lot of fun along the way (experience with nerf guns, BattleBots and balcony BBQs not required, on the job training will be available).  If you know great engineers who may be looking for a new home, point them to our careers page for a list of opportunities currently available.

Hope all of you are enjoying great successes, personally and professionally, and we wish you a warm and sunny summer.

Many Thanks,

Michael Worry
Nuvation CEO