Proximity sensors come in many shaper and forms. HoloTouch has technology for a hands-free holographic switch and Silicon Labs just introduced two infrared proximity sensors.

Many semiconductor companies tout their smart battery-charger ICs that adjust charging levels, monitor cut-off points, charge different types of cell chemistries, and so on.  Those capabilities help charge batteries efficiently, but often the "smarts" don't visibly help the user.

I began to use Molex connectors in the early '70's when I designed and built electronic equipment. The connectors and pins came in small blister packs sold at Scotty's Radio and TV in Blacksburg, VA, a short drive from my apartment. At one point I used so many Molex connectors I bought a complete kit that provided an assortment of connector types and a crimp tool. The kit disappeared long ago, probably lent and forgotten.

The folks at Waldom Electronics worked with Molex to create a new line of Molex Kits, such as those shown in the photos here.

Not all equipment needs high-speed Internet access. Remote sensor monitors, remote controllers, weather stations, security systems, and similar devices can use standard phone lines to communicate with a distant computer. To simplify this type of connection, Saelig Company now offers developers an embedded "World Modem NET" module that operates at standard modem data rates from 300 to 56K bits/sec. The module includes a direct attachment arrangement (DAA) that lets it connect directly to the standard ring and tip telephone wires. The DAA provides 5 kV of isolation.

Earlier in 2009, Micrium introduced its μC/OS-III real-time kernel, a real-time operating system (RTOS) that use the ARM7/9, Cortex-MX, Nios-II, PowerPC, Coldfire, i.MX, Microblaze, H8, SH, M16C, M32C, or Blackfin processors, among others.