At IFA 2013, Acer will unveil the new 10.1-inch Iconia A3 Android-based tablet, the new Liquid S2 smartphone, Acer's first smartphone with Ultra HD recording; and the refreshed Ezel hinged Aspire R7 notebook with new touch apps and the new Acer Active Pen for more precise touch control.The Iconia A3 tablet comes with Dolby Digital Plus, creating a virtualized 5.1 channel surround experience over headphones, reduced background noise and volume boost.The tablet also features a 10.1-inch WXGA display (1280 by 800) with IPS technology. Powered by a quad-core 1.2GHz cortex A7 processor, the Iconia A3 is capable of delivering 11 hours of video playback.The Iconia A3 also debuts Acer's IntelliSpin technology that expands the tablet's screen image rotation feature.The Liquid S2 is Acer's first smartphone with Ultra HD recording capability. It features a 6-inch Full HD screen with IPS technology and supports 4G LTE and the new Wi-Fi 802.11ac standard. It also equips dual speakers powered by Dolby Digital Plus technology.The smartphone uses Gorilla Glass 3.0 to increase its damage resistance and adopts Zero Air Gap Display technology to improve the smartphone's tactile feel and display readability under the sun by removing the air between the touch panel and LCD module.The Liquid S2 also has several camera enhancements including BSI Sensors, Exposure Control and LED Ring Flash.With the Ezel hinge, Acer's Aspire R7-572 notebook has four modes of operation: a traditional notebook; a table top pad; a touch display; and the unique Ezel mode, which allows the screen to float over the keyboard at various angles. Running on Windows 8.1, the Aspire R7-572 is equipped with an Acer Active Pen and features a set of Acer Touch Tools apps.Acer Touch Tools apps feature Acer MemoryBinder that enables users to arrange their photos, add paint brush effects, and add personal messages; Acer Screen Grasp that allows easy photo capture, personalization and sharing on social networks; Acer Scrapboard that collects images and ideas from the web for reference or sharing; and Acer AccuFinger that helps users acquire tiny items on the screen more accurately with their fingers.Acer Iconia A3 tabletPhoto: CompanyAcer Liquid S2 smartphonePhoto: CompanyAcer Aspire R7-572 notebookPhoto: Company

The essence of Industry 4.0 lies in maximizing network coverage to streamline production and sales processes, facilitating information sharing and communication between the processes to build a smart factory. From a practical standpoint, a smart factory can achieve factory automation and remote monitoring, ensuring seamless production. It can assist manufacturers integrate the various data of production, logistic and inventory management, enabling real-time control of capacity planning to meet the real-time needs of customized orders. Furthermore, smart factory can increase the production capacity without expanding factories.Industrial Networks Make Long Distance, Real-Time Transfer of Big Data a RealityIn achieving the vision of smart factory, building an industrial network and implementing PC-based controllers have now become important topics. "Industrial networks possess various advantages including high scalability, long distance and real-time transmission of big data. They can adapt to the addition or removal of devices, and expand or adjust their network structure accordingly to meet the need of real-time data transmission across different plants. In addition, industrial networks can be configured in redundant ring topologies to provide reliable data transmission, a critical requirement for smart factories that legacy serial protocols fail to meet," explained David Lee, director of product management, NEXCOM Industrial Computing Solutions Business Unit.For example, in the petrochemical industry, a petrochemical plant may cover several dozen hectares of space, requiring operators to gather large amounts of monitoring and control parameters from dozens of facilities throughout the plant. In addition, each facility may be responsible for different upstream and downstream processes. These facilities must communicate with each other in real-time without interruption in order to achieve parameter optimization, enabling operators to perform preventive maintenance and repair, ensure error-free operation and maximize electricity generation.PC-based Controllers Connect All Corners of the FactoryHowever, as there is a large number of different Fieldbus protocols from different manufacturers, building an industrial network is not an easy task. Furthermore, a smart factory must be built using the existing devices and system as the basis. Currently, the leading manufacturers in the factory automation market are Siemens, Rockwell and Beckhoff. These manufacturers have long established reputation with proven reliability and stability. Therefore, the network protocols typically used in industrial networks are manufacturer-specific protocols, such as PROFINET, PROFIBUS, EtherNet/IP, DeviceNet and EtherCAT.Under this circumstance, the benefits of PC-based controllers are more evident. Lee explains, "First, the communication interface supported by PC-based controllers is more broad and flexible compared to Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC). Second, PC-based controllers can scale easily, if more machines and field instruments are added to the production lines and factory floors, PC-based controllers can be installed quickly with simple wiring, and with minimal or even no interruption to the plant operation. For PLCs, this may not be the case." Lee further adds that at 2013 automation trade shows, various industrial control manufacturers were showcasing PC-based control systems, highlighting the significance of PC-based controllers in industrial automation.Lee points out that when converging to an IP-based smart factory, it is vital to adapt to the established protocols of the industrial control market, because industrial control systems in the manufacturing site may use protocols from different vendors.For example, the process control and wastewater treatment system of a semiconductor manufacturer may include more than one vendor's solution. In the petrochemical industry, petrochemical plants built at different construction periods may use different industrial control systems. Furthermore, the manufacturing sites of automotive and home appliance plants may include a combination of commercial computers and industrial controllers. To assist manufacturing businesses to overcome these challenges in building an IP-based smart factory, PC-based controllers can ensure smooth production during the transition.NEXCOM has released NEXCOM Industrial Fieldbus Embedded Computer (NIFE) solution, which are a range of PC-based controllers. Available in different processor configurations and form factors, the NIFE solution integrates widely-used Fieldbus interface cards to support all types of Fieldbus protocols, and comes with full software capabilities, ranging from real-time to non-real time operating systems, to motion control software and HMI/SCADA software integration. In addition, the Fieldbus interface cards, operation systems and software are verified and validated by original equipment manufacturers (OEM). The NIFE solution ensures compatibility among the PC-based controllers, Fieldbus interface cards and software.Using a comprehensive matrix approach to hardware and software compatibility, NEXCOM has precisely integrated a stable industrial control system that is able to link the communication between the factory and the field, and then share the information to the management and operation levels of the enterprise network. By bridging the communication gaps, NEXCOM's NIFE solution can help businesses build an IP-based smart factory and fulfill the vision of Smart Production, Green Production and Urban Production in the era of Industry 4.0.About NEXCOM: Founded in 1992, NEXCOM has five business units which focus on vertical markets across industrial computer, in-vehicle computer, multimedia, network and communication, and intelligent digital security industries. NEXCOM serves its customers worldwide through its subsidiaries in seven major industrial countries. NEXCOM gains stronghold in vertical markets with its industry-leading products including the rugged fanless computer NISE series, the in-vehicle computer VTC series, the network and security appliance NSA series and the digital signage player NDiS series. http://www.nexcom.com/As there is a large number of different Fieldbus protocols from different manufacturers, IP-Based Fieldbus holds the key to smart factory of Industry 4.0

Taipei, the capital city of Taiwan, was the first city in Taiwan to install surveillance cameras extensively. However, after years of use and weather conditions lead to their wear and tear, plus each device was installed separately by the head of neighborhood, it was difficult for police officers or public to obtain the video image when needed. Therefore, Taipei City Government decided to install a whole new CCTV system in 2008 to execute its "zero tolerance for crimes" policy and provide a safer and more convenient environment for people.EverFocus was successfully and proudly to announce the assistance that they provide for Taipei City Police Department with the design and installation of this big project. With its years of experiences in surveillance industry, EverFocus is assigned by Taipei City Government to fulfill the first city surveillance project in Taiwan. The Taipei City Government has set up 13,699 surveillance cameras at 11,500 key points across the city, utilizing the point-line-plane method to blanket the city in a comprehensive protection network.Five types of EverFocus surveillance cameras were installed including neighborhood surveillance cameras, driveway surveillance cameras, fixed mega-pixel surveillance cameras, rotating mega-pixel surveillance cameras, and LPR surveillance cameras that can recognize license plates. 11,933 neighborhoods surveillance cameras are responsible for watching over the neighborhoods. 1,200 driveway surveillance cameras installed on crossroads can take clear snapshots of license plates. 342 fixed mega-pixel surveillance cameras at important and busy roads feature panoramic photography as well as license plate photo shooting. 80 rotating mega-pixel surveillance cameras built at important crossroads can turn 355 degrees horizontally and 90 degrees vertically remotely to make sure there are no blind spots. LPR surveillance cameras that read license plates are installed on bridges and roads connecting to other cities and linked to the National Police Agency's stolen vehicle database which sends notifications as long as specific vehicles are recognized.These surveillance cameras are mainly served as evidence providing devices accompanied with other functions. Real-time surveillance and recording can deter potential criminals and build a defensive space to prevent crimes effectively. The CCTV system provides complete image data that help rebuild the scenes and clarify the incident. The 110 duty command system is integrated with the Geography Information System (GIS) to monitor situations immediately, mobilize police forces precisely and gain control of the situations quickly. Moreover, each surveillance camera is a tracker that provides policemen with crucial images in the shortest time. According to Taipei City Police Department, all data are regulated to be used for specific purposes and be processed conscientiously for privacy concerns. The CCTV system in Taipei City adopts a closed VPN network, so it is safe from any hacking or cyber threat. All access and manipulation is recorded.The clearance rate of robbery cases is usually between 30% and 40% and rarely over 50%. However, with the help of the new city surveillance cameras, from January to September Taipei City Police Department broke all cases along with the cases in the surrounding cities."I promise that the Taipei City government will adhere to the principles of privacy protection and ensure that all images are used cautiously. With this new CCTV system, we can definitely protect the law and crack down on illegal acts all year long and enhance Taipei police's performance." said the Mayor of Taipei after the installation of the whole new system.EverFocus is assigned by Taipei City Government to fulfill the first city surveillance project in Taiwan

Lenovo has announced new all-in-one (AIO) desktops with a simpler ergonomic design featuring optional multi-touch screens, improved cable management and new mounting options with the ThinkCentre UltraFlex stand allowing for vertical, rotate and tilt movements, including a fully flat position optimized for touch.The ThinkCentre E93z is 48mm thick, and is a 10-point multi-touch display that combines height, tilt, pivot, and recline adjustments to maximize ergonomic comfort and productivity for an improved Windows 8 experience, said the company, adding the unit has a 21.5-inch Full HD display and is powered by up to a 4th Generation Intel Core i7 processor and available with a 1GB NVIDIA GeForce 720 discrete graphics engine on selected models.Lenovo announces its new E93z monitor Photo: Company

Asustek Computer has announced the release of its MB168 Series portable USB-powered monitor, a 15.6-inch companion display designed for notebooks and desktops. Both power and video signal are supplied over a single USB 3.0 cable, removing the need to carry a bulky power adapter and video cable. With a slim 8mm profile and weighing 800g, the MB168 Series is the world's slimmest and lightest companion display and is ideal for simple dual-monitor set-ups and presentations, according to the company.The MB168 Series has a mercury-free LED-backlit display that consumes just 5W in active use and 0W in standby mode.The device is available in both 1920 by 1080 Full HD and 1366 by 768 resolutions, with both models requiring just a single USB 3.0 connection for the video signal and power. The MB168 Series is also backward compatible with USB 2.0 ports, with only a slight difference in display brightness.The MB168 Series features Asus EzLink technology that offloads graphics processing from the PC to dedicated hardware in the monitor. As a result, a desktop or notebook can drive up to five MB168 Series monitors at the same time, regardless of its own graphics capability, it just needs sufficient USB ports. EzLink senses ambient light levels and adjusts monitor brightness accordingly, and automatically rotates the image between landscape and portrait modes, as required, said Asustek.Asustek releases MB168 Series portable USB-powered monitorPhoto: Company

Asustek has announced Z87-Deluxe/Quad, featuring the Thunderbolt 2 technology certified by Intel. Based on the new Intel Z87 chipset and ready for the latest fourth-generation Intel Core processors, the Z87-Deluxe/Quad ATX motherboard has two Thunderbolt 2 ports for connecting up to 12 devices at once. Each port has up to 20Gbit/s transfer rate and is backwardly compatible with Thunderbolt 1.The original Thunderbolt standard has four separate transfer channels - two upstream and two downstream - with a maximum transfer rate of 10Gbit/s per channel. Thunderbolt 2 combines these four channels into two 20Gbit/s bi-directional channels, which are four times faster than USB 3.0, according to the vendor. Together with DisplayPort 1.2 support, this enables Thunderbolt 2 to simultaneously deliver high-resolution video to Ultra HD displays and communicate with other devices, such as hard drives. With the onboard HDMI port, the Z87-Deluxe/Quad can drive three Ultra HD displays at once.Thunderbolt 2 also supports daisy-chained connections with up to six devices on each port.Asustek Z87-Deluxe/Quad motherboard with Thunderbolt 2 supportPhoto: Company

Entegris, Inc., a leader in contamination control and materials handling technologies for highly demanding advanced manufacturing environments, and imec, a world-leading research center in nanoelectronics, announced they are collaborating to advance the development and broaden the adoption of 3D integrated circuits.3D IC technology, a process by which multiple semiconductor dies are stacked into a single device, is aimed at increasing the functionality and performance of next-generation integrated circuits while reducing footprint and power consumption. It is a key technology to enable the next generation of portable electronics such as smartphones and tablets that require smaller ICs which consume less power.One of the key steps in 3D IC manufacturing process entails thinning semiconductor wafers while they are bonded to carrier substrates. Handling such thinned 3D IC wafers during the production process can result in wafer breakage, edge damage, and particle generation. A standardized, fully automated solution that supports the handling of multiple types of wafers would result in a significant cost reduction and pave the way toward further development and scaling of 3D IC technologies. Imec and Entegris are working on creating a solution to safely transfer and handle multiple kinds of 3D IC wafers without the risk of breakage and other damage that may occur during the 3D production process."We are excited to work with the imec team, which is a key research center leading technology innovation for the semiconductor industry," said Bertrand Loy, president and CEO of Entegris. "Our current collaboration is aimed at leveraging our wafer handling expertise and technology to reduce contamination and breakage by applying full automation to the handling of thin wafers during 3D wafer production. This project builds on our previously completed work with imec to develop dispense and filtration methods to reduce bubble and defect formation during the dispense of material that is used to temporarily bond 3D wafers to carrier substrates," said Loy."This collaboration with Entegris aims at developing a solution toward fully automated handling of multiple types of 3D IC wafers," stated Eric Beyne, Director of imec's 3D integration research program. "Such a general solution would imply a significant reduction of the development cost, which is key to the realization of a scalable and manufacturable 3D IC technology."To learn more about Entegris' comprehensive suite of filtration and wafer handling solutions, see Entegris at booth 176 at SEMICON Taiwan, September 4-6, 2013. For more information, please contact Entegris at: asia_news@entegris.com. Join our SEMICON Taiwan event (http://on.fb.me/19ibAdQ) on Facebook to stay connected with the latest announcements before and during the show.Learn more about imec's 3D integration research at the Tawain edition of the IMEC TECHNOLOGY FORUM, organized in conjunction with SEMICON Taiwan and in collaboration with SEMI on September 4, 2013 at the Taipei World Trade Center Nangang Exhibition Hall, Taipei, Taiwan. For more information: http://www.itf2013taiwan.be/About EntegrisEntegris is a leading provider of a wide range of products for purifying, protecting and transporting critical materials used in processing and manufacturing in the semiconductor and other high-tech industries. Entegris is ISO 9001 certified and has manufacturing, customer service and/or research facilities in the United States, China, France, Germany, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan. Additional information can be found at http://www.entegris.com/.FFS_300mm_Open-300

GIGABYTE Technology, a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, announced its latest range of 8 series motherboards based on the new Intel H81 Chipset (PCH) supporting the latest 4th generation Intel Core processors. GIGABYTE Intel H81 series motherboards include ATX and Micro-ATX models, bringing together a unique blend of features and technologies that offer the absolute best in terms of quality, durability and overall lifespan.GIGABYTE H81 series motherboards stand out from the competition with signature features that guarantee the utmost in both performance and reliability. High quality components for key areas of the motherboard are joined by an updated and improved UEFI DualBIOS which offers a customizable, full HD BIOS environment, plus the new GIGABYTE App Center, which combines key GIGABYTE applications in a simple, unified interface. GIGABYTE H81 series motherboards also provide additional USB 3.0 ports and support the latest 4K resolution displays on both HDMI and DisplayPort.GIGABYTE Ultra Durable 4 PlusGIGABYTE Ultra Durable 4 Plus focuses on "Ultra Performance" and "Ultra Safe", with a range of features and component choices that provide optimal performance, cool and efficient operation and extended motherboard lifespan.Ultra PerformanceGIGABYTE uses All Solid Caps (Capacitors) and Low RDS(on) MOSFETs which are rated to work at higher temperatures to provide a longer lifespan. specially designed to produce lower switching for faster electric current charging and discharging, Low RDS(on) MOSFETs have lower power consumption during the switching process, resulting in a faster switching process and less heat generation.Ultra SafeGIGABYTE motherboards feature GIGABYTE DualBIOS, an exclusive technology from GIGABYTE that protects arguably one of your PC's most crucial components, the BIOS GIGABYTE DualBIOS means that your motherboard has both a 'Main BIOS' and a 'Backup BIOS', making users protected from BIOS failure due to virus attack, hardware malfunction, improper OC settings or power failure during the update process.High ESD protection for USB and LAN (USB 3.0 only)GIGABYTE H81 series motherboards raise the bar in terms of protecting your system, providing advanced electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection for both your Ethernet LAN and USB ports, both common sources of ESD-related failures. Each LAN and USB port is paired with a dedicated protection filter that can withstand high electrostatic discharges, protecting your system from common electrical surges and even direct lighting strikes.Additional USB 3.0 portsGIGABYTE H81 series motherboards feature an onboard USB 3.0 host controller that provides an additional four USB 3.0 ports. Together with USB 3.0 ports provided by the Intel H81 chipset, users can enjoy SuperSpeed connectivity on a total of six USB 3.0 ports.4K Ultra HD supportGIGABYTE H81 series motherboards provide native 4K support with integrated IntelR HD Graphics via HDMI or DisplayPort. 4K resolution is the next technological milestone in high-definition content delivery, utilizing approximately 4,000 pixels on the horizontal axis, more than four times today's standard HD pixel density.New GIGABYTE UEFI DualBIOS with Dashboard ModeTake control of how your BIOS looks and feels with the new GIGABYTE UEFI DualBIOS, a fully customizable user interface that allows you to adjust overclocking and performance settings in real-time. With smooth mouse control and shortcuts for fast navigation, the new and exclusive Dashboard Mode gives users complete access to all data related to your motherboard, including CPU, graphics and memory clocks, temperatures and voltages.New GIGABYTE App CenterGIGABYTE App Center gives you easy access to a wealth of GIGABYTE apps that help you get the most from your GIGABYTE motherboard. Using a simple, unified user interface, GIGABYTE App Center allows you to launch all GIGABYTE apps installed on your system. The GIGABYTE App Center is also customizable with three attractive color schemes.The GIGABYTE App Center includes:*EasyTune*@BIOS*EZ Setup*Live Updates*USB Blocker*Smart Recovery*Smart Time LockMore information about GIGABYTE H81 series motherboard can be found at the GIGABYTE website here: http://www.gigabyte.com/products/list.aspx?s=42&jid=2&p=2&v=31GIGABYTE GA-H81-D3

ATO Solution specializing in the design and manufacturing for NAND Flash (CEO: Park, Chan Woong) announced to complete the development of 1Gbit NAND SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface) Flash memory, which is the first designed by ATO Solution in Korea, on August of 2013 followed by the existing 256Mb, 512Mbit, 1Gbit SLC NAND flash memory series.In general, SPI Flash Memories in the current market are based on NOR Flash cell structure, on the other hand, ATO Solution's 1Gbit SPI NAND Flash is based on NAND Flash cell structure with NOR SPI interface. It is the first product designed by ATO Solution's own patented SPI technology.The SPI NAND Flash developed by ATO Solution's own specialized design technology is having extremely higher reliability than NAND Flash and achieving high performance as Nor Flash has. This new NAND SPI Flash product is the next generation SLC NAND Flash to eat NOR Flash market. It challenges the density limitation and the disadvantages of high market price with Nor Flash's intrinsic structure in SPI market. Furthermore, it is expected to be an alternative SLC NAND Flash memory, which can replace the NOR Flash chip in current application system without any additional expense for using of ECC controller to utilize the traditional SLC NAND Flash, and it can compete with Nor SPI through an compatible package size 8 pin WSON (8mmx6mm) type. This small form factor Package would be much helpful for customer's cost competitiveness because it can help to save main board space and simplify it from customer's aspects. It would be available to do sourcing of products with price competitiveness around 50% lower in comparison to Nor SPI Flash.Especially, even the 1bit ECC (Error Correction Code) engine is built in the same die, the spare cell area of NAND Flash Memory is kept to allow the customer's convenience and trace to more higher reliability & quality due to customer can use dual ECC operation both imbedded ECC engine in NAND SPI and NAND Controller's ECC in outside it is fully customer choice. Its frequencies, which are one of the most important scale for performance indication, is 133MHz (15pF) which is the fastest speed of NAND SPI in the World thus it is explained that ATO Solution's NAND SPI is the very advanced product not only in price competition point of view but also in technical aspects.As ATO Solution is completed of 1Gbit NAND SPI development following up the 256Mbit/512Mbit/1Gbit SLC NAND Flash products on 2013, set a forth low-density NAND Flash product line up to the primary building and have identified NAND Flash marketing strategy in a fields of low density NAND Flash market, with stable supporting to customers with differentiated service in the Embedded Core Storage market, being a leading company for NAND SPI in the industry. From year 2015, the NAND SPI market demand is expected to be more than 200 million units and be grown year after year for the coming years through migration from Nor SPI NAND and Discrete SLC NAND to SPI NAND Flash.At the present, ATO Solution is progressing to register its 1Gbit SPI NAND with consumer chipset companies' reference design such as mobile baseband chipsets, DSP, and Application Processor. In addition, it is preparing for coming mass production sooner for Korea, China, Asia, Europe and North America market, in detail mobile phones, set-top box, black box, digital TV, such as the consumer market. Even though with focusing on low cost smart phone set, will expand NAND SPI market share and lead to be popularization of NAND SPI in the World.Park, Chan-Woong (CEO) of ATO solutions Co., Ltd. said "With starting of 1Gb SPI NAND, upper-class products as 2Gb and 4Gb are on the roadmap. We plan to make ATO Solution as a leading company of NAND SPI products through continuous innovation and enhance the competitive ownership". He also released the ambitious plan. "ATO will be the leading fabless company in the World with the development of high quality products continuously and the customer satisfaction".

Lenovo has expanded its end-to-end enterprise solutions portfolio with a new thin client, the Lenovo ThinkCentre M32.Lenovo's ThinkCentre M32 thin client offers customers a choice of a flexible Linux-based thin client operating system, LeTOS or Windows Embedded Standard 7. The thin client also features Lenovo Terminal Manager (LTM) software that helps customers manage thin client assets.The Lenovo ThinkCentre M32 thin client is powered by Intel Celeron processor and will be available in October 2013, starting at US$259.