Quanmax, a leading embedded computing technology leader, announced the newest addition to the QDSP series: QDSP-2060. The QDSP-2060 is equipped with the Intel Huron River platform which provides better computing performance with the high integration of the 2nd Generation Intel Core i3/i5/i7 processors and QM-67 chipset for variety of industrial applications. It features Intel iAMT 7.0 supported, DDRIII 1066/1333 SODIMM memory (optional up to 8GB) , 2.5-inch HDD or SSD, RJ-45, WI-FI, 3G, 1x USB3.0 and 4x USB2.0ports, thus easily meets a broad range of customer requirements. The QDSP-2060 has LED lights to indicate power, storage and WI-FI status LED at front I/O. It also provides high performance and a user-friendly interface for automation demands.The QDSP-2060 is ideal for digital signage, kiosks, retail, hotels, quick service restaurants etc… Simply connect the QDSP-2060 to an external display device such as LCD TV, plasma TV, or CRT, and your personal advertisements or information can be displayed to audiences any time, any place via HDMI, DVI-I or DP. The QDSP-2060 has a tiny size with metal housing, and fits all-size displays via VESA mounting.With high-performance computing technology, and HD display ability, digital signage players can download videos and images from servers rapidly and accurately. This is significantly helpful for schools and hospitals where real-time information is required. LCD screen size varies wildly, so it is critical for manufactures to design embedded system in a compact size - the QDSP-2060 has a compact size in 200x35x153mm (WxHxD) and light weight in 1.2kg.Quanmax Inc. is an innovator in various vertical markets with superior engineering capability and manufacturing reliability. We specialize in providing semi/full custom solutions to meet customers' unique requirements in many industrial applications.In addition, we emphasize on product life cycle management and quality control to offer high performance, high quality and cost-effective products to the market faster. Our diverse product portfolio covers Industrial Motherboards & SBCs, Embedded Systems, Industrial Panel PCs and Network Security Appliance. For more information, please visit us at http://www.quanmax.com/The QDSP-2060 features rich I/O ports, easy installation and maintenance, and dual display with independent content integration.

Industrial Automation may increase productivity and reduce costs for end customers, but it is becoming increasingly difficult to develop large projects when different technologies are required. That's why more and more businesses are working to develop relationships that can deliver a platform approach – thus reducing end customer's interoperability risks.National Instruments (NI) is a US company and producer of automated test equipment embedded hardware, and graphical design software that transforms the way engineers and scientists around the world design, prototype, and deploy systems for test, control, and embedded design applications. Their "LabVIEW" software is known worldwide and used in many applications that graphically design test,measure, and control systems.Advantech is a Taiwan based company and a global leader in the automation and embedded industries, delivering hardware and software solutions and services across multiple vertical markets. Industrial Automation is one of their divisions whose portfolio includes: Human Machine Interfaces (HMI), embedded automation computers, industrial touch panels, and video surveillance solutions amongst many others.As the industrial landscape continues to move toward a more automated smarter environment, engineers implementing monitoring and control applications encounter increasingly complex systems. Such industrial control systems often consist of independent controllers managing specific, individual tasks.As these distributed systems increase in complexity, control and monitoring tasks must be divided among several controllers networked together and ensuring proper operation of these kind of distributed industrial processes requires the input of system managers and operators. Communication and interoperability for these systems requires a new graphical software approach. The ability to view a system through software, with layers of abstraction and models of computation enables a domain expert to lead the innovation for smarter systems and empower a smarter planet.The distributed system also requires new approaches for visualization. Devices like Human Machine Interfaces (HMIs) offer direct interaction while web services and remote displays offer additional access to the system. LabVIEW supports visualization through multiple Oss including Window and Linux while also offering integrated web services capabilities for communication to embedded displays, smartphones, and tablets.To provide a more complete platform offering, NI was looking to integrate HMI hardware platforms with their LabVIEW software to enable customers to integrate a complete system and ensure SW interoperability. NI has a Partner Program that works with key product partners to deliver more complete platforms with first class LabVIEW integration,clear technical alignment and strong product support. Robert Jackson, who is a senior Product Manager at NI and manages the NI Product Partner Program said, "Our goal is to deliver hardware and software solutions to our customers that include NI core technology platforms and well integrated complimentary products that are compatible with LabVIEW. What we liked about working with Advantech was their sales team was open and responsive to our needs and worked to communicate these to the Advantech corporate team. They also offered a nice wide breadth of hardware that matched our needs for platform completion."National Instruments is a worldwide organization with a presence in almost every region of the world. They have direct offices in over 40 countries and regions. Advantech sells its products and services through a sales and marketing network that spans 64 cities in 22 countries. Together, they offer comprehensive total solutions and services backed by global logistics support. This enables Advantech and NI customers to continuously develop innovative technologies that impact millions of people worldwide.

All utility businesses - whether it is water, electricity or gasoline - face one common challenge while maintaining their service quality: the maintenance of complex utility lines, and related management and monitoring work. Utility lines may stretch more than several thousand kilometers. If they are only manually managed in a traditional way, it would be difficult to effectively increase efficiency.Under traditional methods used to make sure inspection personnel are conducting patrol routines following assigned routes and making correct and timely observations - or perhaps to make sure a maintenance crew carries out regular on-site work - management may only be able to utilize patrol sheets that are signed by the crew when a task is completed. However, human errors may be unavoidable. Therefore, many utility businesses in Europe and the US have already started adopting IT solutions to assist their inspection work.If PDAs, RFID chips or GPS devices are used, the process of the crew's patrol and the time of their arrival can all be displayed in real time at the information center through the Internet, allowing the management to have real-time understanding of the utility lines' conditions and make timely judgment and decisions.Photo: Using the GPS/PDA reporting system to handle operations such as routine pipeline patrol and inspection can avoid errors created by weather conditions and false reports by personnel assigned to the work. It can simplify the on-site inspection process and boost efficiency. (Provided by Getac)Using IT to collect information and create benefitsInformation collected from the patrol and maintenance of utility lines can be used in a more valuable way if IT solutions are employed. Information collected during patrol from naked-eye observations or tool detections concerning the conditions of the lines and equipment - such as pressure, temperatures and the extent of corrosion to the devices - can all be stored in the database and used as a reference for future maintenance work or purchase of new equipment.Take Formosa Plastics Group's production plants for example. Since the plants started adopting PDA solutions in 2005, the number of such devices used has already reached about 1,000. After reaching the destination, the inspection crew first signs in through RFID on the site. The inspection information is stored in the PDA and taken back to the office directly. The information does not have to be processed a second time, which saves the crew the trouble of keying in the information again and reduces the chance of making mistakes. It is a great help in terms of accuracy or reducing working hours.Formosa Technologies Consultant Eric Chang pointed out that the time required for patrol personnel to enter data will become shorter and shorter. For some longer inspection routes, the working hours required can be reduced to 1.5 from two, a drop of 25% that helps boost efficiency much.For standard patrol work, the format of data input and control interface can have modularized designs, making it much easier to adopt PDA solutions. However, in some cases, management can become very demanding because of the plant's large area, huge number of devices and complex conditions of the utility lines. In such cases, a modularized design may be impossible and it would be difficult to accomplish real-time control.Chang believes that to handle anomalies in real time, information richness is very important and one needs to at least have a good grasp of the equipment's history. Therefore, the IT tools will need to provide not only input functions, but also access to data. However, the screens of PDAs are too small, making it difficult for on-site personnel to read historical files, such as the drafts of the equipment or utility lines. Tablet PCs may serve the purpose better.Photo: Employing IT solutions to establish utulity line inspection systems allows personnel to handle all kinds of situation through the IT tools in real time. (Provided by Getac)Furthermore, IT tools' capabilities of enduring harsh environments are also very important. Getac Technology Marketing Manager Richard Lee pointed out that Getac, when providing sewer maintenance solutions to Berliner Wasserbetriebe, discovered that along Berlin's 9,500km network of sewer pipelines there were a total of 200,000 openings for discharging water that was mixed with mud and all kinds of elements, making it a very harsh environment for maintenance work. Durable and high-performance computers with reliable functions and easy-to-use interfaces would be needed to help the personnel of Berliner Wasserbertriebe with their work even under the worst weather conditions, enabling smooth collection of data that could be used by headquarters or the use of other geographic information system (GIS) applications to greatly enhance and improve staff efficiency.Wireless communication technology provides real-time informationAnother utility line inspection-related IT solution is based on wireless data transmission technology. For example, Taipei's Water Department currently has more than 100 monitoring points and the inspection personnel, in addition to making regular patrols to see whether the equipment is damaged or to check data to determine water pressure or turbidity, have also started using GSM text messages to report back information about leakage.Collecting more information can also help utility businesses face a future that will see more drastic climate changes. For example, by referencing historical records a water service can predict how water should be allocated in the future to maintain stable water pressure and save water resources.However, the adoption of IT solutions for inspection of water pipelines needs to resolve the problems concerning the adaptability of the solutions in the face of such harsh conditions as high temperatures, moisture and soil erosion. The solutions must also be usable for at least 10 years. Furthermore, to ensure stability, the trial run may last as long as half a year. These are challenges that IT players must meet when tapping such a market segment.Lee pointed out that for example, South East Water in England has a water supply pipeline network of 14,000km, providing basic services to 2.1 million users through over 900,000 pipe fittings connected to various commercial and residential buildings. For the company, monitoring and handling water leakage has always been a major priority.Lee noted that currently South East Water has its pipeline inspection personnel using Getac V200 rugged and rotatable notebooks on transportation vehicles. When not being used in the vehicles, the notebooks can be quickly converted into tablet PCs to allow engineers to view information and execute functions that may be impossible to do on a small screen.If the system reports any leakage, engineers can quickly confirm the location through the vehicle's built-in GPS and identify the nearest cut-off valve. They can then use Getac V200 to analyze the problem and use its built-in 3G communication module to send real-time messages to the back-end technical support department.If the issue cannot be resolved, engineers can decide to call in a team of technicians for the repair work and report the whole situation to headquarters directly.Photo: Through the RIS system, utility businesses can quickly and accurately acquire real-time information concerning the positions of utility lines, their related facilities and topography of the surrounding environments. (Source: CPC)Equipment weight and battery life are the keysIn fact, it is not jut about efficiency. When actually working on-site, patrol crews may encounter some problems using IT tools. Tablet PCs may be a help for information search, but the crew may be already carrying with them a lot of other equipment. For example, to prevent odors at plants in Mailiao, inspection personnel need to bring along the electronic nose. And if they are asked to carry the extra weight, the chance of personnel protesting is naturally higher.In the long run, though, the use of IT tools to provide applications such as picture taking and positioning (track records) will increase the efficiency of utility line inspections. If future solutions can integrate other sensing devices (such as temperature and quake sensors), it will make on-site work easier and more acceptable for the on-site personnel.The implication is that apart from paying attention to the IT tools' robustness, the CPU's computing speeds must be higher. And since a pipeline inspection routine may require 2-3 hours to complete, it would be inconvenient if on-site personnel must carry spare batteries. Therefore battery life must last at least four hours to meet demand.Be prepared and plan carefullyWhether it is a PDA or tablet PC that one is adopting, there will be challenge as far as changing the habit of on-site personnel. "Money and technology are not the problems; the problems mostly lie in the people," said Chang. "The staff at the beginning will resist, but as long as the user interface continues to improve, they will slowly get used to it and accept it."Water and electricity supply networks and related equipment have usually existed for a long time with large numbers and numerous types of lines. There are also many legal restrictions to the allocation of budgets and purchases. Therefore, adopting IT solutions to achieve significant upgrades and replacements will require more careful planning.Chang pointed out that data must first be well organized to enable a smooth input of the needed data into the database. "One must be certain what kind of equipment information must be collected and if necessary, patrol routes must be re-planned. Different organizations will have different demands, and before adopting the IT solutions, preparation must be well done," Chang said.Lee suggested that utility businesses' IT solutions can be looked at from two perspectives - hardware and software. As utility businesses have complex working environments, related work can be generally divided into several service sectors: patrol of water resources; inspection of pipelines and underground channels; inspection of field and urban electricity grids; oil and natural gas exploration and production management; and mineral exploration, mining and transport management. In different areas and applications, one should choose an appropriate combination of software and hardware solutions.For hardware, Lee believes that the most important thing is whether the solutions provide complete product lines and can adapt to the complex working environments of utility businesses. The oil and natural gas industries may even call for solutions certified for non-explosion proof and safety. If an IT player's product lines are complete, it can meet the timely needs of utility businesses to boost management efficiency.As for software, Lee pointed out that the management applications adopted by public utility businesses are rather complicated, ranging from asset management, roster management, positioning and navigation assistance, information access and collection, to access to work manuals. In addition to customizing solutions for specific utility businesses, such as their demand for mobility, the utility businesses' enormous influence on people's rights must also be taken into consideration. Therefore considerations must be taken to see which applications are more urgently needed. The use of a system can be maximized if it is developed with actual needs and work flow in mind.About Getac Technology CorporationGetac Technology Corporation, founded in 1989, listed on Taiwan Stock Exchange, is one of the key subsidiaries of MiTAC-Synnex Business Group, the third largest computing group in Taiwan with 21.5 billion dollars revenue in 2010. Getac Technology corporation's main business encompasses two main categories; namely ruggedized computing solutions and plastic and metal component module business. Please visit Getac's website for more information.

Nvidia and ZTE have announced the ZTE Mimosa X, the first smartphone to be powered both by the Nvidia Tegra application processor and its Icera modem, which came to Nvidia through its Icera acquisition in mid-2011.The Mimosa X is powered by the Nvidia Tegra 2 mobile processor, featuring a dual-core CPU and GeForce GPU, and the Nvidia Icera 450 HSPA+ modem, comprising baseband and RF processors. It will run Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0), feature a 4.3-inch qHD (960 by 540) screen, rear 5-megapixel and front cameras, and 4GB of storage expandable to 32GB.The ZTE Mimosa X will deliver multimedia capabilities, including advanced audio distribution profile (A2DP), Dolby sound, digital living network alliance (DLNA) compatibility for easy sharing of content, HD video record and play, dual microphones, and built-in gyroscope.The Mimosa X will be launched around the second quarter of 2012.ZTE Mimosa X smartphone with Tegra 2 processorPhoto: Company

Electronic components distributor Digi-Key Corporation, recognized by design engineers as having the industry's largest selection of electronic components available for immediate shipment, today announced it has signed a global distribution agreement with Ramtron International Corporation.Ramtron is a leading developer and supplier of nonvolatile ferroelectric random access memory (F-RAM) and integrated semiconductor solutions. The distribution agreement will make Ramtron's entire line of F-RAM-enabled semiconductors available for purchase from www.digikey.com and Digi-Key's international websites."The adoption of F-RAM technology and products is growing quickly and Ramtron is a leading supplier in this product category," said Mark Zack, Digi-Key's vice president of semiconductors. "We look forward to working with Ramtron as a pioneer in the research and development of ferroelectric materials and their integration into a variety of semiconductor products."Pioneered by Ramtron, F-RAM offers unique features relative to other semiconductor technologies. It is a nonvolatile memory that does not lose its data content when power is removed or interrupted. F-RAM combines the nonvolatile benefits of PROM (programmable read-only memory) with the speed and ease-of-use of RAM (random access memory) into a single device. Ramtron offers a portfolio of hundreds of innovative F-RAM-based solutions including standard, ultra-low energy, and wireless memory products. Available and in stock from Digi-Key, Ramtron products offer unique benefits to a wide variety of industrial, consumer, automotive, and military/aerospace markets."Over the past several years, Digi-Key has embraced the online revolution – evolving to serve not only customers' evaluation and prototype component orders, but to serve worldwide customers' needs over the entire production life cycle," said Scott Emley, Ramtron's vice president of worldwide marketing. "By taking advantage of Digi-Key's comprehensive product launch, technical training, and online support infrastructure, Ramtron instantly extends its worldwide reach with its F-RAM-based semiconductor solutions."As the leading integrated Internet-based distributor of electronic components, information about and inventory of millions of products is accessible to customers around the globe, with all products shipped from Digi-Key's single, North American location. The company's integrated business model provides product and support information online to help put engineers and procurement professionals in control as they solve tough product development challenges.Mark Zack, Digi-Key's vice president of semiconductors

LSI Corporation announced an expansion of its long-term strategic relationship with ARM, a leader in microprocessor intellectual property (IP). The agreement will lead to new product solutions designed to address critical customer needs for accelerated performance as applications such as mobile video and cloud computing dramatically increase network traffic.LSI will gain access to:*The broad family of ARM processors, including the ARM Cortex-A15 processor with virtualization support and future ARM processors*ARM on-chip interconnect technology, including CoreLink cache coherent interconnect system IP, for use in multicore applications"Customers need high-performance, power-efficient solutions to help effectively manage the unprecedented growth in network traffic being driven by smartphones, tablets and cloud-based services, without impacting user experience," said Jeff Richardson, executive vice president and chief operating officer, LSI. "The integration of LSI's leadership in SoC solutions with ARM's strong ecosystem and leadership in power-efficient cores will lead to exciting new multicore-based solutions for our customers."Power efficiency is a vital design imperative for next-generation networking product designs. Multicore solutions based on the combination of ARM and LSI's extensive portfolio of IP will enable networking applications to satisfy the ever-increasing bandwidth demands in the most power-efficient manner."We are pleased to extend our long-standing relationship with LSI and help them develop next-generation, differentiated solutions based on ARM technology," said Mike Inglis, executive vice president, processor division, ARM. "The powerful combination of ARM advanced IP and LSI's leadership in SoC design will enable networking and storage OEMs to deliver high-performance, energy-efficient products to their customers."For more information on LSI and the company's products visit www.lsi.com

Electronic components distributor Digi-Key Corporation, recognized by design engineers as having the industry's largest selection of electronic components available for immediate shipment, recently announced the addition of 20 W, 40 W, and 60 W open frame medical power supplies from CUI, further expanding its high density, high efficiency VMS series product portfolio.The series is designed to be used in a wide variety of medical and dental applications, carrying UL/cUL and TUV 60601-1 safety certifications and EN55011 class B EMI compliance. Featuring no-load power draw of less than 0.5 W and efficiency up to 90 percent, the series is designed for applications seeking to reduce stand-by and overall power consumption.These high efficiency power supplies offer universal input (90-264 VAC) and are available in seven output voltage models ranging from 3.3 to 48 VDC. The series can operate from 0 degree to 50 degrees C at full load, derating linearly to 50 percent load at 70 degrees C. Features of the VMS series include over-voltage and short circuit protections.CUI's VMS series' new, compact 20 W, 40 W, and 60 W power supplies, along with the entire VMS portfolio, are available for purchase now on Digi-Key's global websites: www.digikey.com.

Gigabyte Technology has announced new AMD Radeon HD 7700 series graphics cards – GV-R777OC-1GD, GV-R777D5-1GD, and GV-R775OC-1GI – equipped with Gigabyte's latest in-house cooling solution and adapted with Gigabyte Ultra Durable 2 materials.The Gigabyte Radeon HD 7700 series is equipped with a 10cm large fan to provide operate silently with noise levels only reaching 21.7-28dBA at full load.Equipped with AMD Accelerated Parallel Processing (APP) technology, users can unleash the parallel processing power of GPU for physics, artificial intelligence, stream computing, ray tracing calculations, and tackle demanding tasks like video transcoding.The Radeon HD 7700 Series offers full support for Microsoft DirectX 11. Gamers are able to enjoy their favorite games in full stereo 3D with AMD HD3D technology, which supports Stereo 3D display, gaming, and Blu-ray.Gigabyte GV-R775OC-1GI graphics cardPhoto: Company

GlacialLight, a sub-division of the experienced technology manufacturer GlacialTech Inc., is pleased to announce the addition of a 6-inch TRIAC-dimmable LED down light - GL-DL06D - to its Capella Series.The Capella Series has proven to be a high-quality, energy conscience solution for indoor commercial and residential down lights. Now with the introduction of the GL-DL06D, GlacialLight's down lights can now be used in TRIAC dimmable light applications.The GL-DL06D offers two optional models: a low voltage model and a high voltage model respectively supporting 90‐132V and 180‐264V. The GL-DL06D is also compatible with a multitude of TRIAC dimmers commonly available in the markets.This Capella Series 6-inch LED dimmable down light consumes only 12W - much less energy than traditional down lights. With no perceptible flickering, GlacialLight's Capella Series GL-DL06D dimmable LED down light shines easy-on-the-eyes light for a minimum of 30,000 hours. If used for eight hours a day the GL-DL06D would produce evenly distributed light for over a decade without a need for replacement.Both the bulb and the fixture, the GL-DL06D LED down light is a trouble-free replacement for outdated traditional lighting. The slim, compact, and fashionable design allows for a perfect flush fit when installing.GlacialLight's Capella Series dimmable LED down lights contain no hazardous chemical such as mercury, and do not emit harmful UV or IR rays, making them more eco-friendly than traditional lighting fixtures. Capella Series Dimmable LED Down light Product Features- For indoor use only- All-in-one bulb and fixture- Adjustable dimming ability- Slim, compact, and fashionable design- Low power consumption- No UV or IR radiationProduct photos and detailed specs for GLDL06D are available at:http://www.glaciallight.com/products/DL06.htmThe Capella Series has proven to be a high‐quality, energy conscience solution for indoor commercial and residential down lights

The Taiwan Digital Signage Special Interest Group (DS SIG) sponsored a plugfest for the Open Pluggable Specification (OPS) in January, with participation from Advantech, Avalue, Axiomtek, eJump, NEC, Nexcom, Philips, QNAP, TPV Technology Group, TVS and Winmate. The event provided an opportunity for these product manufacturers to verify compliance to the OPS specification and interoperability with many other OPS-based products in the marketplace.The OPS was developed by Intel with key digital signage partners to simplify the device installation, usage, maintenance and upgrade of digital signage infrastructure. This open standard comprises electrical, mechanical and thermal specifications for media player boards and display boards connected together via an 80-pin JAE connector that supports commonly used interfaces such as DisplayPort and USB, among others."The Open Pluggable Specification was created to address fragmentation in the digital signage market and simplify device installation, use, maintenance and upgrades," said Nick Jane, convener of DS SIG. "With the specification, digital signage manufacturers will be able to deploy interchangeable systems faster and in higher volumes, while lowering costs for development and implementation."According to the DS SIG, the recent plugfest represents a milestone for the digital signage industry, paving the way for improved interoperability between OPS modules and OPS displays. Moving forward, OPS will provide users of digital signage many benefits, such as reduced operational expenditures through simplified installation, seamless upgradeability, improved reliability and increased serviceability.