Every notebook requires a highly-efficient cooling fan. With the market trend pushing toward slimmer and lighter portable models, cooling fans are designed to be the thinnest possible and keep the systems running quietly and stably.According to market researcher IDC's data, notebooks maintain high growth momentum every year. In particular, the popularity of Apple's iPad has created a new category, which is expected to be the main engine of the overall notebook shipment growth. With new OS development such as Google's upcoming release of its tablet OS, and several IT giants' push for cloud computing, growth in media tablet shipments is promising.Facing the growing market for mobile computers, the role of cooling solutions in these devices is becoming more important, according to Wei-Kuang Kao, Project Manager of Marketing Center for NS Micro Motor Technology Corp. Kao explains how the mobile-computing boom will bring business opportunities for the company, which specializes in the manufacture of computer fans and blowers. The following is an excerpt of the conversation.More compact, but still silent with great cooling performanceCooling fans used in either notebooks or tablets have similar features. They are designed to improve ergonomic cooling performance, noise levels and stability/lifetime, while keeping the system operating temperatures low.Cooling fans for tablets and other mobile computers, however, still cannot be designed in the same way as those for regular-sized notebooks. A mobile computer comes with a slim and lightweight design, and thus it usually requires a customized cooling device that is able to fit into the small-form-factor container while working as efficiently as possible.The design of cooling fans built into standard notebook cases is only focused on stability with at least two years of lifetime, which is also fundamentally important for cooling solutions used in tablets and other mobile computers. An insufficient cooling fan can retard the system's speed, and cause over-temperature damage to system components resulting in high maintenance costs.Cooling modules compose of fans and heat sinks that come with brass push-pins. Cooling fans must have the ability to reduce the temperature of internal laptop components in order to maintain the stability of the system.Cooling fans for both tablets and notebooks are also designed to operate at moderately low noise levels. It is a matter of comfort allowing system users to be comfortable working in a quiet environment.NS Micro Motor pays significant attention to the quality of its cooling solutions. Development of each design, even in the mold design stage, requires quality progress so that finished products can satisfy customer needs. As NS Micro Motor manages to ensure product reliability, it has been designated by MSI to supply notebook cooling modules, and partnering with other brand-name vendors.'Green' cooler for high-performance notebooksFor high-performance notebooks equipped with high-end graphics processors, NS Micro Motor has designed cooling fans that use ball bearings instead of sleeve bearings, as the former are more durable especially at higher temperatures and quieter than the former at higher rotation speeds.Cooling solutions for high-performance notebooks place a heavier emphasis on power efficiency as the systems consume relatively more power than consumer notebooks. For consumer notebooks, including today's popular mobile devices, fixed-speed fans are generally adopted to maintain thermal stability of devices.NS Micro Motor also offers PWM-standard linear voltage fans, which provide multi-speed functions without affecting the stability of the system, and also help reduce power consumption. The segment has the potential to grow and eventually go mainstream in the future.Optimism on demand for mobile tabletsNS Micro Motor has developed a product line targeted at mobile tablets - "ultra-thin" cooling fans - with volume production having already kicked off. The ultra-thin fans are one of NS Micro Motor's innovations as the company is dedicated to R&D in order to avoid competition through price cuts. Specializing in DC axial fans and notebook fans, NS Micro Motor is keeping a close eye on market trends, and has extended beyond the PC market. The company now offers its cooling solutions for consumer, communications and industrial applications, with products UL, CUL, CE, TUV certified and RoHS-compliant. Headquartered in Taiwan, NS Micro Motor has over 20 years experience in designing and producing cooling solutions.

VIA Technologies has announced a dual-core version of the low power VIA VB8004 Mini-ITX board. Coupling the 1.6GHz VIA Nano X2 E-series processor with the VIA VX900 media system processor, the VIA VB8004 provides a high performance and highly scalable solution for advanced digital signage and gaming systems.In addition to providing native support for dual-displays, the VIA VB8004 Mini-ITX motherboard can also be easily upgraded to support four displays using an additional VIA S3 5400E graphics module, providing developers the widest possible variety of multi-display configurations, including HDMI, LVDS, and DVI technologies.Powered by a choice of a 1.6GHz VIA Nano X2 E-Series, or 1.6GHz and 1.2GHz VIA Nano processors, the VIA VB8004 leverages the advanced multimedia capabilities of the VIA VX900 system media processor to deliver DirectX10.1 graphics and support for rich 1080p video resolutions.In addition to supporting up to 4GB DDR3 memory, the board features rich I/O capabilities including an HDMI port, one DVI port, a one channel 24-bit LVDS, one GigaLAN port, and six USB 2.0 ports.The VIA S3 5400E dedicated graphics module is a daughter card specially designed to provide advanced multimedia capabilities for next-generation embedded applications and is the most energy efficient DirectX 10.1 GPU on the market today, the company claimed. With support of DirectX10.1, Shader Model 4.1, OpenGL 3.1, and OpenCL 1.0, the 5400E GPU provides a cost-effective solution for feature-rich graphics processing with high levels of video decoding and 3D rendering performance.Featuring the ChromotionHD 2.1 video engine, a programmable video architecture supporting the latest HD standards including Blu-ray Disk, H.264, VC-1, WMV-9, and MPEG-2/4, the S3 5400E module offers stunningly smooth HD playback at resolutions of up to 2560 x 1600 pixels.On-board I/O includes one HDMI port and one DVI port.VIA VB8004 Mini-ITX motherboardPhoto: Company

Apple has updated the MacBook Air with next generation processors, high-speed Thunderbolt I/O technology, a backlit keyboard and Mac OS X Lion. With up to twice the performance of the previous generation, flash storage for instant-on responsiveness and a compact design with strong portability, the MacBook Air starts at US$999 and is available for order and also in stores.MacBook Air is available in 11-inch and 13-inch models that easily slip into a briefcase, purse or bag. The MacBook Air's durable aluminum unibody enclosure measures a thin 0.11-inches at its thinnest point and 0.68-inches at its thickest. Flash storage allows MacBook Air to turn on instantly and deliver fast data access, improved reliability and incredible energy efficiency. The 11-inch model weighs 2.38 pounds and provides up to 5-hours of battery life, while the 13-inch weighs 2.96 pounds and provides up to 7-hours of battery life.With the latest Intel Core i5 and Core i7 dual-core processors, the new MacBook Air is up to twice as fast as the previous generation. MacBook Air also features Intel HD Graphics 3000 and offers up to 4GB of 1333MHz memory.Thunderbolt I/O technology provides expansion possibilities never before available to MacBook Air users. Through a single cable, users can connect to high performance peripherals and the new Apple Thunderbolt Display. Thunderbolt can be adapted to support legacy connections such as FireWire and Gigabit Ethernet.MacBook Air comes with a full size backlit keyboard and an glass Multi-Touch trackpad. Designed for comfort and ease of typing, the backlit keyboard uses a sensor to automatically detect a change in ambient lighting and adjusts the keyboard brightness for any environment. The Multi-Touch trackpad supports Lion's new Multi-Touch gestures such as momentum scrolling, tapping or pinching your fingers to zoom in on a web page or image, and swiping left or right to turn a page or switch between full screen apps.MacBook Air also features a high resolution LED backlit display that is thin yet has the resolution of a much larger, bulkier screen. With Wi-Fi, users can wirelessly download apps from the Mac App Store, get music and movies from iTunes, back up data to Time Capsule and quickly and easily share files using AirDrop. MacBook Air includes Bluetooth for wireless peripherals and two USB ports for easy connectivity for the wired and wireless devices you use every day.Apple makes the industry's greenest notebook lineup and the new MacBook Air meets Energy Star 5.2 requirements and achieves EPEAT Gold status. Each unibody enclosure is made of highly recyclable aluminum and comes standard with energy efficient LED-backlit displays that are mercury-free and made with arsenic-free glass. Mac notebooks contain no brominated flame retardants, are PVC-free and are constructed of recyclable materials.Every new MacBook Air comes with Mac OS X Lion, the eighth major release of the operating system, and iLife apps for creating and sharing photos, movies and music. Lion introduces more than 250 new features to the Mac, including Multi-Touch gestures; system-wide support for full screen apps; Mission Control; the Mac App Store; Launchpad, a new home for all your apps; and a completely redesigned Mail app.The 11-inch and 13-inch MacBook Air are available for order on the Apple Store and in Apple's retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers starting July 21. The 1.6GHz 11-inch MacBook Air is available in two models, one with 2GB of memory and 64GB of flash storage for a suggested retail price of US$999, and one with 4GB of memory and 128GB of flash storage for US$1,199. The 1.7GHz 13-inch MacBook Air comes in two configurations, one with 4GB of memory and 128GB of flash storage for a suggested retail price of US$1,299, and one with 4GB of memory and 256GB of flash storage for US$1,599. Configure-to-order options and accessories include a 1.8GHz Core i7 processor, additional flash storage, MacBook Air SuperDrive and a USB Ethernet Adapter.Apple third-generation MacBook AirPhoto: Company

4G chipmaker Sequans Communications, 4G networking solutions provider, Greenpacket, and Packet One Networks (P1), a major 4G operator in Southeast Asia, have jointly announced that they are working together to develop LTE solutions, including dual-mode 4G WiMAX/LTE solutions for Greenpacket's global operator customers.Greenpacket is testing Sequans' technology to develop LTE and dual-mode WiMAX/LTE reference designs as part of its strategy to launch a complete ecosystem of 4G networking solutions and devices by the end of 2011. P1 is Greenpacket's operator subsidiary in Malaysia.P1 launched its WiMAX service in Malaysia in August 2008, and is now preparing to transition to LTE. P1 earlier announced its strategic direction to harness the power of both WiMAX and LTE. The company expects to begin a transition to a full LTE network in 2013.The technology Sequans is providing to Greenpacket and P1 for testing is part of Sequans' recently-announced 4Sight program, a collection of advanced coexistence technologies and solutions for operators to help them transition smoothly and cost-effectively from WiMAX to LTE and enable harmonious WiMAX/LTE coexistence. Sequans develops and supplies WiMAX and LTE chips including a highly-integrated WiMAX/LTE dual-mode chip, along with reference designs for user devices, essential multi-radio coexistence and multimode handover technologies, and dual-standby architecture."We are testing Sequans' system-on-chip technology to develop LTE reference designs, including a dual-mode WiMAX/LTE reference design for our operator customers primarily in Asia, CALA and Middle East," said James Wang, senior VP of Innovation, Strategies and Development (ISD) at Greenpacket. "We intend to offer our solutions to early adopters of LTE such as P1 in support of its LTE/WiMAX coexistence strategy.""P1 now has the flexibility to rollout LTE at the rate they choose and have it coexist peacefully with WiMAX, and P1 customers will have devices that work in any part of the network at any time," said Georges Karam, Sequans CEO.P1 continues to make progress in building out its 4G network, and expects to have 65% of the population covered by the end of 2012, according to the joint statement.

With ultra high quality of PSU solution, ENERMAX now goes even further into the CPU thermal solution industry for the utmost total PC solution. And we say: ETS-T40 has the world leading thermal resistance value down to an incredible 0.09oC/W.It is all because of our patented VGF, SEF, HDT, and VEF design. Vortex Generator Flow (patented) means that we make the air flow go through the windless area behind the heat pipes of 52 fins to greatly increase air convection and bring out the most heat of each fin. With VGF and Stack Effect Flow (patented), the equipment to enhance the air speed, change the air pressure and direction to enforce the heat transfer by Bernoulli's Law, we can decrease 3.75oC under CPU 150W loading with 1700rpm. Unique Vacuum Effect Flow designs for an air path channel with fin flaps that can force the air go through the fins and bring the outside air into the heat sink to optimize the air flow. Besides our fin design, ETS-T40 with four ø6mm heat pipes is not only the side flow type CPU cooler best for heat pipe to bring heat to fins, but also has Heat pipes Directed Touch technology (patented) to ensure the thermal conduction and eliminate any CPU hot spots.Furthermore, with ENERMAX renowned Twister-bearing fan: T.B.Apollish, T.B.Silence, T.B.Vegas Duo, ETS-T40 can remove any hot spots on the heat sinks with PWM speed control and ultra low noise, give the CPU the most reliable computing cooling performance. We also provide many touched design for any kinds of user: dual fan installed option for extreme air flow requirement; additional solid metal springs for installing the second fan much more easily; anti-vibration rubbers for more stable and lower noise while the fan is running; universal brackets to meet the newest sockets on the market, especial the Intel LGA 775/1155/1156/1366 and AMD AM2/AM2+/AM3/AM3+/FM1; high thermal conductivity grease Dow Corning TC-5121 to ensure the best thermal conduction between CPU and the heat sinks. ETS-T40 has the world leading thermal resistance value down to an incredible 0.09 o C/W CPU power TDP (W) CPU temperature Tc ( o C ) Ambient temperature Ta ( o C ) Thermal resistance Rth =[ Tc - Ta]/ CPU power ( o C /W) Fan speed (rpm) Noise ( dBA ) 95 44.1 35 (44.1-35) / 95 = 0.09 1700 20 ENERMAX goes even further into the CPU thermal solution industry for the utmost total PC solution.Photo: Company

Taipei, Taiwan, 19 July 2011: Toumaz, the leading provider of ultra-low energy wireless telemetry technologies for medical monitoring and internet-connected consumer devices, utilizes its expertise to create valuable connectivity solutions targeting smart living market.In addition to its groundbreaking Sensium Life Platform, vital signs monitoring solution, Toumaz successfully demonstrated its wireless connectivity and internet-connected consumer products solutions at Computex this year. "With more and more devices now capable of using wireless network, the market of smart living grows excessively. Smart meter, wireless home entertainment, and intelligent security are just a few samples of smart living. The key enabler behind the curtain is low power wireless connectivity, and this is what Toumaz is good at." Dr. Charles Lee, General Manager of Toumaz Asia said. "We are working closely with our customers to bring new distinctive smart living products to market." Dr. Lee added.Toumaz's XENIF is a highly integrated SoC that brings Wi-Fi and broadcasting technologies including DAB+/DAB, FM with RDS, and DTV audio altogether. XENIF contains a powerful 400MHz dual-treaded Meta HTP221 processor capable of simultaneously running Linux and performing audio DSP, and because it also includes two UCCP310 baseband DSP processors, the device can process Wi-Fi connectivity and radio, TV or mobile TV demodulation at the same time. XENIF's high level of integration coupled with its programmable processors offer customers the ability to create cost competitive differentiated products. Manufacturers looking for feature-rich platform to develop Wi-Fi connected products, such as home entertainment system, electrical appliances, multimedia player and DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) wireless speakers, easily find XENIF the optimal solution.WSN (Wireless Sensor Network) is a disruptive technology for smart living which provides significant added value to a variety of applications, such as infrastructure automation and environmental monitoring. For applications using battery, low power consumption is the major requirement because energy determines the lifetime of WSN. Toumaz's TELRAN TZ1053 is a wireless single chip radio that outperforms competing solutions for its exceptional ultra-low energy (ULE) feature – 3mW in continuous transmit or receive mode and the ability to operate from a single 1V button cell. TELRAN also comprises transceiver, media access controller (MAC) and an 8051 sub-1 GHz compatible microprocessor which benefits developers to significantly reduce development effort. TELRAN is the ultimate low total bill of materials solution for rapid development of applications requiring short range (10-100m) ultra-low power wireless connectivity, such as smart meter, environmental monitoring, body area networks, and security system etc."Toumaz is committed to provide an extensive connectivity portfolio of highly integrated, low-power and cost-effective solutions to our mobile health and consumer electronics customers." Said Dr. Lee. For more information, please visit www.toumaz.com.

Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd., the world's largest producer of solar panels, has launched two new high-performance solar panels in the United States, Canada and Latin America.Suntech introduced HiPerforma, a 245 watt module for residential, commercial, and utility-scale electricity generation that utilizes Suntech's Pluto cell processing technology, which features a proprietary metallization process that reduces shading on the cell surface and allows cells to absorb more sunlight to generate more electricity.The revolutionary Pluto cell processing technology features a proprietary front surface metallization process that creates grid contacts thinner than 30 microns wide, about a quarter the size of traditional screen-printed cells. These ultra-thin metal lines - made primarily of copper instead of silver - reduce shading on the cell surface, allowing the cells to absorb more sunlight and generate more electricity. The Pluto cell processing technology improves solar cell efficiency by up to 10% compared to traditional screen-printed solar cells and confers performance advantages to all types of silicon substrates - a unique capability among most advanced solar cell technologies. The technology allows Suntech to produce high-performance solar cells and modules with different types of multicrystalline and monocrystalline wafers.In addition to HiPerforma, Suntech also introduced the new 290W Vd-Series multicrystalline module that utilizes advanced silicon ingot casting techniques commercialized internally along with the expansion of Suntech's internal silicon wafer production capacity. With this product, Suntech has successfully commercialized a laboratory silicon casting technology that produces high-quality multicrystalline wafers using modified multicrystalline casting equipment. In addition to higher power output, the technology achieves lower oxygen content for multicrystalline wafers leading to strong resistance to light-induced degradation.

HomeLights, a leading LED lighting company, has entered into a partnership with Bridgelux, a leading developer and manufacturer of LED lighting technologies and solutions, to introduce a new generation of LED products.Designed and manufactured by U.S.-based Bridgelux, the industry-leading, high flux density LED Array technology was selected by HomeLights to enable their new series of energy efficient, environmentally-friendly spotlight luminaires and bulbs. The new products will deliver high quality uniform lighting, much more closely matched to the traditional halogen and incandescent sources they are designed to displace, while significantly reducing operating costs. In addition to the new products designed for this international retailer, HomeLights and Bridgelux are partnering on new and unique LED lighting solutions that will be sold directly by HomeLights in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium, The Netherlands, and Luxemburg beginning in October of this year."Bridgelux designs innovative LED solutions and its brand is both well-known and well-regarded worldwide," said HomeLights CEO Ludovic Rambert. "HomeLights will therefore benefit from its expertise and gain a real edge so that we can offer high quality lighting to the consumer market. This partnership will continue to strengthen the position of HomeLights as the leading supplier of LED lighting in France and around the world. It will produce products that meet current consumer requirements for light quality and energy efficiency, while contributing to the market growth of sustainable technologies and green lighting", added Rambert."The lighting market is currently in transition as it develops new products to replace energy inefficient lamps to meet emerging environmental standards. Bridgelux technology integrated into HomeLights lamps and luminaires will meet this growing demand, providing the consumer market with leading-edge LED lighting products", said Tom van den Bussche, EMEA marketing manager at Bridgelux.

OCZ Technology has announed that its enterprise-class Deneva SSD was selected by Penguin Computing for integration with their servers, workstations and storage solutions.Penguin Computing chose OCZ Deneva SSDs for their Linux systems to address customers who need access to powerful yet energy-efficient computing, OCZ said. The Deneva series utilizes Sandforce's 1500 processor, delivering superior performance, durability and power efficiency over traditional hard drives."Penguin Computing is a leading provider of High Performance and Enterprise Computing solutions for Fortune 500, government and academic customers. Looking for storage efficiency, maximum data throughput and a small operating footprint, more and more of our customers want to take advantage of the benefits SSD based storage technology has to offer," said Charles Wuischpard, CEO at Penguin Computing. "We are excited about our partnership with OCZ that allows us to better address the increasing demand for solid state based storage solutions."California-based Penguin Computing has specialized in Linux since 1998, concentrating on delivering the best Linux-based user experience through a combination of cluster management software, cutting edge systems and services all designed to dramatically simplify the deployment and management of large pools of servers."We are pleased to work alongside Penguin Computing, a leader in the space, on developing cutting-edge SSD solutions for workstations, rackmounted servers, and cluster systems geared for HPC applications," said Richard Singh, CSO at OCZ. "OCZ Deneva SSDs are extremely robust storage products and we are excited that, partnered together, Penguin can deliver SSD appliances for HPC clusters with performance gains and superior total cost of ownership to its enterprise clients."

THIEF RIVER FALLS, Minn., USA and Bronschhofen, Switzerland – Electronic components distributor Digi-Key Corporation, recognized by design engineers as having the industry's broadest selection of electronic components available for immediate shipment, and Swissbit, the largest independent DRAM module and Flash storage manufacturer in Europe, have signed a global distribution agreement.Swissbit is a globally renowned company due in part to their depth in product offering. Some of Swissbit's most significant innovations include SATA SSD's, DDR2 modules, and USB modules."We are pleased to announce this distribution agreement with Swissbit," said Mark Zack, vice president of semiconductors, Digi-Key Corporation. "Offering Swissbit's high quality memory solutions to our customer base will enhance our ability to support the industrial, embedded, military, automotive, and aerospace markets.""We are proud to be part of the Digi-Key product portfolio," said Tommaso Rando, Swissbit's Chief Sales Officer. "Digi-Key is world renowned distributor delivering world class solutions to its customers. The addition of Swissbit products to Digi-Key will expose new customers and enhance the availability of our outstanding industrial storage solutions."Swissbit's product lines are available for purchase now on Digi-Key's global websites. Find more information, please visit: http://www.digikey.com/Digi-Key Corporation focuses on providing customers with superior service, which includes product selection and availability, on-time delivery, and responsiveness. Using leading-edge processes and state-of-the-art technologies, Digi-Key serves a global customer base from its 600,000 square foot facility in Thief River Falls, Minnesota, USA.