CeBIT 2011 marks yet another milestone for FSP Group, as it is the first time FSP will showcase only its retail product line, ranging from power supply, laptop adaptor, power bank and UPS (uninterruptable power supply), at the world's largest computer exhibition. The latest products from FSP will be showcased at Hall 17, E50 from March 1-5.Premium Power, Gold StandardAURUM Series – A brand new line-up of FSP power supply family. AURUM series meets the 80Plus Gold Standard with over 90% power efficiency. With FSP's MIA ICTM Patent Technology, AURUM Series provides ultimate performance and the highest protection for your system. In addition, the new Arrow Flow ventilation provides superb cooling performance. AURUM Series is the perfect PSU combination of premium quality and efficiency, making it an ideal choice for those who seek for state of the art technology and environmental friendliness at the same time.New Laptop Adaptor – NB Q90 PLUS, Keeps Your Energy Up On The Go!Capable of charging both your laptop, and MP3 player or cell phone at the same time, the new NB Q90 PLUS is a light, easy to carry adaptor which will keep you topped off no matter where you are. Complete with EZCable Manager and a travel bag, the NB Q90 PLUS gives you all the benefits of a standard adaptor without the weight or clutter. NB Q90 Plus has 3 fashion colors – black, white and pink. At the booth, FSP sets up an "Experience Zone" for all the visitors to power up their laptop.Need battery backup for your mobile devices? FSP C2200 Power Bank, with dual USB charging ports, allows you to charge up to two devices such as an iPod, an iPhone, or a MP3 player at the same time and keeps each individual device charged for an extra 30 minutes on the go. Perfect for those times where you need that extra boost to get you through the day. As a total power solution provider, FSP has the entire UPS series for your needs. Ranging from 400VA to 2K VA as in line interactive models for your home and office system, The Galleon series is perfect for your server, it offers guaranteed power protection from damaging surges and spikes. Come visit us, you will find something different for your needs!About FSPFounded in 1993, FSP is the top-5 largest manufacturer of power supplies. As a leading manufacturer with over 15 years experience in designing products, FSP has over 250 products certified as 80Plus – more than any other manufacturer in the world. FSP has a strong commitment to quality and the environment. FSP is listed on Taiwan Stock under ticker 3015. Please visit www.FSPLifeStyle.com

CMOS RF tuner company Elonics has announced the opening of a new Asia technical support center, located close to the Neihu Technology Park in Taiwan.The new technical support center is fully equipped with the latest Rohde and Schwarz broadcast television test equipment for all digital and analog TV standards, Elonics indicated. Customers will be able to test their products locally for the most common critical performance parameters such as sensitivity, adjacent channel rejection and linearity. This will allow them to validate designs easily and quickly and thereby help improve their time-to-market, Elonics said."We recognize that world-class technical support is a key requirement for our Greater China customers. This new investment along with our team of field based RF engineers will add a new capability for Elonics and sets a benchmark for quality customer technical support," said David Srodzinski, Elonics CEO."For years, Scottish International Development has bridged the gap between Scotland and Asia by bringing its finest companies to invest in the region," said Frank Boyland, director of Asia, Scottish Development International. "Elonics, with its strong RF expertise, is a great showcase of Scottish science and innovation and we look forward to witnessing its success in Taiwan and expanding its footprint in the Asia region."Founded in 2003, Elonics is a fabless mixed-signal semiconductor company specializing in the design and development of multi-band RF IC products. Elonics has developed a RF architecture called DigitalTune that is the foundation for a family of silicon tuners for TV and radio. Its first product family is the E4000 series of silicon tuner solutions targeted at the reception of multi-standard digital TV and radio.

LED lighting is becoming more and more popular in the current lighting industry. Referred to as bay light application, it is usually being applied in factories, warehouses, gas stations, gymnasiums, and underground passages. Nevertheless, some obstacles still need to be overcome in adopting bay lights nowadays, such as short life span, high installation cost and high consumption power. Therefore, Ecomaa has launched the latest LED bay light model recently, and it is unparalleled and unique in the current LED bay light industry.Product featuresE40/E39 base design: The E40/E39 lamp base fitting is designed for direct replacement of conventional bay light without modifying present lighting fixtures. This handy feature will definitely enhances users' attempt to switch to new LED bay lights. Moreover, in comparison to other LED bay lights on the current market, they are designed to replace the whole lighting module, except for the E40/39 base fitting.Cooling fan inside: By incorporating active cooling fan inside, the challenge of heat dissipation for high-voltage LED has been resolved.Slim and lightweight design: Another distinguishing feature is its slim and lightweight form factor, which is accomplished by the company's specialized active cooling fan technique, so no conventional heavy heat sink is necessary.Saving installation cost: Due to its much longer life span than conventional bay lights, the high replacement cost can be minimized significantly.Quality and safety measuresSafety mechanism: The safety precaution will be activated automatically once a fan malfunction is detected. The lumen output will drop instantly by 50 % to prevent overheating. Users could notice it immediately in advance.Lighter than other LED bay light sets: The lightweight design (1.14kg) makes the bay light safer and easier to install. (The average weight of LED bay lights is approximately between 5-10kg for current market products.)Product appealWith the enhanced energy-saving active cooling fan technology, the lightweight Eco bay light is meant for replacing conventional bay lights which still adopt weighty passive cooling fans. The Eco bay light is designed to replace all current traditional bay light applications, such as those for warehouses, gas stations, gymnasiums, and underground passages.For more information please visit: http://www.ecomaa.com/ or www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJ45dewEL8Y.Ecomaa LED Bay LightPhoto: CompanyEcomaa LED bay lightPhoto: CompanyPrice and cost comparisonSource: Company

National Semiconductor announced the industry's first stereo analog subsystem with integrated Class G headphone amplifier and automatic level control (ALC) for smartphones and feature phones. The PowerWise LM49251's Class G headphone amp dynamically reduces the supply voltage to lower power consumption and extend audio (MP3, movies, etc.) playback time. The loudspeaker's ALC provides designers with several options to control audio distortion levels and prevent speaker damage.National's LM49251 stereo analog subsystem combines a 1.4W Class D speaker amplifier, 20 mW Class G headphone amplifier and ALC in an ultra-small 2.55 mm by 3.02 mm package. The LM49251 offers thelowest power consumption in its class, consuming less than 7 mA of quiescent current at 3.3V for the loudspeaker and headphone. The LM49251's ALC feature provides designers with a programmable output power limiter for speaker protection and clip level select.Key Technical Features – LM49251 Stereo Analog SubsystemOffered in a 30-bump micro SMD package, the LM49251 provides enhanced emission suppression (E2S) and a Class D amplifier featuring a patented, ultra-low EMI pulse-width modulation (PWM) architecture that significantly reduces RF emissions while preserving audio quality. The LM49251's Class G headphone architecture significantly increases audio playback time with its adaptive power supply approach, enabling very low supply rails and nearly doubling the power-efficiency compared to typical Class AB headphone amplifiers.The LM49251's no-clip ALC feature prevents distortion as battery voltages drop, allowing small signals to be amplified at high gains while preventing clipping of high-level signals. Its multiple inputs provide configurability for addressing different system requirements, and the LM49251's mode selection, shutdown and volume are controlled through an I2C compatible interface. The IC's click-and-pop suppression eliminates audible transients on power up and during shutdown.National also introduced the LM49153 mono audio subsystem, which includes the same features as the LM49251, while integrating noise gate functionality onto the Class D amplifier. The noise gate feature prevents noise from being amplified when the volume is turned up. The LM49153 is offered in a 25-bump, 2.30 mm by 2.42 mm, micro SMD package.Pricing and AvailabilityAvailable now, the LM49251 stereo analog subsystem is priced at US$1.60 each, and the LM49153 mono analog subsystem is priced at US$1.50 each, both in 1,000-unit quantities. For more information on the LM49251, or to order samples, visit http://www.national.com/pf/LM/LM49251.html. For more information on the LM49153, or to order samples, visit http://www.national.com/pf/LM/LM49153.html.

Beaverton, Ore - (Business Wire) - At Digital Signage Expo 2011 in Las Vegas, Planar Systems added an 82-inch LCD display to its growing lineup of high performance, easy-to-service displays for advertising and digital signage applications in airports, shopping malls and other public spaces.The Planar d82L combines the slimmest profile in its category, easy-access electronics and advanced networking and controls, along with the superior visual performance and reliability that are hallmarks of Planar LCD displays."The Planar d82L is uniquely tailored to reduce installation and maintenance costs for digital signage applications," said Jennifer Davis, VP of marketing for Planar Systems. "This new model demonstrates the company's strategy to deliver innovative, specialty display solutions that provide superior image quality and a slim, accessible design that avoids the extra service costs and hassles typically associated with large displays."Designed for digital signageThe Planar d82L offers features and capabilities not found in comparable large-screen displays, including:Ideal for public spaces: With a slim depth of only 3.9-inch, the Planar d82L complies with Americans with Disabilities (ADA) clearance requirements for public buildings, and maximizes valuable space in crowded concourses and other public venues. The industrial, metal design and protective glass shield make the Planar d82L perfect in high traffic public spaces.Easy access: The Planar d82L's AccessConsole provides lockable, flip-panel access to electronics directly above the screen. Most components can be replaced without the inconvenience and cost of replacing the entire LCD.Smart storage and controls: The integrated MediaMount offers convenient, secure storage for media players and other hardware inside the AccessConsole. The built-in network and RS-232 controls make it possible to remotely monitor and manage settings.24x7 reliability: Redundant power ensures uninterrupted operation if one supply fails. The distributed electronics architecture reduces potential heat-related wear on the commercial-grade LCD panel.Streamlined installation: Separate LCD and AccessConsole modules simplify installation. The heaviest module weighs 70 pounds less than the next lightest comparable display on the market.Planar d82L LCD display Photo: Company

San Jose, Calif - (Business Wire) - Integrated Device Technology, Inc (IDT), the analog and digital company delivering essential mixed-signal semiconductor solutions, has announced that its PureTouch capacitive touch controller has been selected for use in the Hanvon WISEreader, a popular e-book reader based on e-ink technology, which results in a paper-like visual effect for the user. Hanvon is a leading e-book provider in China.The Hanvon WISEreader utilizes two IDT LDS6107 devices to enable touch-based page forward and page back control sliders, leveraging the built-in PureTouch slider function. IDT's device offers optimized state-machine- and register-based configuration for easy implementation, while the ultra-low power consumption specifications make it ideal for the extended battery life requirements of e-books."We are thrilled to partner with Hanvon on this innovative product," said Alvin Wong, general manager of the IDT Advanced User Interface group. "Our PureTouch controller's built-in slider function and flexible interface options are a perfect fit for Hanvon's WISEreader. The device has empowered Hanvon's system designers to create a streamlined, attractive and reliable product design.""The IDT PureTouch controller was an ideal solution for our WISEreader," said Wang Bangjiang, VP at Hanvon. "We wanted to provide our customers with an advanced device that was easy to use and with low power consumption. Using the IDT PureTouch controller for our slider accomplished both these goals."

Apple has updated its MacBook Pro family with next generation processors and graphics, high-speed Thunderbolt I/O technology and a new FaceTime HD camera. Featuring the latest dual-core and quad-core Intel Core processors, the entire MacBook Pro line is up to twice as fast as the previous generation, the company claimed.Starting at US$1,199, the new 13-inch MacBook Pro offers value and performance in a compact design. The highly portable 13-inch MacBook Pro features Intel Core i5 and Core i7 dual-core processors up to 2.7GHz and Intel HD Graphics 3000. The 15-inch and 17-inch MacBook Pro models feature quad-core Core i7 processors up to 2.3GHz and AMD Radeon HD graphics processors with up to 1GB of video memory for high performance gaming, pro video editing and graphics intensive applications.MacBook Pro is the first computer on the market to include Thunderbolt I/O technology. Developed by Intel with collaboration from Apple, Thunderbolt enables expandability never before possible on a notebook computer. Featuring two bi-directional channels with transfer speeds up to 10Gbps each, Thunderbolt delivers PCI Express directly to external high performance peripherals such as RAID arrays, and can support FireWire and USB consumer devices and Gigabit Ethernet networks via adapters. Thunderbolt also supports DisplayPort for high resolution displays and works with existing adapters for HDMI, DVI and VGA displays.The MacBook Pro now includes a built-in FaceTime HD camera with triple the resolution of the previous generation for crisp, widescreen video calls. With Apple's innovative FaceTime video calling software, the new camera allows high definition video calls between all new MacBook Pro models and supports standard resolution calls with other Intel-based Macs, iPhone 4 and the current generation iPod touch. FaceTime is included with all new MacBook Pro models and is available for other Intel-based Macs from the Mac App Store for US$0.99.Every Mac comes with Mac OS X Snow Leopard and iLife. Apple new MacBook Pro notebooks specifications Model CPU HDD VGA Price (US$) 13-inch 2.3GHz Intel dual-core Core i5 processor 320GB Intel HD 3000 (IGP) 1,199 13-inch 2.7GHz Intel dual-core Core i7 processor 500GB Intel HD 3000 (HD) 1,499 15-inch 2.0GHz Intel quad-core Core i7 processor 500GB AMD Radeon HD 6490M 1,799 15-inch 2.2GHz Intel quad-core Core i7 processor 750GB AMD Radeon HD 6750M 2,199 17-inch 2.2GHz Intel quad-core Core i7 processor 750GB AMD Radeon HD 6750M 2,499 Source: Company, compiled by Digitimes, February 2011Apple new Sandy Bridge-based MacBook Pro notebooksPhoto: Company

The rise of cloud computing services brings in an increasingly shorter life cycle of various smart end-user devices, and this is a great business opportunity for hardware and software companies as they will be able to provide a rich yet familiar user experience by integrating a range of innovative applications and services. In response to such a trend, Microsoft recently hosted a smart cloud platform and application development symposium at the Taipei International Convention Center. The symposium invited Jochen Siegl, manager of ODM Business Development, Microsoft, and Doug Burger, director of Client and Cloud Applications, Microsoft, to respectively deliver speeches on Microsoft's strategies for developing cloud applications and devices as well as Microsoft's observations and research directions of the limit. They also shared with the more than 100 symposium attendees their hands-on experience in the cloud applications of Windows 7, Windows Phone 7, IE 9.0, and Windows Live based on two major categories: development of cloud applications and smart cloud system design.Many companies and government organizations have been investing in cloud computing but, according to Davis Tsai, general manager of Microsoft Taiwan, most of them focus on Cloud applications and technologies instead of Client. In fact, however, the development of Cloud and Client should be equally important in order for consumers to enjoy the richest and very diverse cloud computing experience.Therefore, Microsoft - supported by Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs - established its Software and Services Excellence Center (SSEC) in June 2010 in Taiwan. Since then, the SSEC has been integrating advanced ODM and R&D resources at Microsoft, bringing in the energy efficient, environmentally sound Microsoft datacenter technology to Taiwan and cooperating with Taiwan hardware and software companies to develop natural user interfaces (NUI) for various end-user devices to help narrow the digital gap resulting from the inconvenience of traditional keyboards and mice."As touch-control screens and sensors are becoming a standard for various smart user-end devices, NUI input methods for body movement, gestures, and voice will mushroom," said Doug Burger. In particular, NUI applications will be increasingly prevalent in webpage browsing, accessing photo and audio-visual files, as well as entertainment and recreation such as game playing. According to Limin Zhang, a senior consultant for Microsoft Taiwan, computer users will become increasingly used to touch control and they will also want multi-touch control. Therefore, when software developers select development tools in the future, they should factor in whether the tools support various gestures as well as whether the applications to be developed for touch control can be increased, integrated into different platforms, and have common modules that can be readily used by other programs.For example, it took less than one week for Arock's development of a cross-desktop, mobile, and web application similar to Lovely Time, a time-telling widget. According to David Dong, technology director of Arock, using Visual Studio 2010 as the development tool as well as Silverlight and C# for design accounts for the successful development, which would have been otherwise impossible. Moreover, the application crossing "three screens and a cloud" was developed at a relatively low cost.Moreover, IT hardware manufacturers need to change their PC-oriented design thinking. For example, the screen resolution, sampling rate per finger, ghost point, noise, and touch accuracy standards for a touch screen should all be consistent with the Windows 7 Human Interface Device requirements, according to Youwei Tsai, software development manager of the SSEC, and the screen and frame should have an all-in-one, seamless design to enable effective touch control at screen corners and edges.The demands for frequently used touch control functions of consumer tablet PCs and high-end professional tablet PCs are different, according to Wade Tsai, a senior consultant for the SSEC, and different business and entertainment purposes should be clarified first, including whether a touch control function can help enhance a given application service, and which levels of touch control, e.g., single-touch control, multi-touch control, gesture control, or other special effects of touch control, are required. "Developers should not single-mindedly pursue the most wow effect regardless of cost," added him. "They should consider whether the input/output ratio is worthwhile."Moreover, because of continuous computing in Cloud, both Cloud and Client need powerful computing capability in order to effectively provide the content-oriented, personalized service that users need while enabling smooth system switching and assessing computing resources anytime. "Continuous computing in Cloud needs collaboration between Cloud and Client in order to deliver the best user experience," said Sam Chang, program manager, Windows Planning and PC Ecosystem, Microsoft Taiwan. "Therefore, Microsoft's integration of Windows 7, Internet Explorer 9, and Windows Live is an attempt to develop the best and personalized cloud platform."As nontraditional computing devices are replacing desktops and becoming a mainstream product for consumers, Jochen Siegl noted that Microsoft's marketing for Windows 7 - doing without the company's traditional PC operating system positioning - emphasizes the operating system's support for different platforms for cloud computing as well as ARM, Qualcomm Snapdragon, and Nvidia Tegra 2 processors. "Windows is a very ideal operating system for client devices," said Jochen Siegl. This is because no further learning is required, while Windows supports Mobile Broadband, DriectAccess, and VPN, and there is also a wide variety of Windows-based user-end devices for consumers to choose."The Taiwan IT industry is the global OEM and ODM leader, and I believe that our cooperation with Taiwan hardware and software partners is going to rapidly resolve all the issues facing Microsoft in developing cloud computing products," said Davis Tsai. According to Alan Chang, general manager of ViewSonic Asia Pacific and Europe, since Microsoft launched Windows 7, ViewSonic has been working with Microsoft and Intel for the development of many models of tablet PCs, helping the public understand how tablet PCs in conjunction with cloud services will enhance work efficiency and enrich life. Accordingly, ViewSonic lent more than 30 of its tablet PCs to the symposium for attendees to get a hands-on experience."It is a pity that Microsoft used to work more with Taiwan hardware companies than their software counterparts," said Huang Jung-chiou, Taiwan's vice minister of economic affairs, who hopes foreign companies to bring in advanced technologies to Taiwan, educate Taiwan industry partners, and help grow local software talents in addition to merchandizing their products here. Since the burgeoning of cloud services, Microsoft has been providing its resources and actively seeking cooperation with Taiwan. "This is the best opportunity for Taiwan IT companies to transform themselves," added Huang.Microsoft's smart cloud platform and application development symposium in Taipei Photo: Digitimes

All professional users, ranging from architects, 3D engineers, and animation designers to visual effects artists, need a stable, reliable and high performance computing solution. Aware of this importance, AMD has launched the optimized plug-in driver for professional software users. By cooperating with Autodesk, AMD has optimized its ATI FirePro workstation level graphics card for AutoDesk software applications including AutoCAD and 3DS Max. Both applications are the most popular choice for 3D modeling, animation, and Internet photo editing in the manufacturing, construction and engineering design industries.The latest optimization plug-in supports AutoCAD 2010, AutoCAD 2011, 3DS MAX 2010, and 3DS MAX2011. The setup process is very easy:First install the driver of ATI workstation level graphics card, AutoDesk applications and then the optimization plug-in installation package. It is just several MBs in size, and the installation process takes only a few seconds. As for the configuration setup, only three steps are required:3DS Max Setup:1) Start 3DS Max. Click "Customize" and then "Preferences" from the Customize dropdown menu. Preferences Settings dialog window will appear.2) Click the Viewport tag in the Preferences Settings dialog window and then the Choose Driver button, as illustrated below.Photo: Company3) Click "Choose Driver" --> "Custom" button and then select the correct path from the driver selection list to initiate the 3DS Max optimization plug-in.For different 3DS Max versions, the corresponding plug-in files are:• 3ds Max 2010: atid2k10.drv• 3ds Max 2010 64: atid2K10_64.drv• 3ds Max 2011: atid2K11.drv• 3ds Max 2010 64: atid2k11_64.drvThe setup process is complete after 3DS MAX is restarted, and you can start enjoying all coloring capacities based on DirectX technologies and OpenGL level speeds. Visual effect artists and graphic designers can benefit from massive performance gains delivered by the ATI FirePro professional graphic card and more effectively create games, movies or TV program contents.AutoCAD Setup:1) Start AutoCAD.2) Type "3dconfig" in the command line and choose "Manual Tune" when the "Adaptive Degradation and Performance Tuning" dialog window appears.3) A "Manual Performance Tuning" dialog window will appear. Please choose an appropriate driver based on your AutoCAD version from the "Driver Name" list:• AutoCAD 2010: atioglcad10.hdi• AutoCAD 2010 64: atioglcad10_64.hdi• AutoCAD 2011: atioglcad11.hdi• AutoCAD 2010 64: atioglcad11_64.hdiAs illustrated below, the chosen optimization plug-in is for AutoCAD 2011.Photo: CompanyClick "OK" to close the dialog window, and the corresponding AutoCAD optimization plug-in will take effect. In addition to efficiency gains, the plug-ins, revolutionarily developed by ATI, also uses Tesselation and OpenGL technologies that allow users to manually tune setup details and levels and realize cutting edge concepts such as Per-pixel lighting and Full-shadow display.According to the optimization plug-in performance comparison charts below, it is very obvious that performance is greatly improved with the plug-in. This optimization plug-in supports all ATI FirePro series professional graphic cards from entry level (V3700, V3750 and V3800), mid level (V4800 and V5800) to advanced level (V7800 and V9800). The complete compatibility will greatly enhance product values and user utilities.The optimization plug-in can be downloaded at: http://workstation.sapphiretech.com/presentation/downloads/?psn=0006Photo: CompanyPhoto: CompanyIn the past, professional users were not able to utilize all their talents, as their design efficiency and precision have been severely restricted by hardware limitations imposed by gaming graphic cards, and professional workstation level graphic cards were too expensive. Now, with ATI FirePro professional graphic cards, professional specialists can truly tap into their design potentials. Moreover, the latest AutoDesk plug-in can also boost the performance level of AutoCAD and 3DS Max to 400% and more importantly, the plug-in is 100% free of charge.Sapphire Workstation website: http://workstation.sapphiretech.com/presentation/index.aspx

Globally we are faced with grand challenges for the 21st century. A prosperous and sustainable world, where we cleverly consume renewable energy, where contemporary diseases can be treated at a very early stage or even prevented, where healthcare is affordable for everyone, and where there are no borders in connecting with family and friends. This might seem like just a dream; but the nanoelectronics industry worldwide is joining forces to make this dream come true.As a leading player in nanoelectronics research and development, Imec aims at being a role model to realize this vision. Imec provides the industry worldwide a cost-effective vehicle to accelerate the development of a sustainable world by setting up joint research programs in emerging application domains such as efficient healthcare, photovoltaics and smart energy consumption, unlimited wireless communications, ultimate vision systems, but also in nanoelectronics technology and system design which are indispensible for these future systems.The Taiwan edition of the Imec Technology Forum 2011 will offer you first hand insights into future developments, technological challenges and recent findings straight out of our labs. www.ITF2011Taiwan.be