VIA Technologies has announced the VIA VN1000 digital media chipset for next generation desktop and all-in-one PCs, offering a high definition (HD) multimedia entertainment platform compatible with the advanced desktop features of Microsoft Windows 7.The VIA VN1000 digital media chipset features the ChromotionHD 2.0 video processor to guarantee smooth playback of the latest Blu-ray titles with hardware acceleration of the most demanding H.264, WM9 and VC1 codecs over the latest display technologies, including Display Port and HDMI.Paired with the new VIA VT8261 southbridge, the VIA VN1000 chipset consumes only up to 12W, making it an excellent choice for Windows 7-based mini desktop and all-in-one desktop PCs designs, according to VIA.Offering feature-rich specifications with significant emphasis on graphics and HD video playback, the VIA VN1000 features the VIA Chrome 520 IGP, combining a DirectX 10.1 graphics engine, with support for Shader Model 4, OpenGL 3.0 graphics and OpenCL 1.0 for next-generation GPGPU applications.The VIA VN1000 supports DDR3 system memory at speeds of up to 1066MHz, one x8 lane and four x1 lane PCI Express 2 expansion slots, up to five PCI slots and a VIA Vinyl HD 8 channel audio codec. An IDE controller, supports up to four SATA drives, SD/MMS/MMC card reader support and 12 USB 2.0 ports are supplemented with support for PS/2, SPI, GPIO and LPC technologies, VIA highlighted.The VIA VN1000 digital media IGP chipset is fully compatible with VIA Nano, VIA C7, VIA C7-M and VIA Eden processors and supports all Microsoft Windows platforms and popular Linux distributions. VIA VN1000 chipset specifications Item Detail Processor support VIA Nano, VIA C7, C7-D and Eden (V4) processors VIA V4 bus 400/800MHz Memory support DDR2 677/800 and DDR3 800/1066 Max memory 16GB PCI Express One 8-lane, four 1-lane Northbridge/southbridge link Ultra V-Link (1GB/s) Graphics VIA Chrome 520 IGP DirectX support DirectX 10.1 Video acceleration H.264, WMV, MPEG-2, MPEG-4 Source: Company, compiled by Digitimes, December 2009VIA VN1000 chipset and VT8261 southbridge chipsetPhoto: Company

Acer America has debuted the new 11.6-inch Ferrari One notebook to the US market.Fueled by Vision technology from AMD, the notebook delivers highly responsive, balanced multitasking performance via the AMD Athlon 64 X2 dual-core processor with low-power CPU designed for long-lasting battery power, according to Acer. ATI Radeon HD 3200 graphics provides high-definition visual quality coupled with up to 4GB of DDR2 667MHz system memory to drive digital and multimedia features and other demanding applications with ease. The Ferrari One comes equipped with Windows 7 Home Premium and 250GB hard drive.Along with its 11.6-inch HD widescreen display, the Ferrari One notebook features an ultra-portable design, measuring about one inch and weighing 3.31-pounds. The look and feel of Formula 1 racing is shown throughout the notebook's detailed design, including the checkered palm rest extending into a comfortable full-size keyboard, the metallic LED-lit power button and yellow prancing horse emblem, Acer highlighted.The notebook features enhanced stereo speakers and Dolby Home Theater Audio Enhancement, which deliver vibrant surround sound and bass effects to bring a true cinema-style experience to movies, music and casual games, Acer claimed.The Acer Ferrari One FO200-1799 notebook is available now via Acer's authorized resellers and at major retailers nationwide, with prices beginning at US$599.99. The Ferrari One comes with a one-year limited warranty. Acer Ferrari One FO200-1799 notebook specifications Item Detail CPU AMD Athlon 64 X2 L310 dual-core processor OS Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Display 11.6-inch HD widescreen CineCrystal LED-backlit display Chipset AMD M780G VGA ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3200 Memory 4GB dual-channel DDR2 memory HDD 250GB 5400RPM SATA hard drive Price US$599.99 Sources: Company, compiled by Digitimes December 2009Acer Ferrari One FO200-1799 notebook Photo: Business wire

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Dec. 7, 2009 - Atheros Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATHR), a global leader in innovative technologies for wireless and wired communications, has announced that Microsoft's new Xbox 360 Wireless N Networking Adapter leverages the high performance of the industry's most widely adopted 11n technology, Atheros XSPAN, to deliver an enhanced wireless experience. Xbox 360 owners will see improvements in speed, range and wireless security features enabled by Atheros' XSPAN 2-stream 11n, dual-band PCIe solution, the AR9280. Additionally, Xbox LIVE members can seamlessly stream HD movies and TV episodes in instant-on 1080p and 5.1 surround sound with Zune video on Xbox LIVE, as well as update their Facebook profile, send tweets via Twitter, download Games on Demand or watch Netflix videos from their console.With XSPAN, the Xbox 360 Wireless N Networking Adapter delivers up to seven times the TCP/IP throughput and twice the range of 11g-enabled adapters. It also features robust security based on the WPA2 (Wi-Fi Protected Access 2) security protocol to protect your media content and information. The dual-band AR9280 employs the 5GHz band to avoid interference, enabling lag-free network gaming in congested wireless environments such as dense housing or areas with multiple wireless networks. It utilizes the 2.4GHz band for simple data applications such as email, web surfing and social media networking. With the AR9280's 11n speeds, Xbox gamers can enjoy simultaneous applications that enhance the gaming experience such as streaming live video from a webcam to personalize game play, supporting voice for multi-player chat and streaming music from Last.fm - featuring the world's largest online music catalog."The gaming console is adding advanced media hub capabilities for delivering on-demand movies, video, and music, as well as connecting users to their favorite social media sites," said Ben Naskar, vice president and general manager of Atheros' networking business unit. "XSPAN delivers the performance to meet the growing user demand for content and applications accessed through the Xbox LIVE community - wirelessly. We are pleased to be working with Microsoft to enable a superior gaming and entertainment experience in the home."

December 8, 2009 (Plano, TX) - Texas Advanced Optoelectronic Solutions, Inc (TAOS) today announced the addition of multiple products to its existing Color Management Solutions portfolio. The expanded portfolio now offers increased design flexibility, features and options for manufacturers of products where color is mission critical. The new TAOS programmable color sensors provide more cost-effective, lower-power solutions for color discrimination, determination and measurement in a wide variety of applications such as color-point feedback control in solid-state illumination and RGB backlight systems, color adjustment in printers, industrial process quality controls, portable medical diagnostic systems, paper and product handling, toys, and games. For emerging RGB LED backlighting applications in laptops, monitors and HDTVs, TAOS color sensors can be used not only to control the intensity of the backlight, but also the white point or color temperature of the backlight. In ambient light sensing applications, the white point of the environment can be determined by a color sensor and this data can be used to drive the RGB LED backlight to a white point that compliments the white point of the environment. The resulting richer, deeper and more realistic colors enhance the user experience. Additional packaging and features to include integration of proximity sensing are also planneed. "Color sensors, while still a relatively niche technology, are growing rapidly because there are so many vertical industries in which color plays an integral role," said Carlo Strippoli, TAOS vice president of Sales & Marketing. "TAOS is expanding its Color Management Solutions portfolio to help our customer differentiate their products and meet their color-centric product needs. As an example, where color is an integral part of the end product, manufacturers can utilize color sensor-based systems to reduce their time-to-market, improve product quality through color consistency and increase efficiency through reduced scrap." Key industries and applications in which color is mission critical include: Automotive: lighting control Aerospace: lighting control Computer: copiers, printers, laptops, monitors Consumer: HDTVs, photographic equipment, toys, smoke/gas detection, paint palette Medical: chemical analyses, blood/gas analyses Manufacturing/Industrial: packaging, printing, process control/inspection, solid state commercial lighting, robotics, food & beverage, fashion & footwear, home furnishings, automobiles Instrumentation: diagnostic equipment, spectroscopy All new products added to the TAOS, Inc Color Management Solutions portfolio are available now from TAOS, Inc and its authorized distributors.

BEAVERTON, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In September, Planar Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLNR), a worldwide leader in specialty display solutions, unveiled its Runco QuantumColor Q-750i and Q-750d lampless LED projectors to Runco's worldwide dealer network. Dealers have responded very positively and have placed orders for hundreds of demonstration projectors for their showrooms in the first few weeks after announcement."The QuantumColor projectors mark a new era in video projection for the industry and for Runco. Lampless LED is the future of video projection and Runco, through its innovation, is the leader in this category," stated Planar CEO Gerry Perkel. "The QuantumColor projectors have it all – no lamp to replace, never-before-seen colors, high reliability, and low power consumption. The industry response is strong and our dealers have shown incredible support for the product by booking orders in record numbers, making the 'Q' the best-selling demo product in Runco history."Traditional home theater projectors utilize a lamp for illumination, which are expensive to replace, cause downtime and only last about 2,000 hours. Collaborating for more than a year with Texas Instrument's DLP business to create the technology for Runco's LED platform, Runco has engineered its QuantumColor products to eliminate all moving parts in the engine, including the mechanical iris and color wheel. Runco's InfiniLight also boasts a 70% reduction in power consumption, a mercury-free illumination system, and InstantOn, which eliminates the need to put the projector in standby mode. These breakthroughs combine to create an energy-efficient solution with high reliability.Beyond light-source innovation, Runco QuantumColor projectors produce the largest color gamut ever available in front projection; achieving and exceeding the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) standard for the first time in home theater front projection. The QuantumColor projectors offer Runco's Personal Color Equalizer (PCE), which enables owners to create color settings from the largest pallet ever available and to project images exactly to their preferences. Runco delivers flawless REC 709 Hollywood cinematic standard, Digital Cinema Initiatives (DCI) standards, and even the vast Adobe RGB color space. Runco PCE, which works just like an audio equalizer, allows each color (red, green, blue, cyan, magenta, and yellow) to be dialed up or down to exactly match an owner's specific taste – a capability never before available.To ensure color adjustment doesn't spoil overall image integrity, Runco created its Runco SmartColor (RSC) technology to maintain image realism and accuracy. RSC is a proprietary hue-compensation curve with gamut mapping, which maintains the integrity and true-to-life representation of flesh tones. Without this intelligence, flesh tones can look oversaturated, which results in people who look unnatural or sunburned. The flexibility of this incredible customizable image has been met with overwhelming positive response in the custom home theater market who have been using the same adjustment technique with high-end audio for years."Runco has been innovating and changing projection technology for years," noted Joel Silver, founder and president of the Imaging Science Foundation (ISF). "An LED lampless light source is clearly the next step in front projection, and Runco's innovation in color gamut and customization puts its QuantumColor projectors well ahead of the pack."In addition to debuting its QuantumColor projectors to the entire custom installation industry at CEDIA EXPO 2009 in September, Runco demonstrated the Q-750 to media at its headquarters in early November and at sponsored events in New York, Los Angles, Minneapolis, Denver, and Portland.Runco's QuantumColor Series Q-750i features integrated video processing, and the Q-750d is paired with Runco's latest DHD controller/processor. Both the Runco QuantumColor Q-750i, with an MSRP of US$14,995, and the Q-750d, with an MSRP of US$17,995, are now shipping.Planar Systems' Runco QuantumColor Q-750i lampless LED projectorPhoto: Company

Tokyo - Toshiba Corporation (TOKYO: 6502) has announced that it has developed MOSFET cell based on spin transport electronics, or spintronics, an advanced semiconductor technology that makes use of the spin and magnetic moment inherent in electrons. Toshiba has fabricated a spintronics cell and verified its stable performance for the first time, and will present full details of the cell and its technologies on December 7 (EST), at the International Electronics Devices Meeting in Baltimore, Maryland, USA..Continuing advances in MOSFET devices based on current miniaturization technologies will inevitably hit a wall as they meet such problems as relative degraded performance due to the increase in the resistance of global wiring and increased power consumption due to current leakage. Spintronics is regarded as a major candidate among potential solutions to this problem, but its application in a transistor has only recently started and has only been partially proved.Electrons in a magnetic layer naturally are spin polarized in one of two spin states, spin up or spin down, and the majority state determines the spin state. These spin states are more or less permanent in a magnetic layer, realizing a nonvolatile characteristic that can be used to store data. Spin current can be flowed into the same spin state in a magnetic layer, and this capability changes the impedance characteristics, which determine the read signal of a spin device.Toshiba has introduced magnetic layers into the source and drain of a MOSFET cell, and successfully applied these to controlling spin direction by the spin-transfer-torque-switching (STS) method, and by applying gate and source/drain voltages. A magnetic tunnel junction is applied for write operation of STS in the magnetic layers, which are formed with full-Heusler alloy, an intermetallic that acts as a high spin polarizer.Toshiba confirmed the practical performance in transistor level of the scalable spintronics-based MOSFET device that promises fast random write and access speeds with low power consumption. It opens the way to next-generation non-volatile semiconductor devices that can be used as reconfigurable logic devices, and non-volatile LSI chip with memory function. Toshiba will continue to promote development toward establishing fundamental technologies for application after 2015. This work was partly supported by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) in Japan.

Leading memory module brand Kingmax, know for consistently developing its portfolio of patents and patent applications related to its exclusive module technology, has celebrated its 20th anniversary by expanding its product line to now include handset batteries.Kingmax said it has spent more than a year dedicating R&D resources to mastering the upstream supply chain for handset batteries and acquiring the related validations and safety standard certifications. The company has now launched its new handset battery products to target a handset market that has grown to more than one billion handset shipments per year.In line with Kingmax's vow to produce safe high-performance batteries for mobile phone applications, the company has chosen to sources its battery cells from Japan makers. This ensures that its products will have a much longer life than that of its rivals, while still maintaining reliability and guaranteeing safety. Kingmax batteries have well-constructed safety features that include protection circuit modules (PCM) and polymer-base PTC resettable fuses (PPTC), as well as emergency gas vents to prevent heated gas from building up in the battery.The quality of today's entry-level handsets can vary from supplier to supplier, which can present a safety danger to users. Kingmax has fully committed itself to producing reliable and consistent products, and provides customers with a one-year warranty and NT$100 million in liability coverage.Kingmax has released lithium (LiON) batteries to support Nokia- and Sony Ericsson-branded handset models, with its battery prices being almost half that offered by the respective handset vendors. Company chairman Joe Liu stated that Kingmax ensures that its products meet customers' high-quality requirements, and are certified by Underwriters Laboratories (UL) for product safety. Kingmax is looking to expand its product lineup to support other leading handset brands as well as smartphones.Kingmax handset batteries are available through its sales channels in Taiwan, and the company will be rolling out the products in China and Southeast Asia in the coming months. Kingmax also plans to launch its own-brand handset batteries in other regions such as Russia and Eastern Europe, and is moving to extend its battery offering to support other applications, such as digital cameras and notebooks.

LG Display (LGD) has announced the commercial launch of a 3D LCD panel boasting full HD resolution. The new product is a 23-inch 3D monitor LCD panel for use with shutter glasses.The panel adopts the company's proprietary technologies such as "high performance 3D exclusive controller" capable of processing more than twice as much image data as other HD 3D LCDs and "copper bus line" to improve on the resolution and picture quality, the company said. In addition, the panel is able to reproduce both 2D and 3D images, meaning that users can switch back and forth from 2D and 3D modes.Although full HD 3D images have been developed for contents such as video games, movies and animations, 3D display products with full HD resolution were unavailable in the market, it said. The commercial launch of LG Display's full HD 3D LCD panel is expected to help to boost development of high resolution 3D contents while allowing users to view true-to-life 3D images.The 3D display market is expected to grow at rapid pace as the industry players are shifting their focus from two-dimensional to three-dimensional technologies. The Korea Communications Commission recently announced plans to start a trial service for the world's first full HD 3D terrestrial broadcasting from the second half of 2010. A launch of trial services for 3D satellite broadcasts had been also announced earlier in Japan and the UK.LG Display full HD 3D LCD panelPhoto: Company

VIA Technologies has announced Mobile-ITX, the latest VIA-developed open form factor specification for the creation of ultra-compact and portable embedded devices.Mobile-ITX defines a compact 6×6cm computer-on-module specification designed to enable an easier and less resource intensive development cycle for a range of ultra-compact, portable embedded systems, VIA said.Vertical market segments including medical, transportation and military embedded markets have evolved to demand higher miniaturization and portability from today's x86 platforms and VIA's Mobile-ITX form factor can offer a size 50% smaller than its Pico-ITX form factor, which measures 10×7.2cm, VIA said.Mobile-ITX employs a modularized design that includes a CPU module card and an I/O carrier board. This offers greater flexibility for developers who can simply drop in the CPU module to a custom designed, application specific carrier board, negating lengthy developmental design and testing phases, VIA highlighted.CPU modules based on the Mobile-ITX form factor integrate core CPU, chipset and memory functionality and I/O that includes CRT, DVP and TTL display support, HD Audio, IDE, USB 2.0, as well as PCI Express, SMBus, GPIO, LPC, SDIO and PS2 signals, through customizable baseboards. Mobile-ITX-based modules consume as little as 5W.VIA Mobile ITX form factor-based motherboard compared to a business cardPhoto: Ninelu Tu, Digitimes, December 2009

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--NEC Display Solutions of America, a leading provider of commercial LCD display and projector solutions, announced today its first ever LED-backlit desktop monitor for business, education, government and healthcare markets, the 22-inch MultiSync EA222WMe.LED backlighting technology enables the NEC MultiSync EA222WMe to provide the same amount of brightness as other panel types while using 20% less power. Compared to previous generation NEC LCDs, the EA222WMe consumes up to 52% less power, radiates up to 61% less heat, weighs up to 25% less and uses up to 15% less packaging. The monitor and cables in this eco-friendly display are free of mercury, halogen and arsenic. Additionally, the monitor is compliant with Energy Star 5.0, TCO 5.0 and EPEAT Gold, which solidifies its status as the most energy-efficient desktop monitor offered by NEC.Users will have the ability to track their carbon savings with the display's resettable carbon footprint meter, a unique tool that calculates the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. New to NEC's MultiSync EA Series is the resettable cost meter, which indicates the user's electricity cost savings via the On Screen Display."The combination of these green technologies in the MultiSync EA222WMe points to the future of where the LCD industry is headed," said Lynn Gu, product manager for NEC Display Solutions. "LED backlight structure has improved tremendously along with cost reduction, and the adoption of the LED backlight technology will continue to accelerate over the next few years."The EA222WMe features a full ergonomic stand, which includes 110mm height-adjust, tilt, swivel and pivot functionality that adds flexibility and comfort for any user. With DisplayPort, the monitor provides maximum display performance with a variety of input options that improve resolution and color depths. The ECO Mode, along with the Intelligent Power Manager (IPM) system, off timer, ambient light sensor and vacation switch, help conserve energy and reduce carbon dioxide emissions.The MultiSync EA222WMe includes the following features: - 16:10 widescreen display with W-LED backlight - 1680 x 1050 native resolution - 30,000 dynamic contrast ratio - 250 cd/m2 brightness - 4-way ergonomic stand - Full connectivity with VGA, DVI, USB and DisplayPort inputs - Integrated, down-firing multimedia speakers - ECO Mode, resettable carbon meter and cost meter - Energy Star 5.0, TCO 5.0 and EPEAT Gold compliance - Utilizes recycled plastics, bio plastic bag and paper fillerThe MultiSync EA222WMe comes with a 3-year parts and labor limited warranty and will be available for December 2009 shipment at an estimated street price of US$339.NEC 22-inch LED-backlit LCD monitor - MultiSync EA222WMePhoto: Company