Pleasanton, CA - October 12, 2009 - NextWindow, the market and technology leader in optical touch screens for desktop PCs, monitors and large-format displays, today announced that a fourth leading PC maker has begun selling a desktop PC using NextWindow touch screens. Sony this week unveiled its new touch-enabled, multi-media machine-the VAIO L Touch HD PC/TV, which includes a 24-inch wide screen panel. According to Sony: "With the VAIO L Series' multi-touch screen, easy access to your PC, HDTV, DVR- your entire entertainment hub-is readily at your fingertips."Sony is the latest PC maker to select NextWindow, whose touch screens are certified by Microsoft to work with Windows 7. NextWindow is capitalizing on the global "touch PC" trend by forging relationships with the world's largest PC makers. Several PC manufacturers already are shipping touch PCs including NextWindow touch screens, including Dell, Hewlett-Packard (HP), Medion and now Sony, and several other PC makers are expected to launch products leveraging NextWindow touch screens before the end of this year. NextWindow is further contributing to growth in the touch PC market by establishing an independent software vendor partner program to spur development of new touch-enabled software applications."Touch technology is not a new concept but finally there is reason to believe that a market exists for touch on the desktop," said Al Monro, CEO at NextWindow. "This idea is supported by the fact that Microsoft has made touch an important component of Windows 7, and all the leading PC makers have plans to add a touch-enabled desktop PC products to their portfolios in the not-too-distant future. With today's announcement NextWindow now has four touch PC products in-market, a significant accomplishment that cements our position as the leading provider of touch screens to the PC market."

SanDisk has announced it is shipping flash memory cards based on the company's dubbed X4 flash memory technology, which holds four bits of data in each memory cell. The technology is currently being used in SDHC cards and Memory Stick PRO Duo cards starting with 8GB and 16GB capacities.SanDisk said the storage cards incorporating its X4 chips that store 64 gigabits (64Gb) of data deliver twice the capacity of most conventional chips that store one or two bits per cell. The chips made by Toshiba using 43nm process technology, which helps lower manufacturing costs.Despite the higher the density per chip and the more bits per cell, SanDisk said the new 4-bit cards are capable of maintaining data reliability."Our challenge with X4 technology was to not only deliver the lower costs inherent to 4-bits-per-cell but to do so while meeting the reliability and performance requirements of industry standard cards," said Sanjay Mehrotra, president and COO of SanDisk.Volume shipments of SanDisk's first products based on the 64Gb X4 NAND flash chips kicked off in September 2009, according the company.SanDisk X4 chipPhoto: Company

Korea-based LCD panel maker LG Display (LGD) has unveiled an e-book reader that is equipped with in-house developed thin-film solar cell.The thin-film solar cell featured in the e-book device measures 10cm in width and length, and it was developed to fit the 6-inch display panel for the e-book readers currently mass produced by LG Display. The solar cell measures 0.7mm in thickness and weighs 20 grams, which is thinner than a credit card and about the same weight of a fountain pen, the company said.The thin-film solar cell is produced by placing electrodes onto a glass or plastic substrate. Contrary to widely adopted crystalline solar cells that employ silicon wafers, the thin-film solar cell is generally light-weight and easily adjustable in size and form for applications such as e-book readers or mobile phones.The current energy conversion efficiency rate of this product is approximately 9.6%, LGD said. Exposure to sunlight for about four to five hours would extend the running time of the e-book reader's battery by a day without the need for additional charging. This would allow longer outdoor use of the device.LG Display previously had announced plans to nurture its thin-film solar cell business as a future growth driver. The company aims to raise the energy conversion efficiency rate to 12% by 2010, and eventually achieve efficiency rate of 14% in 2012 to prepare for commercialization.During IMID (International Meeting on Information Display) 2009, LG Display will showcase the prototype of the solar e-book reader,in Kintex, Gyenggi, Korea.LG Display solar-powered e-book readerPhoto: Company

Gateway has introduced the One ZX series all-in-one PCs with multi-touch displays, with the 20-inch One ZX4800 series targeting students and the powerful 23-inch One ZX6800 series being more suitable for gamers.The two all-in-one PC series equip the exclusive Gateway TouchPortal, an interface that lies on the top of Windows 7, and serves as the starting point for managing a suite of Gateway one-touch gadgets and Microsoft touch applications. Gateway's touch gadgets provide quick access to applications for music, videos, photos, social media networks and more, Gateway highlighted.The Gateway One ZX6800 series all-in-one PCs equip Intel's Core 2 Quad processor and AMD's ATI HD 4670 graphics, as well as 1TB hard drive and a 64GB solid state drive (SSD).Some models in the One ZX6800 series offer a hybrid TV tuner and media center remote control for family entertainment. The wireless keyboard and mouse and a plug-n-boot single power cord further streamline the PC's work area, noted Gateway.Featuring the same design but on a reduced scale, the ZX4800 series is ideal for smaller environments, such as a dorm, home office or kitchen. The series features a 20-inch high-definition widescreen display, an Intel Pentium processor, integrated graphics, webcam, wireless networking and wireless keyboard and mouse.The Gateway One ZX6800 and ZX4800 all-in-one PCs will be available late October/early November at online retailers. The high-performance FX6810-01 will be available later in the fourth quarter. Gateway One ZX series all-in-one PCs specifications Model Gateway One ZX6810-01 Gateway One ZX4800-02 Price US$1399.99 US$749.99 Display 23-inch Ultrabright LCD 20-inch Ultrabright LCD CPU Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200S Intel Pentium dual-core T4300 Chipset GM45 GL40 VGA ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4670 with 1GB DDR3 memory Integrated Intel GMA X4500HD Memory 8GB DDR3 1333MHz 4GB DDR2 800MHz Storage 1TB SATA HDD 64GB SSD 750GB SATA HDD Sources: Company, compiled by Digitimes, October 2009Gateway One ZX series all-in-one PCPhoto: Businesswire

Hynix Semiconductor has announced its second-generation 1Gb DDR3 chip using 54nm process technology. The new 1Gb DDR3 chip available now in x4 and x8 configurations, and has been produced in mass volume from this month (October 2009).The new Hynix 1Gb DDR3 operates at the same 1.5V power supply as Hynix' first-generation 1Gb DDR3 product, but further reduces power consumption by 30%. Highly virtualized applications such as data centers, servers and supercomputers as well as mobile applications requiring longer battery life could take advantage of the new chips to reduce power consumption, according to Hynix.Hynix 54nm 1Gb DDR3Photo: Company

Eindhoven, the Netherlands – Royal Philips Electronics has announced development of a digital silicon photomultiplier that will allow faster and more accurate photon (the basic quantum unit of light) counting in a wide range of applications where ultra-low light levels need to be measured.Areas where the new technology could have a major impact include medical imaging, in particular positron emission tomography (PET), and in-vitro diagnostic tests such as DNA sequencing and protein/DNA microarrays. Other relevant areas include high-energy physics, night-vision systems and other applications that currently use light detectors that are based on so-called photomultiplier tubes.As with virtually all 'solid-state' alternatives, the new Philips digital silicon photomultiplier technology should enable the production of smaller and lighter battery-powered equipment for use in areas such as medical diagnostics and surveillance."Silicon photomultipliers have many advantages over photomultiplier tubes in terms of size, weight, reliability, maintenance, power consumption and supply voltage. It is expected that the photomultiplier world very soon will be converted to silicon," commented Albert Theuwissen, professor at the Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands.Philips said the key to this breakthrough lies in its ability to combine high quality single-photon detectors (silicon avalanche photodiodes) with low-voltage CMOS logic on the same silicon substrate. Moreover, these revolutionary new silicon photomultipliers can be manufactured using a conventional CMOS process technology."Solid-state digital technology has already taken over from outdated analog solutions in every-day applications such as TVs, camcorders and photography," said Rob Ballizany, VP of Philips Corporate Technologies. "I am convinced that high-end professional applications such as medical imaging will undergo a similar switch to digital detectors in the next few years."Philips digital silicon photomultiplierPhoto: Company

The infrared Platinum Dragon from Osram Opto Semiconductors provides a high radiance from a small surface. With its one square millimeter thin-film chip in stack technology it generates an optical output of almost 1W from a driving current of 1A - that's almost twice the output of the standard chips that have been used up to now. The viewing angle and radiant intensity can be varied with standard secondary optics. Preferred applications are those which require high radiance so that small optics can be used. This is important for example in pedestrian protection systems and night vision systems in vehicles.The increased output of the new Platinum Dragon is based on a special thin-film chip. It has not only one p-n junction, but two that have been grown or "stacked" one on top of the other. This stack technology leads to almost twice the optical output power compared to conventional IR thin-film chips. "We were able to bring the infrared Stack Dragon so quickly to the market thanks to our experience in developing the stack technology for our lasers," said Harry Feltges, marketing manager for infrared components at Osram Opto Semiconductors. "Furthermore, its package is the same as the one used for the other IR Dragon components, so existing designs can be used without modification." The forward voltage of 2.9V at 1A enables standard LED drivers to be used which are preferably operated in this voltage range. The IR LED emits at a wavelength of 850 nm and is therefore a perfect compromise between maximum spectral sensitivity for CCD and CMOS cameras and suppressed visibility for the human eye.With its high optical output from a small surface area the infrared Platinum Dragon is ideal for lighting solutions where space is an important factor. Night vision systems in vehicles, pedestrian protection systems and precrash sensors can also be made much more compact because fewer IR LEDs are needed to provide the same optical output. In industrial applications the high-power IR LEDs can be used in illumination units for CCTV cameras or in systems for automatic number plate recognition (ANPR). 3-D camera technology is another possible application which will be used more and more in consumer equipment such as gaming consoles and TVs for gesture recognition. For this, high modulation frequencies of the light source (typically 20 to 50MHz) are required, which can be easily achieved with the new infrared Dragon.Osram infrared Platinum Dragon in stack chip technologyPhoto: Company

WALNUT, Calif. – October 6, 2009 – ViewSonic Corp., a leading global provider of visual display products, today announced the availability of two new projectors, both with increased lumens to enhance brightness. The PJD6251 DLP projector is designed for conference rooms or classroom settings, while the PJL9371 LCD projector addresses the viewing needs found with larger facilities, such as auditoriums.PJD6251 – DLP 120Hz projectorThe PJD6251 is a 120Hz / 3D ready DLP projector with 3,700 lumens to produce more vibrant colors. With a 2,800:1 contrast ratio the PJD6251 performs well in virtually any lighting situation - from dimly lit office conference rooms to sunshine soaked classrooms. The PJD6251 includes RJ45 network management scheduling software that allows for configuration and control remotely when connected to a centralized network. This network management tool is also compatible with existing ViewSonic DLP projectors, like the PJD6240 with an XGA 1024x768 resolution, 3,200 lumens and a 2,000:1 contrast ratio. The PJD6251 is equipped with composite, S-Video and VGA inputs for increased connectivity with multiple devices. Additionally, this device includes a VGA output port for connecting an external display or secondary projector for multiple screen viewing, and an HDMI input port to offer greater connectivity options for today's digital demands. The projector can be used on a table or mounted on a ceiling in order to decrease tabletop clutter.The PJD6251 is currently available for an ESP of US$949.PJL9371 – large venue projector with 3LCD technologyViewSonic's new PJL9371 LCD projector delivers 4,000 lumens with a 2,000:1 contrast ratio to provide a high brightness solution for larger installation-type facilities. The projector offers an Eco mode, 5000-hour lamp life and a hybrid filter design for increased energy savings, less maintenance and lower total cost of ownership (TCO). Integrated 16W speakers provide ideal audio capabilities for effective presentations in large conference settings or auditoriums.The PJL9371 is currently available at an ESP of US$1,749."Many studies show that 60% of people are visual learners and prefer information presented in pictures, charts and graphs," said Jeff Volpe, vice president and general manager of ViewSonic North America. "These two new projectors are designed with a focus on increasing both the brightness and contrast ratio to ensure the best possible visual experience whether in an office setting, classroom or large auditorium."ViewSonic DLP 120Hz 3D ready projector - PJD6251Photo: CompanyViewSonic 3LCD projector - PJL9371Photo: Company

Pleasanton, CA - October 8, 2009 - NextWindow, the market and technology leader in optical touch screens for desktop PCs and large-format displays, today announced that another PC maker will soon begin selling an all-in-one computer with NextWindow touch screens.Global PC and consumer electronics developer Medion recently announced plans to offer a multi touch-enabled system with a 24-inch screen. Branded the Medion X9613, the all-in-one PC will be available initially in Germany.All-in-one computers represent a growing segment of the larger PC market. These products combine all hardware and software inside a computer's monitor, and they mainly are desktop systems though some, such as the Medion X9613, can be mounted to a wall.US-based electronics giants Dell and Hewlett-Packard (HP) were among the first companies to offer a PC version of the all-in-one computer. Both companies are using optical touch screens from NextWindow in their all-in-ones. Gartner is forecasting the number of all-in-ones shipped (with a screen size greater than 16-inch) will double from 2009 to 2010."NextWindow is having success in the all-in-one PC market because optical touch screen technology, which NextWindow helped pioneer, offers the lowest cost and best performance among available technologies," said Al Monro, NextWindow CEO. "We're pleased to see the Medion X9613 come on to the market and we look forward to welcoming several other touch PCs around the time of the launch of Windows 7, with which NextWindow touch screens are fully compatible."

Taiwan-based DMP Electronics has launched a US$100 netbook, the Edubook, that will be shipped to overseas markets in component form to be assembled by partners in other countries to save customs duties or meet import requirements. The netbook can be separated into about 10 different modules and components, and then be built up again in around 10 minutes using 30 steps. Edubook features an 8.9-inch panel and a DMP-developed low-power CPU. The device can support Windows XP but bundling is optional. The netbook is powered by eight AA batteries and can run for four hours. DMP has begun shipments of the Edubook to Latin America and the netbook has also attracted attention from several governments in Eastern Europe and Africa. The company expects to ship five million Edubooks in 2010, according to the company. DMP Edubook netbook assembly linePhoto: Yen-Shyang Hwang, Digitimes, October 2009 Netbook components and modulesPhoto: Yen-Shyang Hwang, Digitimes, October 2009 DMP Edubook netbookPhoto: Yen-Shyang Hwang, Digitimes, October 2009