Yageo has announced 3216 PIFA ceramic antenna catering to compact mobile device applications. Measuring 3.2mm x 1.6mm (3216) in dimension, Yageo's PIFA ceramic antenna features low profile fitting for multifunctional compact product design and signal transmission efficiency up to 90% almost on a par with traditional metal antenna.The 3216 PIFA ceramic antenna comes with an omni-directional system that supports central frequency of 2.45GHz with a maximum gain of 2.84dBi and a working temperature of -25 degrees C to 85 degrees C. Yageo claimed this new product is currently the smallest planar inverted-F antenna available in the market, and is designed to be isolated from environmental interference and achieve transmission optimization in miniaturized electronics applications particularly Bluetooth headsets, ultra-thin handsets or wireless mouse. Samples are available for customers with mass production underway.Yageo is looking to further enhance the yield and production lead time of 3216 PIFA antenna, and expects this product to contribute to 40% of chip antenna shipments within two years.

Sony recently launched its Vaio W series netbook in the Taiwan market and is cooperating with Chunghwa Telecom (CHT) to bundle the netbook with 3G services.The netbook adopts a 10.1-inch display that supports a resolution of 1366×768 and weighs 1.19kg, the company noted.The netbook includes Intel's Atom N280 CPU along with a 160GB hard drive and will be priced around NT$20,000 (US$609).In additional news, netbook sales in Taiwan reached 170,000 units in the first half of 2009 and are expected to surpass 300,000 units for the whole year. Sales through bundling with 3G services increased from only 30-35% in the second quarter of 50% in July, according sources at netbook vendors.Sony Vaio W series netbookPhoto: Company

AMD has announced the immediate availability of the new six-core AMD Opteron EE processor at 40W ACP.Delivering up to 31% higher performance-per-watt over standard quad-core AMD Opteron processors, the six-core AMD Opteron EE processor is tailored to meet the demands of customers who need strong performance, but must trim out every watt possible in a server system and reduce the data center's power draw, said AMD.Customers now have 15 low and very low power server processor choices from AMD, while all the CPUs feature AMD's Virtualization (AMD-V) technology and AMD-P features for advanced virtualization and power savings capability as standard power versions.The 40W ACP processor is currently being integrated in custom solutions programs and will be available from system builders for cloud and Web 2.0 customers where density and low power are key considerations, claimed AMD.AMD's new six-core Opteron EE processorPhoto: Company

SAN JOSE, CA., and ST. ALBANS, England, August 31st, 2009 - ARC International (LSE: ARK), a leading provider of consumer intellectual property (IP) to OEM and semiconductor companies worldwide, today announced that Freescale Semiconductor has licensed the MQX real-time operating system (RTOS) and TCP/IP software stacks. The license extends across Freescale's broad portfolios of 8-bit, 16-bit and 32-bit microcontrollers (MCUs); 16-bit digital signal controllers (DSCs); and 32-bit microprocessors (MPUs) based on ColdFire, Power Architecture and ARM cores. Freescale determined that by using ARC's MQX RTOS and other networking protocol stacks, they can provide highly integrated, comprehensive software solutions that help customers reduce development cost and get to market quickly. Freescale's decision to extend the license of MQX software for its MCU, DSC and MPU architectures demonstrates the company's confidence in ARC's software solutions to help them compete in a wide range of challenging markets. MQX software has helped Freescale customers bring embedded products to market for nearly 20 years in a vast array of applications, such as smart sensors, robotics, industrial switches, motion and temperature control systems, building surveillance systems, networking products, government and defense applications, and consumer goods. "Developers have come to rely on the benefits of using MQX Real-Time Operating System (RTOS) and other MQX software products in concert with their tools and with Freescale's widely used processing platforms to help them keep their development projects on track and in budget," said Harsh Kejriwal, VP Worldwide Software Sales at ARC International. "The combination of MQX software and Freescale silicon provides customers with comprehensive platform solutions for a wide range of system designs," said Aiden Mitchell, director of industrial and multi-market MCUs at Freescale. "The availability of MQX software across Freescale's processing portfolio gives customers enormous design flexibility. Since we offer MQX software bundled with our silicon, customers gain an exceptional software value that also helps them speed time to market and accelerate their success with proven hardware and software solutions." ARC's MQX software platform includes MQX RTOS, an optimized TCP/IP networking stack, device drivers, RTOS-aware debugging, performance and profiling tools and a board support package for the relevant Freescale development boards. ARC's MQX software platform integrates seamlessly with Freescale's CodeWarrior Development Studio for ColdFire microcontrollers and Power Architecture technology, allowing developers to rapidly accelerate the development of reliable, high performance industrial control and networking products. CodeWarrior Development Studio provides integrated, task-aware debugging and monitoring of TCP/IP networking stack objects.

OmniVision has launched the OV2710, a native 1080p CMOS image sensor designed to deliver high-definition video conferencing and recording for camcorders, notebooks, netbooks, and other mobile applications."Consumer and business applications incorporating video capability are growing at a rapid pace, and these applications are used predominantly in places where lighting conditions are often far from ideal. This makes image quality and low-light performance key drivers to the success of these products in the market," said Nick Nam, senior product marketing manager at OmniVision. "With the OV2710, OmniVision is offering a full 1080p true HD video solution for design into mainstream consumer products."The 1/3-inch OV2710 offers a 1920×1080 array operating at 30 frames per second using a 3-micron OmniPixel3-HS pixel, delivering low-light performance of 3300 mV/(lux-sec), dark current of 6 mV/sec and a peak dynamic range of 69dB. This allows the OV2710 to operate in low-light situations well below 15 lux, suitable for applications including notebooks, netbooks, PC cameras, digital video camcorders, DSCs, handsets and other ultra portable devices, said OmniVision.Competing 1080p HD video solutions are based on reducing high-resolution sensors to a 1080p display resolution through either cropping, or merging pixels by binning. However, cropping reduces the field of view, while binning degrades image quality, color reproduction and picture sharpness, said OmniVision. Furthermore a higher resolution sensor will need a much smaller pixel size than a 2-megapixel sensor to achieve the same optical format; and shrinking pixels generally degrades low-light performance.The OV2710 supports multiple platform architectures and controllers with both parallel and MIPI interfaces and allows system designers to leverage the same opto-electrical design across various products and multiple market segments. The OV2710 will enter into mass production in September 2009.

Fairchild Semiconductor (NYSE: FCS) brings designers of power supplies, lighting, display and industrial applications a new generation of 600V Super-Junction MOSFETs -SupreMOS. The combination of their low RDS (ON) and total gate charge brings a 40 percent lower Figure of Merit (FOM) compared to Fairchild's 600V SuperFET MOSFETs. These devices, the 165-milliohm-maximum FCP22N60N, FCPF22N60NT and FCA22N60N, and the 199-milliohm-maximum FCP16N60N and FCPF16N60NT offer best-in-class reverse recovery characteristics di/dt and dv/dt bringing higher reliability for resonant converter, LLC and phase-shifted full-bridge topologies found in switch mode power supply (SMPS) designs.Compared to SuperFET MOSFETs, these 600V Super-Junction MOSFETs offer a low gate charge for the same RDS(ON) , offering excellent switching performance and delivering 20 percent less switching and conduction losses, resulting in higher efficiency. They provide low input and output capacitances, improving efficiency at light load conditions. These features enable power supplies to meet ENERGY STAR 80 PLUS Gold classification for desktop PCs and Platinum classification for servers.These products are part of Fairchild's comprehensive portfolio of MOSFETs that offer designers a wide range of breakdown voltages (-500V to 1000V), state-of-the-art packaging and industry-leading FOM to deliver efficient power management anywhere electronic power conversion is needed. Price (each, 1000 pcs.) Item Price FCP22N60N US$1.60 FCPF22N60NT US$1.60 FCA22N60N US$1.80 FCP16N60N US$1.50 FCPF16N60NT US$1.50 Note: Availability: Samples available nowSuper-Junction MOSFETs-SupreMOSPhoto: Company

Nokia has announced the Booklet 3G mini-notebook (netbook) powered by Intel's Atom processor.The new mini-notebook weighs 1.25kg, measures slightly more than 2cm, and features a range of connectivity options including 3G/HSPA and Wi-Fi, Nokia highlighted.The mini-notebook also comes with an HDMI port for HD video out, a front facing camera for video calling, integrated Bluetooth and an SD card reader. Other features include a 10-inch glass HD ready display and integrated A-GPS technology, which can work with Nokia's Ovi Maps gadget for global positioning.Nokia Booklet 3G mini-notebook (netbook)Photo: Company

Acer America has announced the new Veriton N260G-U2802CP, an ultra-compact nettop for the US professional market. It will be available via Acer's authorized resellers with prices beginning at just US$399, according to the company.Housed in an one-liter chassis, the Veriton N260G can be placed upright with its retractable stand or attached to the back of a display. Due to its small size and flexible design, this practical nettop is suitable for small offices, reception areas, classrooms, libraries, showrooms, call centers, hotel front desks or airline check-in kiosks, Acer said.The Veriton N260G-U2802CP combines a low power consumption Intel Atom processor with an Intel GN40 Express chipset, up to 2GB of memory, a 160GB hard drive and integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500M GPU.The Veriton N260G is Energy Star qualified, while the nettop also features Acer PowerSaver technology, which gives users the option to conserve energy and power on demand, the company highlighted. Acer Veriton N260G-U2802CP nettop: Specifications Item Detail CPU Intel Atom N280 processor Chipset Intel GN40 Express Memory 2GB DDR2 SDRAM VGA Intel GMA 4500M Sources: Company, compiled by Digitimes, August 2009Acer Veriton N260G-U2802CP nettop attached on back of a monitorPhoto: Businesswire

Nvidia has announced that Microsoft's new Zune HD portable media player is powered by the company's Tegra processor.The Zune HD player is the first portable media player to combine HD-compatible video, HD radio receiver, full-screen Internet browsing, an organic light emitting diode (OLED) touchscreen, and Wi-Fi.Nvidia's Tegra processor features eight independent processors, each designed for a specific class of tasks - among them are an HD video processor, an audio processor, a graphics processor, and two ARM cores, while the processors can work together or independently to minimize power consumption.The Zune HD player also features Nvidia's nPower technology, which optimizes system power use and enables extended HD video and MP3 playback time, the company said.Microsoft Zune HD Platinum portable media playerPhoto: Company

DRAM and NAND flash spot pricing lost its momentum this week (August 10-14), marking an end to recent price rises in the market, noted inSpectrum.inSpectrum reported that spot prices for both DDR2 and DDR3 dropped by a low-single digit this week. Quotations for 1Gb DDR3 softened, with some vendors dropping their quotation to below US$2. Despite the reduced quotations, inquiries were still limited. For DDR2, some brokers started selling their inventory when average selling prices (ASP) hit the US$1.40 level, implying industry players are conservative about a sustained upside, the firm said.In the NAND flash spot market, pricing for low-density chips continued outperforming overall pricing, backed by strong demand for low-density memory cards from white-box handset makers in China, inSpectrum explained. Whereas for the 32Gb multi-level cell (MLC) chips, a slight sequential drop was seen amid flat demand, the firm added. inSpectrum: Spot price for mainstream 1Gb DRAM chips, Aug 10-14 (US$) Date Branded DDR2 White brand DDR2 Branded DDR3 2009/8/6 1.39 1.33 2.05 2009/8/10 1.42 1.38 2.05 2009/8/11 1.42 1.39 2.04 2009/8/12 1.41 1.37 2.03 2009/8/13 1.4 1.37 1.97 2009/8/14 1.4 1.37 1.96 Source: inSpectrum, compiled by Digitimes, August 2009 inSpectrum: Spot price for mainstream MLC NAND flash, Aug 10-14 (US$) Date 16Gb 32Gb 2009/8/6 4.45 6.06 2009/8/10 4.47 6.06 2009/8/11 4.48 6.05 2009/8/12 4.49 6.05 2009/8/13 4.49 6.04 2009/8/14 4.49 6.04 Source: inSpectrum, compiled by Digitimes, August 2009