Hewlett-Packard (HP) has launched several ProBook series notebooks in Taiwan with display sizes including 13.3-, 14-, 15- and 17-inch to mainly target small and medium-size business (SMB) clients, according to HP Taiwan.HP's ProBook series notebooks are outsourced to Inventec and are priced at NT$29,900-47,000 (US$900-1400). HP also offers customization options for the notebooks.HP ProBook series notebook for SMBPhoto: Terry Ku, Digitimes, July 2009

Asustek Computer has announced the Xtreme Design series motherboards featuring unique innovations, performance and reliability.Asustek's Xtreme Design-based P6TD Deluxe motherboard features an innovative Stack Cool3+ to enhance motherboard component longevity, while the motherboard also adopts an enhanced PCB layer to provide a stable and low operating temperature for optimized data transmissions.The P6TD Deluxe motherboard also features Xtreme phase technology to ensure stable and optimized power delivery and Turbo V technology for a real-time, dynamic processing boost. Asustek P6TD Deluxe motherboard specifications Item Detail CPU Intel Socket 1366 Core i7 Extreme or Core i7 processors Chipset Intel X58 / ICH10R System bus Up to 6400 MT/s Memory 6 x DIMM and support up to DDR3 2000 memory with max capacity up to 24GB Expansion slot Three PCI-Express 2.0 x16 Sources: Company, compiled by Digitimes, July 2009Asustek P6TD Deluxe motherboardPhoto: Company

Biostar Microtech International has introduced an Intel G41 chipset-based motherboard series which includes the T41 HD, G41D3G, G41 DVI and G41-M7.Biostar's G41-based motherboards integrate Intel's Graphics Media Accelerator X4500 GPU, supporting high-definition video playback, as well as Intel's Clear Video Technology, highlighted the company.The T41 HD motherboard also comes with a DVI to HDMI adapter.Biostar G41 chipset-based motherboard seriesPhoto: Company

Microsoft Taiwan has launched several new wireless mice in Taiwan including the Wireless Mobile Mouse 3000 and 6000, Wireless Mouse 5000 and Arc Mouse, according to the company.The Wireless Mobile Mouse 6000 and Wireless Mouse 5000 feature Microsoft's exclusive BlueTrack technology, which provides more accuracy.Microsoft Wireless Mouse 5000 mousePhoto: Terry Ku, Digitimes, July 2009

Strengthening its line up of portable 1.8-inch hard drives for external storage markets, Samsung Electronics has announced its 250GB 1.8-inch hard disk drive, the Spinpoint N3U, which incorporates a native USB controller on its printed circuit board. The Spinpoint N3U stores up to 125GBs per platter for a total 250GB data storage capacity.Most external hard drives require the addition of a bridge circuit board to convert the hard drive's PATA interface into a USB interface. Samsung's N3U drive, however, uses a native USB interface and as such does not require this bridge board.The device is designed to withstand a free fall drop of up to 50 centimeters and be resistant to a maximum shock incident of up to 1500G.As a native USB interface device, the Spinpoint N3U eliminates possible points of failure due to loose cable connections and optimizes performance by eliminating the interrupt service time for the bridge board to convert PATA to USB signals, Samsung argued. And the N3U 1.8-inch drive also consumes about 40% less power than a 2.5-inch hard drive of an equivalent capacity.Samsung now ships hard disks with up to 1.5 Terabyte for 3.5-inch drives, 500GB for 2.5-inch drives and 250GB for 1.8-inch drives. The Spinpoint N3U comes in 120-, 160-, 200- and 250GB capacities, the disk rotation speed is 3600rpm, and it supports a USB 2.0 interface. The drives are equipped with an 8MB cache memory.Initial shipments to OEMs are scheduled from mid-July with a MSRP at US$199.

Albatron Technology has unveiled the K3780E motherboard with accompanying I/O board.The System board includes an embedded AMD processor and 780E chipset, which features an ATI Radeon HD 3200 IGP.The I/O board can be modified based on customer demand and features CF, mini-PCI, and PCI Express 2.0 16x slots.The K3780E can connect with a touch panel for ATM and POS applications, the company highlighted.Albatron K3780E motherboardPhoto: Company

eMachines has introduced new mini-tower PCs – ET1300-02, ET1810-01 and ET1810-03 –along with a matching monitor.With prices ranging from US$299.99-449.99, the new eMachines PCs adopt either AMD or Intel processors, 2GB or 3GB of DDR2 memory and 160GB or 320GB hard drives.The matching 18.5-inch eMachines E182H wm LCD display features 720p high definition support, a 10,000:1 contrast ratio and 5ms response time. The monitor also features a 1366×768 resolution and 300 cd/m2 brightness. eMachines: mini-tower PC specifications Model ET1300-02 ET1810-03 ET1810-01 CPU AMD Athlon X2 4850e Intel dual-core Pentium E2210 Intel Celeron 420 GPU Nvidia GeForce G100 w/512MB memory Integrated Nvidia GeForce 7050 Integrated Nvidia GeForce 7050 Memory 3GB DDR2 memory 3GB DDR2 memory 2GB DDR2 memory Hard drive 160GB SATA hard drive 320GB SATA hard drive 160GB SATA hard drive Price US$449.99 US$369.99 US$299.99 Sources: Company, compiled by Digitimes, July 2009eMachines' new mini-tower PCPhoto: Business Wire

Yageo has announced 1044 SMD LP patch antenna catering to GPS applications for smartphones, PNDs and notebooks. Yageo's 1044 SMD LP patch antenna is capable of delivering up to 80% more efficiency than traditional chip antennas while taking up 50% less space, the company said.Samples are already available to customers since April, and Yageo expects to double GPS product shipments with the release of the 1044 SMD LP patch antenna, the company said.Measuring 10x4x4mm in dimension, Yageo's 1044 SMD LP supports bandwidth of 15MHz around central frequency of 1575MHz and working temperatures from -25° to 85°C. In addition, it is designed with 20% to 30% enhanced performance versus conventional chip antenna, empowering smartphones to integrate personal navigation and positioning functions, Yageo said.

Seiko Epson on July 1 unveiled its Discproducer PP-100, a model equipped with functions of automatically burning optical discs and printing color photos/images onto the face side of discs, for sale in the Taiwan market at a recommended retail price of NT$207,900 (US$6,350), with government agencies, schools and small- and medium-size businesses being target clients, according to Epson Taiwan Technology & Trading. The company aims to sell 200 units in 2009 in Taiwan. Main specifications of Epson Discproducer PP-100 Disc production speed 30 CD-R discs/hour; 15 DVD-R/+R discs/hour Production volume at one time One disc to 100 discs in maximum Printing speed 60 discs/hour at resolution of 1,440 x 720dpi; 40 discs/hour at 1,440 x 1,440dpi Optical disc formats and maximum writing speeds CD-R, 40x; DVD-R/+R, 12x; DVD-R DL (single-side double-layer) and DVD+R DL, each 8x Dimension 377(W) x 348(H) x 465(D)mm Weight 24kg Source: Epson Taiwan, compiled by Digitimes, July 2009Epson Discproducer PP-100Photo: Epson Taiwan

Silicon Motion Technology has obtained validation for its new flash memory controllers that support Micron's 34nm multi-level cell (MLC) flash product family, according to the company. The validated Silicon Motion products include SM2682/SM2682LT SD controllers, SM2232/SM2234 CF controllers, SM2235/SM2242 SSD controllers and SM3251/SM3252 USB flash drive controllers, all of which are in mass production."With this validation, we can offer the most advanced SD, microSD, CF, SSD and UFD controllers to support high capacity products using leading edge Micron MLC flash memory. Our controllers will allow customers to benefit from lower cost, next generation, 16Gb and 32Gb MLC 34nm NAND flash for a variety of device formats and platforms," said Wallace Kou, president and CEO of Silicon Motion.