Dialog Semiconductor has introduced the DA9052, an advanced system power management (PWM) IC that offers designers flexibility in reducing power consumption, size and cost in handsets and other portable multimedia devices. Conceived as a platform-PWM IC, the DA9052 is capable of supporting all major families of application and mobile graphics processors.Up to 14 power supplies, 16 GPIOs and other system function behaviour may be adapted in different operating modes as a means of eliminating power consumption overhead in the host processor. This system wakeup/mode control within the PMW IC reduces design cycle time and complexity by enabling software and application development to start at an earlier phase using a pre-validated PMW IC platform.The DA9052 is set up through a graphical user interface in Dialog's Power Commander software utility. This configures power sequencing and multiple sleep modes. The device integrates four DC/DC buck converters and 10 programmable LDOs on-chip, and the LDOs can be connected to the DC/DC converters to improve system efficiency. Each output can be connected in series or parallel, adding further flexibility.The DA9052 is supplied in a dual-row QFN86 (7 x 7mm) package with 0.5mm pitch. Samples are available now. Pricing is from US$3.80 each in 1000 quantities.

Memory module maker Kingston Technology recently announced its entry in the solid-state drive (SSD) market. The products reportedly will be marketed in a a co-branding partnership with Intel. The company has introduced the SSDNow E and SSDNow M series – the former designed for enterprise servers and the latter for the corporate notebook applications, according to the company. Kingston: SSD specifications Item Description Max read/Write speed Life expectancy SSDNow E 32GB 2.5-inch SATA SSD 250/170 MB/sec 2 million hours SSDNow M 80GB 2.5-inch SATA SSD 250/70 MB/sec 1.2 million hours Source: Company, compiled by Digitimes, January 2009Kingston SSDs for servers and business notebooksPhoto: Company

Asustek Computer has announced the F50 and F70 notebook series targeting the consumer entertainment market.The F70 notebook series is equipped a 17.3-inch 16:9 aspect ratio panel and dual hard disk drives with a storage capacity up to 1TB.For the F50 product line, all models feature either a 16-inch or 15.6-inch HD panel. The F50GX comes with Nvidia's 9400M GPU while the F50Z is based on AMD's Turion platform. Asustek F series notebooks specifications Model F50GX F50Z F70SL Processor Intel Core 2 Duo, Pentium, Celeron Dual Core and Celeron AMD Turion 64 dual-core or Athlon 64 dual-core Intel Core 2 Duo, Pentium, Celeron Dual Core and Celeron Chipset Nvidia GeForce 9400M AMD M780G SiS 671 DX + SiS 968 Memory DDR2 800 up to 4GB DDR2 800 up to 4GB DDR2 800 up to 4GB Display 16-inch or 15.6-inch 16:9 HD panel 16-inch or 15.6-inch 16:9 HD panel 17.3-inch 16:9 HD+ LED BLU panel Hard Drive SATA 250GB, 320GB or 500GB SATA 250GB, 320GB or 500GB Dual HDD up to 1TB of storage capacity Source: Company, compiled by Digitimes, January 2009Asustek F50 notebook seriesPhoto: CompanyAsustek F70 notebook seriesPhoto: Company

Biostar Microtech International has announced TA760G M2+ and A760G M2+ motherboards powered by AMD's 760G IGP chipset.The 760G paired with AMD's SB710 southbridge offers graphics performance based on AMD's ATI Radeon HD 3000 GPU. Biostar TA760G M2+ motherboard specifications Item Detail CPU AMD Phenom/Athlon/Sempron processors Chipset AMD 760G Memory Dual-channel DDR2 1066/800/667/533 GPU Integrated ATI Radeon HD 3000 Source: Company, compiled by Digitimes, January 2009Biostar TA760G M2+ motherboard Photo: Company

MSI has unveiled a dual-core nettop PC – the Wind NetTop D130, equipped with the Intel dual-core Atom 330 processor and 2GB DDR2 memory.The Wind NetTop D130 features a built-in Super-Multi DVD burner and utilizes passive cooling to help reduce noise.MSI Wind NetTop D130 nettop PCPhoto: Company

Acer America has introduced two new notebook PC platforms - TravelMate 6593 and TravelMate 6493 - designed for the mobile professional. The new TravelMate notebook series are available now in the US commercial channel.The TravelMate 6593 and TravelMate 6493 are equipped with Intel Centrino 2 with vPro technology and utilize the Intel integrated 3D graphics media accelerator X4500MHD for graphic performance and video processing.Both the 14.1-inch TravelMate 6493 and the 15.4-inch TravelMate 6593 offer WXGA high-brightness TFT LCD panels with 1280 x 800 pixel resolution, supporting simultaneous multi-window viewing via Acer GridVista, a business tool to accommodate up to eight display windows on one screen at once.The notebook series integrates the Acer MediaBay hot-swappable solution that offers a choice of an extra hard disk, a second battery or an optical drive with either a DVD-Super Multi double-layer drive or DVD/CD-RW combo. The TravelMate 6593 and TravelMate 6493 can rely on up to 4 GB of DDR3 800/1033 MHz memory.For videoconference needs, the notebooks come with Acer Video Conference solution-including the Acer Crystal Eye webcam and Acer Video Conference Manager software. Added security features include Acer Bio-Protection digital imprint reading solution and Acer FingerLaunch, which offers a secure way to launch programs or authenticated documents.For added expansion, the TravelMate 6593 and TravelMate 6493 notebook PCs can be incorporated with Acer ezDock II and ezDock II+ docking stations. The one-size-fits-all commercial docking stations are designed to support all TravelMate form factors and models. The commercial docking stations feature a plug-n-play solution allowing connection of multiple devices in one operation and the ability to dock TravelMate notebooks without having to reboot. TravelMate 6593 Specifications Intel Centrino 2 Processor with vPro Technology Intel Core2 Duo Processor T9500 (6MB L2 Cache | 2.53 GHz | 1066MHz FSB) 15.4" WXGA Acer CrystalBrite TFT LCD (1280 x 800) 4GB DDR3 1066MHz dual channel memory Integrated Intel GMA 4500 MHD 250GB 7200RPM SATA hard drive DVD-Super Multi double-layer drive 5-in-1 digital media card reader 802.11a/b/g/Draft-N Wi-Fi Certified Acer Crystal Eye eebcam Windows Vista Business MSRP US$1499 Source: Company, compiled by Digitimes, January 2009 TravelMate 6493 Specifications Intel Centrino 2 processor with vPro Technology Intel Core 2 Duo processor T8400 (3MB L2 Cache | 2.53 GHz | 1066MHz FSB) 14.1" WXGA Acer CrystalBrite TFT LCD (1280 x 800) 3GB DDR3 1066MHz dual channel memory Integrated Intel GMA 4500 MHD 250GB 7200RPM SATA hard drive DVD-Super Multi double-layer drive 5-in-1 digital media card reader 802.11a/b/g/Draft-N Wi-Fi Certified Acer Crystal Eye webcam Windows Vista Business MSRP US$1,099-1,299 Source: Company, compiled by Digitimes, January 2009Acer TravelMate 6593Photo: Company

Lenovo has announced three new desktop PCs aimed at the consumer market.The IdeaCentre K220 desktop PC runs 16% faster than the previous generation IdeaCentre K210, and comes with an Intel Core 2 Quad processor, up to 4GB of DDR3 memory, and supports high definition graphics and DirectX 10 as well as an optional Blu-ray disc drive, according to Lenovo.The IdeaCentre K230 desktop PC features an Intel Core 2 Quad processor, an optional Blu-ray disc drive and optional support for high definition graphics and DirectX 10. The PC uses Windows Vista 64-bit and supports up to 8GB of DDR2.The Lenovo H200 desktop rounds out the lineup as a low-cost PC for reading e-mail, browsing the Internet, viewing pictures and video, and performing other basic computing applications. The H200 desktop is Lenovo's first desktop to utilize the low-power Intel Atom processor.All three desktop PCs include Lenovo's Rescue System technology, featuring OneKey Recovery, a tool used to recover information and restore the system without losing files.The IdeaCentre K220 and K230 desktop PCs start at US$449 and US$499, respectively. Both will be available beginning January 20. The Lenovo H200 desktop comes bundled with the ThinkVision L195 Wide LCD monitor and starts at US$399.99 beginning January 10.Lenovo IdeaCentre K series desktop PCPhoto: Company

Asustek Computer unveiled a new lineup of products for showcase at CES 2009 including new Eee family members and netbooks, and own-brand notebooks, motherboards, desktop PCs and audio cards.Products on show include the Eee PC S101 and S101H netbooks, the Eee Stick – a Plug and Play full motion wireless gaming controller for the PC, and the Eee Box – a compact, one-liter-sized PC. Asustek is also showcasing its Eee Top all-in-one touch screen computer, as well as latest Eee products including the Eee Keyboard and touch screen-based tablet style netbooks, the Eee PC T91 and T101H.The Eee Keyboard can work as a fully-functional PC as well as a wireless connection hub for multimedia devices to utilize any monitor or TV as a viewing platform. according to Asustek.Asustek's N81Vp and N51Tp multimedia notebooks are equipped with an ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4600-series GPU, and utilize technologies including Super Hybrid Engine (SHE), which automatically allocates power to help preserve battery life by up to 35%; Express Gate, an operating system that allows users to access their most commonly-used programs in 8 seconds; and SmartLogon, which recognizes users' facial features and logs them on their PC without requiring any manual key input, according to Asustek.Asustek's new S121 notebook features Intel's Atom Zxx platform (Menlow) equipped with a 12.1-inch LED backlight display and hard disk drive storage options up to 250GB.The W90 multimedia notebook is powered by the dual-GPU ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4870 X2, or a choice of the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3850 X2 or Nvidia GeForce 9800M GS GPUs and is complemented by a Full HD-based, 18.4-inch display with a 16:9 aspect ratio, highlighted Asustek.Asustek's ROG Rampage II Extreme motherboard incorporates the latest Intel Core i7 platform for enthusiasts.Meanwhile, the P4-P5N9300 barebone system is designed with a small footprint and features support for the latest graphics technologies, added Asustek.Asustek's new M4 series motherboards support AMD processors and feature an 8-phase power design to fully complement next-generation processors, claimed Asustek.Finally, Asustek is also showcasing its Xonar HDAV1.3 Deluxe audio card featuring Protected Audio Playback Systems (PAPS) and full Advanced Access Content System (AACS) certification for non-down-sampled Blu-ray audio.The new Eee family members including Eee PC T91, Eee Top and Eee KeyboardPhoto: CompanyAsustek S121 notebook featuring Intel's Atom (Menlow) platform and 12-inch displayPhoto: CompanyAsustek N81Vp and N51Tp notebooksPhoto: CompanyAsustek W90 multimedia notebook Photo: Company

Toshiba is showcasing its latest business-based products including the Toshiba Portege Satellite Pro, and Tecra product lines at CES 2009.Toshiba recently announced cooperation with Sun Microsystems to deliver notebooks pre-configured with OpenSolaris OS which are targeted for availability in early 2009.Toshiba showcased four notebooks. The Portege R600-ST520W is the company's first ultra-portable notebook with WiMAX capability. The notebook features a 12.1-inch LED backlit panel with pricing starting at US$2,149.99.The Portege A600-S2201 is an ultra-portable notebook without WiMAX capability. The notebook features a 12-inch LED panel and pricing starts at US$1,399.99.The Tecra R10-S4401 is a business notebook featuring the Intel Centrino 2 platform with vPro technology, a 14.1-inch display, and mobile Nvidia Quadro NVS 150M GPU with 128MB dedicated graphics memory. The notebook will be priced starting at US$1,549.99.Finally, the Satellite Pro S300/S300M series notebook with Intel Centrino processor and a choice of 14.1-inch or 15.4-inch TruBrite display will have a price starting at US$729.Toshiba Portege R600 business notebook with WiMAXPhoto: Company

Toshiba will launch its new portable 500GB external 2.5-inch hard disk drive (HDD), the R500E03D, in its main markets around the world in February 2009, according to Toshiba's manufacturing subsidiary Toshiba Digital Media Network Taiwan.The USB 2.0 two-platter HDD can store either 142,000 digital photos or 131,000 songs, 222 hours of DVD movies or 58 hours of high-definition movies, the Taiwan subsidiary indicated. The HDD has a maximum speed of 480Mbps, a dimension of 81(W) × 16.6(H) × 127(D)mm and a weight of 171g.Toshiba R500E03D portable hard disk drivePhoto: Company