In addition to introducing the new U series netbooks, Micro-Star International (MSI) will launch the new Wind Neton all-in-one PCs, X-Slim series and G series notebooks at CES 2009.The MSI X-Slim series X320 is equipped with the latest Intel platform and a 13.4-inch display of the 16:9 aspect ratio. The notebook's overall thickness is 1.98cm with the thinnest part being only 6mm, while the notebook only weights around 1.3kg.In addition to the U115 Hybrid netbook, MSI will launch the U120 netbook that provides WiMAX capability.MSI will showcase four new Wind Neton all-in-one PCs, the 22-inch AE2203, and 19-inch AP1900, AE1901 and AP1902. The AE1901 is equipped with the dual-core Atom processor, while the AE2203 comes with multimedia and entertainment functions, and supports full HD.The company will also showcase the CD130 nettop that adopts a dual-core Atom processor, and the G series gaming notebooks GT725, GT727, GT627 and GX420.MSI X-Slim series X320 notebookPhoto: CompanyMSI U120 netbook with WiMAX capabilityPhoto: CompanyMSI Wind Neton all-in-one PCPhoto: Company

Lenovo has announced the latest additions to its Idea brand of personal computers for consumers - the IdeaPad Y650, Y550 and Y450 notebooks and IdeaCentre A6002, an all-in-one desktop PC.The IdeaCentre A600 all-in-one PC features a 21.5-inch frameless screen and provides a design that measures only one inch at its slimmest point, the company claimed.The all-in-one PC offers a 16:9 aspect ratio screen and support for 1920x1080 full HD resolution. The integrated speaker system includes a bass sub-woofer and Dolby Home Theatre audio certification, while the optional Blu-ray player completes the home cinema experience.At the core of the all-in-one PC is a desktop computer with choices of Intel Core 2 Duo processors, optional ATI Radeon graphics card technology with DirectX 10 support, up to 4GB of DDR3 memory for multitasking and up to 1TB of hard drive space for storage.The expanded Y series adds new screen sizes to the IdeaPad notebook lineup: the 16-inch Y650, the 15.6-inch Y550, and the 14-inch Y450. The new Y series notebooks are configurable with up to 500GB of hard drive storage space and up to 4GB of DDR3 memory.To provide HD entertainment and multimedia experience, the Y series notebooks are equipped with 16:9 format widescreen panels, optional Nvidia GFX graphics for gaming, HD video playback and Dolby Home Theater surround sound.The IdeaPad Y650, Y550, Y450 notebooks will be available beginning in March. The prices start at US$1,199 for the IdeaPad Y650, US$829 for the IdeaPad Y550 and Y450. The IdeaCentre A600 will be available beginning in April with price starting at US$999.Lenovo IdeaPad Y650 notebookPhoto: Company

MSI has announced the U115 Hybrid netbook that is capable of operating both a solid state drive (SSD) and hard drive simultaneously.The U115 Hybrid uses an SSD to run Windows while storing files on its hard disk drive.To help extend battery life, hybrid storage technology can temporarily disconnect the hard drive and storing all files on the SSD.The netbook features Intel's Menlow platform with an Atom processor and 10-inch widescreen LCD display and LED backlight. MSI U115 Hybrid netbook specifications Item Detail Processor Intel Atom Z530 processor Operation System Windows XP Home Chipset Intel Poulsbo US15W Memory 1GB DDR2 533MHz with support to 2GB LCD 10-inch LCD panel Storage 120GB or 160GB HDD 8GB/16GB SSD Source: Company, compiled by Digitimes, December 2008MSI U115 Hybrid netbookPhoto: Company

Asustek Computer announced the newest member of its Eee PC family, the Eee PC 1002HA, featuring a redesigned chassis adorned with a brushed aluminum LCD cover and palm rest.The Eee PC 1002HA weighs 1.2kg with the battery attached and measures in at 1-inch thick. The Eee PC 1002HA features a 10.2-inch LED-backlit display with resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels, a keyboard that is 92% the size of a standard one, a digital array microphone, a 1.3 megapixel built-in webcam and Bluetooth connectivity.The netbook is available with both Linux and Windows XP Home edition operating systems, while the netbook also provides a multi-touch touchpad.The Eee PC 1002HA also features the Super Hybrid Engine (SHE) which consists of the Power4 Gear Hybrid application and the Energy Processing Unit (EPU) to save power consumption and allows a longer running time. Asustek Eee PC 1002HA specification Item Detail Display 10.2-inch LED backlight display with resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels Dimensions 264mm (W) x 181mm (B) x 27.6mm (H) Weight 1.2kg (with battery) Battery 4200mAh, up to 4.15 hours Processor Intel Atom N270 Chipset Intel 945GSE / ICH7-M Main Memory Windows XP: 1GB DDR2 (supports up to 2GB) Linux: 1GB DDR2 (supports up to 2GB) Storage Hard disk drive up to 160GB Source: Company, compiled by Digitimes, December 2008Asustek Eee PC 1002HA netbookPhoto: Company

Lanner Electronics has released the FW-7872, a 1U half-rack network appliance for network security and acceleration applications.Built around the Intel 945GME chipset, the FW-7872 provides Core 2 Duo and Celeron M support, up to 4GB of DDR2, four Gigabit Ethernet ports and two internal 2.5-inch drive bays. It also includes remote management features through IPMI and IP-KVM support, enabling administrators to monitor the system and perform maintenance tasks remotely, as well as hardware bypass and redundant power supplies, highlighted Lanner."The FW-7872's half-rack form factor achieves the same level of power and efficiency as a full 1U appliance but in half the space, leaving half of the rack space for additional hard drives, power supplies or another half-rack appliance." pointed out Jesse Chiang, Network Communications Product Planner at Lanner.Lower power consumption and less heat generation round out the "green" aspects of the FW-7872, making the platform suitable for environment-conscious applications, said Lanner.The Lanner FW-7872 is available for sample orders immediately.Lanner's FW-7872 network appliancePhoto: Company

OCZ Technology has unveiled its Flex EX memory series, the high-density modules that operate at DDR2 and DDR3 for PC gaming."Memory is the primary storage device of any modern computer system and defines how fast the CPU can access data," said Michael Schuette, VP of Technology Development at OCZ. The new OCZ Flex Ex series provides the combination of density, frequency and access latencies for any system architecture by delivering speed at 4GB density with cooling options, according to Schuette.The new Flex EX modules will be available in 4GB (2x2048MB) dual channel kits.OCZ EVP (Extended Voltage Protection) is a feature that allows a VDIMM of 2.25VPhoto: CompanyOCZ DDR2 PC2-9600 Flex EX 4GB SeriesPhoto: Company

Hewlett-Packard (HP) has launched its TouchSmart tx2-1003AU touch screen notebook in Taiwan.The notebook features an AMD Turion X2 RM-74 processor, 250GB hard drive, ATI Radeon HD 3200 GPU with 64MB DDR2 sideport memory and 12.1-inch WXGA capacitive touch panel. Quanta Computer manufactures the notebook for HP.HP pointed out that it plans to abandon single-touch technology and completely enter the multi-touch era in 2009.HP's TouchSmart tx2 series notebooks will target the consumer market with prices around NT$34,900 (US$1,054). The company believes the series will expand the scale of the touch screen notebook market.Touch panel makers are also optimistic about touch panel demand in 2009 and expect monthly shipment volumes of around 100,000 units.HP TouchSmart tx2 touchscreen notebookPhoto: Yen Ting Chen, DIGITIMES, December 2008

Cooler Master has introduced the Black Label Limited Edition case and accessories with a global availability of 500 individually numbered sets.The set brings together the company's Hyper Z600 cooling fan, Cosmos chassis and PSU with a new black appearance and is priced at US$599 or 499 euro.Cooler Master Black Label Limited Edition casePhoto: Company

With Aiptek International's PocketCinema V10 handheld projector winning the WinHEC award for media and entertainment, the company chairman, Peter Chen pointed out that this is not the end, the company is still planning to implement more technologies and functions into the product.The majority of requests from the company's partners and customers regard improving of the current product such as increasing brightness, lowing power consumption, or reducing cost, but Chen's goal is to implement wireless communication capabilities into the projector to allow users to download and display content anywhere they go.The company is also considering implementing Windows CE into the product, so the projector could support more file types such as PowerPoint.The product's current LED light-source consumes relatively high amounts of energy only allowing up to an hour of usage without power, but Chen believes improving LED technology will help the product to consume less power and boost battery life.Currently, the product's sales are spit evenly between the enterprise and consumer market, Chen detailed. Aiptek PocketCinema V10 handheld projector specifications Item Detail Display technology LCoS (Liquid Crystal on Silicon) Light source White LED Luminous flux 10 Lumens Projection resolution 640×480 Pixels (VGA) Aspect ratio 4:3 Projection image size (Diagonal) 6- to 42-inch (15-127cm) Projection distance 8- to 70-inch (21cm-180cm) Zoom and focus Manual Playback file format Photo JPEG Video MPEG-4 and H.264 Audio MP3 AV interface 3-in-1 AV phone jack Audio Stereo, 0.5W Internal memory 1GB External memory SD / SDHC / MMC / MS Pro up to 8GB (Not Included) Remote control Included Dimensions 4.9-inch × 2.1-inch × 0.9-inch Weight 5.2 oz. (without battery) Source: Company, compiled by Digitimes, December 2008Peter Chen, chairman of Aiptek, holding a PocketCinema V10 handheld projectorPhoto: Joseph Tsai, Digitimes, December 2008A PocketCinema V10 is connected to an iPod TouchPhoto: Michael McManus, Digitimes, December 2008

VIA Technologies has announced the VIA ARTiGO A2000 barebone storage mini-server which packs terabytes of storage capacity within a stylish, compact, low power and low noise system, according to the company.The VIA ARTiGO A2000 consumes less power and space than a regular desktop, yet provides ample storage for large home media libraries of music, photos and HD video, VIA said. It can also serve as a headless NAS box or media storage and streaming device in home server applications.Measuring 13.5×12×26cm, the VIA ARTiGO A2000 is powered by a 1.5GHz VIA C7-D processor and supports up to 2GB of DDR2 667/533MHz memory. Two SATA bays with integrated power ports are mounted within the case, and a type I Compact Flash socket is located beneath the motherboard.Connectivity includes a Gigabit Ethernet port, and support for a wireless 802.11 b/g module, while two USB 2.0 ports at the back are supplemented by one port at the front for accessibility.Multimedia is provided through the VIA VX800 system media processor, featuring DirectX 9.0 3D graphics support through the VIA Chrome9 integrated graphics, hardware video decoding acceleration of multiple video formats, and VIA Vinyl HD audio. VIA ARTiGO A2000 barebone storage mini-server specifications Item Detail CPU 1.5GHz VIA C7-D processor Chipset VIA VX800 Unified Digital Media IGP chipset Memory Support One DDR2 SO-DIMM socket (up to 2GB) Hard Disk Support Two 3.5-inch SATA 3Gb/s Bootable SSD One CompactFlash socket (supports DMA mode) Operating System Support Windows XP/Vista, Linux USB Ports Three USB 2.0 ports (1 on the front panel) Source: Company, compiled by Digitimes, December 2008VIA ARTiGO A2000 barebone storage mini-server Photo: Company