AMD has introduced the ATI Radeon HD 4830 graphics card priced at less than US$150. Like all ATI Radeon HD 4800 series products, the new offering delivers excellent game performance and HD multimedia capabilities, as well as support for DirectX 10.1 games, highlighted the company.ATI Radeon HD 4830 cards support ATI CrossFireX technology allowing gamers to combine up to four cards in one PC.Card vendors Asustek Computer, Club 3D, Diamond Multimedia, Force3D, GeCube, Gigabyte Technology, Hightech Information Systems (HIS), Jetway, Micro-Star International (MSI), Palit Multimedia, PowerColor, Sapphire Technology and VisionTek are all expected to add the HD 4830 to their line ups, said AMD. AMD ATI Radeon HD 4830 GPU specifications Item Detail Video Memory 512MB GDDR3 Engine Clock 575MHz Memory Clock 1800MHz (900MHz x2) Memory Interface 256-bit DirectX Support 10.1 Bus Standard PCIe 2.0 Source: Company, compiled by Digitimes, October 2008MSI R4830-T2D512 graphics cardPhoto: CompanyPowerColor AX4830 512MD3-H graphics cardPhoto: Company

Samsung Electronics recently unveiled the Q1 digital media player for immediate launch in the Taiwan market at a recommended retail price of NT$3,990 (US$122) for a 4GB model and NT$4,990 for an 8GB model.Samsung also lowered prices for existing U and S series players by 5-10%, in an attempt to increase its market share from slightly over 10% in the first half of 2008 to 15% this quarter, according to Samsung Electronics Taiwan.Q1 features a 2.4-inch QVGA TFT-LCD screen, Samsung-developed DNSe 3.0 3D surround sound quality and continuous playback of music for 20-30 hours or video for four hours, Samsung Taiwan pointed out. A 16GB Q1 will be launched around the end of 2008, at a yet to be determined retail price, Samsung Taiwan indicated.The 2008 total sales volume of digital music players in the Taiwan market is projected to be 1.05 million units, dropping by 2% from 2007, Samsung Taiwan noted.Samsung Q1Photo: Company

Gateway has introduced two new desktop PCs designed for gaming and digital media enthusiasts.The Gateway FX6710 follows the footsteps of previous FX series models harnessing the Intel platform for gaming, Gateway highlighted.The FX6710 features the Intel Core 2 Q9400 processor, Windows Vista Premium 64-bit, 6GB memory, ATI Radeon HD 4850 graphics and Creative's X-Fi gaming audio capabilities.Meanwhile, the Gateway LX6200 desktop PC makes its debut as the first model in a new line of LX series PCs designed for digitally creative consumers and is ideal for designing web pages and blogs, creating digital photo albums, editing and uploading videos and producing personal music CDs, according to Gateway.The LX6200 comes with a quad-core AMD Phenom X4 9500 processor coupled with Windows Vista Premium 64-bit, 8GB of memory and ATI Radeon HD 3200 graphics. Gateway new desktops specifications Model FX6710 LX6200 CPU Intel Core 2 Quad Q9400 processor AMD Phenom X4 9500 processor VGA ATI Radeon HD 4850 / 512MB discrete video memory ATI Radeon HD 3200 graphics (UMA) Memory 6GB DDR2 memory, dual-channel 8GB DDR2 memory, dual-channel Price US$1,199.99 US$779.99 Source: Company, compiled by Digitimes, October 2008Gateway FX6710-01 desktop PCPhoto: CompanyGateway LX6200-01 desktop PCPhoto: Company

Sony is planning to launch four new series of Vaio PCs in Taiwan on December 24 this year. Sony Taiwan expects its Vaio series PCs to maintain a market share of 10% in 2008 in Taiwan, however the company is conservative about fourth-quarter demand.The Vaio CS series notebooks will be available in five colors: white, red, black, pink and brown, and will be priced between NT$32,800-39,800 (US$1000-1222).The Vaio LN series all-in-one PCs will feature a Blu-ray drive and Dolby Home Theater technology and be priced at NT$59,800, while the JS series all-in-one PCs will include an Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 processor and 20.1-inch LCD display for a price of NT$44,800.Vaio TP series home entertainment center PCs will feature a round design, and can connect to an LCD TV through their HDMI port. The TP series will also include a Blu-ray drive for recording and playback. Pricing will start at NT$59,800.Sony Vaio CS series notebooksPhoto: CompanySony Vaio LN series all-in-one PCPhoto: CompanySony Vaio JS series all-in-one PCPhoto: CompanySony Vaio TP series home entertainment center PCPhoto: Company

Samsung Electronics America has announced its entrance in the US notebook market with a product lineup including notebooks in four categories – premium thin and light, all purpose, business, and desktop replacement, and the netbook segment.The X360 and X460 are 13.3- and 14.1-inch premium ultra thin-and-light notebooks with a price starting at US$1,599. The X360 weighs 2.8 pounds can achieve up to 10 hours of continuous usage, claimed Samsung. Both support Samsung's latest 300nits SuperBright LED backlit LCD display.Samsung's NC10 is a netbook with a 10.2-inch wide SuperBright LCD, enhanced capacity battery and 160GB hard drive, carrying a price of US$499. The Q310 is a highly portable all-purpose notebook with price of US$1,149 and US$1,299, featuring a 13.3-inch wide LCD. The R610, with a price of US$1,049, is a desktop replacement that features a 16-inch wide LCD.Completing Samsung's entry to the notebook market are the enterprise-focused P460 and P560, semi-ruggedized notebooks with a price range of US$1,149 to US$1,399. All of Samsung's notebooks will initially be available throughout the traditional IT reseller channel.Each notebook (with the exception of the NC10 netbook) will feature the latest Intel Centrino 2 processor technology with Intel Core 2 Duo processors and 3GB of system memory. Samsung notebook specifications Model X series P series Q series R series NC10 CPU Intel Core 2 Duo processor with Centrino 2 technology Intel Atom N270 processor Memory 3GB, can support up to 4GB 1GB DDR2 800MHz memory Panel size 13.3-inch (X360) 14.1-inch (X460) LED backlit 14.1-inch (P460) 15.4-inch (P560) 13.3-inch (Q310) 16-inch 16:9 aspect ratio with HD resolution (R610) 10.2-inch GPU Intel GMX4500 (X360) Nvidia GeForce 9200M GS (X460) Intel GMX4500 (P460) Nvidia GeForce 9600M GS (P560) Intel GMX4500 (Q310) Nvidia GeForce 9200M GS (R610) Intel 945 GSE Source: Company, compiled by Digitimes, October 2008Samsung X360 notebookPhoto: Company

Silicon Motion Technology and MegaChips have jointly developed what they claim to be the world's smallest and lowest power consumption ISDB-T mobile TV tuner-demodulator SoC.MegaChips has been offering ISDB-T demodulator solutions since One-Seg digital terrestrial mobile TV service was first launched in Japan in April 2006. Silicon Motion markets its mobile TV products under the "FCI" brand and introduced its first S-DMB silicon tuner in February 2005 and T-DMB silicon tuner in February 2006, around when Korea started offering digital satellite and terrestrial mobile TV broadcasts.Yukihiro Ukai, president and CEO of MegaChips, said, "Japan and Korea are the world's leading markets in terms of mobile TV adoption and technology development. About two-thirds of all new mobile phones sold in Japan can already receive digital terrestrial free-to-air mobile TV signals based on the ISDB-T standard, which is a technology that is popularly known as 'One-Seg' in Japan. Korea is the second largest mobile TV market in the world after Japan, with mobile TV adoption rates approaching the high levels in Japan. Korea and Japan are two markets where mobile TV usage is increasingly ubiquitous, whether on the street, in subways, or automobiles."Key product features include: small size ISDB-T SoC (3.02mm × 3.02mm × 0.35mm WL-CSP), realized by integrating RF tuner and OFDM demodulation parts in one IC; a built-in LNA circuit that improves receiver sensitivity and reduces package size and the number of components; and unique demodulator and tuner circuit technologies that reduce power consumption to as low as 55mW during operation.Sample shipments are scheduled for the first quarter of 2009.

eMachines has introduced the new compact EL1200 desktop series PCs which are 40% smaller and 55% lighter than eMachines' smallest tower PC and start at less than US$300.The EL1200 series features a 64-bit AMD Athlon processor, 1GB or 2GB of memory, and Nvidia GeForce graphics. eMachines EL1200 series desktop PCs specifications Model EL1200-05w EL 1210-01e CPU AMD Athlon 2650e 64-bit processor AMD Athlon 2650e 64-bit processor Memory 1GB DDR2 memory 2GB DDR2 dual-channel memory VGA Nvidia GeForce 6150SE integrated graphics Nvidia GeForce 8200 integrated graphics HDD 160GB SATA (7200-rpm, 8MB cache) 320GB SATA (7200-rpm, 8MB cache) Price US$298 US$349 Source: Company, compiled by Digitimes, October 2008eMachines EL1200 series desktop PCs Photo: Company

Super Talent is targeting the Asustek Eee PC upgrade market with its new line of mini PCI Express SSDs, available in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB capacities. The company indicated that the devices were designed explicitly for the Eee PC, which comes standard with a maximum 20GB of storage.The upgrade cards offer up to 64GB of solid state storage, Super Talent noted, while adding that the devices have been tested extensively with Eee PCs to ensure performance and compatibility. Super Talent: SSD specifications and pricing Product number Description Max read/Write speed Expected street price FPM16GHAE 16GB mini PCIe SSD 40/15 MB/sec US$53 FPM32GHAE 32GB mini PCIe SSD 40/15 MB/sec US$79 FPM64GHAE 64GB mini PCIe SSD 40/15 MB/sec US$149 Source: Company, compiled by Digitimes, October 2008Super Talent targets Eee PC upgrade market with new line of mini PCI-Express SSDsPhoto: Company

Canon, on October 6, unveiled the EOS 50D, its new DSLR camera for launch soon in the Taiwan market at a recommended retail price of NT$37,900 (US$1,181), according to Canon Marketing (Taiwan).The EOS 50D is equipped with a Canon-developed 15.1-megapixel CMOS image sensor and a 3-inch 920,000-pixel LCD screen. The EOS 50D body (with a 18-55mm zoom lens) and a 17-85mm zoom lens will sell at NT$50,900, while a camera body bundled with a 18-200mm zoom lens will be available at NT$54,900, Canon Marketing indicated.Canon DSLR camera EOS 50DPhoto: Company

During the recently concluded CEATEC Japan 2008, Japan-based Murata Manufacturing used a unicycle-riding robot to guide visitors to its booth and highlight the company's products. The robot, named Murata Girl, is a follow-up of the company's bicycle-riding robot, Murata Boy.These robots incorporate several Murata products, including capacitors, sensors and communication modules. The company highlighted that Murata Girl can maintain balance and move around on a unicycle while keeping a certain distance from an object using a ultrasonic sensor. The robot can also transmits moving images via a live camera.The company explained Murata Girl features gyro sensors that detect Murata Girl's tilt angle. Signals from the gyro sensors are then used to help control the unicycle wheel in the forward and backward directions and a fly wheel inside her torso monitors side tilt in order to maintain balance. Ultrasonic sensors detect obstacles judge how far away an obstacle is by measuring the time it takes to transmit ultrasound and receive the reflected signal from the obstacle, while Murata Girl sends and receives commands via a Bluetooth module.Murata is a major player in the global passive component industry. The company was the largest supplier of DC-DC converters modules worldwide in 2007, according to IMS Research report of the worldwide power supply market, holding a market share of 12.5%. Delta Electronics was the second largest suppliers followed by Emerson with the total market for DC-DC converters estimated at US$2.9 billion in 2007.However, the DC-DC converter module market continues to be a tough environment, with high price erosion, new entrants emerging from Asia, and increasing competition from discrete solutions, according to David Dewan, power supply market analyst and report author. Dewan indicated that the standard board-mount DC-DC converter module business is becoming increasingly commoditized and the likely implementation of the IPC 9592 guidelines by tier-1 suppliers will drive standardization and could compound price pressures.Players in the industry are always looking to new markets to drive future growth, with Murata developing its MEMS product lines. The company pointed out that since the robotics market is expected to experience strong growth, expansion in demand for such electronic components is also expected.The company had MEMS sales of US$69 million in 2007, ranking number 22 worldwide among MEMS manufacturers, according to Yole Developpement.Murata GirlPhoto: Company