Motorola has unveiled its first WiMAX USB adaptor, the USBw 100. This thumb-drive-sized device is available in three versions to connect to WiMAX networks in each of the three bands approved for use around the world - 2.3GHz, 2.5GHz and 3.5GHz.The Motorola USBw 100 plugs directly into laptop computers to provide mobile wireless broadband connectivity, both indoors and out. It is expected to be available in the fourth quarter of this year.Motorola's wi4 WiMAX USB adaptor has been designed with multiple antenna technology to provide reliable, high-speed connectivity in the various and unpredictable environments where users expect service, especially indoor home, business and coffee shop environments, as well as on-the-go in a mobile world. The USBw 100 delivers increased range and higher throughput when compared with single-antenna solutions. When used with Motorola's dual antenna Diversity Access Point (DAP) /Wireless Access Point (WAP) 400 Series, both uplink and downlink performance are significantly enhanced.The device plugs into a USB port, seamlessly connecting the laptop computer to a WiMAX broadband network for reliable, easy, high-speed connection for e-mail, web surfing, video and audio streaming, GPS services, Internet phone calls and other uses.On October 8, Sprint is expected to launch its Xohm WiMAX service in Baltimore, making it the first official WiMAX service available in the US.Motorola WiMAX USB adaptor for notebooksPhoto: Company

T-Mobile has announced the international launch of the world's first Android-powered mobile phone in partnership with Google. Available soon only for T-Mobile customers spanning two continents, the T-Mobile G1 combines full touch-screen functionality and a QWERTY keyboard with a mobile Web experience that includes the popular Google products, including Google Maps Street View, Gmail, YouTube and others. In addition to one-touch access to Google search, the T-Mobile G1 is also the first phone to provide access to Android Market, where customers can find and download applications to expand and personalize their phone to fit their lifestyle. Android Market applications include an application designed to help people do comparative shopping, a scheduler and an application that enables people to create a step-by-step visual map using photos. The device will be available at select T-Mobile retail stores and online in the US beginning October 22, for a price of US$179 with a two-year voice and data agreement. The T-Mobile G1 will also be available in the United Kingdom beginning in November, and across Europe in the first quarter of 2009. Countries include Germany, Austria, Czech Republic and the Netherlands. Working together, T-Mobile, Google and HTC integrated Android and T-Mobile services into the phone's form and function, the companies noted. The G1 also has built-in support for T-Mobile's 3G and EDGE network as well as Wi-Fi, the T-Mobile G1 can connect to the best available high-speed data connection for surfing the Web and downloading information quickly and effortlessly. Photo: Company

Seagate Technology on September 19 announced the launch of its new FreeAgent series external hard disk drives, consisting of 2.5-inch FreeAgent GO for mobile use as well as the 3.5-inch FreeAgent Desk and FreeAgent XTreme, according to the company's local PR agent.The FreeAgent GO features a thickness of only 12.5mm, the thinnest among all 2.5-inch external HDDs available in the world currently, according tot he company. Seagate FreeAgent: Recommended retail prices in Taiwan Code name Storage (GB) Price (NT$) Windows version* Mac version* GO 250 3,299 (US$103) 5,999 320 3,999 6,899 500 7,499 N/A Desk 500 3,499 5,399 640 4,199 N/A 1,000 (1TB) 6,999 8,899 1,500 (1.5TB) 7,999 10,999 XTreme 1,000 7,999 N/A 1,500 8,699 Source: Company, compiled by Digitimes, September 2008Seagate FreeAgent GO 2.5-inch external hard disk drivePhoto: Company

Leading DRAM maker Nanya Technology is debuting its retail brand Elixir DDR3 1066 SODIMM to support the Intel Centrino 2 Montevina mobile platform. Elixir DDR3 1066 is now available in 1GB and higher density 2GB to fulfill the notebook enthusiasts' needs for high performance and low power consumption. Taiwan's Institute for Information Industry forecasts global notebook PC shipments to reach 119 million units in 2008, increasing by 23.1% as compared to last year. The notebook shipments are expected to go up to 477 million from 2009 through 2011 with an annual growth rate between 11% and 16.8%. Notebook PCs will become the mainstream in worldwide PC market in a few years. Complying with the JEDEC standard, Elixir DDR3 1066 1GB/2GB SODIMM for notebook PCs utilize WBGA packaging technology and a 8-bit pre-fetch design that supports module bandwidths up to 10.6GB/s. The DIMM is intended for use in applications running at 533MHz/667MHz clock speeds, achieving high-speed data transfer rates of 1066Mbps/1333Mbps. Elixir DDR3 1GB/2GB SODIMM consists of Nanya 70nm DDR3 1Gbit components which have been jointly developed by Nanya and its partner Qimonda AG. Each DDR3 Module powered a 1.5V provides 20% lower power consumption compared to current 1.8V DDR2 module, benefiting the enthusiasts with the highest performance. Nanya Technology Elixir DDR3 1066 SODIMMPhoto: Company

Lanner Electronics has announced the release of two new appliances supporting dual Intel Xeon multi-core processors and the Intel 5100 chipset.The Lanner FW-8870 and FW-8880 network appliance platforms are designed to serve a broad range of network acceleration, security and traffic management applications for enterprise markets, said the company. The FW-8870 is a 1U rackmount appliance with one internal SATA storage bay, while the 8880 is a 2U platform with four removable SATA drive bays.Both platforms are built around the server-grade Intel 5100 MCH chipset, designed for performance and power optimization in embedded systems, and offer up to 12 front-facing Ethernet ports in three customizable network modules which can be configured to provide flexible options for SFP fiber, standard 10/100 RJ45, and bypass-enabled ports.An onboard Cavium Nitrox CN1620 security accelerator processes high-level IPsec and IKE, IPv6, SSL and Wireless LAN security protocol macro commands, which reduce host I/O traffic and dramatically offload system processes to increase total system throughput, highlighted the company.The FW-8870 offers energy efficiency and compact size, while the FW-8880 provides even more customization and high availability options including front-accessible hard drive bays and redundant power supplies. Both platforms are available now.Lanner FW-8880 dual-Xeon network appliance platformPhoto: Company

Sony on September 16 unveiled two new Walkman series MP3 player models, NWZ-E430F and NWZ-S730F, for launch in the Taiwan market on September 26 and October 3 respectively, according to Sony Taiwan. Sony Walkman MP3 player recommended retail prices NWZ-E430F NWZ-S730F Storage capacity Price (NT$) Storage capacity Price (NT$) 2GB 2,990 (US$94) 4GB 5,690 4GB 3,990 8GB 7,290 8GB 5,490 16GB 10,990 Source: Sony Taiwan, compiled by Digitimes, September 2008Sony Walkman NWZ-S730FPhoto: Sony Taiwan

Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Digital Content Creation (DCC) professionals who require maximum performance from their workstations can turn to AMD's new ATI FirePro V8700 graphics accelerator. Additionally, the new ATI FirePro V3750 delivers superior performance in an entry class professional graphics accelerator. Delivering on the AMD commitment to the professional graphics market, according to the company.By utilizing GDDR5 memory technology, engineers and designers can focus on project work without concerns for memory limitations that traditionally impact applications. This ultra high-end workstation solution with 1GB frame buffer memory also features 800 shader units. The ATI FirePro V8700 graphics accelerator features two DisplayPort connectors and a dual-Link DVI-I display output.ATI FirePro V3750 is the industry's first 3D workstation graphics accelerator in the entry space showing an average of 30% performance improvement over the previous generation accelerating certain CAD applications by as much as 40%. This entry-level graphics product features 256MB of frame buffer memory with 320 shader processing units, dual-link DVI and two DisplayPort connections, together generating a multi-monitor desktop of over 5000 pixels wide from a single accelerator.The new ATI FirePro V8700 graphics accelerator is expected to begin shipping in the fourth quarter of 2008 with a price of US$1499, and the ATI FirePro V3750 graphics accelerator is expected to begin shipping in the fourth quarter of 2008 with a price of US$199.

Qualcomm MEMS Technologies, a wholly owned subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, and Freestyle Audio, revealed the design specifications for a limited edition waterproof MP3 player featuring a color mirasol display.The Freestyle Audio Soundwave with mirasol display, the FA300 will include a 0.9-inch color mirasol display, giving consumers a portable, waterproof music option for active, outdoor use. In addition to the inclusion of the mirasol display, the FA300 will have added Bluetooth capabilities.Additionally, the product will include a functional display button bearing Qualcomm MEMS Technologies' notable butterfly logo, reminding consumers of the nature-based genesis of the mirasol display. The phenomenon that makes a butterfly's wings shimmer is the same process used in Qualcomm's mirasol displays to create color. The screen relies upon thin films that reflect back color from incident white light to create crisp, bright images.Jim Cathey, vice president of business development for Qualcomm MEMS Technologies said that this is a very important milestone for us as we begin to move color mirasol displays into the market for the first time.Qualcomm's mirasol displays constitute a technology breakthrough that promises substantial performance benefits over competing display technologies. Based on a reflective technology called interferometric modulation (IMOD), mirasol displays harness ambient light and require no backlighting, thereby consuming significantly less power.The display works by reflecting light so that specific wavelengths interfere with each other to create color.Freestyle Audio waterproof MP3 player - FA300Photo by Qualcomm MEMS Technologies

Toshiba Digital Media Network, a subsidiary of Toshiba, on September 10 debuted two internal 1.8-inch hard disk drives, a 1-platter 120GB MKxx31GAL and 2-platter 240GB MK2431GAH, for order by vendors or channel distributors in the Taiwan market, according to Toshiba Digital Media Network Taiwan.Both models have a rotational speed of 4,200-rpm and external dimensions of 54 (W) × 71 (D) × 8 (H)mm. The 120GB model weighs 48g and the 240GB model 58g.The two models are intended for use in portable media devices, camcorders and ultra mobile PCs.Toshiba 1.8-inch hard disk drivePhoto: Company

AMD has announced the ATI Radeon HD 4600 series mainstream graphics offerings that deliver exceptional gaming and HD multimedia performance while consuming less power than a standard light bulb, according to the company.Comprising the ATI Radeon HD 4670 and the ATI Radeon HD 4650 graphics cards, the ATI Radeon HD 4600 series leverages the technology found in the ATI Radeon HD 4800 series, including support for DirectX 10.1, HD multimedia capabilities and excellent performance-per-watt, all delivered at affordable prices for the mainstream graphics segment.The ATI Radeon HD 4670 and ATI Radeon HD 4650 graphics cards feature AMD's TeraScale graphics engine, with 320 stream processing cores, and are based on AMD's second generation 55nm process.Both the ATI Radeon HD 4670 and ATI Radeon HD 4650 deliver substantial gaming horsepower with minimal power draw – the ATI Radeon HD 4670 operating at under 60W and the ATI Radeon HD 4650 operating under 50W under full load – eliminating the need for additional power connectors and making installation a cinch, the company highlighted.The ATI Radeon HD 4670 is immediately available with a frame buffer of 512MB GDDR3 memory and priced at US$79, while a 1GB DDR3-based variant is scheduled to ship later this month. The ATI Radeon HD 4650 features a frame buffer of 512MB GDDR2 memory and is expected to be available later in the month at a price from US$69.GeCube GC-AHD4670XTG3-E3 graphics card features the ATI Radeon HD 4670 GPUPhoto: Company