Leadtek Research announced the launch of the latest graphics cards in the mainstream series - the WinFast PX9400 GT. The new graphics cards are designed with Leadtek's exclusive performance-driven layout that can increase your PC stability and performance while operating overclocking process, while Albatron introduced the 9400GT-512, boasting an excellent graphical execution in the value-segment class.Based on Nvidia GeForce 9400 GT GPU, the WinFast PX9400 GT is combined with PCI Express 2.0 and comes with 512MB 128bit GDDR2 memory design. The GPU clock can run at a speed of 575MHz to bring users visual performance, while the WinFast PX9400 GT graphics cards are also equipped with Leadtek's innovative cooling systems; Leadtek exclusive graphics fansink system can provides the excellent cooling capability with lower noise level compared to Nvidia reference fansink design. Leadtek noiseless heatpipe is designed with high-capacity cooper to maximum GPU heat absorption.Nvidia has announced that that its GeForce 9400 GT is being sold in retail priced as low as US$59. In addition, the GeForce 9400 GT further extends CUDA general-purpose parallel computing to mainstream PC computing markets.Graphics cards featuring the new GeForce 9400 GT GPU are also available from manufacturers such as Asustek Computer, SUS, BFG, Colorful, Emtek, EVGA, Gainward, Galaxy, Gigabyte Technology, Micro-Star International (MSI), Innovision, Palit, PC Partner/Zotac, PNY, Point of View, Unika, Unitek, and XFX.Leadtek WinFast PX9400 GT graphics cardPhoto: CompanyAlbatron 9400GT-512 graphics cardPhoto: Company

SanDisk set a new speed record of 30MB per second for SecureDigital (SD) flash memory cards with the introduction of the SanDisk Extreme III 30MB/s Edition line of SD high capacity (SDHC) cards. The new cards, expected to be available worldwide in September in 4GB, 8GB and 16GB capacities, are designed to deliver peak performance when used with the new digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera, Nikon D90.Featuring a 50% speed boost from previous 20MB/s cards, the new SanDisk Extreme III 30MB/s Edition SDHC card makes it possible to record 39 images in continuous shooting mode at 4.5 frames per second with a file size of 6.0MB JPEG L Fine per image. SanDisk added that the Nikon D90 camera captures high-resolution, 12.3 megapixel still images, and it is Nikon's first DSLR to offer movie recording capability.SanDisk Extreme III SDHC 30MB/s Edition cards, which have a Class 6 performance rating, are fully backyards-compatible; working in any camera, card reader or other device that supports SDHC cards. All SanDisk Extreme III cards are capable of functioning in extreme temperatures. The cards also carry a lifetime limited warranty.According to research firm IDC, demand for DSLR cameras is growing as users replace older models with more sophisticated options. Global sales of DSLR cameras grew by 41% last year, which was nearly twice the growth rate of the overall digital camera market worldwide.The manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) is US$64.99 for the 4GB card, US$109.99 for the 8GB card, and US$179.99 for the 16GB card.New SanDisk SDHC card delivers a 50% leap in speedPhoto: Company

Asustek Computer has launched the B50A notebook for the business computing market and two notebooks, the G50V and G71V, for the gaming market.Based on the Intel Centrino 2 platform and with Asustek's exclusive Power4 Gear eXtreme power management, the B50A offers an extended battery life exceeding five hours, according to Asustek. The B50A also features a spill-resistant keyboard and a built-in LED keyboard light that allows computing in dimmed meeting rooms, highlighted the company.The B50A is equipped with an integrated fingerprint scanner that offers greater security by reading fingerprints from the underlying live layer of skin tissue and also features a TPM for secure login and encryption, Asustek noted.Designed for gamers from the inside out, the G Series includes two new models, the G71 (17-inch widescreen) and G50 (15.4-inch widescreen and 15.6-inch widescreen) that feature the Nvidia GeForce 9700M GT GPU.The G series notebooks feature double SATA hard disk drives, with the G71 offering up to one terabyte in capacity, plus CPU LevelUp technology to offer a range of performance modes to suit different scenarios, Asustek pointed out. Asustek G50V, G71V, B50A specifications Model G50V G71V B50A CPU Intel Core 2 Duo T9600/T9400/P8600/P8400/P7350 Intel Quad Core QX9300 Intel Core 2 Duo Extreme X9100 Intel Core 2 Duo T9600/T9400/P8600/P8400/P7350 Intel Core 2 Duo T9400/P8600/P8400/P7350/T5850/T5750 Chipset Mobile Intel PM45 Express chipset + ICH9M-E Mobile Intel PM45 Express chipset + ICH9M-E Mobile Intel GM45 Express Chipset Memory DDR2 800MHz SDRAM, up to 4GB DDR2 800MHz SDRAM, up to 4GB DDR2 800MHz, up to 4GB VGA Nvidia GeForce 9700M GT with 512MB GDDR3 VRAM Nvidia GeForce 9700M GT with 512MB GDDR3 VRAM Intel GMA X4500HD Display 15.4-inch WXGA+/WSXGA+ Color-Shine or 15.6-inch WXGA Color-Shine 17-inch WXGA+ Color-Shine or 17-inch WUXGA, High Brightness, Color-Shine 15.4-inch WXGA/WXGA+ Color Shine, Asustek Splendid Video Intelligence Technology Source: Company, compiled by Digitimes, August 2008Asustek G50V notebookPhoto: CompanyAsustek G71V notebookPhoto: CompanyAsustek B50A notebookPhoto: Company

Albatron Technology is gearing up to roll out its first mini tablet PC – Tee PC – which features a 400MHz ARM926 CPU, 128MB of NAND flash memory for storage and 128MB DDR system memory. The PC also features an SD Card expansion slot for extra storage capacity.The PC comes with a docking station, power adapter and stylus. The system uses Microsoft's Windows CE 6.0 operating system and ships with software including WordPad, Media Player and Internet Explorer.The Tee PC features built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth plus a swivel camera which can be used for video calling. Albatron Tee PC mini tablet PC specifications Item Detail CPU 400MHz ARM926 processor Display 7-inch widescreen 800×480 resolution Memory SO-DIMM DDR 128MB Storage 128MB NAND flash Dimensions 18.8×11.3×1.29 cm Weight 343g OS Windows CE6.0 Additional features Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 0.3/1.3-megapixel swivel camera Source: Company, compiled by Digitimes, August 2008Albatron Tee PC mini tablet PCPhoto: Company

Western Digital (WD) on August 22 unveiled two new models of its VelociRaptor hard drive series, the WD3000HLFS (with a storage capacity of 300GB) and the WD1500HLFS (150GB), for immediate launch in the Taiwan market at recommended retail prices of NT$9,999 (US$319) and NT$6,999 respectively, according to WD Taiwan.The two hard drives feature a SATA 3Gb/s interface, 16MB cache, 10,000-rpm spindle speed as well as the WD-developed heat-dispersing technology IcePack that encloses a 2.5-inch drive chassis in a backplane-ready 3.5-inch enterprise-class mounting frame with built-in heat sink, WD Taiwan indicated.Western Digital's new VelociRaptor hard drivePhoto: Company

Micro-Star International (MSI) recently showcased a self-developed robot, the TGR-W1, at the Taipei International Robot Show. The company said it is also planning to launch an entertainment-based robot at a later time.MSI said the basic cost of constructing the TGR-W1 starts at around NT$1 million (US$32,000) and the company is planning to start offering a customization service, meaning final pricing will depend on the size and type of individual orders. The robot was mainly designed for the service industries, to greet guests and act as a tour guide.MSI is also planning to launch a home entertainment and security robot, the 101-C, between the end of 2008 and beginning of 2009.The 101-C will initially be sold through IT channels and MSI is considering offering it on an ODM or white-box basis. Since the 101-C targets the consumer market, its price will be set between US$599-699.MSI's TGR-W1 robot is designed to greet guests and act as a tour guidePhoto: Ninelu Tu, Digitimes, August 2008MSI's 101-C robot is designed for home entertainment and interactivityPhoto: Ninelu Tu, Digitimes, August 2008

Japan-based Buffalo, on August 20, debuted the HD-CEU2, its series of 3.5-inch external hard disk drives, which will launch in the Taiwan market in late August 2008, according to its Taiwan subsidiary Buffalo Technology (Taiwan).HD-CEU2 features power saving through the automatic detection of a connected PCs power-supply status, support for Buffalo-developed TurboUSB technology and a high data transfer rate of 38MB/second, and will be available in five storage capacities of 320GB, 500GB, 640GB, 750GB and 1TB, Buffalo Technology indicated.

Forworld Electronics, a Taiwan-based maker of optical disc players, is selling a self-produced Blu-ray Disc (BD) player under its own brand Pony in the Taiwan market at NT$9,990 (US$319), much lower than prices for BD players offered by Sony, Panasonic, Pioneer and Samsung, according to the Chinese-language newspaper Economic Daily News (EDN).Forworld uses Sony-produced loaders and SigmaTel-made chipsets for the player, EDN pointed out. In order to further reduce production costs, other Taiwan-based makers plan to use loaders for BD-ROM drives produced by Lite-On IT and chipsets produced by MediaTek to produce white-box BD players, EDN indicated.

At the ongoing Intel Developer Forum (IDF) (August 19-21) in San Francisco, Hynix Semiconductor announced that it is using MetaRAM's new DDR3 technology in its next generation R-DIMMs, including the world's first 16GB 2-rank DIMM (HMT32GR7AER4C-GD. The new 16GB and 8GB (HMT31GR7AER4C-GC) 2-rank DIMMs can triple DDR3 memory capacity in servers and workstations, enabling the world's highest memory capacity per channel without degrading performance, the company noted.Intel will demonstrate the world's first 16GB 2-rank DIMM from Hynix, using the MetaRAM DDR3 chipset at IDF. Intel will also demonstrate a server with 160GB using Hynix DDR3 R-DIMMs and Meta SDRAM technology, Hynix said.DDR3 MetaRAM is similar to the previous generations of DDR2 technology that enable significantly more memory in a server. An added benefit of the DDR3 MetaRAM technology is that enables larger memory capacity without negatively impacting the operating frequency of the DDR3 memory channel. It is the only technology that has been demonstrated to run 24GB of DDR3 SDRAM in a channel at 1066 million transactions per-second (MT/s). Using 3 of 16GB DIMM, users can achieve 48GB per channel running at 1066 MT/s, while other competing solutions max out at 16GB per channel at 1066MT/s.Along with its earlier DDR2 technology, the DDR3 MetaRAM technology enables Hynix to introduce cost-effective, high capacity R-DIMMs by using mainstream 1Gb DRAMs.Hynix 16GB DDR3 R DIMM using MetaRAM technologyPhoto: Business Wire

Arbor has launched the Gladius G0710 full-featured tablet PC which has passed IP-54 certification and met the Military Standard 810F tests for vibration, crash shock and transit drop, according to the company. The PC features an Intel Atom CPU.The G0710 comes with a 7-inch sunlight-readable LCD touch screen supporting a resolution of 1024×600. The G0710 is equipped with 2-megapixel CCD camera, microphone, Bluetooth module and Gb LAN. In addition, the G0710 provides one serial port and two USB 2.0 ports for expansion, eight function keys for operation, one 1.8-inch hard disk drive and 1-4G USB DOM for storage.Arbor Gladius G0710 tablet PCPhoto: Company