Hewlett-Packard (HP) at an October 17 press conference unveiled three new Photosmart series MFPs (multi-function peripherals) in line with its Print 2.0 concept. The C7280, C6280 and C4385 will launch in the Taiwan market at recommended retail prices of NT$10,599 (US$325), NT$7,499 and NT$4,499 respectively, according to HP Taiwan.To promote sales, HP will cooperate with Yahoo! Kimo (Yahoo! Taiwan) to allow users of Yahoo! Kimo Life + Map, Yahoo! Kimo's platform to provide map-based information search services, to exclusively use these MFPs on a trial basis without charge, according to the companies.The three MFPs are equipped with built-in SWP (smart web printing) software to enable users to integrate pieces information displayed on separate web pages, such as maps, photos, and text, on a single page for economic printing, HP Taiwan pointed out.In addition to SWP, the three models are equipped with IEEE 802.11g Wi-Fi for wireless connection with notebooks or hand-held devices.HP Photosmart C7280, a new MFP supporting HP's Print 2.0 conceptPhoto: Company

Micro-Star International (MSI) announced recently the worldwide availability of its overclocking-enabled GX600 notebook PC which the company unveiled in July this year.Instead of going through BIOS formation or application software, the CPU of the GX600 can be overclocking by simply pressing a turbo button on the keyboard, utilizing MSI self-developed TDE (turbo drive engine) technology, sources from the company noted.After overclocking, the pre-set speed of 800MHz FSB of the Santa Rosa-based GX600 can be boosted up to 920-960MHz, while the frequency of its CPU and memory can also be increased simultaneously, the sources detailed.The GX600, designed for enthusiast gamers, features a Nvidia GeForce 8600M GT graphics chip and supports DirectX 10 and shader Model 4.0, the sources added.MSI's gaming GX600 notebook PCPhoto: Andrea Liu, Digitimes, October 2007

Asustek Computer recently released its new Vento TA-D5 series chassisThe TA-D5 places the front I/O ports on the upper part of the front bezel for easy access for external device connections, while having a dust filter contained within the CPU air-duct keeps the interior of the casing clean. Other features of the TA-D5 including folded metal edges that protect fingers from scrapes and cuts, a spring-operated optical drive door that allows quick access to optical devices and additional space between each USB port to avoid mutual interference when multiple USB devices are connected, noted the company.The TA-D5 provides supports for both a 12cm front intake fan and a rear exhaust fan plus side venting holes provides cooler air from outside the chassis to lower CPU and video card temperatures, the company added. Asustek Vento TA-D5 chassis specification Item Detail Dimension w/Bezel (W×H×D) 190×433×474 mm MB form factor ATX; mATX Drive bays Three external 5.25-inch One external 3.25-inch Six internal 3.25-inch System fans Rear: 120mm x 1 Front: 120/92/80mm x 1 Side venting holes with air-duct Expansion slots 7 Front I/O options Two USB and two audio Color (Front/Band/Side) Gold/Black/Black and White/Black/Black Source: Company, compiled by Digitimes, October 2007Asustek Vento TA-D5 chassisPhoto: Company

Axiomtek has released a mini-ITX form factor motherboard, the SBC86841, supporting Intel Core 2 Duo and Core Solo processors with 533/667/800/1066MHz FSB. It adopts Intel Q965 and ICH8 Express chipsets to process multiple applications simultaneously, according to the company. The motherboard is suitable for gaming, POS (point of sale), DVR (digital video recorder), ITS, interactive clients, industrial control, industrial automation, digital security surveillance, and medical imaging applications.The SBC86841 is equipped with single-/dual-channel 24-bit LVDS and DVI-I interfaces, which integrate DVI-D and CRT for large size LCD panel displays. It also has the Intel GMA 3000 IGP supporting graphics memory up to 256MB.DualView technology features support of CRT plus LVDS, CRT plus DVI, and DVI plus LVDS outputs, while users have the ability to select different content and resolutions for each.In addition, the motherboard comes with multiple interfaces including two IEEE 1394a ports, eight USB 2.0 ports, eight Digital I/O (3 channel-in and 5 channel-out), four COM ports, optional TPM 1.2 and optional CompactFlash Type II socket for SSD storage devices.Axiomtek SBC86841 motherboardPhoto: Company

Israel-based MDTV (mobile digital TV) chip designer Siano Mobile Silicon showcased several products based on its MDTV chips and the company also revealed its future strategy at the recent IDF (Intel developer forum) Taiwan 2007.With Intel starting to push into the MID (mobile Internet device) market with its Menlow platform, Siano indicated it will be a solution provider in Intel's ultra-mobile segment. Siano provides solutions with the lowest power consumption among all other solution providers, according to Dror Meiri, director of Siano business development, marketing and sales.With each region in the world adopting different formats for their respective MDTV markets, Siano has integrated multiple formats into a single-chip solution to enable the production of devices capable of being used worldwide. Siano's SMS1010 receiver was chosen for Intel's Menlow platform since it is the industry's only low-cost, ultra-low power, quad-bank, multi-standard receiver chip in mass production, according to the company. Dr David Chang, director of Siano's business development in Taiwan pointed out that power consumption has always been a problem for ultra-mobile devices. However, Gigabyte Communication's T600 handset, which adopts a chip from Siano, is capable of running three hours while watching TV programs. Chang added that products based on Intel's next-generation Moorestown platform will be able to last ten hours.In addition to low-power consumption, Siano has also developed a ceramic antenna which has the shape and size of a chip (10×15×1mm) but the performance of a standard antenna. Thus it eliminates the need for an external antenna while minimizing the size of the product, noted Chang.The company currently has many different partners worldwide including Intel and Marvell. ODM partners include Taiwan-based Gigabyte and China-based ZTE whose handsets are used by Italy-based Telecom Italia Mobile and Germany-based Terratec. The company also welcomes cooperation with more other ODMs, Chang added.According to Meiri, MDTV is a fast growing market. He predicts that MIDs and notebooks with built-in MDTV capabilities will account for 50% of total shipments in two years, while for handsets they will account for 15% by 2010.In addition to built-in chips for MIDs and handsets, the company also develops MDTV products for external interfaces such as USB an SDIO.Dr David Chang and Dror Meiri, SianoPhoto: Joseph Tsai, Digitimes, October 2007Siano SMS1010 receiver chipPhoto: CompanySiano's ceramic antenna SMS8021Photo: Company

Toshiba Matsushita Display Technology (TMD) has developed a new circular design LCD intended for installation in instrument panels for automotive applications, the company has announced.The newly developed product features a 75mm outer diameter circular form, including the driving circuit, and is based on TMD's proprietary low temperature polysilicon (LTPS) technology. The compact design is beneficial in the tightly confined space typically found in a motor vehicle instrument panel, TMD pointed out.Historically, TFT LCDs have been designed in a rectangular format, due to the electronic connections and configuration needed to externally control the pixels at the intersections of electrodes arranged in horizontal and vertical directions. In the newly developed display, the peripheral driving circuit is integrated on to the glass, using TMD's proprietary LTPS technology, which enables a drastic reduction in the number of external points required for electrical connection. The result is a display module that is round for approximately three-quarters of its circumference.By achieving an effective viewing display area of 62mm and a thickness of 11mm or less, including the backlight and LCD driving circuit, this prototype may fit well within the typical speedometer or tachometer gauge found in automotive applications, said TMD.The newly developed display will be exhibited in TMD's booth # 561 at the FPD International 2007 in Yokohama Japan, from October 24 to 26, 2007. Major specifications of TMD newly developed display Item Details Screen size 62mm circular design Number of pixels 240 (H)×RGB×240 (V) [at the center vertical and horizontal lines] Pixel pitch 0.258mm (W)×0.258mm (H) Pixel array RGB horizontal stripe array Frontal luminance 500 cd/m2 Viewing angle direction Viewing angle at 12 o'clock (at the highest contrast) Contrast 600:1 Number of colors 260,000 colors Outline dimensions (Max.) Circular section: 75mm. Thickness: 11mm or less Source: Company, compiled by Digitimes, October 2007TMD new circular LTPS panel Photo: Company

Chi Mei Group recently announced the launch of its 52-inch full HD LCD TV in Taiwan. Chi Mei Group says that it is the first Taiwan-based company to launch a 52-inch LCD TV in Taiwan and expects its sales proportion of the segment to exceed that of 46- and 47-inch LCD TVs in 2008. Chi Mei aims to gain more than a 30% market share of the 46- and 52-inch TV segment, according to Ben Cheng, a vice president at Nexgen Mediatech, which operates own-brand businesses under Chi Mei Group. Key specifications of Chimei-brand 52-inch LCD TV Item Details Brightness (nits) 500 Contrast ratio 1,500:1 Dynamic contrast ratio 6,000:1 Response time 6.5ms Resolution 1,920×1,080 Price NT$104,900 Source: Company, complied by Digitimes, October 2007 Chimei-brand 52-inch LCD TVPhoto: Company

Panasonic will release a 103-inch plasma display panel (PDP) TV in Taiwan by the end of October, according to the Chinese-language Economic Daily News (EDN). Shipments of the TV are projected to reach over 50 units within six months after launch. The 103-inch PDP TVs have a recommended retail price of approximately NT$2 million(US$61,252), the paper cited Panasonic Taiwan as saying.

Asustek Computer's low-cost Eee PC notebook has gone on sale in Taiwan with pricing at online retailers at around NT$11,655 (US$358). This is much higher than the price of US$199 Asustek originally promoted for the portable PC, but this was to be as expected as Asustek recently admitted that the lower price would only be available for bulk purchases of a model with lower specifications, and which is intended for emerging markets. The model now on sale in Taiwan features a 7-inch LCD display, 4GB solid state storage, 512MB DDR2 RAM and runs on an Intel mobile processor. Weight is given as 920g. The devices also features three USB 2.0 ports, Wi-Fi b/g connectivity, a VGA output, two audio jacks, Secure Digital (SD) card reader (which according to earlier reports also supports SDHC cards), webcam, speakers, and LAN and modem ports. Battery life is listed as 3.5 hours. As previously reported the Eee PC comes loaded with a customized Linux-based operating system and a suite of software applications. These include the Firefox web browser, email and instant messaging clients, Skype, and OpenOffice 2.0. In line with Asustek's aim of promoting the Eee PC for educational use, a collection of children's learning software which covers subjects including science, math and languages is also included. Additionally, the Eee PC supports multimedia functions and includes a selection of games. Whether or not users will be able to add additional software through repositories maintained by Asustek is unclear at this stage. Asustek has set up a service network in Taiwan including toll-free call center, service center, and a drop off/collection service with a local chain of convenience stores. Interestingly, it is explicitly made clear that the service center will not support issues related to the installation of Windows XP on the Eee PC although Aststeck notes that the hardware does support the operating system. According information on the Asustek website a total of four models can be expected to be available. Asustek Eee PC specifications Eee PC 8G Eee PC 4G Eee PC 4G Surf Eee PC 2G Surf Display 7-inch CPU Intel OS Linux (hardware Windows XP compatible) LAN Yes Wireless LAN Yes Memory (DDR2) 1GB 512MB 512MB 256MB Storage 8GB 4GB 4GB 2GB Webcam Yes Yes Battery 4-cell 5200mAh: 3.5 hours 4-cell 4400mAh: 2.8 hours Source: Company, compiled by Digitimes, October 2007The Eee PCPhoto: Company

Optoma recently introduced in Taiwan five front DLP (digital light processing) projectors that support full high-definition (HD) resolutions from 800×600 to 1,024×768.The five projectors range in price from NT$24,900-39,900 (US$762-1,221), said Optoma, noting that their brightness ranges from 2,200 to 3,100 lumens and have contrast ratios ranging from 2,000:1 to 2,500:1. All have been available in the market since the end of September, according to the company. Key specifications of Optoma's new projectors Item Details Model EP721 EP727 EP752 OP1310 EP7155 Weight (kg) 2 2 2.9 2.9 1.45 Brightness (lumens) 2,200 2,200 2,800 3,100 2,500 Contrast ratio 2,000:1 2,200:1 2,200:1 2,200:1 2,500:1 Resolution 800×600 1,024×768 1,024×768 1,024×768 1,024×768 Price (NT$) 24,900 33,900 49,900 59,900 39,900 Source: Company, compiled by Digitimes, October 2007Optoma EP721 front projectorPhoto: CompanyOptoma EP727 front projector Photo: Company Optoma EP752 front projector Photo: Company Optoma EP7155 front projectorPhoto: CompanyOptoma OP1310 front projector Photo: Company