Motorola on January 24 launched its Linux-based Rokr E6 handset in Taiwan, with company sources indicating that the smartphone will be marketed globally.Just like the Linux-based Ming A1200, which Motorola launched in early 2006, the Rokr E6 was completely developed by the company's R&D center in Beijing, the sources noted. With a thickness of only 14.5 mm, the candy-bar form factor Rokr E6 has built-in QR (quick response) Code software, hand-writing recognition and GPS functionality as well as Bluetooth connectivity, the sources said.With Motorola's introduction of another Linux-based Rizr Z6 handset at the 2007 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas last month, the company apparently is putting its resources into Linux-based models, pointed out sources in Taiwan's handset industry.Market sources noted that Motorola also started marketing its Ming handsets in the US and Europe.The Motorola Rokr E6 Linux-based handsetPhoto: Company

LG Electronics (LGE) recently introduced three 'Time Machine' flat-panel TVs in Taiwan, including two PDP TVs and one LCD TV that feature built-in digital video recording (DVR) applications, according to the company. With a 80GB hard disk drive (HDD), the flat-panel TVs can store 30 hours of standard-definition programs. The TVs also enable the viewer to pause live broadcasting for a while and then resume watching the program some time later, said the company. The 42-inch PDP TV (42PB2RR) will hit market by the end of this month with a price tag of NT$79,900 (US$2,435), said LG Electronics Taiwan Taipei (LGETT). The company will offer prices for its 50-inch PDP TV (50PB2RR) and 42-inch LCD TV (42LC2RR) by February, depending on the market situation, said the LGETT. In related news, LGE will offer 71-inch PDP TVs in Taiwan in the second quarter of 2007. The 71PY1M has a resolution of 1,920x1,080, a contrast ratio of 2,000:1 and a brightness of 300 nits, said LGETT, adding the pricing for the model has not been determined yet. LGE Time Machine TVs: Specifications Model 42PB2RR 50PB2RR 42LC2RR Technology PDP PDP LCD Size 42 50 42 Resolution 1,024x768 1,366x768 1,366x768 Brightness (cd/m2) 1,500 1,200 500 Contrast ratio 10,000:1 10,000:1 1,600:1 Response time (ms) - - 8 Viewing angle - - 178/178 80GB HDD Y Y Y Instant recording Y Y Y Time shift Y Y Y Watching & recording Y Y Y Pause & rewind Y Y Y Prices (NT$) 79,900 - - Source: Company, compiled by DigiTimes, January 2007. LGE 50-inch PDP Time Machine TV Photo: Company LGE 42-inch LCD Time Machine TVPhoto: Company LGE 71-inch PPD TV Photo: Company

Dopod International, a brand-product unit of High Tech Computer (HTC), will begin to market HTC's first ultra-mobile PC (UMPC)-like device as the Dopod U1000, in the Taiwan market starting next week, according to Dopod president Jack Tong. The launch comes much earlier than originally scheduled, said market sources, who had expected HTC to launch such a device by the end of the first quarter at the earliest. The U1000, which is powered by a Marvel Xscale 624 MHz processor and 3.5G chipsets from Qualcomm, will run on Microsoft Windows Mobile Pocket PC OS (operating system) and feature a 5-inch touch screen and a 3-megapixel camera and an 8GB hard disk drive, according to sources at Dopod. Dopod is currently in talks with Taiwan-based telecom service providers to jointly promote the 3.5G-enabled UMPC-like device in Taiwan, said Tong, who noted that Dopod will also launch the U1000 in other markets in Asia.HTC itself may launch the UMPC-like device under its own hTc-brand in Europe, while co-marketing the product in the US in cooperation with Cingular, according to market sources. HTC's first UMPC-like unit (codenamed Athena)Photo: Company

GeCube has launched two series of ATI Radeon graphics cards which are certified for Microsoft's soon to be released Windows Vista operating system (OS). The new Radeon 1550 series offers four parallel pixel pipelines and comes in versions offering from 128MB to 512MB DDR2 memory, while the lower-end Radeon 1050s feature separate rendering and geometry engines and come in just 128MB DDR and 256MB DDR2 versions.Both series are available in PCI Express (PCIe) and AGP versions with the PCIe variants offering more features, including Hypermemory, and, in the case of the 1550 series, support for ATI's multi-GPU technology, Crossfire.GeCube ATI Radeon 1550 series graphics cards certified for Windows VistaPhoto: Company

Aten Technology has announced the availability of its first rackmount LCD KVM switches with built-in IP access. These new products are available in 8- and 16-port models with a 17" display and are part of the Altusen line of enterprise-class KVM solutions from Aten.The KL9108/KL9116 units are aimed at medium to large server rooms and data centers at business facilities, educational environments and government facilities and provide simultaneous access for one local and one remote user via IP to control up to 16 servers and support 32 concurrent users. Through cascading, users can access up to 128 servers. Available now, the new switches are priced at US$3195.95 and US$3495.95, respectively.

With MSI's (Micro-Star International's) announcement of its Crystal M677 notebook, the company is following a trend set by other top notebook makers that have marketed notebooks aimed at consumers willing to pay a little bit extra for something that, at least in looks, stands out from the mass-produced models seen in coffee shops and boardrooms around the world.With Asustek's S6F Leather Collection featuring a hand-embossed leather covered shell and palm-rest, and the Lamborghini and Ferrari series from Asustek and Acer, respectively, sporting co-branding from prestigious car makers, it's not that surprising that the MSI Crystal M677 incorporates crystals (120 according to the company) in order to capture the attention of fashion-conscious buyers.The 120 crystals are set in a ring that circles the MSI logo on the notebook's lid. The lid is painted in what MSI describes as "shiny black UV light solid paint" which protects the notebook while accentuating the crystal ring. The Crystal M677 features an AMD Turion 64 X2 series CPU and supports up to 2GB DDR2 RAM. The 15.4-inch widescreen display is driven by an Nvidia GeForce Go 7600 graphics processor which, MSI says, is designed to support Microsoft's Windows Vista operating system. The MSI Crystal M677 incorporates 120 crystals in order to capture the attention of fashion conscious buyersPhoto: Company

Asus has posted a press release containing details of AMD's upcoming graphics processor (GPU) aimed at notebooks, the ATI Mobility Radeon X2300. An official announcement of this part has not yet been made by AMD and there is currently no information on AMD's website, suggesting that Asus may have posted the release prematurely.In the release, Asus claims that the X2300 is Windows Vista certified and supports the new Aero user interface, one of the main highlights of the operating system (OS). Asus states that the X2300 utilizes ATI's Hypermemory technology to reduce power consumption in notebooks, and that products based on the GPU deliver performance with current and future 3D-intensive applications and games.The X2300 will be featured in Asus' upcoming A8Jr notebook series, the release noted, and claims that these products support high-definition capabilities.

The Asus J501 slim slide phone, which can double as a Skype phone, has hit the market shelves in Taiwan, according to Asustek Computer.The J501 has a thickness of 1.66cm and features a 2.2-inch display, a 2-megapixel fixed-focus camera, multimedia functions, and a MicroSD slot. It sells for NT$9,900 (US$302). Asus J501 Item Details System GSM900/1800/1900; GPRS class 12 Dimension and weight 103×48×16.6mm, 100g Color Black Display 2.2-inch TFT LCD, 260k colors, 240×320 resolution WAP WAP 2.0 Camera 2-megapixel fixed-focus Audio-visual applications MP3, AAC, WAV, MPEG4, H.263 Memory Built-in 5MB, MicroSD slot (max. 2GB) Connectivity Bluetooth V1.2; USB V1.1 Source: Company, compiled by DigiTimes.com, January 2007Asus J501Photo: Company

Corsair has pumped up the capacity of its Flash Readout series of USB drives adding 4GB and 8GB versions to the line up. At these capacities things start to get interesting as not only do you have the space to carry all you personal documents, images and files, but you can even take along the applications to work with them too, providing of course there is a portable version available.Most Flash drives are pretty much the same, but Corsair has managed to make the Readout line stand out by including a Bi-stable Cholesteric Display (BCD) on the side which lets users add their own label to the drive (up to 11 characters), and includes a graphical representation of the remaining capacity. The BCD can maintain its image for up to a year without a battery, says Corsair.The new high capacity Flash Readouts are available now and are priced at US$89.99 and US$169.99, says the company.Corsair Flash Readout now available with 4GB and 8GB capacities (2GB version shown)Photo: Company

ViewSonic has quietly added a 17-inch widescreen LCD monitor to its widescreen monitor portfolio. With a manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) of US$205, the model (VA1703wb) has a resolution of 1,440×900, a contrast ratio of 500:1, a brightness of 250cd/m2 and a response time of 8ms, according to the company's website. During CES 2007, which ran from January 8-11 in Las Vegas, ViewSonic exhibited two new large-size widescreen LCD monitors, including one 24-inch VX2435wm and the 28-inch (27.5 viewable) VX2835wm. Priced at US$699 and US$879 respectively, the 24-inch widescreen monitor will be available in February and the VX2835wm will hit the market in April, according to ViewSonic. Features of the two large-size widescreen monitors include a response time of 8ms, a native resolution of 1,920×1,200, a brightness of 500nits and a contrast ratio of 1,000:1, said ViewSonic.With three new models, ViewSonic's full lines of widescreen LCD monitors will expand to cover the 17-, 19-, 20-, 22-, 23, 24- and 28-inch segments. Key specification of ViewSonic new widescreen LCD monitors Model number VA1703wb VX2435wm VX2835wm Screen size (inches) 17 24 28 Resolution 1,440x900 1,920×1,200 1,920×1,200 Contrast ratio 500:1 1,000:1 1,000:1 Brightness (cd/m2) 250 500 500 Response time 8ms 8ms 8ms Pricing (US$) 205 699 879 Source: Company, compiled by DigiTimes, January 2007ViewSonic's new 17-inch widescreen monitor Source: Company