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

Sony on January 17 announced four additions to its Cybershot digital camera line: the DSC-W55, DSC-W35, DSC-S700 and DSC-S650 models.The compact DSC-W55 and DSC-W35 models will sport 7.2-megapixel imagers and precision Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lenses. The cameras combine traditional, eye-level viewfinders with large LCD screens for easy framing and viewing of photos, according to the company. The W55 camera will come in Caribbean blue, pale pink, black and silver with a 2.5-inch LCD screen wrapped in a metal body, and the W35 camera will come in silver with a two-inch screen, noted Sony.The new DSC-S700 and DSC-S650 cameras will also feature 7.2-megapixel imagers and will come in silver. The former model will house a 2.4-inch LCD wrapped in a metal body and the latter a two-inch screen.All four new models feature 3x optical zoom capability, blur-reduction technologies (ISO), and substantial internal memory for shooting without a media card. Their storage capacities can be expanded further with optional 8GB Memory Stick Duo or Memory Stick PRO Duo flash media cards for the W-series models and 4 GB Duo media cards for the S-series models. On the W-series cameras, Sony's Clear RAW noise reduction technology helps reduce picture noise common to low-light exposures. Sony's AF Illuminator also facilitates these models' ability to shoot well in low light. A special light is thrown on subjects before taking a shot so that the camera's imager can better detect contrast, resulting is well-focused, clear pictures, even in low light, according to Sony.Sony claims that up to 380 shots can be taken on a full charge of the lithium ion battery used in the W55 and W35, and 460 shots on a full charge of the S700 and S650 models' optional, rechargeable AA batteries.In stores in February, the W55 model will be available for about US$200, the W35 for about US$180, and the S650 for about US$150, noted Sony, which added that the S700 ships in March for about US$180.The Sony Cybershot DSC-S650 digital cameraPhoto: Company

PowerColor has launched a series of AMD/ATI X1550 based graphics cards aimed at entry-level systems designed for premium editions of Microsoft's Windows Vista operating system. PCI Express and AGP versions of the card are available as well as ones featuring a heat-pipe based silent cooling system.PowerColor's X1550 comes with a factory overclocked core speed of 600MHz (originally 550MHz), memory speed of 400MHz (800MHz effective) and 256MB of DDR2 RAM. The card is also ATI Crossfire ready.With the PowerColor X1550 user have enough power to enjoy the new Windows Aero user interface and high-definition (HD) video, says the company. The AMD/ATI X1550 has a suggested retail price of US$69.99, according a company spokesperson.PowerColor X1550 graphics card with silent cooling solutionPhoto: Company

Seagate Technology introduced its 2.5-inch serial attached SCSI (SAS) enterprise drive, the Savvio 15K drive. According to the company, the Savvio 15K drive provides the highest hard drive performance density and reliability while ensuring ultra-low power consumption, reducing thermal loads in data centers.The Savvio 15K drive was recently validated as the world's fastest drive within the latest HP ProLiant family of servers, according to Seagate, which added that HP ProLiant servers with 15K Savvio drives are shipping in volume and are leading the transition of small form factor drives in mainstream enterprise environments.The 15,000-rpm Savvio disc drive offers a number of advantages over 15K-rpm 3.5-inch drives including: size (70% smaller), weight (1.12 lbs less), power (30% lower), drive seek time (12% faster than any other drive) and reliability (1.6 million hour MTBF), according to Seagate.The Seagate Savvio 10K and 15K families of drives are shipping immediately, said Seagate. Savvio 10K.2 and 15K drives are currently available through several leading OEM customers. The Savvio 10K.2 drive will launch in the Distribution Channel this quarter as a replacement product for Savvio 10K.1 and as a transition path from Cheetah 10K.7 drives. The Savvio 10K.2 drive provides the highest capacity choices to the family with up to 146GB, while the Savvio 15K.1 drive is ideal for the most transaction-intensive applications.HP is first to qualify and ship systems with Savvio 15K drives. Savvio 15K drives ship in the SAS interface at 36GB and 73GB capacities, the ideal sizes to meet the IOPS-intensive performance requirements of enterprise server environments, according to the company.

Wyse introduced its V-Class Dual-Video family of thin computers, which supports high-resolution displays and the option to connect two displays simultaneously. Designed for use with Microsoft Terminal Services, Citrix Presentation Server, VMware, web-based, and full-function streaming environments, the V-Class Dual-Video includes dual-monitor window management allowing the user to take advantage of two monitors in a remote-computing environment."The new V-Class Dual-Video family addresses the requirements of customers asking for higher display resolutions (up to WUXGA 1920 x 1080 pixels), superior image quality, and support for analog and digital displays through the new DVI-I interface," said Bill Platt, Executive Vice President of Products, Wyse Technology. "This solution also rounds out our offering with our Wyse V-Class product family, now giving us options for dual-video."The new family is based on the VIA Eden C7 processor, and uses only 12 watts of power making it one of the most economical units available, said Wyse. The family is four times faster than the models it replaces, at the same or lower prices, according to the company.The new product line includes models based on Windows CE 5.0, Linux, and Windows XP embedded. Models are available immediately starting at US$399, according to the company. Dual video capability requires an optional DVI-I to dual display cable, available from Wyse.

Dell has announced the Latitude ATG D620 (All-Terrain Grade), its first semi-rugged notebook computer for customers who work in tough environments.The Latitude ATG meets military standards for vibration, humidity and altitude and is designed to protect against accidental bumps, moisture, and other elements that customers encounter working in the field, says the company. The system features a shock-mounted hard drive, spill-resistant keyboard, port covers and high durability paint and is designed to withstand challenging conditions commonly associated with military environments, construction sites and first responders, such as police and emergency organizations.The Latitude ATG features support for Intel Core 2 Duo processors, a 14.1-inch display, and supports Microsoft's Windows Vista operating system. The Latitude ATG is available in the US now and will be available in other Dell regions in the next couple weeks, adds the company.Dell Latitude ATG D620 (All-Terrain Grade) semi-rugged notebookPhoto: Company

SiS on January 16 announced that the Lenovo U5020 PC, which adopts the SiS662 chipset, has been introduced to the market.The Lenovo U5020 PC, with the embedded SiS662/SiS966L chipsets, features a Pentium D 915 CPU and 512MB of DDR2-533 memory.SiS' integrated SiS662 chipsets is designed for the Intel P4 platform and also supports dual core Intel Pentium D processors, 64-bit computing systems, DDR2-667 memory, and PCI Express, according to SiS.The Mirage 1 graphics engine is integrated in the SiS662 chipset to deliver better graphics performance for household applications, according to SiS. The SiS966L southbridge chipset is paired with the SiS662 northbridge chipset to provide full-equipped interfaces such as USB2.0 and SATA for users, which meets customers' requirements of upgrading the systems in the future, according to the company. Lenovo U5020 PC specifications Item Details Model number U5020 Processor Intel Pentium D CPU 915 Chipset SiS662 northbridge and SiS966L OS Windows XP SP2 Memory 512MB DDR2-533 Hard drive 160GB 7200rpm SATA Other equipment DVD ROM / 22" LCD monitor I/O Fast Ethernet (10/100Mbps) / USB 2.0 ports / USB laser mouse / keyboard The Lenovo U5020 using the SiS662 chipsetPhoto: Company