Albatron on July 21 launched its AGP7600GS graphics card, which boasts an Nvidia 7600GS core, for AGP- (accelerated graphics port-) capable motherboards. The new AGP core from Nvidia employs 90-nanometer (90nm) process technology that consumes less power and heat and allows more room for faster core frequencies, Albatron said. Compared to its predecessor, the 6600GT, Albatron's AGP7600GS boasts a 25% performance increase despite its lower core and memory frequencies, the card manufacturer claims.On July 20, Nvidia launched an AGP version of its 7600 GS graphics processing unit (GPU), which features the same specifications as the PCI Express versions. Prices of 7600 GS AGP cards are between US$160-$200, depending on card manufacturers, technology news website TG Daily cited Nvidia as reporting.According to Albatron, the AGP7600GS, based on an AGP 8x interface, has a frequency of 400MHz and contains 12 pipelines. It supports 256MB of 700MHz GDDR2 memory with a 128-bit memory bus. The AGP7600GS boasts an improved fan/heat sink that is quieter than previous generations, said the company. In addition, the new AGP card fully supports Microsoft DirectX 9.0c, OpenGL 2.0, Shader Model 3.0, Intellisample 4.0 and is Windows Vista ready, as well as pushing the limits of wide-screen and high-resolution display with a Dual-Link DVI connector and Nvidia's Xtreme-HD technology, which supports resolutions of up to 2560x1600.The Albatron AGP7600GSSource: Company

Gigabyte Communications on July 19 unveiled its gSmart i128 PDA mobile phone, powered by Windows Mobile 5.0 AKU2 Push Email technology, to the global market. The multi-lingual mobile phone, features multi-lingual Internet browsing and Windows Mobile document viewing in 98 countries worldwide, according to the company, adding that the handset has a built-in 2.1-megapixel camera and an analog TV roaming with retractable antennae. The gSmart i128 is now available in Thailand and will be launched in other countries soon, noted the company.The Gigabyte gSmart i128 may assist business travelers by offering efficient and speedy mobile Internet access via Wi-Fi or GPRS, stated the company, adding that Powered by Windows Mobile 5.0 AKU2.3 Push Email technology, the gSmart i128 can access real time e-mail, schedules, and tasks. Business travelers can stay productive using Mobile Office programs, such as Word, PowerPoint, and Excel, said the company.Gigabyte Communications was established as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Gigabyte Technology in 2004, with headquarters and a R&D center in Taiwan.The Gigabyte gSmart i128 handsetSource: Company

Taiwan-based home appliance maker Sampo has released a lineup of four GK-series mobile phones, with a price range of NT$5,990-8,800 (US$182-268), for the Taiwan market. The company forecasts its handset division will generate NT$300 million (US$9.1 million) in sales this year, up more than 200% from 2005.Overall, Sampo anticipates its revenues will reach NT$2 billion in 2006, up 33.3% on year. Major specifications of Sampo's new GK-series mobile phones Item GK-805 GK-306 GK-803 GK-305 Dimension 101x45.5x17.5mm 72x42x17.5mm 110x46x10.5mm 90.5x36x16mm Weight 86g 62g 65g 62g Built-in camera 1.3-megapixel NA Wireless connectivity WAP 2.0, GPRS class 10 WAP 1.2.1, GPRS class 12 WAP 2.0, GPRS class 10 NA Other features MP3 music and MP4 video formats, supports video recording MP3 music player and 3D stereo sound effects, MP4 video format Magnesium alloy chassis, video recording MP3 music player, FM radio and Hi-Fi 3D headset Photo Suggested retail price NT$5,990 NT$8,800 NT$8,800 NT$6,990 Source: Company, compiled by DigiTimes, July 2006

VIA Technologies recently announced its VIA VX700 chipset for Ultra Mobile PC (UMPC) devices.VIA said its VX700 solution, together with the C7-M/ULV processor, promises a smaller form factor for computing devices with reduced power consumption and enhanced functionality. The company said its UMPC solution could reduce mobile form factors size by up to 40% with low power and longer battery life.VIA VX700 is expected to be available in volume quantities later in the third quarter of 2006 and pricing is available upon request, the company stated.DualCor Technologies, which adopted the VIA solutions in its cPC, values the small size and enhanced battery life that VIA offers.DualCor adopts VIA's solutions in its cPCSource: DualCor Key features of VX700 chipset Item Detail Processor Support VIA C7-M and VIA C7-M ULV processors Front Side Bus (FSB) 533/400MHz Memory support DDR2-533/400/333 or DDR-400/333 Memory density (max.) 4 GB Graphics core VIA UniChrome Pro Hardware Video Acceleration MPEG-2, MPEG-4, WMV9 HD HDTV support Yes LVDS/DVI transmitter Yes Dual monitor support Yes Video de-blocking Yes Hardware display rotation Yes High definition audio Yes USB 2.0 connectivity 6 ports PCI devices/slots 4 slots Serial ATA 2 x SATA 150 devices or 2 x SATA II devices IDE 1 EIDE channel up to 2 devices Source: VIA. The VIA IGP VX700 chipsetSource: VIA

Hewlett-Packard (HP) on July 4 launched in the Taiwan market two laptops powered by AMD's 64-bit Turion 64 X2 mobile CPUs, with the company expected to introduce more AMD-based notebooks for the business sector in the second half of this year, according to company sources. The two models—the Compaq Presario V3015 for the consumer segment and the Compaq nx6325 for the business sector—are both available for around NT$39,900 (US$1,240), the sources noted. The company received pre-sale orders for 2,000 Compaq Presario V3015 laptops from the local channel in the past two weeks, indicating that the popularity of AMD-powered notebooks is rising, the sources stated. Dennis Chen, general manager of personal systems group at HP Taiwan, expects the number of offerings by HP for AMD-based business laptops to double in the second half. The new models will include an upgraded version of its AMD-powered Compaq nx6125, according to company sources.The HP Compaq nx6325 features a 15-inch XGA display, the ATI Radeon Xpress 1150 graphics chipset, 512MB of DDR2 memory and a 80GB HDDSource: CompanyThe HP Compaq Presario V3016 comes with a 14.1-inch dWXGA display, the Nvidia GeForce Go 6150 graphics core, 1GB of DDR2 memory and a 100GB HDDSource: Company

LG Electronics Taiwan Taipei (LGETT), the Taiwan subsidiary of LG Electronics, on July 3 announced the launch of the its GBW-H10N Blu-ray Disc burner in the Taiwan market. The unit will be in stores later this week at a recommended retail price of NT$29,900 (US$923). The GBW-H10N supports single-sided single-layer (SL) BD, DVD+RW/-RW, DVD-RAM (rewritable), CD-R/RW burning as well as SL and single-sided double-layer (DL) DVD+R/-R burning, according to LGETT. The model can also record and play back video in BD/DVD/CD formats, the company indicated. GBW-H10N specifications Format Maximum writing speed Maximum reading speed Blue-laser Blu-ray Disc (BD) BD-ROM, SL 4.8x BD-ROM, DL 4x BD-R (recordable, write once), SL 4x 4.8x BD-RE (rewritable), SL 2x 2x Red-laser DVD -ROM, SL 16x -ROM, DL 8x -R, SL 12x 10x -R, DL 4x 8x -RW 6x 10x +R, SL 12x 10x +R, DL 4x 8x +RW 8x 10x -RAM 5x 5x -Video (CSS) 8x CD -ROM 40x -R 8x 40x -RW 10x 40x -DA (DAE) 40x Source: LGETT, compiled by DigiTimes.com, July 2006 The LG GBW-H10N Blu-ray Disc burnerPhoto: LGETT

Motorola will introduce its Rokr E2 handset to the Taiwan market on July 4, according to the company. The model features an integrated MP3 player and debuted in China earlier this month with sales already exceeding expectations, according to the company.Integrating Bluetooth wireless technology, the device supports approximately 500 songs on a single 2GB SD card and has a built-in 1.3-mega pixel camera with flash, said Motorola. The Motorola Rokr E2Photo: Company

Hewlett-Packard (HP) yesterday released in Taiwan the Pavilion dv2000 and Presario V3000, two Core Duo notebook series with "HP Imprint" technology, with a suggested retail price of around NT$44,900-49,000 (US$1,380-1,500). The Pavilion dv2000 and Presario V3000 incorporate an advanced molding technique produced using Nissha Film Products, giving the two models a polished metallic and piano black high-gloss look.The HP Pavilion dv2000 and Presario V3000 series feature 14.1-inch widescreen panel displays, 512MB of memory and 100GB in hard disk memory. The new business notebooks are both manufactured by Quanta Computer, according to market sources.The HP Pavilion dv2000Photo: Andrea Liu, DigiTimesThe Presario V3000Source: Company

JVC on June 15 debuted six new Everio-G series HDD (hard disk drive) DV (digital video camcorder) models for launch in the Taiwan market later this month, according to JVC Taiwan. JVC aims to account for 10% of HDD DVs sold in Taiwan this year, JVC Taiwan indicated. Main specifications of JVC's six Everio-G series HDD DV models Item Model GZ-MG505US GZ-MG77TW GZ-MG57ATW,GZ-MG57BTW, GZ-MG57PTW GZ-MG37TW CCD sensor size 1/4.5-inch 1/3.9-inch 1/5-inch 1/6-inch Resolution (megapixel) 5 2.18 1.33 0.68 Lens performance (F number) F1.8 F1.2 F1.2 F2.0 Optical/digital zoom 10x/300x 10x/300x 15x/700x 32x/800x Size of color LCD screen (inch) 2.7 2.7 2.7 2.7 Recommended retail price in (NT$) 46,900 38,900 33,900 31,900 Source: JVC Taiwan, compiled by DigiTimes.com, June 2006 Reference: DV market demand volume 2005 estimate 2006 forecast 2007 forecast Global market HDD DV models (million units) 0.8 2.0 4.0 8cm-DVD-disc DV models(million units) 2.4 4.0 4.3 Taiwan All kinds of DVs 87,000 units 90,000 units N/A Source: JVC Taiwan, compiled by DigiTimes.com, June 2006JVC showcases its Everio-G series HDD DV models in TaiwanPhoto: Jimmy Hsu, DigiTimes, June 2006

Ralink Technology, a Taiwan-based developer of wireless LAN chipset solutions, on June 14 announced that Rotani, which specializes in the development and design of wireless networking solutions, has released an OEM Wi-Fi access point (AP) reference design that makes any 802.11 WLAN interference-resistant using Ralink's 802.11g solution with MIMO (Multiple Input, Multiple Output) XR (eXtended Range) technology.Rotani's turn-key Wi-Fi AP reference design enables OEMs, ODMs, designers and manufacturers to tailor wireless networking solutions for high-throughput and latency-sensitive applications such as IPTV (Internet Protocol Television), video or music on demand, online gaming, VoIP (voice over IP), PVR (personal video recorder), STBs (set-top boxes), digital media center for the digital home, SOHO (small office and home office), enterprise, hotspots, mesh networks and other emerging WLAN markets. The complete reference design solution includes hardware, software reference design, support and licenses.MIMO XR features Range-OVERDRIVE, Packet-OVERDRIVE and MIMO-MRC technology; availability in PCI, mini-PCI, and CardBus interfaces; and support for standards-based features and certification requirements including security, quality of service and international regulatory."In combination with the Intel IXP425 processor and Ralink's RT61 chipset, we achieved usable throughput rates of 35 megabits per second (Mbps) in AP to client mode and 27Mbps over a distance of 30 feet while surrounded by more than 15 access points. That is the best .11g performance we have seen so far," said Nicholas Funke, the executive vice president of Rotani. "We consider the Ralink radio among the industry's best, providing OEMs and ODMs with highly flexible wireless capabilities ideal for our market."The current 802.11n standardization process is evolving, and consumers might be stranded until the final standard is approved, according to Frank Hanzlik, managing director of the Wi-Fi Alliance. "The Wi-Fi Alliance plans to bring out its certification program coincident with the ratification of the standard and not before," stated Hanzlik. The ratification of the 802.11n standard is estimated for the third quarter of 2007.In the meantime, Ralink's MIMO XR is an alternative WLAN solution for customers looking to build WLAN solutions with performance comparable to or better than that of pre-802.11n/MIMO products, which deliver sustained multimedia content streaming at an extended range, without worrying about interoperability with multimedia content streaming at an extended range, without worrying about interoperability with 802.11n products.Ralink's MIMO XR chipsetPhoto: CompanyRotani's AirReferee combines standard off-the-shelf 802.11x radios with Rotani's antenna architecture and methods of operation in a multi-radio configuration.Photo: Company