Foxconn to Display Quantum Force Destroyer at CeBIT

Foxconn is going to display their Quantum Force "Destroyer" Hybrid SLI board based on the MCP72 chipset over at the upcoming CeBIT. MCP72XE supports AMD AM2/AM2+ processors, PCI-E 2.0, HT 3.0, Hybrid SLI technology, a total of 19 PCI--E lanes and another 32 lanes from nForce 200 PCIe switch chip, SATA 3.0 Gbit/s and 12x USB 2.0 ports. Expect more after CeBIT starts on March 4th.

SingTel and Partners to Build New Submarine Cable

High-bandwidth cable system to support traffic between Asia and US

Singapore Telecommunications Limited (SingTel) and five other international telecommunications carriers have signed an agreement to construct a new ultra high-speed submarine cable system linking the United States to Japan.

The other carriers involved in the project include Bharti Airtel, Global Transit, Google, KDDI Corporation and Pacnet.

The US$300 million cable system, named Unity, will span 10,000 km across the Pacific Ocean, linking Chikura in Japan directly to Los Angeles in the United States. It is expected to be ready for service in the first quarter of 2010.

Using state-of-the-art Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) technology, it will support up to 960 Gbits per second per fibre-optic pair with a maximum of eight fibre pairs. By having a higher fibre count, it is able to offer more capacity at lower unit costs. Unity will have a potential design capacity of 7.68 Tbits per second, making it one of the highest capacity cables of its kind. This data rate is equivalent to more than seven million Internet users simultaneously having real-time access to a 1 Mb file.

Mr Mark Chong, SingTel's Executive Vice President for Networks, said: "This new submarine cable network, with its high capacity and resilient transmission infrastructure, will be able to meet the strong demand for data, e-commerce and Internet traffic between Asia and the United States."

"As it is connected to other cable systems in Asia, it will also provide access to other parts of the region and serve as an important cable diversity route. The Unity submarine cable network will help to further strengthen SingTel's position as Asia's leading communications company," he added.

NEC Corporation and Tyco Telecommunications have been jointly awarded the contract to implement this project.

Toshiba Launches New 1.8-inch SATA Drives

Toshiba Corporation today announced new 1.8-inch hard disk drives (HDD) that integrate a performance enhancing serial ATA interface: the MK1216GSG offers a storage capacity of 120GB, while the MK8016GSG has a capacity of 80GB. Mass production of both drives will start in April.

Toshiba is committed to bringing the highest levels of performance to mobile PCs, and the new drives achieve this goal. These are the first Toshiba 1.8-inch HDD to employ a serial ATA interface, which boosts data transfer rates beyond those achieved by the parallel ATA interface, and also offer a rotation speed of 5,400 rpm, 29% faster than the current generation of Toshiba HDD. Higher rotation speeds support faster data access in reading and writing and enhance overall drive performance.

Alongside high speed data transfer, the new drives offer compact size, high level vibration resistance, and excellent shock resistance. They will support development of light, compact PCs with no compromises in performance. They will also contribute to achievement of environmentally conscious products, thanks to near silent operation and low energy consumption, and full compliance with the EU RoHS directive.

Toshiba will showcase the new drives at Intel Mobility Summit, in Shanghai, China from February 26 to 28.

Toshiba's cumulative production of HDD now stands at 200 million units since the company entered the business in 1967. Within that total, the company has produced 60 million 1.8-inch HDD since 2000. Building on these achievements, Toshiba will continue efforts to develop innovative products that meet market needs.

Outline of New Models

Background
Hard disk drives for mobile PCs must be small, light and able to withstand vibration and shock. While Toshiba's 1.8-inch drives are more robust than 2.5-inch HDD, they have not matched the larger drives in data transfer rates. However, the launch of new 1.8-inch drives that combine the use of the serial ATA interface with boosted rotational speed achieves high speed transfer rates. The new drives also run much more quietly than 2.5-inch HDD, close to silent, making the new products much more suited to mobile PC.

Toshiba will continue its efforts to develop and produce high performance 1.8-inch HDD that offer mobile PCs ever higher levels of performance.

Key Features of New Products

1. Serial ATA interface with high transfer rate
Adoption of the serial ATA interface takes data transfer speeds beyond that of the parallel ATA interface and achieves high performance specs for mobile PCs.

2. High rotational speed
The drives operate at a maximum rotation speed of 5,400 rpm, 29% faster than Toshiba's current 120GB 1.8-inch HDD (MK1214GAH), supporting much faster data transfers.

3. Compact and light
The new drives are compact and light compared to 2.5-inch HDD with the same formatted capacity, and optimized for mobile PC applications.

4. High vibration and shock resistance
Compared to a 2.5-inch HDD with the same formatted capacity, the new drives offer the higher levels of vibration and shock resistance needed in mobile PCs.

5. Environmentally conscious products offering efficient power consumption
Alongside capacity improvement, Toshiba has also achieved power consumption efficiency of 0.00375W/GB for the MK1216GSG, as defined in the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's Energy Conservation Law, assuring a more environmentally friendly design. The new drives also comply with the EU's RoHS directive.

Main Specifications

ZOTAC Announces GeForce 9600GT-based Graphics Cards

ZOTAC International Limited announces the addition of two new mainstream GeForce 9 graphics cards - the ZOTAC GeForce 9600GT and GeForce 9600GT AMP! Edition. The new graphics cards feature NVIDIA’s latest GeForce 9600GT graphics processor, which usher in a new era of mainstream graphics performance and visual realism.

The new ZOTAC GeForce 9600GT and GeForce 9600GT AMP! Edition introduce 64 high-performance stream processors, a 256-bit memory interface, 512MB of ultra-fast GDDR3 memory and PCI Express 2.0 interface to the mainstream segment for an unmatched value.

High-performance stream processors form the heart of the ZOTAC GeForce 9600GT and GeForce 9600GT AMP! Edition. All 64 stream processors are programmable and compatible with Shader Model 4.0 to maximize frame rates and visual quality in the latest DirectX 10 and OpenGL 2.1 software titles. Feeding the 64 stream processors is a new ultra-wide 256-bit memory interface, which moves graphics data between the GPU and graphics memory at ultra-fast speeds for amazingly smooth frame rates and the ultimate visual treat.

Joining the 64 stream processors and ultra-wide 256-bit memory interface is 512MB of ultra-fast GDDR3 memory to keep up with the demands of Extreme High Definition gaming, with resolutions up to 2560x1600. “As the latest DirectX 10 titles get more realistic visuals and higher quality textures, greater amounts of graphics memory and faster memory interfaces are a must have,” said Carsten Berger, marketing director, ZOTAC International (MCO) Limited. “With 512MB of GDDR3 graphics memory and a 256-bit memory interface, our GeForce 9600GT-based graphics cards are ready for current and upcoming DirectX 10 optimized titles.”

Also new to the ZOTAC GeForce 9600GT and GeForce 9600GT AMP! Edition is a PCI Express 2.0 interface, which widens the available bandwidth between the GPU and CPU to 5GT/s, double that of PCI Express, when paired with a PCI Express 2.0 compatible motherboard. ZOTAC GeForce 9600GT and GeForce 9600GT AMP! Edition graphics cards are also backwards compatible with PCI Express 1.0, or PCI Express x16 slots, for compatibility with all PCI Express equipped systems.

ZOTAC fine-tunes NVIDIA’s GeForce 9600GT graphics processor to maximize performance by boosting the core clock. The ZOTAC GeForce 9600GT features 64 stream processors clocked at 1650 MHz and a 675 MHz core clock paired with ultra-fast 1800 MHz GDDR3 memory. The ZOTAC GeForce 9600GT AMP! Edition receives an extra shot of adrenaline for even higher performance. The extra shot of adrenaline comes from overclocking, raising the clocks to 725 MHz core and 2000 MHz memory. The stream processors feature an additional bump to 1750 MHz as well.

“The ZOTAC GeForce 9600GT AMP! Edition represents the finest performance tweaking we have to offer and differentiates our flagship products from our competitors,” said Mr. Berger. “We’re confidant the ZOTAC GeForce 9600GT AMP! Edition will blow everything else out of the water.” Additionally, the new ZOTAC GeForce 9600GT and GeForce 9600GT AMP! Edition graphics cards pack NVIDIA’s unified architecture and Quantum Effects Engine for a power packed 3D experience.

The new ZOTAC GeForce 9600GT and GeForce 9600GT AMP! Edition packs a multimedia punch with NVIDIA PureVideo HD technology. With NVIDIA PureVideo HD technology, the ZOTAC GeForce 9600GT and GeForce 9600GT AMP! Edition decode high-definition H.264 videos, commonly used by HD DVD and Blu-ray formats, completely in hardware, freeing up the CPU for other tasks. High-definition VC-1 video decoding is accelerated in hardware with PureVideo HD technology. The ZOTAC GeForce 9600GT and GeForce 9600GT AMP! Edition are fully ready for the digital home experience with HDCP compatible DVI and HDMI outputs.

HDMI output is accomplished with an included DVI-to-HDMI dongle. Both ZOTAC GeForce 9600GT graphics cards feature S/PDIF audio input, with included S/PDIF audio cable, for simultaneous audio and video output via HDMI.
Prepare for an experience that’s big on performance but easy on the wallet with the ZOTAC GeForce 9600GT and GeForce 9600GT AMP! Edition – in gaming and multimedia.

Sony Strengthens the Line of "Intelligent" Multi-Codec Network Security Cameras

DEPA-enabled SNC-RX570 & RX-530 offer greater efficiency and higher sensitivity

Sony is expanding its line of third generation network security cameras with the new powerful high-end, SNC-RX570 and SNC-RX530, that support "Intelligent Video Analytics" and multi-codec capabilities. With the built-in intelligence and well-off features, the new network cameras are designed to address specific user requirements on various monitoring applications.

The SNC-RX570 and SNC-RX530 have a high-speed 360? endless panning or rotation capability, which allow users to precisely capture almost any object surrounding the camera. In addition, by employing a 1/4-type Exwave HAD CCD with the minimum illumination level of 1.4 lux at F1.6 for SNC-RX570 and 0.7 lux at F1.4 for SNC-RX530, the camera delivers exceptional picture quality for any monitoring application, even in low-light conditions.

The SNC-RX570 model features a 36x optical zoom lens, allowing for a zoom capability of up to 432x when used with its 12x digital zoom; while SNC-RX530 equips an 18x optical zoom lens. With its superb zoom capability, SNC-RX570 installed with outdoor housing is ideal for use in outdoor wide area monitoring applications. The versatile zoom alternatives allow users to choose the camera that has the appropriate zoom ratio for their specific application.

Equipped with the DynaView Technology, the SNC-RX570 can improve camera dynamic range by 128 times when compared to conventional cameras. It provides high quality image reproduction even in extreme high-contrast environments. The camera captures the same image twice, first with a normal shutter speed and then with a high shutter speed. The dark area captured at normal shutter speed and the bright areas captured at high shutter speed are then combined into one image. This advanced technology can reproduce high-contrast images with proper color.

Operated under the Distributed Enhanced Processing Architecture (DEPA) platform, the latest series employs the robust video analytics functions, aims to maximize the efficiency of the monitoring system. By creating object tags and other position data with the cameras, this metadata can be streamed independently or along with video over an IP network and works with the rules and filters defined in the application software to perform actions such as initiating alarms or recording. These intelligence features of distributed processing not only effectively enhance the security level, but also greatly minimize the server workload, network bandwidth and storage of data.

"The new DEPA-enabled cameras SNC-RX570 and SNC-RX530 incorporate the ‘intelligent’ video features that can proactively alert users to potential threats, this capability is invaluable in today’s environment," said Wendy Wong, Senior Manager, Business and Communication Product Marketing Division, Broadcast and Professional Pacific Asia Company, a division of Sony Corporation of Hong Kong Limited. "With increased sensitivity and wider dynamic range, the new models are designed to address specific end-user requirements in different kinds of security applications."

The SNC-RX570 and SNC-RX530 also possess the mechanical "Auto-Flip" function, to help tracking subjects passing beneath it. First, the camera tilts down 90? until the subject is directly beneath it. Then it rotates 180?, and tilts back up to track the subject as it moves away.

Both multi-codec cameras supported the advanced compression technologies to transmit image data in three different formats: JPEG, MPEG-4 and H.264. Users can choose any of these formats to match their system’s network environment and application requirements. With the dual encoding capability, the cameras can generate both MPEG-4 and JPEG images simultaneously.

The SNC-RX570 and SNC-RX530 are now available.

Leadtek Releases DTV Dongle Gold

Leadtek Research Inc. raises the curtain on its brand new portable digital TV tuner device, the WinFast DTV Dongle Gold.The Dongle's pocket size and USB2.0 plug-n-play interface gives the user the liberty to watch free DVB-T TV on the fly. As a USB 2.0 powered PCTV device bundled with a portable DVB-T TV antenna, WinFast DTV Dongle Gold is also a perfect traveling companion, extending all the entertainment functions of a laptop.

The portable USB2.0 TV tuner has a professional silicon tuner built in for DVB-T TV reception and program recording. No longer any need to change schedule to enjoy a favorite TV show. The Scheduled Recording function automatically records all of your favorite programs and there's Standby/Hibernate mode for silence and power-saving. High quality MPEG-2 recording format means you get DVD like quality images. You can pause, rewind and fast-forward at will with the Time Shifting function while in TwinView mode you're able to simultaneously and effortlessly enjoy the luxury of two screens, one for the live show and the other for a recorded clip.

In line with your mobile life-style, WinFast DTV Dongle Gold provides a multiple language support interface and a built-in global channel list. So, say goodbye to time-consuming full channel scans when you move from state to state, or country to country. HDTV, AC3 and EPG (Electronics Program Guide) are all supported. What's more, if you're a Vista fan then you've just got to savor the flavor of Windows Media Center's brilliant TV viewing function with the WinFast DTV Dongle Gold.

The value added WinFast Mobile Video Express (WinFast MoViE) pack comprises a 3D album creator and an iPod & PSP video converter. A user can now freely create a personal 3D album, convert recorded TV shows to iPod/PSP video format and then carry and watch them on iPod/PSP anyplace anytime!

In the era of PCTV it's not enough to merely watch TV on PC. With WinFast DTV Dongle Gold, you're loaded with a pocketful of portable digital TV reception - TV news before the beginning of a game of football or a good movie when you simply want to chill out. Plug in and Play. The World's only an instant away.

ASUS Launches OC Version for EN9600GT Series

In order to cater to users who require excellent graphical performance boosts and exceptional cooling from their graphic cards, ASUS introduces the world's first overclocking version of the latest NVIDIA GeForce 9600GT GPU - the ASUS EN9600GT TOP graphics card.

Users will enjoy 10% engine clock improvements for gaming experiences with the EN9600GT TOP/HTDI/512M; and both the ASUS EN9600GT TOP/HTDI/512M and EN9600GT/HTDI/512M models will be soon upgraded with the newest thermal solution – the Glaciator Fansink. Furthermore, the integrated SmartDoctor feature will provide users with the option to overclock the Shader Clock for even better graphical performances.

10% Engine Clock Boosts
With the EN9600GT TOP, gamers can expect core, shader, and memory clock performance boosts from 650MHz up to 720MHz, 1625MHz up to 1800MHz, and from 1.8GHz up to 2GHz respectively. This produces an astonishing 10% improvement in terms of core performance when compared to any other reference designed board*. Gamers can now experience the rush of superb gaming performances only with the ASUS EN9600GT TOP/HTDI/512M.

Extreme Cooling with Exclusive Glaciator Fansink
The upcoming version of the ASUS EN9600GT Series will incorporate the Glaciator Fansink – a specially designed fansink that is able to effectively dissipate heat away from the GPU to help lower temperatures – much like real-life glacial storms. Besides this extreme cooling capacity, it is also ultra quiet with operating levels of only 25dB – almost imperceptible in a quiet room; and caters to users who require maximum cooling without excessive fan rotation noise.

Official “HDMI Certified” Graphic Cards
The HDMI format is defined, specified and governed by HDMI Licensing, LLC in the USA. Being "HDMI Certified" refers to any product that meets all of the strict criteria as set out by HDMI Licensing; and utilizing any HDMI product that is not approved may result in poor performance, and can even void the warranty on users’ other HDMI enabled hardware. Therefore, the “HDMI Certified” ASUS EN9600GT series are the most trusted graphics cards for home theater enthusiasts to choose from.

Unprecedented Rock Solid Quality from ASUS
Keeping in line with ASUS’ Rock Solid promise for quality, the EN9600GT Series’ second version will come with several solutions to provide top quality graphic performances. With the EMI shield, 66% EMI Interference can be reduced for more stable signals. The DIP Spring Chokes can also lower temperatures by 5~10oC in comparison with traditional Toroidal Coil Chokes. Additionally, the LF PAK MOS guarantees more efficient power and less heat. On top of all this, the Japan made polymer capacitors can lower power loss for more stable operations. Therefore, users will be able to enjoy extreme performance and have peace of mind only with ASUS EN9600GT Series.

Overclock the Shader Clock with New SmartDoctor
ASUS garners a world’s first by providing an overclocking utility that is able to tweak the Shader Clock on GPUs with the new SmartDoctor. With this handy application, users will be able to overclock the Shader Clock and Engine Clock independently for astonishing performance boosts without the hassles of rebooting or re-flashing their BIOS.

Specification

Model EN9600GT TOP/HTDI/512M EN9600GT/HTDI/512M
Graphics Engine GeForce 9600GT GeForce 9600GT
Video Memory 512M DDR3 512M DDR3

Engine Clock 720 MHz 650 MHz

Shader Clock 1800 MHz 1625MHz
Memory Clock 2GHz (1000MHz DDR3) 1.8GHz (900MHz DDR3)

Memory Interface 256 bit 256 bit

DVI Max. Resolution 2560 * 1600 2560 * 1600

Bus Standard PCI Express 2.0 PCI Express 2.0
DVI Output DVI-I *2 DVI-I *2

HDCP compliant YES YES
HDMI Output YES, via DVI to HDMI adaptor ** YES, via DVI to HDMI adaptor **

D-Sub Output YES, via DVI to D-Sub adaptor YES, via DVI to D-Sub adaptor

HDTV Output YES, via HDTV Out cable YES, via HDTV Out cable

TV Output YES, via S-Video to Composite YES, via S-Video to Composite

Adaptor/Cable Bundled
DVI-to-D-Sub adaptor
HDTV-out cable
Power Cable
DVI-to-HDMI adaptor

Software Bundled
ASUS Utilities & Driver

Notes The card size is 4.376 inches x 9 inches