HP Blackbird 002 Now Available with New Intel Quad Core Technology

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Seagate Ships New 250GB Momentus 5400.4 Notebook Hard Drive

Planar Announces 70-inch Direct-View LCD Monitor

AMD Unveils New Embedded Processors and Chipset

HP Blackbird 002 Now Available with New Intel Quad Core Technology

HP today announced the immediate availability of HP Blackbird 002 alpha, a special edition version of its flagship gaming system with the new Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650 quad core processor.

Based on the new Intel Core microarchitecture, the processors use Intel's Hafnium-based high-k metal gate (Hi-k) formula for the hundreds of millions of transistors inside these processors. The Intel Core 2 Extreme is also manufactured on the company's 45-nanometer (nm) manufacturing process, further boosting performance and lowering power consumption. Combining these two advancements with new processor features enables faster and more energy-efficient processors that are better for the environment. The technology improves performance on games like Half Life 2 Lost Coast and Quake 4 and gives gamers the extra power they need to play tomorrow's multithreaded games.

The 45nm Hi-K Silicon metal gate technology represents a leap in technology with more transistors in a smaller space and a larger L2 cache for increased energy efficiency.

Priced at $5,499, the special edition system is available for purchase today at www.hp.com/blackbird and includes:

• ASUS Maximus Formula with Intel X38 Express chipset
• Intel Core2 Extreme QX9650 Quad- Core 3.0GHz processor
• 1,100-watt Power Supply
• Dual ATI RADEON X2900 XT 1 gigabyte (GB), with 1 GB of GDDR4 SDRAM
• Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
• 2 GB (2 x 1 GB) 1,066 MHz CORSAIR PC2-8500 DDR2 SDRAM SLI Ready
• 160 GB 10,000 rpm SATA and 500 GB 7,200 rpm SATA(2)
• Two drives: 16x Combo and 16x DVD r/w
• Creative Audio Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer Fatal1ty Professional
• Ageia PhysX 100 Series PCI-E GFX Accelerator Card
• Factory Sealed Liquid-cooled CPU
• 15-in-1 card reader
• Voodoo keyboard and Mouse by Razor

The Voodoo OMEN systems are also available immediately with Intel's quad core technology. More information is available at www.voodoopc.com.

Source: High Road Communications

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Seagate Ships New 250GB Momentus 5400.4 Notebook Hard Drive

Seagate has announced it is currently shipping a 250GB notebook drive that delivers a compelling combination of capacity, performance and durability for mobile computing.

The new Momentus 5400.4 hard drive is part of the world's most innovative family of notebook drives that includes the Momentus 5400 FDE.2 hard drive, the industry's first notebook HDD with built-in encryption and currently the most powerful security solution for mobile computing, Momentus 7200.2, a super-speedy 7200-rpm notebook drive with free-fall protection for extra durability; Momentus 5400 PSD, a hybrid hard drive that combines disc storage with flash memory to reduce power consumption in half, boost performance and enhance reliability, and Seagate's flagship Momentus 5400.3, a 160GB 2.5-inch drive and the world's first to use capacity-boosting perpendicular recording technology.

Independent research firm IDC puts Seagate's worldwide share for 2.5-inch notebook PC and PC-related* hard drives for the first three quarters of calendar 2007 at 19%, a share that elevated Seagate to the number two spot.

As explosive growth of notebook PCs continues, more users want the power of desktop computing – high capacity, screaming performance and rock-hard shock resistance – on-the-go. The new Seagate Momentus 5400.4 hard drives deliver just that, using second-generation perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) technology to deliver up to 250GB of capacity and impressive performance on the strength of a high speed Serial ATA 3.0 Gbit/second interface. Seagate's newest Momentus hard drive is also tough as nails, delivering industry-leading operating and non-operating shock specs of 325 Gs and 900 Gs, respectively, ideal for systems that are subject to rough handling or high levels of vibration.

The Momentus 5400.4 hard drive is perfect for mainstream laptops, performance-hungry gaming systems, workstations and personal external storage. The 2.5-inch, 5400-rpm giant features 250GB of capacity on just two disc platters and, like the rest of the Momentus series, is lean on power consumption, allowing notebook users to work longer between battery charges. And the drive is virtually inaudible thanks to Seagate's innovative SoftSonic™ fluid-dynamic bearing motors and QuietStep™ ramp load technology.

The Momentus 5400.4 hard drive is now shipping in volume to the worldwide distribution channel to meet demanding mainstream market requirements for capacity, performance and low power consumption.

For more information about Momentus 5400.4 hard drives, go to: http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/products/laptops/momentus/momentus_5400.4/

Source: Seagate

Planar Announces 70-inch Direct-View LCD Monitor

Planar Systems today introduced the Planar m70L, the first full-featured commercial-grade, high-definition 70-inch LCD monitor, expanding Planar's Monitor-Series (m-Series) line of displays for control room, video wall and digital signage applications.

Demonstrating its global presence, Planar will be unveiling the Planar m70L at Integrated Systems Europe 2008 in Amsterdam, January 29-31 (Booth #A88), and Distributech 2008 in Tampa, Fla., January 22-24 (Booth #2031). The m70L expands upon the benefits of the Planar m-Series family of commercial-grade LCDs, and shares the same connectivity, menu systems, electronics and styling in order to ensure seamless and cost-effective display integration for any application.

The Planar m70L offers high-end professional features such as built-in power management and automation, an impressive 178-degree viewing angle, and broad video source compatibility. Planar incorporated other key features such as resistance to image quality degradation and automatic ambient backlight control to address the challenges associated with 24-hour operation in unpredictable environments.

The Planar m70L is the only 70-inch monitor of its kind designed specifically for long-term, year-round operation, unlike consumer displays, making the m70L ideal for industrial applications. The m70L's full HD 1080p resolution, extra-large screen size, high brightness (600 nits) and HD-SDI connectivity create more realistic and life-like images that are ideal for utility and energy master control rooms and television broadcast command centers.

Additional m70L key features:

    --  1500:1 contrast ratio
    --  Backlight control for longer life (50,000 hours to 1/2
        brightness)
    --  Built-in real time clock allows users to schedule events such
        as power on/power off, source switching
    --  Planar Big Picture(TM) and WallNet(TM) technologies for
        optimum processing and automated display monitoring
    --  Landscape/portrait orientation for multiple uses
    --  VESA standard mounting points for use with any conforming
        stand or mount
    --  RoHS certification
    --  MSRP: $30,000

The Planar m70L will be available in February through Planar's network of control room system integrators and audiovisual dealers and will be backed by Planar's three-year Customer First warranty.

Source: Planar Systems

AMD Unveils New Embedded Processors and Chipset

At the AMD Taiwan Embedded Forum this week, AMD announced a significant number of platform-stable, energy-efficient additions to its embedded roadmap. The high performance AMD Turion 64 X2 Dual-Core processors TL-56 and TL-62 can deliver the 64-bit application performance and low power requested by designers in the industrial control, digital signage and point-of-sale embedded markets, while the energy-efficient AMD Sempron processor 3700+ offers additional performance in a consistent and very low-power thermal envelope for value-based designs.

Also, the use of advanced AMD manufacturing process technology improvements allows for a new version of the Mobile AMD Sempron processor 2100+ that achieves up to a 15% reduction in thermal design power. All of these new products feature a consistent Socket S1, allowing for quicker development and delivery times through socket consistency and platform longevity.

Coupled with the new processors, a new chipset has also been added to the portfolio. Based on the award-winning AMD 690 Series chipsets, the AMD M690E provides additional display design flexibility for embedded graphics and enables seamless playback of high definition video content for embedded applications.

In addition to significant traction in commercial embedded markets such as storage and telecommunications, and strong partnerships with embedded infrastructure partners such as Aaeon, Axxtend, Fujitsu Siemens Computers, iEi, Kontron, and PDSi, there is currently strong demand for AMD technology in the digital signage, casino gaming and point-of-sale system markets.

In support of these markets, AMD is offering a COM Express form factor reference design kit which enables OEMs to quickly design embedded systems that deliver high quality graphics, high performance, and high I/O throughput.

All products announced this week are available immediately and are offered through the AMD Longevity Program, which offers components for an industry-standard five year term and enables design consistency. For more information, please visit www.amd.com/embedded.

Source: AMD

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