Via develops namecard-sized PC board
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(InfoWorld) - Taiwan's Via TechnologiesÂ has a knack for making motherboards smaller, and its latest design pushes the boundary of what's possible further than ever before. Called Mobile ITX, the new motherboard measures 7.5 centimeters by 4.5 cm -- roughly the same size as a namecard -- and includes all of the components required by a computer, including a Via C7 processor, a chip set with integrated graphics and video capabilities, and memory. The new motherboard design, which should hit markets next year, will make possible a range of small, powerful computers, such as "super smartphones," said Richard Brown, Via's president of corporate marketing, in an interview. Key to the motherboard's success is theÂ C7 processor. Brown didn't specify which version the board will use, but said the chip consumes 0.25 watts of power or less when running. "And that's not when the system is idling," he said. Via CEO Wenchi Chen plans to announce the new motherboard design on Wednesday at the Computex exhibition in Taipei. While Via is much smaller than Intel and Advanced Micro Devices, the company has a proven ability to spot where industry trends are headed before larger companies catch on. For example, Via was pushing the idea of low-power computing, and performance per watt as an important measure, at a time when Intel and AMD were still focused on clock speeds. In the motherboard space, Via was the developer ofÂ Mini-ITX, a small form factor that measures 17 cm by 17 cm. In recent years, Mini-ITX has become an informal standard. Boards based on the same dimensions are now used with chips from AMD and Intel.
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MOTHERBOARD COMPANY Gigabyte has included an enhanced AGP riser interface for one of its Intel-based PCI Express products, but read the small print before you plug your graphics card in and start to play.
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Upcoming chips will lead to relatively inexpensive hardware, company says.
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Upcoming chip set will include built-in security features for your PC.
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(InfoWorld) - Via TechnologiesÂ has developed an ultraportable notebook reference design that will soon hit European markets. The Via NanoBook, which will be unveiled Wednesday at the Computex exhibition, uses the company's 1.2GHz C-7M processor and has a 7-inch LCD (liquid crystal display) touchscreen and Wi-Fi. The small notebook PC is intended to ship with either a 30GB or 60GB hard disk, and can run either Windows XP or Windows Vista. The notebook weighs less than 2 pounds, or 900 grams, and has a battery life of up to five hours. The NanoBook is aimed at the same market as theÂ Ultramobile PCÂ (UMPC) reference design developed by Microsoft and Intel, but has different specifications. For instance, the UMPC is designed around an Intel microprocessor and does not include a full keyboard. Via trails far behind Intel and Advanced Micro DevicesÂ in the microprocessor market and is counting on reference designs like the NanoBook to win more business from hardware vendors, said Richard Brown, the company's vice president of corporate marketing. The strategy appears to be working. On Sunday, Taiwanese contract manufacturer First International Computer (FIC) leaked details of a NanoBook produced by the company. That device is being made under contract for Packard Bell, which will put the device on sale in Europe during the third quarter, according to a source familiar with the deal. A similar device will be made for sale in the U.S. but will not be sold under the Packard Bell brand, the source said. Via's NanoBook reference design includes at least one feature that will not appear in the device sold by Packard Bell. Because the screen is smaller than the notebook's lid, there is space for a removable module that sits next to the display. Via has developed three modules that can be changed by users to suit their needs. These modules include a world clock, a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver, a VOIP (voice over Internet Protocol) phone, a DVB television receiver, and a 3G (third-generation) cellular module. Â
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A new chip from Via Technologies, which supplies processors to ultraportables from OQO, Samsung, Packard Bell and others, promises to double the performance of the super-small computers in which it's embedded.
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Blog: The new company specializes in notebooks with personalized designs. But is there room for another enthusiast PC company?
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Company uses proprietary technology to create high-capacity server memory module.
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Business PC customers have a new brand to get used to with the launch of Intel's vPro technology.
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Via Technologies Inc. will add 64-bit capabilities into Isaiah, a multimedia processor core design expected to arrive in 2006, the company plans to announce Tuesday at the Fall Processor Forum in San Jose, California.
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Via Technologies is supplying CPUs to Mustek for its new education PC.
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Miniature hard drive will feature a Compact Flash card form factor.
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Pair of PCIe 2.0 slots on board Small form-factor PC specialist Shuttle has rolled out one of its compact boxes, this time equipped with Intel's X38 gamer-oriented chipset to allow it to take a 45nm processor and a pair of graphics cards.â¦
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Computex: As Via finds traction in the ultraportable market, it pushes the limits of small form factors.
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A look at the Via Technologies motherboards that power PCs and soon, a smart phone.
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New "Tulsa" chip for high-end x86 servers takes on Advanced Micro Devices with onboard cache memory.
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Taiwanese company, trying to up its market share, unveils tiny NanoBook, plus hardware for smart phones.Photos: Via's little mobos