ASRock to release one more micro ATX H55 motherboard
Taiwanese manufacturer ASRock is currently finishing up its fifth motherboard based on the Intel H55 chipset, the H55M-LE. Seen below, the upcoming micro ATX board support LGA 1156 processors, has a black PCB and features two DDR3-2600 memory slots, one PCI-Express x16 slot, four SATA 3.0 Gbps ports, plus D-Sub and DVI outputs.
ASRock's motherboard also includes Gigabit Ethernet, 7.1 channel audio, Instant Boot, has support for both LGA 1156 and LGA 775 coolers, and the 'Turbo 50' BIOS function which is supposed to boost the system's performance by up to 50% through automatic overclocking of the CPU, memory and graphics core.
The H55M-LE is expected to debut next month and should cost under 65 Euro.
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Intel dominates PC graphics market in Q4, AMD and Nvidia slip
Not surprisingly, Jon Peddie Research's latest estimates show that Intel continued its hegemony in the PC graphics market in Q4 2009. This past quarter, thanks to good Atom (bundle) sales and strong growth in the desktop segment, Intel's market share reached 55.2%, up from 53.6% in Q3, while both its main rival lost some ground.
AMD's Q4 share was 19.9%, down 0.2% sequentially, while Nvidia's piece was of 24.3%, down from 25.3% in Q3. VIA Technologies slipped too and settled at 0.6%.
In 2009 graphics chips sales topped 425.4 million units (up 14% over the 2008 figure) which is a great result given the difficult economic times. For 2010 Jon Peddie Research predicts a 27.9% increase in shipments and total sales of 544 million units.
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Panasonic presents the LUMIX DMC-TS2 rugged compact camera
Panasonic has today revealed the LUMIX DMC-TS2 a new rugged compact digital camera that can brag with being dustproof, waterproof up to 10 meters, shockproof up to 2 meters and freezeproof to 14أ‚آ° F / -10أ‚آ° C. Coming in silver, blue, orange and yellow, this model features a 14.1-megapixel sensor, the Venus Engine HD II image processor, 4.6x optical zoom, a 2.7-inch (230,000 dots) LCD, Sonic Speed AF (Auto Focus) for a super-fast response time, the POWER O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer), and a face recognition function which can detect up to 15 faces.
"The new LUMIX TS2 gets tougher and we expect it to be a key product in 2010, as its rugged features are becoming even more desirable for active users, especially with this year's new freezeproof capabilities," said David Briganti, Senior Product Manager, Imaging, Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company. "Families will enjoy this digital camera, both for their own outdoor activities, vacations, but also so they can allow children to take photos without the anxiety they might otherwise feel of damage."
Panasonic has not announced the TS2's price tag or release date.
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AMD grabs more CPU market share in Q4, Intel still above 80%
According to the IDC, the last quarter of 2009 has seen worldwide CPU shipments reach a new all-time high thanks to good performance in every segment. The research firm's report shows that in Q4 2009 the market performance of mobile, server and desktop CPUs rose by 11.7%, 14.1% and 4.8% sequentially, while the ASP (average selling price) went up 6.7% compared to Q3.
"Compared to 3Q09, the modest rise in shipments in 4Q09 indicates that the market is returning to normal seasonal patterns," said Shane Rau, director of Semiconductors: Personal Computing research at IDC. "Compared to 4Q08, the huge rise in shipments indicates that the market has put the recession behind it. Both comparisons indicate that the PC industry anticipates improvement in PC end demand in 2010."
Looking over the vendor chart we see that in Q4 Intel held a 80.5% unit market share, down 0.6%, on-quarter while AMD gained 0.7% and reached 19.4%. VIA also posted a small gain. The full year 2009 results have Intel with a comfortable lead at 79.7% market share, followed by AMD with 20.1% and VIA with almost 0.3%.
For 2010 IDC predicts a rise in CPU shipments by 15.1% compared to 2009.
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Pentax announces the Optio I-10, H90 and E90 digital cameras
Pentax Imaging has this week presented three new Optio-branded compact digital cameras which it plans to release next month, the I-10, H90 and E90. Going for $300, the I-10 features a 12.1 megapixel CCD sensor, 5x optical zoom, a 2.7 inch widescreen LCD, a Shake Reduction (SR) mechanism, a Face Detection function that detects up to 32 faces, and 702p video recording capabilities. This one will be available in Classic Black and Pearl White.
The Optio H90, which will cost $180, also has a 12.1MP sensor and 5x zoom, can do 70p video recording, and packs an improved Pixel Track Shake Reduction technology and a 2.7-inch LCD. The H90 will be coming in Orange-Silver, Matte Black and Ceramic White.
Last but not least, the Optio E90, has a $100 price tag ($99.95 to be exact), and boasts a 2.7-inch LCD, a 10 megapixel CCD sensor, 3x optical zoom, a maximum ISO sensitivity of 6400, and a Digital SR (Shake Reduction) mode. This model will be available in Black and Wine Red.
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Nokia X6 16GB version said to be in the works - confirmed
Introduced a couple of months ago, Nokia's X6 smartphone is reported to be getting a little brother in the more or less near future. The upcoming 'baby' X6 will actually be just an X6 with less built-in storage - 16GB as opposed to 32GB, no bundled headset, and a lower price tag (probably around 450 - 480 Euro).
The cheaper X6 is expected to still have a 434 MHz ARM 11 processor, 128MB of RAM, a 3.2-inch (360x640) touchscreen, a 5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss lens, and should run Symbian OS v9.4. There's also the possibility that the 16GB X6 will lack the Comes with Music bundle.
- [Update] - Nokia has officially announced the 16GB X6 which is pretty much what's listed above. The phone is not a Comes with Music model but will come pre-loaded with the latest version of Ovi Maps featuring free turn-by-turn navigation. The 16GB X6 will come with Spore by EA, Asphalt4 and DJ Mix Tour by Gameloft, and is set to debut later this quarter.
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Comcast offering Symantec security solution to its customers
Internet provider Comcast has recently decided to dump McAfee and start providing a Symantec-built security solution to its customers. Comcast's new PC security software of choice is the Norton Security Suite, which is based on Norton 360 technology, and offers protection against viruses, spyware, worms, Trojans, malicious bots and identity theft. Symantec's software also includes parental controls, system tuning functions, and is backed by 24/7 one-click customer support (via email, chat or phone).
"The Internet is integral to our daily lives and online threats have become more sophisticated. Comcast continues to seek out the best partners to help protect our customers online. Whether theyأ¢آ€آ™re parents, individuals or business owners, each one of our customers has unique needs and concerns. So, as the leading Internet service provider in the country, we're very pleased to provide the leading security suite from Norton to our customers," said Cathy Avgiris, Senior Vice President of Communications and Data Services. "In addition to superior protection, the suite delivers fast performance, so it starts fast, scans fast and uses less memory on both PC and Mac."
Valued at $160 for residential customers and up to $490 for business customers, the Norton Security Suite is available for free to Comcast High-Speed Internet subscribers.
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Microsoft delivers Silverlight 4 (beta) client for Facebook
Two months after showcasing a Silverlight-based Facebook application (at PDC 2009), Microsoft has now delivered a beta version of that app. Officially named Silverlight 4 beta client for Facebook, the out-of-browser app enables users to access their Facebook accounts and view/upload photos, videos, make status updates, as well as check feeds, events and stay up to date with what friends are doing.
The Facebook client requires Silverlight 4 beta to be installed and is available via this page for both Windows and Mac OS X (Intel Macs only).
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Panasonic also readies trio of Core i5-520M-based laptops
In addition to the R9 model, which is equipped with the Core i7-620UM CPU, Panasonic plans to release three more Letأ¢آ€آ™s note series laptops powered by a new Intel processor, namely the 2.40 GHz Core i5-520M. The three portable PCs in question are the 12.1-inch S9/N9 and the 14.1-inch F9, all of them being pre-loaded with Windows 7 Professional and featuring, in addition to the Core i5-520M, 2GB of RAM, a 250GB HDD, integrated graphics, and أ¢آ€آکthe usualأ¢آ€آ™ أ¢آ€آ“ Gigabit Ethernet, WiFi, an SD card slot, and three USB 2.0 ports.
The F9 and S9 models boast a DVD burner while the N9 has to make it without an optical drive. In terms of battery life, the F9 can deliver up to 9 hours of operation, while the S9 and N9 top 14 hours. Expect all three machines to debut in Japan three weeks from now.
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Cooler Master GX series PSUs detailed and priced
Cooler Master has now officially introduced the GX series prower supplies which are aimed to be used in mi-range and high-end gaming systems. The new units deliver 550W, 650W and 750W of continuous power, are 80Plus certified (up to 85% efficiency), and have active PFC, a single 12V rail design, a MTBF (mean time before failure) of over 100,000 hours, and a 120mm fan for cooling.
The GX-550W, GX-650W and GX-750W PSUs are backed by a five-year warranty and are set to become available next month priced at 64.90, 74.90 and 89.90 Euro, respectively.
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