Asus 16GB Eee PC 900 now available

Similar to the recent announcement of the Eee PC 904, this has come with little excitement. However the Eee PC 900 is now available for pre-order online.

The Eee PC 900 features the 8.9-inch display, an Intel Celeron 900Mhz processor, 1GB of RAM and 16GB SSD. The 900 also includes the now standard Eee PC features which include a 1.3-megapixel webcam, built-in card reader and Wi-Fi.

The Eee PC 900 is available in black or white and offers the option to have either Linux or Windows XP installed. The Linux version is priced at $399 and the Windows XP version is $449.

Product [Excaliber PC] Via [jkkmobile]

Asus Eee PC to come with 3G capabilities

Asus Eee PC to come with 3G capabilities

Asustek has announced that later this year they would launch a new
variant of EEE PC which would feature inbuilt 3G support for fast
wireless internet on the move.

This device could be launched in the European market by September this year.

Elitegroup Computer Systems is one company which has already launched such a product: G10IL mini-netbook.

These 3G enabled laptops are likely to come bundled with packages so as to subsidize the cost of the hardware supplied.

This would be similar to how mobiles are sold in the market
currently. Asustek said that the prices of the models would depend upon
the service contracts.

Popularity: 1%

From : http://news.techwhack.com

SatGuide software with ONE INDIA Integrated Map

It assists you in planning your route and provides turn-by-turn, voice and visual guidance to your destination. Currently we are focusing on the Indian market and other geographies will be subsequently explored.

SatGuide is easier to use and uses fully featured, enhanced detail maps and suggests faster routes. The Navigation Software uses an award winning proprietary map compression technology which compresses the Map Data to an extent of 95%. This enables us to store and run these data on a Pocket PC memory.

From : http://www.itvoir.com

Forestals appointed Sony Ericsson agent

Forestals Entertainment Limited, a subsidiary of the Forestals
Group, has been appointed local agent for Sony Ericsson Mobile
Communications, a 50-50 joint venture of Sony Corporation and
Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson.

Established in October 2001, the company's mission is to create
attractive, innovative, global brand in the mobile handset industry.

A global provider of mobile multimedia devices, including
feature-rich phones, accessories and PC cards, Sony Ericsson's products
combine powerful technology with innovative applications for mobile
imaging, music, communications and entertainment.

"The net result is that Sony Ericsson is an enticing brand that
creates compelling business opportunities for mobile operators and
desirable, fun products for end users," Luke Tabone, director of
Forestals Entertainment Ltd, said.

The merged company brings together consumer electronics powerhouse
Sony Corporation with telecommunications leader Ericsson. Its first
joint products, offering universal appeal, were launched in March 2002
and are different in the key areas of imaging, music, design and
applications.

At Sony Ericsson, design is more than just about a good-looking
product; it is integrated into every step of the process - intelligent
features, user-friendly applications, innovative materials and, of
course, attractive visual appearance. Design is the essential
differentiator when comparing mobile communications products.

Fashion, market and consumer trends are continuously monitored,
along with product and technology trends, and they inspire, influence
and are reflected in all elements of their designs. The company has
launched products that make best use of the major mobile communications
technologies, such as the 2G and 3G platforms, while enhancing its
offerings to entry level markets.

Sony Ericsson strives to be a cutting edge provider of applications,
forging partnerships with developers and content providers. Strategic
agreements with partners, such as Sony BMG, is one way in which the
company is bringing the best and latest in entertainment content to its
users.

In the mobile gaming market Sony Ericsson took the lead in 2004,
being the first to launch Java 3D-enabled handsets, and is forging
ahead to bring 3D gaming to a wider audience.

Sony Ericsson undertakes product research, design and development,
manufacturing, marketing, sales, distribution and customer services.
Global management is based in London, and R&D is in Sweden, UK,
France, Netherlands, India, Japan, China and the US.

In the last calendar year of operations, Sony Ericsson grew market
share by around 2 percentage points to reach slightly over nine per
cent for 2007 compared to 2006 in an estimated global market of 1.1
billion units.

From : http://www.timesofmalta.com/

Nvidia warns on revenues; shares tumble 25 percent

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Graphics chipmaker Nvidia Corp (NVDA.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz)
warned on Wednesday that revenues and gross margin would miss analysts'
estimates due in part to weak demand, sending its shares down 25
percent.

It also cited delayed production of a new product and price cuts on some other chips due to a price war.

While Nvidia's warning, coming on the cusp of the quarterly earnings
season, could be seen as a harbinger of further earnings warnings, big
technology companies so far have not warned of the weak U.S. economy
leading to results that are worse than expected.

"Market weakness is going to be an issue, but I don't see any other
companies preannouncing their quarters that are on the PC side of
things," said Raymond James & Associates analyst Hans Mosesmann.

"AMD is not preannouncing, Intel didn't preannounce and Micron said
the PC market has looked good," Mosesmann said, referring to processor
makers Advanced Micro Devices Inc and Intel Corp, and memory chip maker
Micron Technology Inc. "A lot of what Nvidia is seeing is specific to
them."

The company expects second-quarter revenue in a range of $875
million to $950 million and said its gross margin would be lower than
its internal expectations.

Analysts currently expect Nvidia to have a second-quarter profit of
28 cents per share on revenue of $1.01 billion, according to Reuters
Estimates.

"The estimated decrease in revenue and gross margin is due to
several reasons: end-market weakness around the world, the delayed ramp
of a next generation MCP, and price adjustments of our GPU products to
respond to competitive products," the company said in a statement.

When the company reported first-quarter results it said it had no
reason to believe the current quarter would be "anything other than
seasonal," Chief Financial Officer Marvin Burkett said on a conference
call. Continued...

Nvidia falls on lower revenue, gross margin

SAN FRANCISCO (Menafn - MarketWatch) -- Shares of Nvidia Corp. plunged 25% in late trading Wednesday after the chip giant said it expects lower second-quarter revenue and gross margin as it reeled from weak demand and heightened competition.

The graphics chipmaker NVDA also said it expects to report a one-time charge from $150 million to $200 million because of a production glitch due to a weak die/packaging material set in some of its products in notebook systems.

Nvidia said it expects quarterly sales of $875 million to $950 million, lower than the company's previous forecast. The company said the changes in revenue and gross margin estimates were due to "end-market weakness around the world."

The company also blamed a delay in the ramp of its next generation media communications processor and pricing pressure "to respond to competitive products."

Nvidia did not elaborate. But analyst Roger Kay of Endpoint Technologies Associates said the company was obviously referring to Advanced Micro Devices AMD whose 2006 acquisition of ATI Technologies turned the semiconductor giant into a stronger competitor in the graphics chips arena.

AMD has struggled with the financial burden of the merger, but has recently rolled out new products in a bid to challenge Nvidia.

Kay said while Nvidia has stressed performance, ATI-based products emphasize price and efficiency.

"ATI said they were going to be very aggressive to make up for Nvidia's ability to claim the highest single part performance in the latest round of products," Kay said. "Nvidia went with a monolith while ATI chose a smaller footprint that emphasized energy efficiency."

Regarding the production glitch, Nvidia said it was due to a faulty material that has led to system failures "at higher than normal rates."

The company said it has "initiated discussions with its supply chain regarding this material set issue and the company will also seek to access insurance coverage for this matter.

In a statement, company CEO Jen-Hsun Huang said, "This has been a challenging experience for us. However, the lessons we've learned will help us build far more robust products in the future, and become a more valuable system design partner to our customers."

From : http://www.menafn.com/

Nvidia reports problem with laptop chips

Nvidia seems to be taking quite a beating today, with their stock
prices dipping some 25 percent after the company revealed a financial
forecast cut short due to slowing sales, product delays, pricing
pressure from AMD / ATI, and a hefty $150 - $200 million payout to
cover the expected cost of faulty chips.



Details are sketchy but Nvidia believes that the problem is caused
by the thermal design of some laptops and packaging material used on
the afflicted chips. So far there’s no word as to what product lines
are affected, with them only saying that the problem involves
‘significant quantities’ of its previous-generation laptop GPUs and
media control processors (MCPs).



To tackle the problem, Nvidia is releasing a driver update that
will cause system fans to start operating sooner to reduce the thermal
stress on the chips – of course it would also adversely affect battery
life. The timing for Nvidia is terrible with AMD / ATI apparently on a
roll, and could mean an opening for the latter to gain further ground
in the graphics chip business. Time will tell.

From : http://www.techspot.com/