Samsung’s External DVD Writer Family Posts Strong Sales due to Netbook Sales Boom

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a worldwide leader in digital consumer electronics and information technology, reported record sales for its slim external WriteMasterTM DVD writers amid a global economic recession. The monthly sales volume of slim external DVD writers, which has tripled from last October, is linked to the rise in netbook sales.

“The netbook is a streamlined economical PC with limited storage capability, designed for mobility and Internet access,” said Madhav Narayan, General Manager of IT division at Samsung Gulf Electronics. “Netbook consumers often need an external disk drive, such as a Samsung external DVD writer, for disc booting and installation of application software from CDs or DVDs. “

Samsung has two different types of slim external DVD writers: the SE-T084, which is a slot-in DVD writer and the SE-S084, a tray-type DVD writer.

The SE-T084 slot-in writer series adopts a single interconnect cable for both data transmission and power supply through a single USB port. The slim DVD writer weighs less than one pound (0.4kg), making it easy to carry as a portable device. The SE-S084 DVD writer features a sleek glossy surface design and is available in wide range of colors (black, white, silver, blue, red, sky-blue, and pink) to match the various netbook and notebook PC colors.

Samsung’s SE-T084 DVD writer features TruDirect TM, which allows consumers to create DVDs and burn digital content through a PC without the need for data to be stored on the hard drive. Compared to using a hard disk drive as an intermediary step to transfer data to DVD writers, the TruDirect SE-T084M dramatically decreases the time it takes to create DVDs, eliminating pre-mastering, multiplexing or hard-disk buffering. The DVD writer also supports LightScribe, a direct disc labeling function.

Samsung’s family of WriteMaster external DVD writers boasts many performance-enhancing features; including SAT (Speed Adjustment Technology); TAC (Tilt Actuator Compensation) and Double OPC (Optimum Power Control). In addition, Buffer Under Run Free Technology supports stable writing under high speed, and Magic Speed and ABS (Automatic Ball Balancing System) technologies reduce vibration and noise.

LG’s New Scarlet Home Theatre Delivers Perfect Sound to Your Living Room

LG Electronics, a major player in the global flat panel display and audio-video devices market, announced the worldwide launch of the New Scarlet Home Theatre, HT964TZ with superb sound performance. The New Scarlet Home Theatre is the first system to incorporate seven distinct sound modes including “Night Mode” and “Game Equalizer”. These settings, available through the LG Sound Gallery, offer the right sound for the right time.

“In creating the LG New Scarlet Home Theatre, we focused on delivering ideal sound quality for all occasions,” said Mr. H. S. Paik, President LG Electronics Gulf FZE. “We wanted customers to be fully immersed in their music, movies and other forms of entertainment content. When listening to music, they should feel as if they are actually in the concert hall and when watching movies the enhanced sound effects should give viewers the impression they are actually there. With the HT964TZ, we are bringing the full cinema experience into the living room.”

LG’s leadership in audio products is clearly demonstrated with the New Scarlet Home Theatre’s superb sound performance. The system’s Digital Sound Processor uses professional-quality circuitry to create a truly authentic audio experience. This allows the system to achieve more realistic sound that covers a broader range. LG went a step further, moving the subwoofers from the sides of the speakers to the front to deliver deeper, natural bass with a faster delivery rate. Topping it all off, the New Scarlet Home Theatre was specially tuned by Mr. Mark Levinson, the guru of high-end audio who has been designing high-end audio equipment for discerning listeners for 35 years.

The New Scarlet Home Theatre is not only pleasing to the ears, but also to the eyes. It is a work of art in the living room boasting a sleek and minimal look that fits perfectly into its environment. LG’s exclusive wine glass-shaped speakers glow in a gradient of dark red, adding an emotional touch to any décor and sharp corners have been rounded and smoothed on the central oval speaker providing needed depth to carry sound over a broader area. LG gave the back of this speaker a soft curve to minimize sound distortion, thus providing richer resonance. The system’s premium, high-gloss, black façade lends an air of luxury to the New Scarlet Home Theatre. These elements complement the design of most any living room.

The New Scarlet Home Theatre’s rich sound and sophisticated styling are matched only by its abundance of features. The LG Sound Gallery with a built-in professional Digital Sound Processor ensures that sound is always ideal, enhancing clarity in dialogue and creating a multi-channel surround effect. Sound Gallery provides a range of settings for entertainment choices ranging from movies to games to music.

The New Scarlet Home Theatre is just as capable in video as in audio, effortlessly delivering exceptional Full HD 1080p picture quality all the time. It supports 1080p Full HD through HDMI up-scaling, allowing standard definition DVD and HD movies to be displayed with more than six times the clarity and precision of standard definition video.

The New Scarlet Home Theatre includes HDMI input and output, ideal for connecting to any device from game consoles to IPTV set top boxes. What’s more, these external devices are just a single click away with LG’s convenient SIMPLINK, which allows all connected devices to be easily operated using a single remote control. An iPod cradle allows for easy access to digital music collections, making the system the first DVD home theater system in the industry to provide iPhone compatibility. Audiophiles can enjoy music from all kinds of devices including MP3 players, cell phones and laptop PCs by utilizing the “portable audio in” feature found on the New Scarlet Home Theatre. In addition, the systems USB Direct Recording function is able to instantly convert any kind of audio data into MP3 files and save them to USB flash memory for a home theater experience that gives new meaning to the term “convenient entertainment”.

The LG New Scarlet Home Theatre is now available across the UAE retailing at AED 1849.

Belkin Launches First Range of Cases for the New iPhone 4G

Following extensive research into the iPhone user’s lifestyle and the very latest trends in design and colours for the summer, Belkin has today launched its range of stunning accessories for the brand new iPhone, just announced by Apple.

With the iPhone market set to expand further, Belkin is committed to developing the best range of accessories to suit the iPhone user’s requirements for stylish and practical accessories which provide the upmost protection and functionality for the new iPhone. Belkin’s speed to market with its latest range will give consumers the opportunity to enjoy the newest accessories, as soon as they get their hands in the new iPhone.

The new range includes elegantly designed leather cases that provide superb stylish protection for the iPhone to sleek silicon cases that focus on protection, design, and grip for when you’re on the move. For fitness fanatics, the new sport armband provides comfortable, safe protection for the iPhone while you work out.

To see the full range of new cases visit http://www.belkin.com/ipod/

Creative EP-430 Earphones

We take a quick look at Creative’s latest EP-430 set of earphones with an In-ear design to block out external noises. That’s the reason why Creative tags them as “Noise-Isolating” earphones. Packaged in a small box with a cut through in the middle to allow you to see the product, the EP-430 is available in a choice of six colors. Following is a list of sepcifications as put forth by Creative.

Driver Units: 10mm Neodymium magnet
Frequency Response: 10Hz ~ 22kHz
Impedance: 16ohms
Sensitivity (1kHz): 103dB/mW
Cord Length: 1.2m Oxygen-Free Copper cable
Net Weight: 11g (without packaging)

I chose the blue one, but you have the option of red, grey, yellow pink and black. Inside the package, you find the earphones along with two additional sets of silicone tips to fit different ear types. The standard ones felt a little big for my odd shaped ears and thus I replaced them with the smaller sized ones. Replacing the tips is quite easy- you just have to wiggle them a bit until they fit nicely. From my limited use, they didn’t seem like they’d come off easily which is a good thing.

The Silicon tips are comfortable but I prefer a larger design that clips around your ear- a bit like Creative’s Bluetooth powered SE2300. The cord, white in color (hmmm…) is 1.2m long and has an iPod/iPhone compatible 3.5mm connector at the other end. There isnt any sign of cable management but then again, these earphones are priced more towards the budget end than the high-end.

I tested three songs with these earphones plugged into my iPhone as well as my notebook- In The End by Linkin Park, The Scientist by Coldplay and Irreplaceable by Beyonce. Between these three songs, I feel that you can test a variety of music such as heavy, vocals, pop and easy going. The EP-430 sounded OK in all three- definitely better than a budget set. The treble levels felt a bit understated using these earphones so if you prefer less treble than you might really like them. the noise isolation was like any reasonable set of in-ear earphones blocking a decent level of environmental noise.

Priced at AED 69 (US$20), the EP-430 are good for someone who doesnt want to spend much but wants a better sound quality than a no-name brand. It wont find room in an audiophile’s collection but Creative ever intended it to.

OCZ Technology Introduces the Agility Series 2.5” Solid State Drives

OCZ Technology Group, Inc., a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability memory and computer components, today released the OCZ Agility SATA II 2.5” Solid State Drive (SSD) Series, an affordable offering for mainstream notebook and desktop users demanding the latest technology in this fast-developing sector of the storage market. OCZ continues to place solid state technology within reach of the average consumer, and delivers on the promise of SSDs as an alternative to traditional hard drives in consumer targeted mobile and desktop applications. The Agility Series will join the lineup as the latest solution for mainstream users including professionals, students, gamers, and enthusiasts on a budget.

“The new Agility Series of SSDs are the latest addition to the OCZ lineup of solid state drives and are designed for cost-conscious consumers seeking the performance and reliability benefits of SSDs at an aggressive price,” commented Ryan Edwards, Director of Product Management at the OCZ Technology Group. “The new Agility Series drives make use of cache to deliver better performance over a wide range of functions and applications, all at a price point that makes sense for everyday users.”

Featuring the latest controller design, exceptional speed, and onboard cache, the OCZ Agility Series delivers the performance and reliability of SSDs at less cost per gigabyte than other high speed offerings currently on the market. The Agility Series is the result of all the latest breakthroughs in SSD technology, including an efficient controller design, speedy 230MB/sec read and 135MB/sec write speeds, along with 64MB of cache.

Perfect for both notebooks and desktops with its compact form factor, the Agility Series is ideal for energy-efficient mobile computing to extend battery life, decrease data access time, and provide a durable alternative to conventional hard disc drives with superior shock resistance. High capacities and low power consuming NAND flash technology provide the necessary performance and battery life boosts generated by the proliferation of mobile gaming and new ultra-portable laptops and netbooks. With fast access and seek times combined with excellent reliability, the OCZ Agility Series SSDs are the answer for consumers demanding this latest storage technology in capacities ranging from 30GB to 120GB.

The OCZ Agility drives feature a durable yet lightweight alloy housing, and because OCZ SSDs have no moving parts, the drives are more rugged than traditional hard drives. Designed for ultimate reliability, Agility Series SSDs have an excellent 1.5 million hour mean time before failure (MTBF) ensuring peace of mind over the long term. All OCZ SSD drives come backed a two year warranty and OCZ’s legendary service and support

WD unveils world’s first 4TB Dual-Drive storage system

Western Digital the world’s leader in external storage solutions, today introduced its new 4 terabyte capacity My Book® Studio Edition™ II dual-drive storage systems, which are designed to seamlessly work with Mac® computers and provide an ideal blend of high performance and power conservation . The new My Book Studio Edition II dual-drive storage systems are available now at select retailers and the WD online store (www.shopwd.com).

“The new My Book Studio Edition II is the best choice for creative professionals who require massive capacity and extra-fast performance,” Khwaja Saifuddin, Sales Director, Western Digital, Middle East & Africa. “With 4 terabytes of capacity, photographers, graphic artists, videographers, and home video enthusiasts alike will have the space they need to store hours of high definition videos as well as the performance they need for demanding video editing applications.”

Compatible with Apple® Time Machine™ automatic backup feature and formatted for Mac computers, the new 4 TB My Book Studio Edition II external storage system’s dual-drive RAID 0 configuration and high-speed interfaces deliver high performance for creative professionals, workgroups, small offices and anyone looking for fast data transfer. The system offers four interfaces: eSATA and FireWire® 800 for maximum performance as well as FireWire® 400 and USB 2.0 for maximum flexibility. The eco-friendly system uses WD’s hard drives with WD GreenPower Technology™ for power savings and cool and quiet operation.

“Whether in the studio, at home, or on the road, I backup all my photographs and files on WD drives,” says Peter Read Miller, a staff photographer at Sports Illustrated magazine. “I use the My Book Studio II drive and WD ShareSpace network drive at home and in the studio and always have at least one My Passport® portable drive when I’m on the road. The bottom line is they’re safe, fast and reliable. In my business I need to rely on products that will protect my livelihood. WD’s line of products perform that task exceptionally well,” Miller added.

Extra-fast Performance with RAID 0
Lightning-fast eSATA or FireWire 800 interfaces combined with RAID 0 (Striped) yields the speed users’ need for: fast, smooth video editing; rendering complex 3D objects or special effects; and saving huge blocks of data in record time. With RAID 0, users can have 4 TB of storage in an elegant, small footprint design that offers plenty of room to store an entire digital photo library and hundreds of hours of HD movies or digital video (results will vary based on file size and format, settings, features, software and other factors).

Features
- Formatted for Mac computers, these new storage systems feature:
- Massive 4 terabyte capacity;
- Extra-fast performance with four interfaces (FireWire 400/800, eSATA, USB 2.0);
- Cool, eco-friendly operation with WD’s drives with WD GreenPower Technology that consume approximately one-third less power than standard dual-drive external storage systems and efficient convection cooling architecture and power-saving mode and designed without a fan to run quietly;
- Quad interface with connections for ultra-fast eSATA and FireWire 800 and for flexibility and convenience FireWire 400 and USB 2.0;
- Automatic and continuous backup software;
- User serviceability, enabling owner to open the enclosure and replace the drive inside;
- Capacity gauge to see at a glance how much space is available on the system; and,
- 5-year limited warranty

Pricing and Availability
My Book Studio Edition II dual-drive storage systems are available now at select retailers and WD’s online store (www.shopwd.com). MSRP for My Book Studio Edition II with 4 TB is $649.99 USD.

My comments on Apple’s WWDC

Last night Apple kicked off their annual WWDC (World Wide developer Conference) with a keynote from Mr. Phil Schiller, the acting head honcho at Apple until Mr. Jobs comes back from his health leave- hopefully at the end of this month. Read more

HP Unveils Latest Designs in Consumer Desktops and Displays

HP Middle East has introduced a package of consumer desktop PCs and displays, all of which combine sleek style and sophisticated looks, with powerful and innovative features. The line-up comprises two new desktop PCs that blend a timeless classic design with powerful performance, as well as a package of six consumer displays that range from value-based to premium edition options.

With their deep glossy piano black finish and touch of chrome, the HP Pavilion p6000 and Compaq Presario CQ5000 ooze a level of class and elegance that is certain to make them a stylish edition to any home. Each desktop delivers a multitude of features that include powerful processors, high-capacity hard drives, the latest security measures, extensive connectivity options and great quality digital sound. Both feature Microsoft Windows Vista® Home Premium or Microsoft Windows Vista® Home Basic for all-round premier performance, reliability and security.
HP Pavilion p6000 Series Desktop PC

With a clean, elegant aesthetic that is sure to delight style-conscious consumers, the HP Pavilion p6000 delivers a classic look and feel with feature-packed attributes that ensure impressive performance and outstanding digital entertainment.
Whether it’s burning music and videos, saving photos or playing DVDs, the HP Pavilion P6000 makes digital content and personal entertainment simple and fun. Key features include a SuperMulti DVD burner, 15-in-1 digital media reader and an optional bay for an HP Pocket Media Drive (sold separately).

In addition, powerful Intel processor, advanced ATI/NVIDIA graphics, HP MediaSmart software and front and rear connectors provide all the power and performance needed for simple, worry-free computing. Meanwhile, integrated Wi-Fi makes connectivity to the Internet or home network easy and convenient.

Pricing and availability: the HP Pavilion p6000 Series Desktop PC is available from May 2009 at a recommended street price starting at 2099 AED.

Compaq CQ5000 Series Desktop PC
The practical Compaq CQ5000 Desktop PC embraces a classic design and elegance that will satisfy those requiring sleekness and style, while its excellent affordability and ease-of-use will appeal to students and families making their first-time PC purchase.

The Compaq CQ5000 also enables essential functionality and operation, thanks to a connections panel that includes a built-in optical drive, two USB ports and a 6-in-1 digital media reader. This is conveniently located on the front of the PC, making all peripherals easy to access.

Pricing and availability: the Compaq CQ5000 Desktop PC is available from May 2009 at a recommended street price starting at 1699 AED.

HP Premium Line Consumer Displays: HP 2309m and HP 2159m
Offering a 23-inch and 21-inch widescreen display, respectively, the new HP 2309m and HP 2159m monitors provide the most meaningful technology for demanding consumers seeking the ultimate in full high-definition viewing. With their 16:9 aspect ratio display, the HP 2309m and HP 2159m optimise a full HD experience in the most ideal format for watching multimedia content. Photos and videos are displayed faithfully, with zero distortion, thanks to the removal of the black ‘letterbox’ bars. This ensures that the integrity of the original content remains, pixel for pixel.

These high-end monitors both incorporate a seamless, slim design that matches the classic style and elegance of HP’s new desktop solutions. Users are assured superior screen clarity, thanks to HP’s exclusive BrightView Technology, which improves the display’s contrast and crispness so colours are brighter and images more lifelike. At the same time, HP Power Sound ensures equally powerful audio enjoyment.

For the complete visual experience, the HP 2309m and 2159m also feature advanced digital connectivity, rapid response times, superior dynamic contrast ratio and HP Quick View modes for movies, photos and games.
In addition, an HP Helium stand provides users with an advanced and intelligent design of the monitor stand. In particular, the HP Helium stand offers a simple yet ingenious means for optimising cable management. Further benefits are afforded by a tilt and swivel mechanism which enables users to adjust viewing angles for improved comfort, privacy or sharing – without sacrificing picture quality. Both the HP 2309m and 2159m offer enhanced connectivity options thanks to VGA (mini D-sub) DVI-D & HDMI (HDCP) connections and included DVI cable.

The new HP 2309m and HP 2159m follow HP’s recently announced 24-inch w2448hc and 25.5-inch w2558h high-performance Vivid Colour widescreen displays. Featuring 1920 x 1200 pixel resolution, both the HP w2448hc and HP w2558h boast many of the same attributes as HP’s latest Premium Line additions, as well as offering additional features that include integrated webcam and multiple USB ports. The HP w2558h also incorporates a built-in 15-in-1 digital media card reader which enables users to watch slide shows and videos when the PC is off, while doubling as a PC Card reader when the PC is on.

HP Essential Line Consumer Displays: HP 2309v, HP 2159v and HP 2009v
HP’s new Essential Line monitors encompass three new options, each of which boast stunning design features and powerful technology to ensure a worthy compliment to HP’s consumer desktop PCs.

These new mid-range monitors comprise the 23-inch HP 2309v, the 21.5-inch HP 2159v, and the 20-inch HP 2009v, all of which boast a 16:9 antiglare widescreen display featuring 300 nits brightness and 1000:1 contrast. Users benefit from HP Quick View modes for movies, photos and games, as well as HP Power Sound for powerful, all-round, visual/audio enjoyment. Additional highlights of HP’s Essential Line include five minutes on/off response time and My Display software. As with HP’s Premium Line Displays, the three new Essential Line solutions incorporate the HP Helium stand for reduced clutter and effective cable management, as well as the innovative tilt and swivel mechanism for more versatile viewing options. Each of HP’s new Essential Line monitors includes VGA (mini D-sub) connection and VGA cable.

Compaq Q2159 Value Line Consumer Display
Optimised for entry-level users, the 21.5-inch Q2159 consumer display delivers the essential attributes for those seeking basic features with a cool looking design. As HP’s new value-based monitor, the Q2159 offers simplicity and affordability, while boasting a 16:9 antiglare widescreen display featuring 300 nits brightness and 1000:1 contrast. Additional benefits for users include five minutes on/off response time, 2×1 watt Integrated front facing speakers and convenient tilt mechanism. The Q2159 also includes VGA (mini D-sub) connection and VGA cable

Kingston Technology Launches Cost Effective and Easy to Install SSD Upgrade Kits

 

Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the independent world leader in memory products, launched today an all-in-one, and easy to install  SSDNow V “value” Series solid-state drive (SSD) solution, targeted specifically to  everyday users and small and medium businesses (SMBs). The Kingston® SSDNow V Series kits, available in 128GB and 64GB capacities, offer instant performance gains and power consumption reductions on existing desktops and notebooks at a fraction of the cost of a new system.

“We are trying to garner mass-market adoption of SSDs by bundling together all of the software, hardware and step-by-step instructions in a couple of low-cost options aimed squarely at everyday users” said Antoine Harb, Business Development Manager for Kingston Technology in the Middle East.  “The V Series upgrade kits are a perfect complement to our existing line of SSDNow products that target enterprise customers and power users.”

Kingston’s SSDNow V Series upgrade kits are the easiest, most efficient upgrade path to inject new life and performance into one’s existing desktop PC. There is no need to reload the operating system or do anything that would alter critical data files. The included cloning software and step-by-step instructions make it simple to move the contents of one’s existing hard-disk drive (HDD) to the SSDNow. Once cloned, the OS and applications reside on the SSDNow while the HDD serves as storage for data such as music, videos, files and photos.

Notebook users will also experience the benefits of higher performance on everyday functions as well as less heat generation, and ruggedness as the SSDNow contains no moving parts. The notebook upgrade kit comes with an external enclosure, which lets users retain their original hard drive and allow for additional external storage.

Based on an internal suite of benchmark tests, users can expect to see an overall drive improvement of approximately 50% over existing regular desktops and notebooks hard-disk drives*.

The SSDNow V Series upgrade all-in-one kits include:

• Kingston SSDNow V Series solid-state drive

• Acronis® True Image cloning software and CD installation guide

• 3.5″ mounting brackets and hardware (desktop kit only)

• SATA data and power cable extenders (desktop kit only)

• 2.5″ USB SATA external enclosure (notebook kit only)

During COMPUTEX TAIPEI 2009, Kingston will demonstrate the V Series as well as other products on June 5, 2009, from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., local time, at Brown Sugar Jazz Club. The address is: No. 101, Sungren Road., Shinyi District, Taipei City, 106 Taiwan.

The SSDNow V Series kits are  backed by a three-year warranty, 24/7 tech support and legendary Kingston reliability. It is available via ramped regional rollout to selected channels worldwide. For more information visit www.kingston.com/europe

 

• Kingston SSDNow V Series  images available on flickr!

 

Kingston SSDNow V Series Features and Specifications:

• Fast: up to 100MB/sec. read**

• Performance: enhances productivity; makes users more efficient

• Form Factor: 2.5″; uses NAND Flash memory components

• Silent: runs silent and cool with no moving mechanical parts

• Reliable: less likely to fail than a standard hard drive

• Shock Resistant: no moving parts so the SSD handles rougher conditions than a hard drive

• Supports S.M.A.R.T.: Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology

• Guaranteed: backed by a three-year Kingston warranty, 24/7 tech support

• Capacity**: 64GB, 128GB

• Storage temperatures: -40° C to 85° C

• Operating temperatures: 0° C to 70° C

• Vibration operating: 2.17 G (7–800Hz)

• Vibration non-operating: 20 G (20–2000Hz)

• Power specs: 128GB Active: 2.5W (TYP); Sleep: 0.45W (TYP)

64GB Active: 2.0W (TYP); Sleep: 0.45W (TYP)

• Life expectancy: 1 million hours MTBF

 

Interview with ECS’ David Chien

During Computex, I had a chance to sit down with Mr. David Chien, the Director of BU5 at ECS for a few minutes. In a candid interview, he described ECS’ position as much better than most of his competitors (ASUS, MSI etc.) at the moment. He backed his claim by asking us to look at the excessive inventory these companies currently have at hand. ECS, he said, had predicted the dip in sales and thus started cutting manufacturing from Q2 of last year.

When we asked about the new products from ECS, he said that they will be focusing more on their Black series, which is their higher-end solution. It started with motherboards for AMD and Intel CPUs but has now progressed to VGA cards as well. As we saw at Computex, ECS indeed had quite a few “Black” series graphics cards which they stated would be overclocked about 15% out of the box.

Besides the Black series, he said that we will also see stylish PCs from ECS targeted towards Younger generation as well as All-in-One systems. The Urn looking PC that I saw at Computex certainly proved his point- it was a PC unlike anything I had seen before and I recommend you check out this video. He also said that 1Litre small form factor PCs are getting popular- taking over their previous 3Litre design.

On the Notebook side, he said that ECS will continue focusing on OEM/ODM instead of bringing products under their own name. He mentioned Intel’s Classmate PC which was manufactured by ECS. I asked him about the Android based Smartbook I saw at their stand. He said that was a work-in-progress model at the moment and if ever materialized, will probably be an OEM product for someone else. Another market he said that ECS is into is CKD or Component Kit Development where ECS provides all the parts for the end product but the product is actually assembled by the buyer. He said this type of arrangement was popular in South America.

We asked him if ECS would focus more on their own brand compared to being an OEM/ODM. He replied that at the moment ECS doesn’t have the resources to split between an OEM business as well as a brand name. He said that his company is quite happy where it currently is. Besides, their core business is still components and unlike other manufacturers like MSI, Gigabyte and ASUS that are shifting their focus on Netbooks, ECS will continue to focus on its core business.

He said the components market will remain ECS’ area on interest until Intel makes the switch to chips based systems. He predicts that will start happening next year- Intel will start promoting systems more than components such as CPUs and chipsets. He said that this will lead to all new kinds of system designs that will be more art than science.

He also spoke about Intel not being very happy with the Atom which I found a bit surprising. He said that the low cost of Atom dropped the profit margin for Intel and thus we won’t see the Atom being advertised as much in the current months. Instead, he said, that CULV will be the main focus for Intel where their profit margins remain healthier. Considering the recent launch of ASUS U series and MSI’s X series, I think he is spot on. However, when I mentioned that Atom has become too popular to just disappear, he said that you’ll only see Atom based netbooks if Intel provides manufacturers with CPU.

But then what about other competitors I asked- that will be more than happy to fill the void left by Atom? He said is the reason they’re looking into OMAP based products such as the Atom Smartbook we saw. He mentioned that AMD has had a CULV processor for quite some time as well and that’s what they should focus on. He agreed with me that AMD needs to improve battery life to be competitive with Intel on these small and light notebooks. With regards to VIA, he said VIA has no chance at all with their older die with expensive costs. He also suggests that nVidia should give up their chipset business in the future, again citing die costs. He feels that nVidia should focus more on their core product- the GPU.

Some pretty strong words to end the interview with. But then again, they come from a company that is amongst the biggest manufacturers of computer products so one shouldn’t take them lightly. I would like to thank Mr. David Chien for his time and wish ECS the best of luck.

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