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NewsIBM Partners with NEC for 32nm Chip Development

Posted 09/12/08 at 05:23:59 PM by Paul Lilly

NEC said yesterday it would join IBM and six other semiconductor companies who are focused on developing new methods of manufacturing 32nm processors. The other six include Charted Semiconductor, Freescale, Infineon Technologies, Samsung, STMicroelectronics, and Toshiba, with the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering at the University of Albany in New York also contributing.

The IBM-assembled alliance is attempting to create chips that use standard, bulk CMOS (complimentary metal oxide semiconductor) technology in the manufacturing process. Benefits of going this route include a 35 percent increase in performance over 45nm parts, while also cutting power consumption in half. The double-whammy would prove particularly attractive for mobile computing.

For its part, Intel is also working on a 32nm design. Chips built on the shrunken process are expected to debut in mid-2009. No date has been set for when IBM and its collaboration of companies will bring 32nm processors to market.

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TAGS: cpu, processor, ibm, nec, hardware, 32nm

NewsNEC Announces New Wireless USB Host Controller

Posted 08/21/08 at 10:42:06 AM by Paul Lilly

With the emergence of eSATA combined with Firewire still sticking around, competition remains stiff for USB to stay on top of its game. Helping it do that, NEC this week expanded its wireless USB devices lineup with the introduction of the uPD720171 wireless USB host controller. The new controller ups the ante over NEC's previous model with higher throughput and higher performance.

"As the consumer appetite for wireless connectivity increases, the industry is requiring reliable, standardized interface solutions that can transmit data at speeds equivalent to wired USB connections," said Yoshiyuki Tomoda, Group Manager, SoC Systems Division, NEC. "By providing these performance levels, our new uPD720171 host controller is helping bring the industry closer to mainstream adoption of advanced wireless technologies."

NEC claims the new host controller supports data transfer rates of up to 480 Mbps within a maximum range of three meters, along with up to 32 connections to physical wireless USB compliant devices. Pricing and availability are yet to be determined.

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TAGS: mobile, wireless, usb, WiFi, nec, host controller

ReviewsNEC 24WMCX

Posted 08/06/08 at 09:00:58 AM by David Murphy

It’s a shame to test an LCD monitor that’s able to create sharp whites and rich blacks, only to watch it struggle to display common color gradients. And it’s downright frustrating given our benchmarking process. We first test a display’s ability to produce detail in blacks and whites. And in that race, NEC’s 24WMCX finishes toward the front—a noteworthy start.

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TAGS: lcd, monitor, display, flat panel, nec, hardware

NewsNEC's New Plasma Display Identifies Consumers

Posted 07/22/08 at 03:13:31 PM by Paul Lilly

Ever get that eerie feeling you're being watched? Forget what your therapist told you, you have every right to be paranoid. NEC Corp. has just developed a new 50-inch plasma display that not only likes being watched, but watches back. On top of the display sits a tiny camera capable of identifying a person's age and sex, and it can perform the same trick with a group of viewers. Armed with that information, the display can then target advertisements based on the predominate demographic. For example, if most of the viewers are determined to be senior citizens, it might show an ad for the Jitterbug instead of Apple's iPhone.

"Changing advertising products in accordance with the viewer would bring advertising closer to the purchaser," said Hiroshi Takahashi at NEC's solution business promotion division.

And he's right, but is that a good thing? Imagine stopping near a billboard with your longtime girlfriend and as you bend down on one knee to propose, the display starts belting out a "Viva Viagra!" jingle. Or Herpex. Interested parties need only hold their cell phone over a special device and the display will feed them a URL, coupons, and any other pertinent information, but depending on what's being advertised, you may want to wait until your girlfriend's not looking.

The 50-inch display will make an appearance later this summer at an annual festival in Tokyo run by Fuji Television network and be presented as an entertainment device. Visitors will know they're being watched, but will they like it?

Comments: 5
TAGS: tv, display, nec, hardware, consumer electronics, plasma

NewsPhoenix's OS-independent Hyperspace Security Firmware to Debut on NEC Notebooks

Posted 07/17/08 at 06:01:44 PM by Pulkit Chandna

Phoenix Technologies has announced that its Hyperspace firmware will serve as the inviolable bulwark of NEC laptops. Hyperspace is a Linux-based firmware which ensures that indispensable applications like anti-virus and firewall keep on running even if the main OS is dysfunctional. The firmware works in conjunction with Phoneix’s hypervisor called HyperCore.

The Hyperspace firmware is also capable of running other apps ala Asus’ Splashtop instant-on OS but the version running on NEC notebooks will only support core security apps.The introduction of Hyperspace on NEC’s notebooks will guarantee enhanced levels of security to its customers as the core security apps will be immune to even the most sophisticated malware attacks.

Comments: 2
TAGS: Software, linux, nec, notebooks, hypervisor, phoenix, hyperspace, hypercore, instant-on

NewsFour Companies Fined for Selling Fake NEC Keyboards

Posted 07/03/08 at 04:11:51 PM by Paul Lilly

Forget about buying fake Guccis and knockoff Louis Vuittons, and take a look at your keyboard instead. Are you sure it's genuine? It most likely is, as the effort and risk would surely outweigh the rewards in trying to sell a fake high-end keyboard, and lower end boards would hardly make the illegal venture worthwhile. Nevertheless, four Chinese companies apparently thought it made good business sense to make and sell counterfeit NEC keyboards, a move which has earned them a court ordered fine of CNY1.15 million. In U.S. dollars, that only equates to roughly $167,000, which only serves to highlight the bad business decision. It's believed the four counterfeiters profited at least CNY1 million in the venture, or about $36,000 USD after a four way split.

While NEC keyboards may seem like a quirky target, counterfeit computer goods can add up. In a joint operation earlier this year, officials from the US and European Union seized over 360,000 computer components worth a whopping $1.3 billion over a two week period. Some of the over forty different trademarked brands included Intel, Cisco, and Phillips.

Have you ever been bamboozled by fake goods, PC or otherwise? Post your experience(s) below.

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TAGS: keyboard, Peripherals, legal, nec, hardware, court, build a pc

ReviewsNEC MultiSync LCD2470WNX

Posted 09/24/07 at 12:11:00 PM by Katherine Stevenson

NEC’s LCD2470WNX doesn’t offer quite as many input options as Gateway’s LCD, but it splits the difference between that monitor and the DoubleSight, with VGA, DVI, and four USB 2.0 ports. Like the other LCDs reviewed here, it provides the full range of ergo options—height, tilt, swivel, and rotate. The OSD, for its part, is fairly simple to navigate and includes the same variety of options whether you’re using the digital or analog interface. What’s more, it doesn’t squawk at you.

Click Read More for more.