Items tagged with VIA
Mozilla's efforts to flesh out and promote its Firefox OS for new mobile devices got a shot in the arm today with VIA announcing an official partnership with the browser and operating system maker. VIA says it will help support and develop Firefox OS for new device form factors, and the company's also providing incentive for coders to patch up existing bugs on its own devices. Now that Firefox OS is running on APC's low-cost Paper and Rock boards with buildable source codes available to developers on GitHub, VIA says it will give away free APCs to anyone who fixes a known issue, a list of which is posted on GitHub. APC Rock ($79) is a complete redesign of the the original APC 8750 designed to...
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How low can you go? ASUS has announced the MeMO Pad, a 7-inch (1024x600) multi-touch tablet sporting a 1GHz VIA WM8950 CPU with a Mali 400 GPU and running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. And it costs just $149. An iPad killer it’s not, but ASUS has plenty of other tablets designed to compete toe-to-toe with the king of tablets. Instead, the ASUS MeMO Pad is designed for lightweight users who just want a device for Web browsing, online shopping, streaming, and social networking. Said ASUS in a press release, “Our focus for this device is on delivering excellent performance per watt and a smooth and fluid user experience at an extremely affordable price, NOT on winning benchmarks.” The...
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VIA, evidently a believer in the philosophy that big things come in small packages, announced what it claims is the world's first quad-core pico-ITX board with 3D display capabilities. It's the VIA EPIA-P910, a pint-sized slice of silicon featuring the latest VIA VX11H MSP in combination with a VIA QuadCore E-Series processor. "The VIA EPIA-P910 features the most advanced technology from VIA with the latest VIA VX11H MSP and VIA QuadCore E-Series processor," said Epan Wu Head of the VIA Embedded Platform Division, VIA Technologies, Inc. "It provides superior computing performance and the richest display capabilities allowing embedded system designers to innovate for immersive embedded environments."...
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The vibe Silicon Valley must be getting from the masses is that low cost, pint-sized PCs are the wave of the future, hence why we're seeing so many of them recently. The most popular of the bunch right now is the Raspberry Pi PC, but lo and behold, VIA is jumping in the ring with a $49 APC Android PC. "APC brings the familiarity and convenience of Android to the PC at a US$49 price point that will open up exciting new markets and applications," said Richard Brown, VP of Marketing, VIA Technologies, Inc. "Like a bicycle for your mind, APC will enable more people than ever before to explore the vast online universe." The system consists of a Neo-ITX motherboard that can hooked up to a TV or PC...
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The machine shown here may not look nearly as good as the latest Digital Storm PC or Alienware laptop, but that's not the point. The point is to put a lot of power into a portable package, and make it sip power in a way that monster towers can only dream of doing. VIA knows a thing or two about efficiency, with the new VIA AMOS-3002 being revealed and designed around the VIA EPIA-P900 Pico-ITX board. Within, there's a 1GHz VIA Eden X2 dual-core CPU, a VX900H media system processor (MSP) on the VIA EPIA-P900 board, fully HD-capable graphics engine, support for a variety of codecs (MPEG-2, WMV9 and H.264) and native HDMI support. The VIA AMOS-3002 has a certified operating temperature of -20 to...
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Small chips can mean big things, you know? VIA's one of the kings of small chips, and the company is this week introducing their COMe-8X90 module, featuring a 1.2GHz VIA Nano X2 E-Series dual core processor and the VIA VX900H media system processor (MSP). The ruggedized VIA COMe-8X90 module targets industrial PC and large OEM customers focused on dynamic application segments, including medical, advanced gaming, industrial automation and digital signage. In other words, it's mostly an enterprise thing, but 1.2GHz goes a long way these days for individuals interested in carputers and the like. Measuring 95mm x 125mm, COM Express is an industry standard embedded form factor developed and maintained...
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Look, not everyone needs a sizable motherboard with eighteen PCI slots. And for those in that camp, there's VIA. The company has just launched he world's first quad core Mini-ITX boards featuring the latest VIA QuadCore E-Series processor. The VIA EPIA-M900 and VIA EPIA-M910 are the first two Mini-ITX boards to feature the 1.2GHz VIA QuadCore E-Series processor, offering enhanced multi-tasking and superb multimedia performance on the lowest quad core power budget for next generation embedded products. The VIA QuadCore E-Series processor features a highly optimized, energy efficient multi-core architecture, which is natively 64-bit compatible and comes with a host of additional performance features...
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Android and VIA, sitting in a tree.... Just kidding. But, the truth of the matter is this: VIA has just announced Android support for their embedded x86 boards. They're starting off with support for the VIA EITX-3002 Em-ITX board. Running Android on an x86 platform offers increased flexibility, great multimedia support and cost saving advantages for embedded applications such as in-vehicle entertainment and interactive kiosks. Key advantages for Android on x86 include leverage of Android development resources and existing apps, rich I/O flexibility, greater CPU performance as well as higher display resolutions of up to 1920 x 1080. In addition VIA has released SMART ETK, an Embedded Tool Kit...
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Back in 2001, VIA introduced the mini-ITX form factor, and modders everywhere had a nifty little platform upon which to build interesting projects, both for fun and for profit. VIA is commemorating the mini-ITX’s 10th anniversary with an ebook retrospective, which is a free download for all interested. The ebook features the history of the platform, descriptions of how it affected the industry, and a number of the most interesting mini-ITX-based mods they could find. And of course, there is a look ahead at the future of the platform. VIA Celebrates 10 Years of Innovation Inspired by the Mini-ITX with the Launch of "Small is Beautiful: 10 Years of Mini-ITX" eBook "Small is Beautiful: 10...
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The latest entry into the adorable computing market is the pint-sized (well, technically liter-sized) VIA ARTiGO A1150 PC kit. The kit is designed to offer DIY enthusiasts the chance to venture into ultra-compact desktop computing. VIA packed plenty of features into the 5.7" x 3.9" x 2" ARTiGO A1150, including a 1.0GHz dual-core VIA Eden X2 processor, VIA VX900H media system processor, HDMI and VGA ports, Gigabit Ethernet and WiFi, a trio of audio jacks, an optional SD card reader module, and five USB ports. VIA did not share a price point for the ARTiGO A1150. VIA Launches ARTiGO A1150 PC Kit Packs VIA EdenTM X2 processor, HD video, HDMI connectivity and 64-bit computing in a palm sized chassis...
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Classify yourself as a "Digital Home Media Enthusiast?" If so, VIA has a motherboard they'd love for you to peek. The company has just released the VE-900 Mini-ITX mainboard, immediately available worldwide for those in need of a small, power-efficient new HTPC rig. It features a 1.4GHz Nano X2 dual-core CPU, VIA's VX900 all-in-one media system processor, support for resolutions as high as 1080p and support for 24-bit audio and up to 192kHz sample rates. There's also HDMI support, and it can handle up to 8GB of DDR3 memory. Sadly, pricing isn't being disclosed, but it ought to be coursing through supply channels as we speak. VIA Releases VIA VE-900 Mini-ITX Mainboard for Digital Home Media Enthusiasts...
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If you want multi-processing capabilities but can’t stand using a bloated, heavy mini-ITX motherboard, VIA has you covered with its new pico-ITX board with dual-core processing. The VIA EPIA-P900 Pico-ITX features a 1.0GHz VIA EdenTM X2 CPU and the VIA VX900H Media System Processor with support for up to 4GB DDR3 RAM and HD audio. The rear I/O panel sports two USB 2.0 ports, an HDMI port, a VGA port, and a Gigabit LAN port. and with onboard heads the board also gives you five additional USB ports, LPC, SMBus, PS/2, audio jacks, LVDS, DIO, and UART ports. The board is designed for powering ultra compact devices in fields as varied as healthcare and fleet management. VIA Launches First Ever...
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Embedded systems just aren't what they used to be. And by that, we mean that they're far more potent and useful to the masses than they were just a few years back, when they were only powerful enough to handle mundane enterprise chores and the like. VIA has been capitalizing on the uptick in power and power efficiency lately, and their newest board is living proof. The next-gen EPIA-M720 Mini-ITX motherboard features the VIA VX900 MSP, and acts as the upgrade to the EPIA-LN. There's DDR3 and SATA II support, as well as a VIA 1GHz C7 processor coupled with the VA VX900 all-in-one media system processor. All combined, what you're left with is a small footprint that's plenty powerful to chew through...
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This drops squarely into the "Didn't see it coming," pile. VIA announced yesterday that it's suing Apple for alleged infringement of three VIA patents. The declaration could nearly get lost in the blizzard of legal motions surrounding Apple, but this situation is odd enough to deserve notice. VIA claims that Apple has infringed on three US patents: 6253312, 6253311, and 6745810. The first covers a method and apparatus for performing a double operand load; the second two describe bidirectional conversion and transfer of integer and floating point data. Unlike most of the vaguely-worded patents that spawn legal cases all three of these describe specific means of executing certain functions...
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VIA announced today that it's signed an agreement to sell its share in S3 Graphics to the mobile phone manufacturer HTC. S3's GPU technology (dubbed Chrome) powers VIA's various chipsets and is paired with the company's Nano processor as part of its CPU platform. Given VIA's relative sliver of market share, this might not seem like an important transaction—but it is. It's been over a decade since S3 was a major player in the graphics display industry; the company's 2D 'Trio' series of video cards were quite popular in the pre-3D era. S3 attempted to enter the 3D market, but the company's ViRGE products performed so abysmally, they earned the nickname '3D Decelerators.' The company followed...
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Zotac's Zbox line has been evolving rather quickly over the past year or so. We've tested a few of them along the way, and they just seem to be getting better and better, and at rapid speed. In fact, we aren't so sure that buying one today is the best idea; by the time tomorrow comes, it'll probably be out of date! Kidding aside, the company has teamed up with VIA to showcase a totally new Zbox at Computex 2011. The Zbox Mini-PC offers up a very compact form factor, VIA's Nano X2 dual-core CPU, and a "palm-sized" chassis that measures 13x13x5cm. This type of machine is obviously ideal for use as a home theater PC, or in cramped spaces where there's no room for a huge tower. The Nano X2 is available...
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At its financial analyst meeting earlier this week, Intel unveiled a series of strategic changes to its roadmap and gave investors a peek at the company's general strategy for the next few years. We've already touched on the company's decision to ramp more powerful Atom processors and its new, 15W mainstream notebook TDP target, but the company is playing a deeper game. If Medfield lives up to expectations, it'll be the first Intel SoC truly capable of challenging ARM. Later this year, Intel will introduce Medfield, its 32nm Atom SoC. The current solution, Moorestown, did reduce Atom's platform-level power consumption, but not enough to make the chip attractive to smartphone designers. Medfield...
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VIA introduced its dual-core Nano just four months ago, but the company is already demonstrating that processor's big brother. The newly minted VIA QuadCore is--you guessed it--a quad-core processor that connects two dual-core Nano cores in an MCM (multi-chip module). The new chip won't actually ship for some months, but it may become a higher-performance alternative to both Atom and Brazos when it does... VIA Launches New Low Power QuadCore Nano CPU...
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VIA introduced its dual-core Nano just four months ago, but the company is already demonstrating that processor's big brother. The newly minted VIA QuadCore is--you guessed it--a quad-core processor that connects two dual-core Nano cores in an MCM (multi-chip module). The new chip won't actually ship for some months, but it may become a higher-performance alternative to both Atom and Brazos when it does. The dual-module chips are the quad-core, the single dies are the Nano X2. VIA's share of the x86 market is small in comparison to Intel and AMD, but Centaur, the company's CPU design team, has been building x86 CPUs for more than a decade. Centaur, led by the redoubtable Glenn Henry,...
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When you think "new CPU," names like AMD and Intel pop to mind. But VIA is a huge player in the processor game, particularly on smaller, lower-cost devices where power draw is a major concern. The company's newest chip is radically different than past chips, though, and the words "quad-core" should tell you a lot. The newest chip is the world's lowest power quad-core x86 processor, and the name should be easy enough to remember: QuadCore. It's hitting the market this month, feature a highly optimized, energy-efficient multi-core architecture that's said to provide multi-threaded performance across the board for multi-tasking, multimedia playback, productivity and internet browsing in a low power...
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Given all of the attention that Intel and AMD have demanded since the year began, it's been somewhat difficult for the smaller chip makers to get any facetime whatsoever. But now, with the Embedded System Conference ongoing, VIA is stepping back into the spotlight with a new dual-core option that's sure to make waves at the component level. The company has just announced a new Nano X2 E-Series dual-core CPU series, and they'll be available in two speeds: a 1.2GHz and 1.6GHz model. These new chips are built using 40nm process technology, and they also ship with VIA VT virtualization, a technology that allows legacy software and applications to be used in virtual scenarios without impacting on...
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Embedded computing hardly gets the credit it deserves. Many, many of the devices that make all of our worlds tick runs on an embedded system, and VIA Technologies is at the forefront of it all. The company has just used Embedded World 2011 to launch what they are calling the "world's most power-efficient dual core processor." That processor is the VIA Eden X2, which is optimized for fanless implementation in a broad range of industrial and commercial embedded systems. Much like netbook CPUs, we had to wait years for them to become powerful enough really take seriously. It's quite possible that embedded CPUs are finally reaching the point where the average consumer may be able to use one of them...
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