QNAP Systems, Inc. today unveils the next generation of its extremely popular and award-winning TuboNAS server lineup, along with its latest VioStor NVR video surveillance systems. In addition, the company is pleased to debut new NAS Firmware (3.6) and a new storage expansion solution for its business-class Turbo NAS.

The new NAS series, available in 2, 4, 5, 6, or 8-drive versions, are powered by a high performance dual-core Intel Atom processor. This new range provides the perfect blend of performance, business-ready features and value that make QNAP the ideal networked storage choice for small and medium-sized businesses.

Today, after talking tablets big and small, ASUS mentioned no less than four new Eee PC netbooks, three models boasting a 10.1-inch (1024 x 600) display, the Eee PC 1025C, 1025CE and X101CH, and one equipped with a 12.1-inch (1366 x 768) screen, the Eee PC 1225B.

All three 10-inch models are powered by Intel's Cedar Trail platform while the 12-inch machine is based around AMD's Brazos solution. The Eee PC 1025C and X101CH make use of the 1.6 GHz Atom N2600 CPU, whereas the 1025CE packs the 1.86 GHz Atom N2800 processor. The 1225B comes with the E-450 Brazos APU.

ZOTAC International, a leading innovator and a channel manufacturer, today kicks off the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show with a trio of versatile 2nd-Generation ZBOX mini-PCs for all your computing needs. The new ZOTAC ZBOX ID81, ID80 and AD04 series deliver outstanding energy-efficiency and stunning high-definition video playback in a compact form factor.

2nd-Generation ZBOX platform enhancements debuting with the ZBOX ID81, ID80 and AD04 series include an external WiFi antenna for superior wireless reception, integrated Bluetooth 3.0 technology and a bundled Media Remote with USB IR receiver for use with Microsoft Windows Media Center, XBMC and other popular media player applications.

News of quantum breakthroughs seem to be coming every few months now, edging ever closer towards the hallowed goal of building a quantum computer using quantum qubits rather than classical bits and bringing colossal improvements in computational power. This will eventually lead to applications that we can't even imagine now and possibly a true artificial intelligence of the kind one sees in the movies. Also, it would allow calculations that would normally take longer than the lifetime of the universe on a classical computer to be made in just a few seconds or minutes on a quantum one. A goal well worth striving for.

The latest breakthrough comes from the University of New South Wales, Melbourne University and Purdue University who have developed the smallest wire yet. It's a silicon nanowire, having the tiny dimensions of just one atom high and four atoms wide. This is a feat in itself, but the crucial part is that the wire is able to maintain its resistivity even at this atomic level, making it far easier for current to flow, thereby preventing the tiny wire from becoming useless. This will help with the continuation of Moore's Law, giving us ever more powerful computers at the present rate and opens the door to quantum computing within the next decade.

TechEYE has a more detailed article about this development. This is based on an ABC Radio interview with Michelle Simmons from the University of New South Wales and makes for fascinating listening.

Here are some of the first pictures of Toshiba's NB510 netbook, which will be released at CES, next week. The NB510 will be a middle-ground in terms of value and features, in between the NB520 and NB500 launched in late-2010, although it's driven by the latest 3rd generation Atom processors. This 10-incher sports a display resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels, and is driven by Atom N2600 or N2800 processors; along with 1 GB of DDR3-800 MHz memory, 320 GB storage, and Windows 7 Starter Edition making up its feature-set. Available in three color options, its prices start at around US $400.

Last week, Intel launched its third-generation Atom processor platform for netbooks and low-power PCs, codenamed "Cedar Trail", with mobile variants including the 1.60 GHz N2600 and 1.83 GHz N2800. Earlier, it launched its low-power PC variants, the 1.86 GHz D2500 and 2.13 GHz D2700. As a result of a slip-up, Intel disclosed a three new models in the datasheet (PDF) document of the new Atom series. These include the new 1.70 GHz N2650, 2.00 GHz N2850, which will likely replace the N2600 and N2800 in the future; and the D2550. This chip is clocked identically with the D2500, but has a faster iGPU, clocked at 640 MHz, up from the 400 MHz iGPU the D2500 packs. Since this chip is designed for low-power PCs, its power characteristics aren't of that much concern as its N2000 series cousins.

Facing a two-front competition from other netbook manufacturers and the ARM tablet industry, ASUS, one of the pioneers of the netbook form-factor, is readying a new line of fashionable-looking netbooks under the EeePC Flare series. Press pictures of these netbooks got leaked to the web by Notebook Italia, which reveal EeePC Flare series to be a colorful bunch of machines that are so designed to look curvy and fashionable, breaking the "compact" design mold of today's netbooks. They will be shows at the upcoming CES event, next week.

EeePC Flare will be available in two sizes, 12-inch and 10-inch. Among these, the 12-inch 1225B will be driven by AMD Fusion platform (likely E450), while the 1225C will be driven by Intel's new "Cedar Trail" Atom platform (N2600 or N2800). The 10-incher 1025 will stick to Cedar Trail. ASUS will pack these netbooks with features such as 500 GB of storage, LED backlit 720p displays, chiclet keyboards, etc.

According to Digitimes' upstream supply chain sources, two Top 5 PC makers, Lenovo and Acer, are planning to introduce in the third quarter of this year some Wintel tablet PCs based on Intel's Clover Trail platform.

Clover Trail is the third Atom platform to utilize 32nm chips, and it specifically targets tablets, offering higher performance than the Medfield SoC coming in the first half of this year.

Both Acer and Lenovo's alleged Clover Trail tablet PCs are expected to run Windows 8 and may focus on the enterprise market.

Although not officially announced, Lenovo's Ideapad S110, which is based on the Intel "Cedar Trail" Atom processor platform, showed up on a teaser video by the company. Lenovo is referring to this 10.1-inch netbook as a "mini notebook". Generally, big vendors such as Lenovo refer to portable computers in this category as "netbook" or "sub-notebook". In its video, Lenovo revealed the Ideapad S110 to come in four fabulous color options. The S110 is driven by Intel Atom N2600 processor, 1 GB of RAM, 320 GB HDD, a 10.1-inch HD screen featuring 720p resolution, a 2 megapixel web camera, 98-percent full-size chicklet keyboard, Lenovo's Quick Start feature, and USB 3.0. 10/100 ethernet and WiFi b/g/n are standard, though 3G HSDPA can be opted for. Windows 7 Starter is the OS of choice. ProVantage already listed the Ideapad S110 (base) for US $321.62Lenovo's teaser video follows.

According to the latest information received by industry observer DigiTimes, Intel plans to launch the first processor platform for ultra-thin Android tablets based on its x86 architecture, codenamed "Medfield", in Q2 2012. Tablets based on this will be able to run Android 4.0 "Ice Cream Sandwich". Then in Q4 2012, Intel plans to launch the more powerful Clover Trail-W platform. Currently, Intel's Oak Trail platform consisting of Atom Z670 processor and SM35 chipset drive Windows 7 or Android Honeycomb tablets.

The fundamental difference between Medfield and Clover Trail-W with its predecessor Oak Tail, is that Medfield will be designed for ultra-thin tablets with long batter life, currently only ARM processors provide the kind of performance-per-Watt to achieve this form-factor. Oak Trail and its succeeding Clover Trail-W, are designed for slightly more capable tablets. Oak Trail is opted today, to design tablets that run Windows 7 PC operating system. Microsoft will design performance and UI-optimized Windows 8 variants when its next-gen operating system sees the light of the day next year.

Following a good few months of delays, Intel has today finally introduced its third-generation Atom processors, the 32nm chips codenamed Cedar Trail.

While still paired up with the NM10 Express chipset found in Pine Trail-based systems, the 'Cedar Trail' CPUs bring quite a few updates, including the already mentioned 32nm process (enabling higher clocks and a drop in power draw of up to 20% for the whole platform), plus a media engine that allows for Full HD (1080p) video playback and Blu-ray support, an integrated memory controller supporting DDR3-800/1066 memory, and updated, but still DirectX 9-enabled graphics (Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3600/3650 based on the PowerVR SGX 545 from Imagination Technologies).

Intel has, in the past, referred to its two-chip low-wattage computing solutions as "SoC" (system on a chip), keeping with that trend, it was assumed that "Centerton", an Atom-derived processor for NAS servers that the company is working on, could be a similar 2-chip solution with the tiny NM10 PCH sitting next to the CPU. It is now coming to light that Intel will design Centerton to run as a true single-chip SoC, without the PCH.

Centerton's core and uncore components, housed on the same piece of silicon, are detailed in the first picture, below. It packs two x86-64 cores. Each core has 32 KB L1I cache, 24 KB L1D cache, and 512 KB of dedicated L2 cache. There is no shared tertiary cache between the cores, however, they converge at the integrated memory controller (IMC). This IMC can control a single DDR3 memory channel, supporting 1.5V DDR3 UDIMMs with ECC support or 1.35V DDR3 SO-DIMMs, at speeds of PC3-10600 (DDR3-1333 MHz). Up to 8 GB of RAM is supported. The core can be clocked as high as 1.60 GHz. It features HyperThreading technology, enabling four logical CPUs for the OS to deal with. Any current 32-bit or 64-bit x86-capable OS should run.

Intel's Cedar Trail platform may be ignored by US PC maker Dell but it's getting quite a bit of attention from Taiwanese company ASRock who's using it for no less than three HTPC-ready motherboards, the AD2500B-ITX, AD2700B-ITX and AD2700-ITX.

As it's evident from their name, these boards have a Mini-ITX form factor and come with a 32nm Atom processor pre-installed. The AD2500B-ITX is equipped with the Atom D2500 chip (two cores @ 1.86 GHz, 1 MB L2 cache) while the AD2700B-ITX and AD2700-ITX make use of the higher-clocked D2700 (2.13 GHz). All three models have a passive cooling solution for the CPU.

In Dell's eyes, the age of netbooks is drawing to a close, and because of that, the company has already stopped selling consumer netbooks (the Inspiron Mini is now history), and decided against developing new (Cedar Trail-based) 10-inch machines powered by Intel Atom processors.

Despite the thumbs down given to netbooks, Dell is still selling Atom-based products like the business-oriented Latitude 2120 and the display-flipping Inspiron Duo, but their days are numbered. According to Dell, low-cost solutions like netbooks are no longer of interest, the focus now being on 'thin and powerful' machines like ultrabooks. Of course, ultrabooks are somewhat premium products but they should go mainstream in 2012 when cheaper, Ivy Bridge-based models will come about.

Toshiba's push into the tablet market will continue next month with the release in its home market (Japan) of the WT301/D, a 10.1-inch model which is powered by an Intel Atom processor (maybe the Z670?) and runs Microsoft's Windows 7 Professional 32-bit.

The incoming tablet has an LED-backlit touchscreen (1366 x 768 resolution), 2 GB of RAM, a 64 GB solid state drive, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0, a 1.3-megapixel rear-facing camera, a 0.3MP webcam, stereo speakers, a micro HDMI output, and one USB 2.0 port.

The WT301/D has not been priced.

Lenovo, today announced the IdeaCentre Q180 - a consumer desktop PC no larger than a paperback book, yet powerful enough to turn a digital TV into a multimedia hub for enjoying music, videos, games, web browsing and more.

"With the IdeaCentre Q180, we upped our game in the compact PC category," said Nick Reynolds, executive director, Product Group Marketing, Lenovo. "Featuring the latest HD Graphics and Blu-ray 3D playback, the Q180 enables consumers to change the way they enjoy multimedia and the Web in their living room at an affordable price point."

The original 8-bit Commodore 64 computer was very popular in the early 1980s, but the original company eventually closed down in the 1990s, having launched their 16-bit Amiga range in the meantime as the C64s successor. For a while now, replica C64 models, packed with the latest PC technology, have been made by Commodore USA, a different company that has purchased the original Commodore brand.

Since last summer, they have been selling a replica for $999 powered by an Intel CPU. This PC, called the C64x Ultimate (model number: C64x-UL) included a dual core Atom D525, NVIDIA Ion 2 graphics, 4 GB RAM and a 1 TB hard drive. A barebones version is available for $349 without a motherboard, just the keyboard and case, allowing the customer to add their own hardware into the retro box. However, Commodore USA has now upgraded their offering with a considerably more powerful CPU. This version is the C64x Extreme (model number: C64x-EX) which includes a 2.2 GHz Intel Core i7-2720QM CPU, mini-ITX motherboard and PSU, 8 GB DDR3 RAM, DVD writer (slot loading) 2 TB 7200 RPM HDD, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The back panel has the following ports: legacy PS/2, USB 2.0 x5 (one eSATA combo) USB 3.0 x2, Ethernet and three audio jacks. Video connectivity is looked after by HDMI, DVI-D and VGA outputs.

Intel Corporation today reported third-quarter results, setting new records for microprocessor units shipped, EPS, earnings and revenue, which was up 28 percent year-over-year.

"Intel delivered record-setting results again in Q3, surpassing $14 billion in revenue for the first time, driven largely by double-digit unit growth in notebook PCs," said Paul Otellini, Intel president and CEO. "We also saw continued strength in the data center fueled by the ongoing growth of mobile and cloud computing."

Ok, let's get what's sort of good-ish about this netbook out of the way: the Pixel Qi's screen allows it be viewed easily in bright sunlight, which seems great - if you don't mind washed out colours and poor contrast under normal room conditions. The bad? Everything else. This Netbook isn't even made by Sol Computers. It turns out to be just a rebadged, refurbished Samsung netbook with a Pixel Qi panel in it. And get this: Sol Computer doesn't even hide the Samsung logo under the screen proving this is just a repackaged netbook, yet, it costs a hefty $749.00! Yes, Sol Computers' sole achievement is to have made something that is both cheap and overpriced. Amazing. Now, their Tablet PC is even worse: it's a rebranded "Alibaba special" i.e. generic Chinese tablet that doesn't even appear to support multitouch interface - yet it costs a staggering $1,099.00. It costs more than a high-end Macbook. I do wonder who their target market is for these products.

Intel Corporation today reported its fifth consecutive quarter of record revenue, with double-digit revenue growth across all business segments. On a Non-GAAP basis, revenue was $13.1 billion, operating income was $4.2 billion, net income was $3.2 billion, and EPS was 59 cents. On a GAAP basis, the company reported second-quarter revenue of $13.0 billion, operating income of $3.9 billion, net income of $3.0 billion, and EPS of 54 cents. The company generated approximately $4.0 billion in cash from operations, paid cash dividends of $961 million, and used $2.0 billion to repurchase 93 million shares of common stock.

"We achieved a significant new milestone in the second quarter, surpassing $13.0 billion in revenue for the first time," said Paul Otellini, Intel president and CEO. "Strong corporate demand for our most advanced technology, the surge of mobile devices and Internet traffic fueling data center growth, and the rapid rise of computing in emerging markets drove record results. Intel's 23 percent revenue growth in the first half and our increasing confidence in the second half of 2011 position us to grow annual revenue in the mid-20 percent range."

ZOTAC entered the motherboard scene as yet another vendor of reference NVIDIA nForce motherboards, which the like of EVGA, XFX, and BFG also sold. After the fall of nForce, ZOTAC attempted a LGA1366 motherboard, and went dormant with motherboards. Later, it picked up interest in the mini-ITX form-factor as it gained popularity in Asian markets like China and India, manufacturing motherboards based on Intel Atom, Atom with NVIDIA ION, and eventually socketed mini-ITX motherboards as it became a 2-chip affair with Intel's Ibex Peak platform (LGA1156). It looks like Zotac is making a comeback into full-size ATX motherboards that target the very top tier of the market, to woo gamers, professional overclockers, and enthusiasts.

Seen here is what the Chinese press is referring to as "ZT-Z68 Crown Edition-U1DU3", we may have lost the correct name in translation, but let's call it ZT-Z68-U1DU3 for now. It is a full-size ATX motherboard that takes socket LGA1155 Intel Sandy Bridge and future Ivy Bridge processors, and is based on the Intel Z68 Express chipset. It combines a strong VRM to support extreme overclocking, with graphics expansion, adding 4-way NVIDIA SLI and AMD CrossFireX capabilities using an NVIDIA BR-03 bridge-chip that sits on the processor's PCI-E x16 link, to give out two PCI-Express 2.0 x16 links, which are then spread between four slots in x16/NC/x16/NC, x16/NC/x8/x8, or x8/x8/x8/x8 lane configurations.

Building on the success of its first Mini PC, hailed as the smallest PC in the world, SAPPHIRE Technology - the world leading manufacturer and supplier of PC graphics cards and mainboards has just introduced a new model - the SAPPHIRE EDGE-HD2. The SAPPHIRE EDGE-HD2 shares the same slim, stylish outline as the earlier model but delivers slightly higher performance and is now also available with a pre-loaded operating system. At less than half a litre in volume, it is slimmer and smaller than most wireless access points - in fact around the size of a paperback book! Its stylish design and simple pedestal mount make it equally at home next to a TV or business monitor whilst occupying the minimum of desk or shelf space.

ASUS displayed its new mini-ITX motherboard for IPC (industrial PC) market, the D27NM10-I IPC. As an IPC-ready board, it is designed for rugged industrial environments that have minimal cooling and require high uptime. The D27NM10-I IPC uses next-generation 32 nm Intel Atom "Cedar View" D2700 dual-core processor clocked at 2.13 GHz, featuring HyperTreading to yield 4 logical CPUs for the OS to deal with. The processor is wired to two DDR3 SO-DIMM slots supporting single-channel DDR3 memory. Intel NM10 is the chipset employed, it's also found on previous-generation Pine Trail platform.

A large heatsink covers both the processor and chipset, there are three 4-pin PWM fan headers on board in case a fan has to be latched on to it. The board draws power from an external DC power source over standard 2-pin DC input connector. It can also be powered by any switching power supply with a 4-pin Molex power connector. Storage connectivity includes two SATA 3 Gb/s ports. The only expansion here is an open-ended PCI-E x1, and a mini-PCI-E. There's plenty of serial connectivity, including two serial DE-9 ports on the read panel, and 3 via headers. Other connectivity includes 2-channel HD audio, dual gigabit Ethernet, display outputs that include DVI and D-Sub, and a number of USB 2.0 ports. The board uses UEFI with graphical EZ-Mode setup program.

Intel Corporation today announced a significant breakthrough in the evolution of the transistor, the microscopic building block of modern electronics. For the first time since the invention of silicon transistors over 50 years ago, transistors using a three-dimensional structure will be put into high-volume manufacturing. Intel will introduce a revolutionary 3-D transistor design called Tri-Gate, first disclosed by Intel in 2002, into high-volume manufacturing at the 22-nanometer (nm) node in an Intel chip codenamed "Ivy Bridge." A nanometer is one-billionth of a meter.

The three-dimensional Tri-Gate transistors represent a fundamental departure from the two-dimensional planar transistor structure that has powered not only all computers, mobile phones and consumer electronics to-date, but also the electronic controls within cars, spacecraft, household appliances, medical devices and virtually thousands of other everyday devices for decades.

Intel will give its category-defining Atom processor its next big update in Q4, 2011. Codenamed "Cedar Trail", Intel's next Atom processor will use the latest manufacturing process technologies, and up the feature-set a bit. The Cedar Trail platform combines the Atom "Cedar View" processor with a chipset similar to Intel NM10 from the current "Pine Trail". The platform is laid out in a similar 2-chip package. The first chip embeds a dual-core x86-64 processor, an integrated memory controller that supports single-channel DDR3 memory, and a new DirectX 10.1 compliant integrated GPU that supports 1080p video playback, it connects to the chipset over DMI.

Cedar View Atom processor will be built on Intel's 32 nm process. The new process chops TDP by 30%, while allowing higher clock speeds. Some of the first Cedar View processors are dual-core. Designed for low-power desktops and nettops, the Atom D2500 runs at 1.86 GHz, has no HyperThreading Technology (HTT), has 1 MB of shared cache, and 10W TDP. In contrast, the 45 nm "Pine View" Atom D525 processor achieves 1.83 GHz at 13W TDP. Intel will have a higher-performing part, the Atom D2700. The D2700 is clocked at 2.13 GHz, features HTT, and the TDP remains at 10W.