ViewSonic Corp., a leading global provider of computing, consumer electronics and communications solutions, today announced its innovative new Smart Display, aimed at changing the way people think about computing. The 22" (21.5" Vis.) VSD220 Smart Display pairs a 1920x1080 full-HD resolution monitor with the dual-core, ARM-based OMAP 4 processor from Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) and an Android 4.0 "Ice Cream Sandwich" operating system, resulting in a whole new way to experience the web.

"The VSD220 Smart Display is engineered for today's cloud connected world," said Jeff Volpe, president of ViewSonic Americas. "ViewSonic is embracing the post-PC transition with what will be a full range of connected display solutions. For consumers, the VSD220 is perfect for surfing the web, engaging on social networks and enjoying a world of Android apps. For commercial opportunities, the VSD220 serves as a flexible solution that can address the needs of Android compatible vertical market applications such as signage, hospitality, point of information, and kiosk. Whatever the need, our new Smart Displays are the future of connected computing."

QNAP Systems, Inc. today officially launched its latest business-class TS-x69L series Turbo NAS. The new TS-x69L series, available in 2, 4, 5, 6, and 8-drive versions, is powered by a high performance dual-core Intel Atom processor, equipped with 1GB DDR3 RAM, which can be upgraded to 3GB optionally. With support for SATA 2.5", 3.5" HDD and SSD up to 4TB, and with dual USB 3.0 ports for high-speed backup, the TS-x69L NAS series is compatible with Microsoft Windows OS, Linux/UNIX, and the latest Mac OS X Mountain Lion, and provides the levels of performance and high-capacity storage required by SMB users.

The TS-x69L series is equipped with 512MB DOM (Disk on Module) with dual firmware image design for system downtime prevention. In the event of corrupted firmware caused by accidental power loss during system boot, the NAS will boot with the backup firmware and then automatically recover the failed one for continuous system uptime.

D-Link today announced its newest installment to its high-performance ShareCenter storage solutions - the 4-Bay Cloud Storage 4000 (DNS-345) - is now available. Offering superior performance with a fast CPU to simultaneously support multiple user streams, more memory to boost performance, four drives for up to 16 TB of storage, and two Gigabit Ethernet ports for high speed data transfer and failover, the Cloud Storage 4000 is a robust storage, back-up and recovery solution. When combined with D-Link Cloud Cameras, the Cloud Storage 4000 also enables a full-featured network video recorder (NVR) which supports real-time monitoring, recording and playback of surveillance video.

The Cloud Storage 4000 creates a personal Cloud portal via the free and user-friendly mydlink cloud app, enabling users to store, safeguard, share, and remotely access or stream their digital documents, music, videos, and photos from anywhere in the world on their iPhone, iPad, Android, Blackberry, or Microsoft Mobile OS device. In addition, the mydlink cloud app supports two-way data syncing, ensuring users have the latest data on their ShareCenter and computers.

IEEE, the world's largest professional organization advancing technology for humanity, today announced the approval of IEEE 802.3-2012 "Standard for Ethernet." IEEE 802.3 defines wired connectivity for Ethernet local area, access and metropolitan area networks around the world.

"'IEEE 802.3 technologies and the varied Ethernet networks that they enable are found everywhere, and the standard's application horizon continues to expand," said David Law, chair of the IEEE 802.3 Ethernet Working Group and distinguished engineer with HP Networking. "When Ethernet networking was conceived in the 1970s and the IEEE 802.3 standard was first published in 1985, its founders could not possibly have foreseen the global transformation that their ideas and efforts would ultimately set into motion. The standard has helped spawn whole new business models, industries and ways of life. And that cycle of innovation continues today."

Toshiba announced the Canvio Personal Cloud, a small-scale desktop NAS device that comes with pre-installed media, and two variants - 2 TB and 3 TB. It features most common NAS features, including applications for iOS and Android that let you configure the device and access its data over local network or the internet. Internally, the Canvio Personal Cloud appears to use a single 3.5-inch SATA hard drive. It uses gigabit Ethernet as its only network interface, and features a USB 2.0 port that lets you add mass-storage devices and expand its storage. The 2 TB variant starts at US $220, while the 3 TB starts at $250. Market availability is expected to be some time in September.

NETGEAR, Inc., a global networking company that delivers innovative products to consumers, businesses and service providers, today announced the NETGEAR Powerline Music Extender (XAUB2511). Using Powerline technology, the NETGEAR Powerline Music Extender combines the ability to turn any outlet into an Internet connection, with the ability to play your music in any room in the home with an outlet.

The NETGEAR Powerline Music Extender enables you to stream music to speakers anywhere in the home from a smartphone, tablet (Apple iOS- and Android-supported) or Windows PC. Just choose music on your smartphone, tablet or Windows PC, select a remote speaker in your home connected to the NETGEAR Powerline Music Extender, and play it. For Macs and iOS devices, use the Airplay function to stream the music to your desired speaker. For PCs and Android devices, download an app for such capabilities.

ZOTAC International, a global innovator and channel manufacturer of graphics cards, mainboards and mini-PCs, today delivers a new ZBOX with NVIDIA GeForce GT 520M graphics processing. The new ZOTAC ZBOX with NVIDIA GeForce GT 520M graphics incorporates class-leading features and stunning visuals to form a perfect home theater PC.

"We're pleased to inject the power of NVIDIA GeForce graphics to our award-winning ZOTAC ZBOX for users that demand energy-efficiency with a graphics kick," said Carsten Berger, marketing director, ZOTAC International. "The new ZOTAC ZBOX with NVIDIA GeForce GT 520M graphics delivers phenomenal high-definition video playback capabilities to make it the perfect home theater PC as well."

Gateway today debuts its new Gateway NE Series line of notebooks in Canada. The new Gateway NE notebook line delivers the ultimate blend of essential performance, popular features and great extras for learning, playing, being productive and staying in touch. In addition, the new Gateway NE notebooks feature an all-new design that is sleek and stylish; its matte black finish is highlighted by brushed stainless steel accents.

"The new Gateway NE Series delivers what families and students are looking for today -- a combination of the most popular features and proven technologies," said Eric Ackerson, mobile product marketing for Gateway. "This new notebook line delivers the outstanding performance and capabilities needed for classes, homework, staying in touch and having fun. Students and families planning back-to-school purchases will definitely want to consider the Gateway NE Series."

IEEE, the world's largest professional association advancing technology for humanity, today announced the formation of the IEEE 802.3 Next-Generation BASE-T Study Group. The new group is designed to measure industry interest and needs in the next generation of the IEEE 802.3 BASE-T family of technologies for Ethernet transmission over twisted-pair cabling.

Widely deployed for physical-layer connectivity in data centers, IEEE 802.3 BASE-T represents the highest-volume Ethernet port type today. IEEE 802.3 BASE-T technologies typically utilize server-uplink data rates of Gigabit Ethernet and 10 Gigabit Ethernet today, but platform transitions and systems innovation on all fronts are driving new networking requirements.

A decade ago, updating system BIOS was a cumbersome and risky task that required you to have spare bootable disks and the know-how of flashing from MS-DOS command-line. One wrong command-line argument, and your motherboard is bricked. Then came utilities that flashed BIOS for you, if you specified the updated BIOS ROM image files located on a floppy. As these image files grew in file-size these utilities added support for bigger media, such as USB flash drives. ASRock's latest innovation could see you getting rid of storage media holding BIOS images.

ASRock has developed an update to its UEFI BIOS program that lets it update itself from the web. All you have to do is point it to a working internet connection that uses the motherboard's onboard Ethernet controller. Once configured, the utility calls home to ASRock, checks if a newer version of the BIOS is available, downloads it, and updates itself, with minimal user-intervention. The feature cuts down time spent in finding the right BIOS ROM image online, and copying it to a USB flash drive. Unlike Intel's Express BIOS Update program, it does not need the motherboard to have any storage devices connected. Upcoming ASRock motherboards could ship with the feature, and select current ones could get this feature via a BIOS update.

Delivering gigabit wireless speeds, higher capacity and broader coverage for home networks, D-Link today announced its first 802.11ac router - the Cloud Router 5700 (DIR-865L) - is now available. The Cloud Router 5700 offers superior dual-band wireless performance of up to 1750Mbps for today's high-bandwidth gaming and HD streaming applications, and features D-Link's industry-leading Cloud App, allowing consumers to monitor and control the home network remotely. The Cloud Router 5700 provides users with easy access to manage and stream local content from a connected USB drive to mobile devices via D-Link's SharePort mobile app.

Due to the abrupt cancellation of Intel's Atom D2700 processor, Foxconn is forced to alter the specifications of the Intel variant, of its Nano PC nettop. The new Nano AT-5250 fanless nettop by Foxconn features Atom D2550 dual-core processor clocked at 1.83 GHz. The AMD variant, the Nano AT-5600, remains unchanged, and is driven by AMD E-450 dual-core APU.

Processors aside, the Nano PC nettops feature one DDR3 SO-DIMM slot, supporting up to 4 GB of memory, two USB 3.0 and four USB 2.0 ports, one 2.5-inch and one 1.8-inch drive bays; and connectivity that includes 802.11 b/g/n, gigabit Ethernet; multi-format card reader, and display connectivity that includes DVI and HDMI. Measuring 19 cm x 13.5 cm x 3.8 cm, the Foxconn Nano weighs about 600 g. The AMD and Intel variants are priced around $280 and $260, respectively.

Buffalo Technology, a global leader in the design, development and manufacturing of wired and wireless networking and network and direct attached storage solutions, today announced the availability of 4 TB hard drives in select Buffalo storage solutions including the TeraStation 5000 series of business-class network and iSCSI storage, the LinkStation Pro home and small office network storage device and the DriveStation Axis USB 3.0 desktop hard drive.

"The introduction of 4 TB hard drives and Buffalo's early adoption in leading storage solutions provides customers with even higher capacities for greater data storage," said Matt Dargis, senior director of sales at Buffalo Technology. "We strive to provide a breadth of affordable and reliable storage solutions for business and home in the latest available hard drive capacities."

AMD announced today that Dr. Suresh Gopalakrishnan, 49, has joined the company as corporate vice president and general manager of its server business, reporting to Dr. Lisa Su, senior vice president and general manager, Global Business Units. In this role, Dr. Gopalakrishnan will lead AMD's server business and is responsible for driving the end-to-end business execution of server solutions worldwide. Andrew Feldman will continue in his role as corporate vice president and general manager of AMD's Data Center Server Solutions business, also reporting to Dr. Su.

"Today's data center operators and enterprises need to reduce cost and power consumption while increasing performance, and AMD has been working hard to meet these needs with our AMD Opteron processor family and SeaMicro fabric technology," said Dr. Su. "Under Suresh's leadership, we will accelerate our disruptive server strategy by leveraging our broad IP portfolio to deliver superior products designed to offer the world's best performance-per-dollar and power efficiency."

D-Link today announced its SharePort All-in-One Mobile Companion (DIR-505) - an innovative new product every tablet and smartphone owner needs - is now shipping. SharePort offers instant USB sharing capabilities with the free D-Link SharePort Mobile app, enabling users to share videos, music, and photos from an external hard drive or thumb drive to any iPad, iPhone or Android device. In addition, SharePort provides wireless access wherever an existing network is available and adds instant storage to a mobile device, offering the ultimate set of features for home or on-the-go convenience.

"SharePort is an all-in-one mobile companion that is ideal for anyone who enjoys playing music, movies or viewing photos from their iPad, iPhone or Android device,"said Daniel Kelley, associate vice president of marketing, D-Link North America. "It allows for easy sharing of media to Android and iOS mobile devices. Plus, SharePort instantly adds storage to your mobile device and can also serve as a portable router/access point, Wi-Fi hotspot and Wi-Fi repeater for instant wireless access from anywhere a network already exists, whether at home or traveling."

Buffalo Japan released a new LS-VL series home NAS model, LS-V4.0TLJ, which packs 4 TB of storage, a faster CPU, and software with a new web-access (remote-access over internet) feature. The single-drive NAS is designed for home convergence, with support for a large variety of entertainment devices such as 3D HDTVs, with support for DTCP-IP, providing recording features. Gigabit Ethernet is its only network interface, while it features USB 2.0. Measuring 45 x 175 x 156 mm (WxDxH), and weighing about 1 kg, the device draws about 24W of power under typical load. It is priced at 46,725 JPY (US $585).

TRENDnet, a best-in-class wired and wireless networking hardware brand, today announces from Computex Taipei, the launch of three new PoE+ switches. Power over Ethernet (PoE) combines power and data over Ethernet cables. PoE facilitates the installation of devices in remote locations, without having to provide an electrical outlet near the device. PoE's popularity is driven by significant installation time and cost savings.

The PoE standard is based on the IEEE 802.11af specification. It provides up to 15.4 Watts of power per switch port. The new PoE+ standard doubles the power provided by PoE ports. PoE+ is based on the IEEE 802.11at specification which provides up to 30 Watts of power per port. PoE+ is designed to support power hungry devices such as outdoor access points and pan / tilt / zoom IP cameras.

The Pure Platinum Z77i isn't the only new mini-ITX motherboard from Sapphire, the company also has one based on the AMD A75 chipset, supporting upcoming "Trinity APUs from AMD, in the socket FM2 package, called the Pure Platinum A75T. There are quite a few design differences between Sapphire's new mini-ITX motherboards besides the platforms they support. The most significant being, that the Pure Platinum A75T features two DDR3 SO-DIMM slots, instead of standard 240-pin UDIMM ones.

The Pure Platinum A75T draws power from 24-pin ATX + 4-pin ATX connectors. The APU is powered by a 5-phase VRM, with a heatsink cooling the driver-MOSFETs. The APU is wired to two DDR3 SO-DIMM slots supporting up to 16 GB of dual-channel DDR3-1866 MHz memory; a PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slot; and a mini-PCIe 2.0 x1 slot (for WLAN cards). The A75 FCH gives out four SATA 6 Gb/s internal ports. There are four USB 3.0 ports, two each on the rear-panel, and by headers. Display connectivity includes one each of DVI, D-Sub, and HDMI. 6-channel HD audio and gigabit Ethernet make for the rest of the connectivity. The Pure Platinum A75T could feature in the first wave of socket FM2 motherboards.

Sapphire's growing motherboard lineup as a new entry in the form of the Pure Platinum Z77i. This socket LGA1155 motherboard is based on the Intel Z77 Express chipset, and is built in the super-compact mini-ITX form-factor, making it ideal for gaming PCs that are LAN party-animals. The motherboard is designed to draw power from a 24-pin ATX, and a 4-pin CPU power connector. The LGA1155 socket is powered by a simple 4-phase VRM, which uses ferrite-core chokes and compact driver-MOSFETs. The VRM should be strong enough to handle CPUs that aren't heavily overclocked.

The LGA1155 socket on the Pure Platinum Z77i is wired to a PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slot, and two DDR3 DIMM slots, supporting up to 16 GB of dual-channel DDR3 memory. The Z77 PCH gives out two internal SATA 6 Gb/s, and two SATA 3 Gb/s ports. Display connectivity includes one each of DVI, D-Sub, HDMI, and DisplayPort. There are a total of four USB 3.0 ports, two on the rear panel, two by headers. Rounding off the connectivity are 8-channel HD audio, gigabit Ethernet, and Bluetooth.

It looks like the Pure Platinum A75 FM2 isn't Sapphire's top socket FM2 offering. Sapphire showed off its Pure Platnum A85XT among its other top-tier motherboards. The A85XT is based on AMD A85 FCH chipset, and supports next-generation "Trinity" APUs in the FM2 package. The APU socket is powered by an 8-phase VRM. It is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots, and two PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slots (x8/x8, when both are populated).

Other expansion slots on the A85XT are a strangely positioned mPCIe, a PCI-Express 2.0 x4, two PCI-Express 2.0 x1, and two legacy PCI. Seven of the A85 PCH SATA controller's eight SATA 6 Gb/s ports are assigned as internal ports, with the eighth one as mSATA. There are four USB 3.0 ports, two on the rear panel, and two via headers. Display connectivity includes DVI, D-Sub, HDMI, and DisplayPort. Gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth, and 8-channel HD audio complete the package.

Russian Communication Technology LTD. launched DETSEL-01, one of the smallest Intel x86-powered mini-PCs ever. Measuring just 125 x 74 x 12 mm (roughly the size of a Seagate GoFlex 2.5-inch portable HDD), the DETSEL-01 is driven by an Intel Atom E680 processor (1.60 GHz, single-core with HTT, 4.5W TDP), with 1 GB of DDR2-800 memory, with 128 GB or 64 GB SATA 3 Gb/s SSD handling storage, and an external 12V DC input powering it. Connectivity is aplenty, with 802.11 b/g/n, gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth 4.0, D-Sub display output (HDMI coming soon), stereo HD audio, and two USB 2.0 ports. The best part about this pocket-sized PC is its ability to run 32-bit Windows XP and Windows 7.

Foxconn's channel brand is ready with a socket FM2 motherboard of its own, the A85AP. The motherboard is based on the new AMD A85 FCH, and supports next-generation AMD "Trinity" APUs in the FM2 package. The motherboard doesn't add much to the feature-set of the A85 FCH. The APU is powered by a 5-phase VRM. It is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots, supporting up to 32 GB of dual-channel DDR3-1866 MHz memory, and one PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slot. Other expansion slots include a PCI-Express 2.0 x16 (electrical x4, wired to the FCH), an mPCIe, and two each of PCI-Express 2.0 x1 and legacy PCI.

The AMD A85 FCH gives out eight SATA 6 Gb/s ports, six of which are assigned as internal ports on the A85AP, and two are given out as eSATA. The board also features six USB 3.0 ports, four of which are given out through the rear panel, and two via headers. Display outputs include DVI and D-Sub. 8-channel HD audio and gigabit Ethernet make for the rest of the connectivity. Foxconn A85AP could feature in the first-wave of socket FM2 motherboards to be launched.

Sapphire's newest motherboard is the Pure Platinum A75 (model: PT-ABA75). Although based on the previous-generation AMD A75 FCH, the board supports AMD A-Series "Trinity" APUs in the FM2 package. The board is a bundle of simplicities. The APU is powered by a 5-phase VRM. It is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots supporting dual-channel DDR3-1866 MHz memory; and a single PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slot, without any lane switches en route. Two each of PCI-Express 2.0 x1, legacy PCI, and a PCI-Express 2.0 x4 make up the rest of the expansion slot area.

The AMD A75 FCH gives out six SATA 6 Gb/s ports, five of which are assigned as internal ports, and one mSATA. Display outputs include DVI and HDMI. 8-channel HD audio, gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth, and two USB 3.0 ports make up the rest of the connectivity. The Pure Platinum A75 will be part of the first wave of FM2 motherboards.

MSI showed off its top socket FM2 motherboard, the A85XA-G65. Based on the AMD A85 FCH chipset, the board supports upcoming AMD "Trinity" APUs in the FM2 package. MSI designed the A85XA-G65 with its Military Class III construction. The FM2 APU is powered by an 8-phase VRM. It is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots, supporting dual-channel DDR3-1866 MHz memory; and two PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slots (x8/x8, when both are populated). Given that it supports both NVIDIA SLI and AMD CrossFire, it's a little strange that MSI didn't name this model "A85XA-GD65." Other expansion slots include three PCI-Express 2.0 x1 and two legacy PCI.

All eight SATA 6 Gb/s ports from the A85 FCH are wired out as internal ports, with no eSATA. Display outputs include one each of DVI, D-Sub, HDMI, and DisplayPort. Other connectivity options include four USB 3.0 ports, gigabit Ethernet, and 8+2 channel HD audio. The A85XA-G65 features quite a few OC-friendly features, including voltage-measurement points with lead-holders, OC Genie, ClickBIOS II UEFI BIOS, etc. It will be among MSI's first socket FM2 motherboards to be launched, a little later this quarter.

Belkin today announced new upgrades to its upcoming Thunderbolt Express Dock, as well as a new Thunderbolt cable for both Mac and PC users. Belkin's new Thunderbolt offerings will be on display at the Intel Exhibition Showcase, Booth M410, at Computex, June 5-9, 2012.

The Thunderbolt Express Dock is a first-of-its-kind docking solution for both PC and Mac users that enables instant access to up to nine desktop peripherals with one cable, and provides an easy transition from a desktop workstation to a mobile device. Upgrades to the latest version of the dock include the addition of three USB 3.0 ports, instead of USB 2.0 ports, as well as an eSATA port.