(ZD NET) IBM revised its NetVista X series and NetVista A series desktops and introduced the new NetVista M series, placing the new model configurations on its Web site with no fanfare. All three new PCs offer Intel's Pentium 4 processor and 845 chipset. The chipset, which began shipping in early September, allows PCs to pair the Pentium 4 with standard SDRAM memory instead of more expensive Rambus memory.
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(Reuters) Palm Inc. has unveiled a new mid-range model of its popular handheld computer, packing in greater features and software perks in hopes of invigorating a market punished by competitive pricing, oversupply and consumer malaise. At about $250, Palm's new m125 personal digital assistant, or PDA, will sit between its high-end m500 line, aimed at choosy professionals, and the entry-level m100, targeted to cost-conscious consumers.

Santa Clara, California-based Palm says it designed the model to appeal to first-time customers, by keeping the cost relatively low, while building into the handheld appealing features such as an expansion slot that eases the addition of extra memory and applications.
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(Reuters) Shares in graphics chip maker NVIDIA Corp. closed sharply lower on Thursday, extending a two-week slide after game publishers and analysts said Microsoft Corp.'s XBox could ship in smaller quantities than initially expected. Shares in NVIDIA closed down 8.5 percent at $28.88 on Nasdaq. NVIDIA, which is making the primary graphics chip for the XBox game console, split 2-for-1 on Monday but have fallen in eight of the last 10 traded sessions. Microsoft said on Wednesday it cannot yet forecast how many XBox units it will have available at the time of its much-heralded launch on Nov. 8 in the United States.
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(Press Release) To meet demand for higher density memory in next-generation wireless and portable communications devices, Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. with its parent company, Toshiba Corporation (Toshiba), today announced a family of 64 megabit Pseudo Static Random Access Memories (PSRAM). To provide designers with added flexibility, Toshiba's PSRAM devices support access times of 80 or 85 nanoseconds (ns) and are available in two clock types. These include the previously announced /CE clock type, in which address input pins are latched by the falling edge of the /CE pin in each read/write cycle; and the newly added /OE and /WE clock type, in which address input pins are latched by the falling edge of the /OE pin in the read cycle and the /WE pin in the write cycle for a more seamless SRAM-like design.

Designated TC51W6416XB and TC51W6417XB, the new 64Mb PSRAM devices operate using a single power supply with a voltage range of 2.5 volts (V) to 3.1V. The devices are logic compatible, feature SRAM-like write timing and support deep power-down mode, resulting in a low-power standby current of 100 microamperes and a deep power down standby mode of 5 microamperes. The devices operate in a page mode with a page read operation of four words. The new PSRAM devices will be supported by advanced simulation models developed in cooperation with Toshiba and Denali Software, Inc., a world leader in high-performance memory subsystem design and verification. These Specification of Memory Architecture (SOMA) files will be used to simulate the detailed timing and behavior of the memory devices during the design and verification of new systems.
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(Press Release) ASUS has unveiled its new series of biometrically enabled laptops that incorporate AuthenTec's TruePrint based fingerprint products. The ASUS B1 Series is a revolutionary machine with awesome capabilities, including advanced biometric fingerprint security, advanced wireless communications, graphics and data storage. Because of the powerful data capabilities of this machine, security is an absolute requirement to protect sensitive corporate and personal information stored on the laptop. The ASUS B1000 laptop features AuthenTec's EntrePad AES4000 sensor to identify the individual and protect the user's computer and personal data. The ASUS B1000 integrates biometric fingerprint authentication in both the PC BIOS as well as the Windows operating system. Used in conjunction with an integrated smart card device, the laptop provides the ultimate in personal asset as well as data security.

The AES4000 sensor in the ASUS B1000 laptop takes advantage of AuthenTec's acclaimed TruePrint Technology that reads beyond the surface layer of the skin to the live layer, where the true fingerprint resides. Unlike surface based optical, thermal and DC capacitive technologies, TruePrint is not affected by common skin surface conditions such as dry, worn, callused, oily, or dirty skin which can affect the sensor's ability to acquire accurate fingerprint images. TruePrint is the first fingerprint identification technology capable of being used by everyone, under virtually any condition. TruePrint's ability to acquire everyone makes it the most accurate and convenient fingerprint authentication technology on the market today.
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