AST's New Ascentia 950N/90 Notebook Deploys a Full Complement of Chip Solutions From Cirrus Logic.FREMONT, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 27, 1995--Cirrus Logic Inc. (Nasdaq: CRUS crus (krus) pl. cru´ra [L.] 1. leg (1). 2. a leglike part. crus ce´rebri ) today announced that AST Research AST Research, Inc. was a personal computer manufacturer, founded in Irvine, California in 1980 by Albert Wong, Safi Qureshey and Thomas Yuen. (The name comes from the initials of their first names. , Inc., (Nasdaq: ASTA) has employed six Cirrus Logic (company) Cirrus Logic - A manufacturer of integrated circuits including the Advanced RISC Machine and display interface processors and cards for use as Windows accelerators (requiring dedicated driver software). http://cirrus.com/. integrated circuits Integrated circuits Miniature electronic circuits produced within and upon a single semiconductor crystal, usually silicon. Integrated circuits range in complexity from simple logic circuits and amplifiers, about 1/20 in. (1. in the design of its new Ascentia 950N/90 notebook computer A laptop computer that weighs in a range from five to seven pounds. The term originated when laptops were routinely more than 10 pounds, and those that became lighter were placed in a special "notebook" category. In practice, notebook computer and laptop computer are synonymous. . Spanning a broad range of features and performance the multiple chip solutions include a flat panel graphics controller (CL-GD7543), a PC Card host adapter Also called a "controller" or "host bus adapter," it is a device that connects one or more peripheral units to a computer. It is typically an expansion card that plugs into the bus. IDE and SCSI are examples of peripheral interfaces that call their controllers host adapters. See host. (CL-PD6720), and a PicoPower system logic chip set (Sequoia PT86C768A2/718 and Golden Gate(tm) PT80C732/733). The new 950N/90 joins AST's Ascentia notebook family, which includes the award-winning 950N/75. This earlier entry also contained six key chip solutions from Cirrus Logic. The Ascentia 950N/90 is one of the industry's first mobile products to be shipped with Windows(r)95. The new notebook uses Intel's most powerful mobile Pentium See Pentium M. (r) processor, the 90MHz (MegaHertZ) One million cycles per second. It is used to measure the transmission speed of electronic devices, including channels, buses and the computer's internal clock. A one-megahertz clock (1 MHz) means some number of bits (16, 32, 64, etc. P54LM-90, with 256KB of Level-2 cache memory for maximum performance, while still providing four to six hours of computing time from a single lithium ion battery. "The feature richness of Cirrus Logic's multiple chip solutions enable us to build upon the award-winning feature set of the 950N/75," said Chet Pribonic, AST's vice president, products division. "The 950N/90 provides the mobile user with many of the best portable features and software on the market today." Douglas J. Bartek, President of Cirrus Logic's Visual & Systems Interface Company, noted, "Our advanced integrated circuits help companies, like AST (AST Computer, Irvine, CA) A PC manufacturer founded in 1980 by Albert Wong, Safi Quershey and Tom Yuen (A, S and T). It offered a complete line of PCs that sold through its dealer channel. , develop a new class of notebook computers that offer an ideal balance of power consumption, features, and performance." Multimedia Video/Graphics Capabilities The multimedia capabilities of the Ascentia 950N/90 are enabled by the CL-GD7543 flat panel graphics controller. This flat panel graphics controller provides desktop-equivalent integrated single-chip graphics, and multimedia video previously only available in desktop computers. This controller features BitBLT acceleration, true-color capability, and operation at either 3.3 or 5.0 volts for low power consumption. It accelerates GUIs including Windows(r)95, displays separate graphics and video windows at independent color depths, includes MotionVideo(TM) Acceleration (MVA MVA abbr. motor vehicle accident MVA Motor vehicular/vehicle accident, see there (TM)) for playback of Video for Windows The name of Microsoft's first video playback implementation in Windows. Supporting the AVI movie format, Video for Windows (VfW) was installed separately in Windows 3.x, but was later built into Windows 95 and subsequent versions. (r), and supports emerging standards for Windows-based 3D applications. PC Card Host Adapter The CL-PD6720 is a single-chip solution with power control logic that is capable of controlling two PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association, San Jose, CA, www.pcmcia.org) An international standards body and trade association that was founded in 1989 to establish a standard for connecting peripherals to portable computers. PCMCIA created the PC Card. See PC Card. sockets. It provides complete PCMCIA 2.1 and JEIDA (Japanese Electronic Industry Development Association) A Japanese trade and standards organization. JEIDA joined with PCMCIA to standardize the PC card in 1991. The PC card specifications JEIDA 4.1 and PCMCIA 2.0 are the same. 4.1 hardware and software compatibility, as well as mixed-voltage capabilities to meet the low power requirements of the notebook market. The PD6720 allows each PCMCIA socket to operate at independent voltages, thus providing dynamic operating voltage support of multi-voltage-capable cards. PicoPower System Logic The Sequoia system controller delivers superior performance while achieving best-of-class power management. The Sequoia controller features integrated battery management that significantly extends battery life, a critical requirement in today's notebook market. The Golden Gate Pentium processor bridge interface controller provides a seamless upgrade to the Pentium processor and an enhancement to the Sequoia system controller's performance and power management. The Golden Gate controller delivers performance typically found in a fully-optimized desktop system design. AST Research Inc. AST Research Inc., a member of the Fortune 500 list of America's largest industrial and service companies, is one of the world's leading personal computer manufacturers. The $2.468 billion company develops a broad spectrum of desktop, mobile and server PC products that are sold in more than 100 countries worldwide. AST systems meet a wide range of customers needs, ranging from corporate business applications to advanced home and home office use. Corporate headquarters is located at 16215 Alton Parkway, P.O. Box 57005, Irvine, Calif. 92619-7005. Telephone 714/727-4141 or 800/876-4278. Fax: 714/727-9355 Cirrus Logic, Inc. Headquartered in Fremont, Calif., Cirrus Logic is a leading manufacturer of advanced integrated circuits for the desktop and portable computing, telecommunications, and consumer electronics markets. The company applies its system-level expertise in analog and digital design to innovate highly integrated, software-rich solutions. Cirrus Logic has developed a broad portfolio of products and technologies for applications spanning multimedia, graphics, communications, system logic, mass storage, and data acquisition. -0- Note to Editors: Cirrus Logic's World Wide Web site may be accessed at http://www.cirrus.com Information on Cirrus Logic products may also be accessed via fax-on-demand at 800/359-6414. MotionVideo Architecture and Golden Gate are registered trademarks of Cirrus Logic Inc. All other trademarks used herein are the property of their respective owners. CONTACT: Cirrus Logic Janet Freeman, 510/226-2227 janetf@corp.cirrus.com or AST Research Ruth Rosene, 714/727-7961 ruth.rosene@ast.com |
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