Acer Selects Chips and Technologies' Graphics Controllers For Award Winning Notebook Computer; Flat Panel/CRT Controllers Bring Added Graphics Flexibility to Versatile New Notebook Computer Line.SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 19, 1995--Chips and Technologies, Inc. announced today that the new award-winning AcerNote(TM) Pro and AcerNote Light notebook computers from Acer are using two members of Chips' industry-leading flat panel/CRT graphics controller family. Both the 65545, used in the AcerNote Pro, and the 65540, used in the AcerNote Light, supply versatile high-performance engines for graphics subsystems in mobile computers. The 65545 integrates a 32-bit BitBLT engine that accelerates the movement of images, text and data in a graphical user interface graphical user interface (GUI) Computer display format that allows the user to select commands, call up files, start programs, and do other routine tasks by using a mouse to point to pictorial symbols (icons) or lists of menu choices on the screen as opposed to having to . A number of leading system vendors, including Apple computer, IBM (International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY, www.ibm.com) The world's largest computer company. IBM's product lines include the S/390 mainframes (zSeries), AS/400 midrange business systems (iSeries), RS/6000 workstations and servers (pSeries), Intel-based servers (xSeries) , Hewlett-Packard, 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. , Gateway 2000, NEC (NEC Corporation, Tokyo, www.nec.com, www.necus.com) An electronics conglomerate known in the U.S. for its monitors. In Japan, it had the lion's share of the PC market until the late 1990s (see PC 98). NEC was founded in Tokyo in 1899 as Nippon Electric Company, Ltd. and Zenith have already incorporated Chips' devices into new portable systems. Award-winning design Combining full-function capability with portability in a variety of modular configurations, the AcerNote Pro and AcerNote Light offer an extremely versatile and flexible feature set for today's mobile computing needs. Features such as dual battery operation, easily expandable hard drives and upgradable memory on both systems -- and on the AcerNote Pro swappable CD-ROM/floppy drives and docking station connectivity -- set these new notebooks apart from the competition. Reflecting its unique qualities, the AcerNote Pro won the Best of Computex Taipei 1995 award earlier this year. "Industry studies clearly show that users want notebooks that offer a versatile feature set that includes extended battery life, light weight, larger screen sizes, expanded storage capacities and formidable processing power," said Glenn Kuo, product manager for portables at Acer America Corp. "Chips' 65545 and 65540 gave us a tightly integrated, flexible graphics subsystem that was versatile enough to support multiple display technologies as well as multimedia applications." Docking station capable, the AcerNote Pro offers full desktop functionality in a lightweight, mobile footprint. The system is built around a fast 75MHz (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. Intel Pentium (TM) processor and can be configured with 8 Mbytes of RAM, expandable to 40 Mbytes. Users who want to run multimedia applications can swap out an exchangeable floppy drive with an optional dual-speed CD-ROM drive. A 10.4 in., active-matrix color display supplies the high resolution needed for multimedia applications. True road warriors may opt for the compact AcerNote Light. The 5 pound system packs a 75 MHz Intel 486 DX4 processor and 8 Mbytes of RAM, expandable to 32 Mbytes. Storage accessories include an internal 420 Mbyte hard disk drive and a built-in Type II PCMCIA card slot. Using a high speed local bus and chips' 65540 controller, the system supports high-speed graphics and video on either a 10.2 in active matrix TFT (Thin Film Transistor) The term typically refers to active matrix screens on laptop computers. Active matrix LCD provides a sharper screen display and broader viewing angle than does passive matrix. See LCD and thin film. TFT - Thin Film transistor display or a 10.4 in. dual-scan passive color display, as well as an external video monitor. Video overlay capability Acer's decision to opt for Chips' 65545 and 65540 was driven by the controllers' high performance and unique capabilities. The 65545 and 65540 were the first flat panel controllers to offer video overlay capability allowing OEMs to tap a variety of signal sources from TV tuners and camcorders to laser disks and any other NTSC/PAL input for entertainment and presentation applications. Both controllers also support multiple panel types, including monochrome LCD and single and dual scan color STN (SuperTwisted Nematic) A passive matrix LCD technology that provides better contrast than twisted nematic (TN) by twisting the molecules from 180 to 270 degrees. See DSTN. and TFT color LCDs with superior display quality, helping Acer supply versatile display support. The two Chips devices also operate with interlaced Refers to a display system or image that uses interlacing and does not render contiguous lines one after the other. See interlace and interlaced GIF. and non-interlaced CRTs, allowing Acer to run external, desktop video monitors off their portable platforms. "The 65545 and 65540 are designed to give mobile computing professionals the multimedia and high resolution graphics capabilities they need," said Keith Angelo, vice president of marketing at Chips and Technologies Chips and Technologies (C&T) was the first fabless semiconductor company, a model developed by its founder Gordon Campbell. Its first product was an EGA IBM compatible graphics chip. This was followed by chipsets for PC motherboards and other computer graphics chips. . "Acer is a leading PC manufacturer and we look forward to continuing our relationship as we develop and roll out our next generation of flat/panel CRT (1) (C RunTime) See runtime library. (2) (Cathode Ray Tube) A vacuum tube used as a display screen in a computer monitor or TV. The viewing end of the tube is coated with phosphors, which emit light when struck by electrons. controllers." To meet the high-performance requirements of Windows (TM), Chips' controllers supply proprietary Windows Linear accelerator drivers and direct interfaces to the high-speed x86 VESA (Video Electronics Standards Association, Milpitas, CA, www.vesa.org) A membership organization founded in 1989 that sets interface standards for the PC, workstation and computing environments. Note the following VESA standards following this entry. and PCI (1) (Payment Card Industry) See PCI DSS. (2) (Peripheral Component Interconnect) The most widely used I/O bus (peripheral bus). local buses. Both devices also feature multiple power-saving features. The internal core, bus, memory and display interfaces on both the 65540 and 65545 operate at either 3.3 or 5-volts and their modular design allows individual features to be shut off when not in use. During power down, the controllers support a programmable powerdown timer that shuts down either the display's backlight or the panel. Standby modes supply additional power savings. About the companies Acer America Corp., headquartered in San Jose, Calif., designs and manufactures a broad range of computer systems and peripherals. Award-winning product offerings include AcerNote notebooks, AcerAcros and AcerPower desktop computers, AcerAltos line of open servers, AcerView monitors and AcerFax fax machines. A subsidiary of the $3.2 billion Acer Group, Acer America posted revenues of $858 million in 1994 and first quarter 1995 revenue of $291 million. Acer's advanced, automated manufacturing operations are capable of producing more than 4 million premium-quality PCs, color monitors and keyboards each year. Chips and Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ NASDAQ in full National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations U.S. market for over-the-counter securities. Established in 1971 by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), NASDAQ is an automated quotation system that reports on :CHPS CHPS Collaborative for High Performance Schools CHPS Certified in Healthcare Privacy and Security CHPS Center for Health Policy Studies (healthcare consulting firm with offices in New York, Maryland, and Illinois) CHPS Combat Hybrid Power System ) supplies advanced semiconductor devices to the worldwide personal computer industry. The company pioneered the concept of implementing discrete functions in highly integrated chipsets. CHIPS' products are found in a wide range of systems from compact portables to high performance desktop computers. -0- Note to Editors: Windows and Windows NT are trademarks of the Microsoft Corporation. Pentium is a trademark of Intel Corporation. AcerNote is a trademark of Acer, Inc. All other brand or product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. CONTACT: Chips and Technologies Steve Preston, 408/434-0600 or MQPR MQPR M-Ary Quadrature Partial Response Matthew Quint, 510/651-9744 |
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