Systems and Components

3Ware Extends Controller Line

Soyo's Dragon Fires Again
Soyo Computer has unleashed its newest dragon: the $189 SY-KT400 Dragon Ultra motherboard series for builders of AMD Socket-A based systems. Powered by Via's KT400 chipset, the SY-KT400 supports high-speed DDR333/400 up to 3 GB, an 8X AGP Pro slot for enhanced graphics, optional serial ATA/on-board ATA-133 IDE RAID and on-board 10/100-Mpbs Ethernet. Also available is the $155 P4X400 Dragon Ultra (pictured) for the Intel Pentium 4 platform. It brings 8X AGP support to the Intel platform, providing graphics bandwidth at 2,100 Mbps.

Synopsys Acquires Co-Design
Synopsys, which makes electronic design-automation tools for the global electronics markets, has purchased Co-Design Automation, a verification company focused on improving the designer's ability to efficiently create and verify system-on-chip designs. The combination of Synopsys' VCS Verilog simulator and Co-Design Automation's Superlog language technology extends the standard Verilog HDL with high-level programming techniques and advanced verification and behavioral modeling capabilities. The merger is valued at approximately $36 million.

Analogic Tech's Smart Switches
Advanced Analogic Technologies, a developer of power-management solutions, recently unveiled a new family of load switches to reduce component count, cost and power consumption. Its SmartSwitch product line offers new levels of power control to designers of cell phones, PDAs, digital cameras and other consumer electronics. The SmartSwitch is designed to control external loads with either fixed or adjustable limits. The switches are typically used for port protection in USB or proprietary interfaces. Pricing details for the switches, which are available now, can be found at www.analogictech.com.

BenQ's Latest LCD
The newest LCD monitor from BenQ (formerly Acer Peripherals) is the 20.2-cm. FP781, a slim-model panel that measures only 1.6 inches deep. With native resolution of 1,280-x-1,024, the display supports 16.7 million colors and provides a 17-inch viewable screen.

It contains two types of signal input: D-Sub and DVI-D. Accepting both analog and DVI signals,

the FP781 allows users to connect to multiple devices, such as DVD players, computers and video games. BenQ's FP781 also features a 350:1 contrast ratio, 0.26-pixel pitch, an audio-adjustment key, two speakers for stereo sound effects, a microphone for Internet phone applications and sound recording, and a variety of viewing angles to accommodate different application needs.

The FP781 is available now for approximately $750.

Belkin Locks It Up
Belkin Components, a manufacturer of computer peripherals and accessories, has introduced a new security product for notebook computers and other hardware. The Belkin C100 Combo Notebook Security Lock features a locking system that works with most notebooks, docking stations and flat-screen monitors by looping a 6-foot aircraft-grade steel cable around an immovable object and attaching the lock to the hardware's security slot. The C100 also features a press-to-lock mechanism and a three-digit combination lock. The lock is keyless and can be operated with one hand; it's also user-resettable. In addition to the 6-foot cable, the Belkin C100 comes with a nylon carrying bag and an anchor plate with two screws for additional locking options. The lock, which features a lifetime warranty, is now available at an estimated price of $24.95.