Asus splitting into three companies

Asus today officially announced that it was splitting into three distinct companies - as specified in its business plan.

We'll have Asus, which will only make Asus-branded PCs;

Pegatron, which will be handling mobile operations, OEMs, and component manufacturing, and

Unihan which will be dealing with modules, casings, and other non-PC stuff.

Hmm... we're feeling a bit sheepish about the whole name-changing thing... Pegatron just sounds so much cheaper than Asus. Oh well, it will catch on, we suppose.

[via Engadget]

In Depth: HP Pavilion a6330f

This follows our list of today's announced HP desktops, servers, and displays.

HP Pavilion a6330f

A very inexpensive desktop featuring:

• 2.8GHz AMD Athlon 64 X2 dual-core 5600+ processor
• NVIDIA nForce 430
• 3GB RAM (DDR2)
• 500GB SATA HD @ 7,200 rpm
• HP Pocket Media drive bay
• SuperMulti DVD burner with LightScribe labelling technology
• 128MB NVIDIA GeForce 6150 SE graphics
• 15-in-1 (front-mounted) card reader

Other connectivity includes 6 USB 2.0 ports, 2x Firewire ports, VGA, and audio in / out. A multimedia keyboard and mouse is thrown in as well.

The a6330f will be available, in the US, later this month starting at US$649.

So in Australia we could be seeing a very capable, sub-A$1000 desktop before March.

In Depth: HP Pavilion Slimline s3330f

Original article: HP's huge media centre, server & display announcement

HP Pavilion Slimline s3330f

The Pavilion Slimline s3330f looks already destined to be a success - mainly because of the inclusion of a dual-playing Blu-Ray / HD DVD drive that also utilises LightScribe labelling technology, and writes to dual-layer DVDs. That's a lot for a single disc drive to pack, but the s3330f manages to throw it all in.

In its mini-tower form factor, the s3330f also includes:

• 2.8GHz AMD Athlon 64 X2 processor
• 2gb RAM (DDR2)
• 500gb SATA HD @ 7,200 rpm
• HP Pocket Media drive bay
• 256mb NVIDIA GeForce 8500 GT
• 802.11b/g WiFi
• NTSC / ATSC TV tuners
• 15-in-1 (front-mounted) card reader

As for further connectivity, you'll find a generous serving of USB ports - 6 - audio in and out, DVI / HDMI ports, FireWire, and an included wireless keyboard and mouse, plus software.

It'll be in the US at the end of January starting at US$949, which means the s3330f could be a budget HD DVD and Blu-Ray player for Australians, before March, for near to A$1,100. What a deal.

[via Engadget, Ubergadget]

Huge HP Media PC + display announcement

HP only minutes ago outed an almost overwhelming amount of media centre PCs: expect more details soon - here's the products: (in-depth looks available by clicking the model links)

Computers / Servers:

• Pavilion a6330f - 2.8GHz Athlon 64 X2
• SL4282N & SL4782N HDTVS - Media Centre platform, 1080p, 802.11n WiFi
• Pavilion Elite m9150f - HD DVD, 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Quad, 3GB RAM, 720GB HD, LightScribe, 802.11g
• Pavilion m8330f - 2.2GHz AMD Phenom quad-core CPU, 3GB RAM, 640GB HD, LightScribe
• MediaSmart Receiver - TV media manager. Extender for Media Centre powered, DivX, XVID, 802.11n
• Pavilion Slimline s3330f - Blu-Ray/HD DVD! 2.8GHz Athlon dual-core, 2GB RAM, 500GB HD, 1x disc bay with LightScribe, 802.11g.
• Media Vault (Pro) mv2100 & mv5100 Servers - Linux powered, not Home Server. One or two 500gb or 750gb hard drives depending on model. 2x USB, Gigabit Ethernet.

Displays:

• 22" w2207h - 1680x1050, widescreen, 5-millisecond response, VESA support, HDMI, VGA, one-touch brightness / contrast setting change
• 24" w2408h - 1920x1200, widescreen, ambient light sensor, 4x USB, otherwise same as w2207h.

Again, more info, and a more detailed rundown on each product will be posted shortly.

Australian price estimates will also be thrown in as pricing is currently only available in US$.

+ Expect to see more of these during CES.

[via Engadget, Ubergadget]

Asus M530W smartphone gets fiery

Not too often that business-focussed smartphones deviate away from the industry-standard black and grey colour schemes, but Asus has announced it will start producing its M530W Communicator smartphone in a white/orange colour combination as well as its standard grey model.

Specs include:

Full QWERTY keyboard
3G
390MHz ARM 11 CPU
Windows Mobile 6 Standard (non-touchscreen)
2.4" QVGA display
2 megapixel camera
mini-USB / Bluetooth
Push e-mail support
microSD card slot (up to 2GB)

Hopefully we'll get our hands on one of these colourful beauties soon.

[via UnwiredView]

Links: UnwiredView's info page
Sogi, original source + pictures (untranslated)