Tech Shout!

On Thursday, Acer launched the AcerPower 1000 desktop in India. With dimensions around 60 x 250 x 200mm, this built-to-order desktop delivers energy-efficient performance and whisper-quiet operation (26dB) in a space-saving form factor, which is up to 10 times smaller than a traditional PC tower. The AcerPower 1000 is designed to achieve the perfect balance between size, performance, acoustics, and cost.

The desktop was unveiled by S Raghu, National Manager (Programs), Acer India.

AcerPower 1000 Specifications are as follows:

Windows XP Home Edition SP2/Windows XP Professional SP2 operating system; Windows Vista-ready

AMD Athlon 64 x 2/Athlon 64/Sempron processors

Nvidia nForce 430MCP Chipset

Integrated Nvidia GeForce 6150 graphics

Up to 2GB of DDR2 533/667 MHz SO-DIMM SDRAM

Up to 400GB SATA hard disk drive

Gigabit Ethernet Optical WLAN 802.11b/g

High-definition (HD) audio

Acer Empowering Technology

PureVideo technology

With a configuration that reads: a 15-inch TFT; Athlon 64 processor; 512MB; 80GB HDD with Combo drive; and Gigabit LAN, the AcerPower 1000 will be available on a back-to-back order basis for around Rs 35,000 excluding taxes. The product has a delivery time of about 4 weeks.

The event was held in Mumbai, where the Director of the Taipei World Trade Center, Thomas Chang, was joined by heads of leading technology companies in announcing the growing importance of India as a global technology center, and an attractive investment destination to boot.

The gathering was addressed by a distinguished panel of tech gurus such as K R Naik, Chairman and Managing Director, D-Link India; S Raghu, National Manager (Programs), Acer India; Andrew Tsui, Managing Director, Asustek India; P Vyas, Managing Director, Gigabyte Technology India; and Bill Wu, General Manager, Hi-Touch Imaging Technologies.

As each member of the panel addressed the audience, the central idea conveyed was that with the Indian economy growing in leaps and bounds, the timing could not have been better for Taiwan-based companies to invest in and cash-in on the technology market here.

So far, Taiwan has made huge investments in China - but with a heavy reliance on Indian software expertise. As regards India, Taiwan is beginning to recognize the huge potential that the country has to offer in the field of technology. Pitching-in in this effort are the Taipei World Trade Center (TWTC), government agencies, and various associations, all of which are assisting Taiwan-based manufacturers and businesses reinforce their competitiveness in India.

K R Naik, chairman and managing director, D-Link India, said, “D-Link India has been a classic example of a focused approach, typical of the Taiwanese business model. A sound product portfolio, clubbed with an extensive distribution set-up, has helped us consistently retain the top slot in this space.”

Another product launched during the event was the Hi-Touch CS-300/300i dual-sided color card printer, which sports a compact form factor and practical features for easy installation and operation from almost anywhere.

The CS-300/300i features the Hi-Touch Dye Diffusion Thermal Transfer technology that allows each layer of yellow, magenta, cyan, black, and transparent over coating to be sublimated onto the card in 256 levels, to create a total of 1.667 million colors in continuous tone. With a resolution of 300dpi, the card printer is designed to offer high quality saturation, contrast, sharpness, and color depth. Other features include print speeds of 45 seconds per side in ‘Quality Mode’ and 35 seconds per side in ‘Speed Mode’; Auto-Card Flipper; support for card thicknesses ranging from 0.3mm to 1.0mm; etc.

The CS-300/300i is scheduled to be in stores by the end of 2006.