VIA wins a Computex 2012 Best Choice award for the USB 3.0 Active Optical Cable (AOC)-- a means of extending USB 3.0 cable reach from 3m to up to 100m.

It features the VIA VO510 5-Gigagit optical transceiver (using light rather than electric signals), and is compliant with SuperSpeed USB electrical specifications. With an ultra-thin profile and long reach, the USB 3.0 AOC is ideal for of applications demanding rapid data transfer and HD multimedia capabilities.

It is also highly resistant to EMI, and doesn't radiate EMI of its own.

Go VIA Receives Read more...

IDC reports the Q1 2012 WW ethernet switch (layer 2/3) market grows by 7.4% Y-o-Y and reaches $5.1 billion, while the WW router market grows by 2.8% Y-o-Y. 

However growth is "relatively soft" in EMEA, with Q1 2012 ethernet switch growth reaching just 4.2% Y-o-Y. Routers are down in EMEA, with a -14.7% Y-o-Y decline. 

"The positive market performance in the first quarter of 2012 speaks well to the network infrastructure needs of enterprise IT as it embraces cloud technologies," IDC remarks. 

Driving the market are 10GbE and 40GbE switches-- IDC says Read more...

Chief introduces RackBuilder 2.0, the next evolution of RackBuilder, the web application for configuring Raxxess Series rack solutions.

RackBuilder enables installers to visually configure their custom rack solutions and then generate a load diagram that can be used for building a solution.

Chief implemented new user-friendly features that make the application easier to use and more powerful:

• Smart logic and real-time notification about accessory compatibilities
• An upgraded, streamlined interface
• A 3rd party components compatibility Read more...

Lenovo announces two additions to the ThinkServer portfolio-- the RD530 and RD630, designed for cloud and virtualisation deployments within the low-end enterprise market. 

The company describes the launch the beginning of a "long journey" into server space ourside its native market, China. 

The RD530 and RD630 2-socket rack servers carry Intel Xeon E5-2600 processors and 320GB of RAM, and deliver what Lenovo claims is a 160% power-per-watt improvement over previous ThinkServer products. 

A new chassis design improves thermal efficiency and fault tolerance, Read more...