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Product Shopper New Product Info

(1)
PLANAR SYSTEMS
1080p LCDs come in four sizes

eeProductCenter's Emily Gleason says: "Planar Systems, Inc. announced a line of 1080p high-definition LCD thin displays in four different sizes: the 52-inch PD520, 47-inch PD470, 42-inch PD420 and 37-inch PD370."

Readers Say:

"Price depending?"
"Incremental advancement in technology"
"Resolution is low for such big screens and does not yet meet computer resolutions for a "fusion" type device"
"These units will make it easier for computer systems to use multiple monitors, which significantly increases productivity."
"These displays appear to be average. The HDCP (High definition Digital Content Protection) feature may be perceived negatively by consumers."

USABILITY RANK: 1

(2)
PLANET82
Nano imaging sensor eliminates flash in digital cameras

eeProductCenter's Gina Roos says: "Planet82 Inc. has unveiled its VGA-color single carrier modulation photo detector (SMPD) at CES for taking digital pictures or video in the dark without a flash. The company says the sensor's use of nanotechnology eliminates the need for energy-intensive flash in digital cameras, mobile phones and vehicles."

Readers Say:

"I would be interested in this technology for surveillance applications. The price needs to be right though since surveillance needs lots of devices to be useful."

USABILITY RANK: 4

(3)
CREE
LEDs deliver up to 210 lumens

eeProductCenter's Gina Roos says: "The XLamp XR-E LEDs from Cree Inc. are qualified for use in high-power applications of up to one amp (A). The XR-E LED offers a luminous flux of up to 210 lumens at 1 A, with typical luminous flux of 176 lumens."

Readers Say:

"These have an incredible potential if the price can become competitive with florescent lighting especially since they are dimmable."

USABILITY RANK: 2

(4)
OMNIVISION
TrueFocus digital camera creates clearer images

eeProductCenter's Gina Roos says: "OmniVision's TrueFocus camera reference design is equipped with the company's wavefront coding technology and is geared toward the mobile handset market. This camera design consists of a wavefront coded lens, a 3-megapixel CMOS image sensor, and a TrueFocus signal processor."

USABILITY RANK: 3

(5)
MAGNACHIP SEMICONDUCTOR
SoC integrates image sensor, digital auto-focus engine

eeProductCenter's Ismini Scouras says: "MagnaChip Semiconductor Ltd. is sampling an imaging SoC dubbed the MC531EA that incorporates image sensor and pixel technology, image processing and a digital auto-focus engine."

USABILITY RANK: 9

(6)
ADVANCED THERMAL SOLUTIONS
Heat sinks cool LED lighting strips

eeProductCenter's Gina Roos says: "Advanced Thermal Solutions Inc. (ATS) has introduced three heat sink solutions for cooling OSRAM's DRAGONstick LEDs and other linear LED lighting products. The ATS-486, ATS-503 and ATS-504 heat sinks mitigate the intensity of heat generated by high output LEDs, and thereby reduce temperature and extend product life."

USABILITY RANK: 6

(7)
OSRAM OPTO SEMICONDUCTORS
LED chips create bright colors for computer games, mini projectors

eeProductCenter's Emily Gleason says: "OSRAM Opto Semiconductors announced OSTAR Projection, designed for products in the consumer electronics market. The six 1-mm2 chips use thin-film technology and deliver efficient surface emissions in red (617 nm), green (517 nm) and blue (655 nm) wavelengths."

Readers Say:

"Pocket projectors are a must for road warriors, but they need lots of brightness and a price in the $200-300 range to be appropriate."

USABILITY RANK: 10

(8)
BELDEN
Mini coax cable includes BNC and RCA connector options eeProductCenter's Gina Roos says: "Belden has added BNC and RCA connectors to the Belden Brilliance family of audio/video (A/V) products for the professional broadcast and entertainment industry."

USABILITY RANK: 5

(9)
ANTEC
Laptop cooler offers choice between maximum cooling, minimum noise

eeProductCenter's Gina Roos says: "Antec, Inc. has introduced a small portable cooler, dubbed the Notebook Cooler S, that prevents overheating in laptop computers by using two ball-bearing blowers to direct cool air across the base of the notebook computer."

USABILITY RANK: 7

(10)
TYCO ELECTRONICS
Circular plastic connector is Ethernet enabled

eeProductCenter's Gina Roos says: "Tyco Electronics has expanded its Circular Plastic Connector (CPC) product line with the introduction of the Series 45 Ethernet connector."

USABILITY RANK: 8

In case you were wondering, here's how Ultimate Products works: Our editors select up to 10 of the most significant products posted at www.eeProductCenter.com during the calendar quarter. Then, using an electronic balloting process, we submit the products with the accompanying editorial reviews to selected, qualified readers. Those readers score the products by technical significance and
USABILITY on a scale of 1 through 5, with 5 being the highest score. The product ranked No. 1 in each category was judged as most technically significant for that category. Relative
USABILITY rankings and selected reader comments are also reported. More than 1,000 of you helped to choose these products. As always, we are grateful for your enthusiastic participation.

Patrick Mannion
Editor-in-Chief, Techonline Network and eeProductcenter.com
pmannion@cmp.com