For Immediate Release
VIA and Mini-box Announce First Sub-$300 Car PC Kit
Eliminating in-car power issues, the VoomPC shatters car PC price barrier and provides a versatile, low cost navigation and infotainment platform
Taipei, Taiwan, 30 September 2005 – VIA Technologies, Inc., a leading innovator of PC platform solutions, and Mini-box.com, a subsidiary of Ituner Networks Corp., today announced the VoomPC family of compact, high performance yet affordable x86 car PC kits aimed at driving telematics mainstream. Based on low power VIA EPIA Mini-ITX mainboards, the x86 platform of choice for car PCs, the VoomPC is specifically designed for the ultra power sensitive conditions of in-vehicle applications.
With prices ranging from $299 to $399, the VoomPC barebone platform is ideal for automotive enthusiasts and vehicle manufacturers alike to integrate a wide range of GPS navigation, communication, entertainment and information functionality into private cars or vehicle-dependent professional service vehicles such as law enforcement, rescue and commercial transport, where access to data on the road is essential.
All the critical power issues of car PC systems have been addressed. The VoomPC integrates the intelligent Mini-box M1-ATX 12V power supply unit to prevent system damage from power surges and eliminate car battery drain by monitoring car battery levels, even when the car is turned off. The energy efficient VIA C3 processor with its highly effective heat dissipation enables the VoomPC to consume between 15-30 watts, less than the dimmest car parking lights.
“Car PCs have long been fraught with a multitude of power challenges. The VoomPC platforms solve those issues in one complete, highly affordable package,” said Richard Brown, Vice President of Corporate Marketing. “Leveraging the ultra low power profile of the VIA C3 processor, the VoomPC is a great example of how our VIA EPIA platforms are facilitating fast-emerging applications such as car PCs and bringing them within reach of a much wider market.”
The VoomPC also features advanced audio control, with ‘anti-thump’ technology that keeps car amplifiers turned off while the PC starts, eliminating annoying speaker thumps and pops, while the VIA Vinyl Audio Six-TRAC audio codec enables stunning six-channel surround sound for a more authentic listening experience with greater depth.
Compatible with all standard Linux or Microsoft Windows operating systems and built within Mini-box’s signature compact chassis of just 21cm x 25cm x 6.7cm, the VoomPC is equipped with rich peripheral connectivity, multimedia and telematics options afforded by the feature-packed VIA EPIA Mini-ITX mainboard, including USB2.0, Firewire, Ethernet, PCMCIA types I and II CardBus interface for GPRS/Wifi, S-Video, VGA and six-channel audio.
“With the VoomPC, I wanted to free telematics from proprietary applications by creating a versatile, accessible car PC platform based on the standard x86 architecture, and tackle the serious power issues that have prevented the x86 platform from being more widely adopted for in-car use,” said Andrei Bulucea, president of Mini-box.com. “Our intuitive M1-ATX power supply unit combined with VIA’s low heat, power efficient technologies opens the road for OEMs and system integrators to provide best of breed applications regardless of operating system or customer environment.”
About the M1-ATX Power Supply Unit
Computers consume anywhere from a few milliwatts to several watts when they are turned off, which can quickly run down a car battery, even when the car itself is turned off. The M1-ATX, the VoomPC’s 12V intelligent power supply unit, manages downtime battery use by using intelligent schemes for cutting off various functions at predetermined times, and shutting the computer down completely when the car battery drops below 11 volts. It also protects against power surges, another key requirement for in-car systems.
Further information on the M1-ATX intelligent power supply may be found at: http://www.mini-box.com/s.nl/sc.8/category.13/it.A/id.356/.f.
For more information about the VoomPC telematics platforms may be found at: http://www.mini-box.com, while high resolution images of the system may be found at: http://resources.mini-box.com/press/voomPC/.
About Mini-box.com
Mini-box.com is a subsidiary of Ituner Networks Corp. Ituner Networks is a privately owned corporation, located in Silicon Valley, California. Ituner Networks Corporation, formerly known as Ituner Internet Broadcasting Services, was founded in 1996.
In addition to the Mini-box small computers series, Ituner is the maker of the MediaBox product line, a professional audio and video streaming server capable of multicast or unicast streaming of high quality video and audio through the internet. Sales inquiries may be made to sales@ituner.com.
About VIA Technologies, Inc.
VIA Technologies, Inc. (TSE 2388) is the foremost fabless supplier of market-leading core logic chipsets, low power x86 processors, advanced connectivity, multimedia, networking and storage silicon, and complete platform solutions that are driving system innovation in the PC and embedded markets. Headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan, VIA’s global network links the high tech centers of the US, Europe and Asia, and its customer base includes the world’s top OEMs, motherboard vendors and system integrators. www.via.com.tw
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