OPTi Shipping Core Logic, Audio & Graphics Chips For Sharp’s Copernicus PDA
MILPITAS, Calif. — April 21, 1997 — OPTi Inc. announced today that it is shipping its core logic, audio, and graphics chipsets for Sharp's new pen tablet PC, the Copernicus RW-A250.
Powered by AMD's AM5x86 and running full Windows 95, the Copernicus is a very small, very light weight (3.1 lbs) PDA with an 8.4" TFT color active matrix screen. The Copernicus is manufactured for the Japanese market. It has also been licensed by Norand as the Pen*Key 6622 for distribution in the U.S.
The Copernicus uses OPTi's 92C178 low power graphics accelerator chip to drive the LCD, OPTi's 82C465MVB mobile core logic chipset, and the OPTiSound 931 audio chip. These chip sets are provided under OPTi's embedded program which guarantees availability over a 5-year product life.
"OPTi's mature core logic and multimedia silicon provide a perfect platform for implementing very low-cost, high-function X86 embedded products," said Stephen Dukker, president of OPTi. "This is a new and growing market in which OPTi looks forward to participating." Sharp's Copernicus RW-A250 The Copernicus is ideal for mobile applications with a full set of features including a fast, 8.4" TFT (640×480 pixels), touch screen display, an integrated keypad suited to many data entry tasks, and an infrared LAN, or a card-based wireless radio connection. The base memory configuration includes 16MB of RAM, which can be upgraded to a maximum of 32MB. It includes SoundBlaster Pro compatible circuitry, built-in speaker and microphone, and audio in/out connectors.
82C465MVB 32 Bit 486/586 Mobile Chipset with PCMCIA
The OPTi 82C465MVB mobile chipset is a highly integrated device that supports 32-bit 486 and 5 x 86 architectures. It implements ISA-compatible core logic, with power management and CPU thermal management hardware, in a single device. Its feature set provides an array of control and status monitoring options, all accessed through a simple and straightforward interface. All major BIOS vendors provide extensive software "hooks" that allow system designers to integrate their own special features with minimal effort.
OptiSound(TM) 931 Audio Chipset The OptiSound(TM) 931 Single Chip Plug-and-Play 16-Bit Sound Controller is an integrated single chip solution for multimedia PC's with full duplex stereo audio and Win'95 compliant 16-bit PnP. The 931 provides a powerful 16-bit DMA interface, 6 stereo channels, and a fully proven SoundBlaster Pro and Windows sound system controller. The OPTiSound 931 offers compatibility with industrial PC audio standards, and delivers the most advanced PC audio solution for business, education, entertainment, and other multimedia applications.
OPTi 92C178 Super VGA Controller OPTi's LCD Super VGA Controller offers high performance, full integration, low power consumption, complete panel support, and simultaneous LCD/CRT display as part of a highly integrated graphics subsystem. It is optimized for minimum power consumption during normal operation and provides three power saving mode levels.
The 92C178 supports 3.3V/5V mixed voltage operation which helps to further reduce subsystem power consumption. It supports a wide variety of dual scan color/mono STN, single scan color/mono STN and TFT panels, and panel resolutions of 640×480 and 1024×768. Up to 16.8 million colors are supported on color panels, and up to 256 gray scales are supported on monochrome panels.
OPTi, Inc., founded in 1989, is a leading independent volume supplier of core logic and multimedia silicon solutions to the personal computer market. OPTi supplies core logic desktop and notebook, and multimedia chipsets to top PC manufacturers including Acer, Apple, AST, Compaq, Dell, Gateway 2000, IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Packard Bell, and Zenith.
OPTi is headquartered in Milpitas, California, and the Company's customers include many of the major PC OEMs in the world. OPTi stock is traded on the NASDAQ, National Market under symbol OPTI. For more information about OPTi's products, contact 408/486-8000. Home Page at http://www.opti.com.
CONTACT:
OPTi Corporate Communications
Janet L. Courtenay, 408/486-8216