Zotac announces Clarkdale-ready mini-ITX motherboard

In addition to its two ultra-small form factor, Pine Trail-toting motherboards, Zotac has unveiled a new H55-based mini-ITX board. The H55-ITX WiFi can accommodate Intel's new 32nm Core i3 and i5 processors and features two DDR3 DIMM slots with support for up to 8GB of RAM, a PCIe 2.0 x16 slot, and six SATA II ports (one eSATA on the I/O panel).

Other details include 802.11n wireless, gigabit Ethernet, ten USB 2.0 ports, a PS/2 port, 7.1-channel HD audio, optical S/PDIF output as well as DVI and HDMI outputs, which serve video directly from the IGP in Clarkdale CPUs.

Zotac notes that the motherboard is also compatible with Core i7 processors, so you should be able to use a quad-core Lynnfield chip. By going that route though, you'll have to occupy the PCIe x16 slot with a graphics card.

Price and availability weren't mentioned in the press release.

AMD unveils DX11 Mobility Radeon HD 5000-series

AMD has introduced the mobile counterpart to its DirectX 11-ready desktop graphics cards. The Mobility Radeon HD 5000 series is comprised of three different graphics chips that span the usual markets: mainstream, performance, and enthusiast. The Tech Report has compiled a table with the new GPU.
It's worth noting that none of the GPUs are based on Cypress, which AMD claims is too hot and large for notebooks. The 5400 line is based on Cedar, the 5600 and 5700 chips are built on Redwood, and the 5800 series uses the same 40nm Juniper technology as the Radeon HD 5700 desktop cards. All of the Mobility Radeon HD 5000 cards support up to 1GB of GDDR5 RAM and hexa-displays -- except the 5400 parts, which can "only" handle quad-display setups.

The company also announced that it has shipped two million DirectX 11-capable graphics processors, and you'll be pleased to know that TSMC's 40nm issues are a thing of the past, so AMD's DX11 products should be landing in stores and systems near you.

Microsoft intros minimalist Arc Keyboard

Microsoft has announced its new Arc Keyboard. Following the naming convention and style of its Arc Mouse, the company's new keyboard features a sleek, minimalist design -- lacking even a number pad. Given its lightweight, compact design, the Arc Keyboard seems destined for use in home entertainment setups, where wires and other bulkiness is a burden.
The 2.4GHz wireless keyboard measures 12.2 inches wide and 6.06 inches tall, features a stowable nano transceiver, and is compatible with Windows XP and Mac OS X 10.4 or later. The Arc Keyboard will be available "exclusively" through Best Buy stores on February 21 for $60.