VIA Technologies is participating in the Tatung University WiMAX Application Lab project, which brings together industry partners and Taiwan government agencies to build a completely WiMAX covered campus. Indoor and outdoor WiMAX coverage at the university launched today during the school’s “Open House.” VIA Nano processor-powered VIA OpenBook mini-notes will make it possible for students and faculty easily access and interact with WiMAX-enabled applications at any time. 

The Tatung University WiMAX Application Lab has partnered with VIA Technologies to provide indoor and outdoor WiMAX coverage through portable devices like VIA’s OpenBook mini-notes.

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Projects incubated in the WiMAX Application Lab benefit from a 4000-person test group as well as partnerships with commercial businesses like VIA and Alcatel-Lucent and government agencies like the Institute for Information Industry. The launch will demonstrate mobile coverage, since part of Taipei’s subway system passes through the WiMAX-enabled zone, indoor coverage, beamforming, throughput, and handover coverage. Applications will include WiMAX Internet Protocol TV (IPTV), video surveillance, IMS and SIP, and an automated electric meter reading program.

The VIA OpenBooks are powered by 1.0-GHz VIA Nano processors and come with 1 Gbyte of DDR2 RAM, a single-chip integrated WiMAX/BT/Wi-Fi connectivity module, a 2.0/3.0-Mpixel dual-headed Web camera, and a 1024-by-600 low-voltage differential signaling (LVDS) screen for video conferencing or surveillance. They measure 8.9 in. and weigh 1.1 kg, resembling a small textbook, for easy portability around campus.

With its 800-MHz front-side bus (FSB), the VIA Nano processor is coupled with the VIA VX800 system media processor with support for full Microsoft DirectX 9.0 3D graphics, high-definition video and audio playback, and up to 4 Gbytes of DDR2 system memory. It leverages advanced 65-nm process technology for enhanced power efficiency and augments that with power and thermal management features within its 21- by 21-mm nanoBGA2 package for idle power as low as 100 mW.