Hardware Manufacturers
Microstar International, or MSI, is a computer hardware manufacturer based in Taiwan. Though perhaps best known for its desktop motherboards, Microstar also designs, manufactures and markets graphic cards, add-on boards, barebones, servers, notebooks, storage and communications devices and a wide range of consumer electronics products. Its impressive line of motherboards are compatible with both AMD and Intel processors and also supports the Crossfire and SLI lines of NVIDIA and ATI graphics processors. To keep up with the global market, Microstar assures its worldwide customers the best possible services with subsidiaries in China, Hong Kong, Japan, the U.S., U.K., Canada and several other countries.
Originally founded in 1986, MSI has been making a commitment to quality and reliability for more than two decades. Well known as the first company to produce motherboards with BIOS that could be updated directly over the internet, Microstar is now popular for a line of consumer electronic products that range from MP3 players and pen drives to web cams and USB DTV receivers. In 1995 and 1996, the company received ISO-9002 and ISO-9001 certification respectively. Highly skilled R&D teams ensure that its products undergo thorough quality control testing, achieving far beyond industry standards with 99.6% quality ratings. Through high-performance MSI graphics cards, motherboards and other award-winning products, Microstar has garnered praise from the global media, high customer ratings and numerous awards.
Over the years, MSI has not only made itself one of the most successful PC hardware manufacturers in Taiwan, but one of the most profitable in the entire industry. Producing approximately 20 million motherboards and 11 million graphics cards per year, Microstar has become one of the world’s largest manufacturers in those respective markets. Recently releasing cutting edge products like the MSI U100 PLUS and MSI N260GTX Lightning Twin Frozr, it looks as if the innovations will keep on coming.
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Hardware Manufacturers
Based in Irvine California, Linksys is a major provider of network products designed for the consumer and small business markets. Linksys also produces home and small business class Ethernet switches, broadband and wireless routers, wireless internet video cameras, VoIP equipment, network storage systems and many related products. The company was acquired by network hardware and solutions provider Cisco Systems in 2003, and as of early 2008, all Linksys network products are sold under the brand name “Linksys by Cisco.”
Though originally founded in 1988, Linksys got its major push in1995, a time when Microsoft released Windows 95. This operating system was one of the first platforms to offer built-in networking functionality, which essentially broadened the market for Linksys network products. The company obtained its first U.S.-based retail channel with Fry’s Electronics in 1995 and subsequently Best Buy in 1996. It made history in 1999 by releasing the first Fast Ethernet PCMCIA card for the laptop PC. The company took its success right into the new millennium, introducing the first 8-port router equipped with SNMP and QoS protocols in 2000 and shipping its one millionth cable/DSL router in 2001. By the time the company was acquired by Cisco two years later, it had approximately 305 employees and more than $500 million in revenues.
Since acquiring the company, Cisco has continued to invest and expand the line of Linksys routers and network solutions. Cisco acquired VoIP developer Sipura Technology in 2005 and immediately incorporated it into the Linksys division. In 2008, the company also acquired network software solution provider Pure Networks, a company that had previously delivered the infrastructure and software tools to create Linksys Easy Link Advisor. Now integrated into one seamless division, skilled employees from each entity provide ongoing support for users looking to set up and maintain home networks.
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Hardware Manufacturers
Headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan, XGI Technology is a company that designs, manufactures and sells graphics solutions and various PC components. Its product line is driven by the Volar series of award-winning graphics processors. These solutions provide real-world 3D visuals for gaming, multimedia and business applications, offering unrivaled results that exceed expectations in the way of features, performance and value. From personal computers and embedded systems to complex network servers, XGI has something to dramatically enhance the visual experience of users in various markets.
XGI is a relatively new company, officially established in 2003. While this is a short time when compared to some of the veterans in the graphics card industry, it has an extensive reservoir of design and engineering skills that have been contributed from the acquisition of SIS’ (Silicon Integrated Systems) and Trident Microsystems’ graphics divisions, both of which have been major players in the graphics card market in their prime. Owned and operated by a team of experts with a deep knowledge of the business, XGI is able to continuously deliver high quality, cost effective solutions for a wide range of professional, multimedia, 3D and mobile applications.
As a leading supplier in the embedded graphics chipset market, this company has managed to stay ahead of the competition through the innovative designs of XGI graphics processors and a consistent flow of revolutionary product launches. In 2007, the company introduced the Universal Graphics Module, the world’s first graphics card standard for embedded systems. Done in conjunction with embedded solutions provider Kontron, this standard was established to dramatically reduce the complexity of graphics implementation OEMs all over the world have faced at one time or another. Openly embracing the leadership position, XGI continues to invest in research and deliver quality products that meet the growing demands of its customers and industry partners.
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Hardware Manufacturers
Based in Dorval, Quebec, Matrox is a Canadian company that specializes in graphics card components and various types of hardware for personal computers. Founded in 1976, the company has well over 30 years of experience in designing and delivering award-winning solutions to suit the needs of the fast moving technology market. As a privately owned company, Matrox employees more than 900 people worldwide, maintaining a knowledgeable staff at its corporate headquarters, as well as international offices in China, Germany, Ireland and the United Kingdom.
This highly successful company is compromised of three divisions: Matrox Graphics, Matrox Imaging and Matrox Video. Each branch offers a wide variety of useful, high-performance solutions to individuals and businesses across a broad range of sectors. Its graphics solutions are extremely popular, featuring a line of professional multi-display cards that allow a single card to power more than one monitor. Matrox video cards mainly consist of 2D and 3D graphics geared towards workstation, financial, medical and military users.
The first Matrox graphics card was a product released in 1978, and it was the ALT-256. This card was designed for S-100 bus computers, which is what the company specialized in until catering to the PC market in the late 1980s. The company made waves in the industry during the 1990s with its Matrox Millennium. This series of video cards was acclaimed for its superb 2D visual quality and speed. The company entered the 3D card market with the Matrox Mystique line in 1996, and ushered in the 2000s with the Matrox G200 and Millennium G200. While these lines became much improved with later series like the G400, they were essentially outperformed by competing cards built on ATI and NVIDIA chips.
In regard to graphics solutions, Matrox has since shifted its focus towards more specialized niche markets, where it has been very successful. The company’s video and imaging divisions remain active in providing new innovative solutions for professionals and hobbyists.
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Hardware Manufacturers
Motorola, Inc. is a U.S. based multinational telecommunications company headquartered in Schaumburg, Illinois. Though best known for an extensive line of Motorola cell phones, the company also specializes in the manufacturing and marketing of wireless telephone headsets, as well as wireless network infrastructure hardware that includes signal amplifiers and cellular transmission base stations.
Motorola network products include digital video recorders, set-top boxes and a wide range of equipment used to enable computer telephony, video broadcasting and HD television. The company also has solutions designed for business and government customers with broadband and wireless voice systems used to power secure public communications systems and private networks.
Motorola was founded in 1928 as the Galvin Manufacturing Corporation. The Motorola title was adopted in the 1930s when founders Paul and Joseph Galvin introduced what would become the first commercially successful car radio. For more than 70 years, it has been at the forefront of technology, introducing the world to numerous cutting edge innovations. From the 1950s through the 1970s, the company specialized in radio equipment and televisions, actually playing a huge role in the historic moon landing in 1969. It enjoyed major strides in the 1980s, making history by launching the world’s first commercial cellular device. It was also a force in the semiconductor industry around the time, developing integrated circuits that were used in computer systems such as the Commodore Amiga, Atari ST and Apple Macintosh. Motorola is known as the producer of the first pager and wireless gateway modem and has also been a pioneer in the development of mobile GPS technology.
Today, Motorola creates a broad range of products designed for corporations, public safety and government officials and the general public. Utilizing the best design practices and leveraging the latest in wireless technology, it’s hard to picture a telecommunications field without the Motorola brand.
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Hardware Manufacturers
Founded in 1968, Intel Corporation is the largest semiconductor company in the world. Based in Santa Clara, California, the company is also the inventor of the popular x86 line of processors, which are the microprocessors found in most of today’s personal computers. The company’s product line encompasses a range of solutions that help power the home and IT sectors. Intel manufactures and sells embedded processors, motherboard chipsets, integrated circuits, graphic chips and other hardware related to the computing and communications markets. Intel chips are widely known for having an advanced design and industry leading capabilities.
Intel was originally established as Integrated Electronics Corporation by Gordon Moore and Robert Novice, two pioneers in the semiconductor industry. However, Andrew Grove receives much of the credit for the company’s success through executive leadership and vision. The company started out as one of the first developers of DRAM and SRAM memory chips, which was its main focus in the early 1980s. While Intel introduced the world to the first commercial microprocessor chip in the early 1970s, it wasn’t until the emergence of the PC that it became the company’s primary business. In the 1990s, Intel made a commitment to focus on new processor designs to cater to the fast growing PC market. Around this time, Intel processors became synonymous with the personal computer, thanks to the aggressive “Intel Inside” marketing campaign that essentially made it a household name.
Although the 2000s marked the end of the company’s dominance, Intel processors remain prevalent on today’s PC market. In fact, it was ranked in 2007 as one of the world’s most powerful brands by Millward Brown Optimor. Intel celebrated its 40th birthday in 2008 and has recently announced plans to launch more innovative PC products in the very new future. From the looks of it, Intel will continue to play an integral role in modern computing.
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Hardware Manufacturers
InnoVISION Multimedia Limited is a company that specializes in the development and production of a wide range of multimedia and PC hardware products. Though its manufacturing operations were originally set up in 1990 in Shenzhen, China, its product line did not blossom until 1998 in Hong Kong. In what can be considered a very short time, the company has become a major force in a fiercely competitive market, delivering cutting edge products while contracting out its state of the art research and production facilities to industry partners. InnoVISION’s commitment to excellence has garnered the company worldwide recognition and the title as one of Asia’s fastest growing companies.
Since the very beginning, InnoVISION has made it a priority to invest in the best design practices and deliver the ultimate experience to the fast growing market of multimedia professionals and PC enthusiasts. Its product portfolio is comprised of the highly successful Inno3D brand. This includes a diverse selection of graphic board accelerators and advanced peripherals. InnoVISION is also behind InnoDV, a line of digital video/TV capturing and editing solutions, as well as InnoAX, a series of high-end sound cards. ISO9001:2000 certification gives customers the assurance of world-class products designed in state of the art facilities by highly qualified R&D teams.
The popularity of InnoVISION graphics cards has allowed the company to enjoy a nice share of the market over the years. Always striving for excellence, the company plans to constantly introduce innovative implementations for its new, existing and future product lines. Aside from cutting edge solutions, InnoVISION is dedicated to its advanced research methodologies and delivering excellent technical support to meet the needs of its loyal customers. With qualities such as these, it is no wonder that this company has become one of the most talked about on the PC hardware market.
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Hardware Manufacturers
International Business Machines Corporation, most commonly known as IBM, is a leading multinational computer technology and IT consulting company. Headquartered in Armonk, New York, it is one of the rare Information Technology companies with a history that starts in the 19th century. Perhaps best known for its line of IBM computers, the company also manufactures and sells a wide range of computer hardware and software applications, as well as managed infrastructure and hosting services. IBM is widely known as the world’s largest and most profitable IT employer with more than 388,000 employees across the globe.
IBM was originally established in 1896 as the Tabulating Machine Company. It was incorporated in 1911 and listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1916. The company’s history actually predates that of the electronic computer, as it started off specializing in punch card data processing equipment.
Experiencing considerable growth from 1925-1949, IBM really received its big break following World War II, a time that marked the emergence of business computing. It became the premier contracted developer of the U.S. Air Force’s automated defense computer systems and played a significant role in the development of the world’s first real-time digital computer. IBM was right there when the PC and software markets emerged in the 1980s, forming profitable relationships with both Microsoft and Intel. It was around this time that IBM mainframe computers and home-based systems became prevalent. Although it experienced tough times during the 1990s, the company made a revival and bounced back completely for the new millennium.
IBM has been a pioneer in the IT field for over a century and continues to stand at the forefront of the global industry that has revolutionized how consumers and enterprises operate. From IBM mainframes to innovative software products, this company is rightfully recognized as one of the most successful entities in the history of technology.
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Hardware Manufacturers
Originally established in 1982, Hercules Computer Technology was a leading graphics card company in the 1980s. While the company also produced CGA compatible cards, its most popular product was the Hercules Graphics Card, a MDA-compatible card that was frequently imitated by many other competitors. The popularity of this card helped the company survive into the 1990s. In attempt to compete with EGA, Hercules launched the Hercules InColor Card, which failed miserably in terms of sales.
Hercules started to decline throughout the 1990s as companies including ATI Technologies emerged. Product sales dipped to $20 million in 1998, the same year the company was purchased by ELSA for $8.5 million. Though it enjoyed the benefit of Hercules’ intellectual properties and product lines, ELSA also became responsible for all the debt Hercules owed, inevitably sending them into a Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The Hercules brand was acquired by Guillemot Corporation the following year for $1.5 million. It quickly became the premiere brand for Guillemot’s NVIDIA-based graphics cards.
The Hercules brand remains prevalent today and represents a diverse range of products. The portfolio now consists of sound cards, speaker systems, digital DJ devices, wireless solutions and accessories for the Apple iPod and iTunes media application. Hercules web cams are among the latest products. Its Dualpix Exchange has largely contributed to explosion of web cam sales throughout Europe. This product has been highly praised by the European press and won numerous awards for features such as 2-megapixel video resolution and high-speed USB 2.0 Video Class compliance. The integrated custom designed software makes this webcam just as easy to use as the typical digital camera.
While the company itself no longer exists, the Hercules brand is alive and well. Guillemot promises to continuously launch products that put the customer first by placing a strong emphasis on quality and performance.
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