SanDisk Upgrades its USB Memory Card Readers-February 26, 2009
SanDisk has unveiled the latest edition of its SanDisk ImageMate USB memory card readers, all of which provide improved data transfer rates and support for a wide range of memory card formats. Using top-end CF/SDHC memory cards, the new ImageMate All-In-One offers transfer speeds of up to 34 MB/s, while the ImageMate Multi-Card reader can hit 30MB/s read and 27 MB/s write data transfer rates. The ImageMate All-In-One reader supports virtually every industry-standard memory card format, including SD, SDHC, miniSDHC, microSDHC, MMC, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro Duo, xD and CompactFlash, among others, while the ImageMate Multi-Card reader can use xD, Memory Stick, SD, SDHC, and MMC.
The external design has also been upgraded, and these latest SanDisk ImageMate USB memory card readers are smaller and sleeker than their predecessors, with a thin black reader mounted on a stylish metallic-silver tripod base that is detachable for enhanced portability. These readers ship bundled with improved software applications, and in addition to dragging files to the USB reader, these feature a transfer button that automatically launches a user-defined application or web site, simplifying the task of transferring files. "The new SanDisk ImageMate readers are two of the fastest and most reliable USB readers, capable of transferring 1-gigabyte of data in less than 35 seconds," said Jennifer Lee, senior product marketing manager, SanDisk. SanDisk has provided suggested retail pricing of $19.99 for the ImageMate Multi-Card reader and $29.99 for the ImageMate All-In-One reader.
Maingear Introduces the GeForce 3D Vision-powered Prelude 2-February 20, 2009
Maingear Computers has unveiled its new Prelude II system, their first computer to include the cutting-edge NVIDIA GeForce 3D Vision technology. The innovative stereoscopic 3D system is designed for gaming and home entertainment usage, and includes a pair of high-tech wireless glasses, a high-power IR emitter and advanced software that translates PC games into full stereoscopic 3D. You also require a Samsung or ViewSonic 120Hz LCD for gaming, and the GeForce 3D Vision technology also works for 3D movies, and 3D photography. This is all powered by GeForce-based GPUs and the technology currently transforms over 300 PC games to stereoscopic 3D right out of the box.
The base configuration of the $1,999 Prelude II system includes a 2.66 GHz Core i7-920, an ASUS P6T X58 motherboard, 3x1GB of DDR3-1066 memory, a 250GB Western Digital hard drive, a 650W power supply, and a GeForce 9800 GT 512MB video card powering it all. The NVIDIA GeForce 3D Vision w/ Samsung 22" 2233RZ LCD bundle caps off the system configuration, although there is a great deal of customization in the component list, allowing buyers to go as high as dual GeForce GTX 295 graphics cards sporting 3584MB of GDDR3 memory. "With support for some of today’s hottest titles like Burnout Paradise, The Ultimate Box, or the Mirror’s Edge, Prelude 2 and NVIDIA GeForce 3D Vision offers an unrivaled, unique gaming experience that is a phenomenal value at under $2,000," said Wallace Santos, CEO and Founder of Maingear. Maingear also supports A/V file encoding using Badaboom, which offloads processing to the GPU and frees up the CPU.
Nintendo Will Introduce the DSi Handheld on April 5-February 18, 2009
The Nintendo DS is world's best-selling portable gaming system, and the upcoming Nintendo DSi represents the third iteration of this popular device. The Nintendo DSi adds a couple of new features, with the most prominent being the DSi Camera. This new DSi feature offers dual cameras, with one on the inside facing the user and another mounted on the outer shell. There are also different interactive "lenses" to give photos that special look, giving users an easy way to take, display photos, while the internal camera will support enhanced interactivity in many supported games.
The new DSi Sound feature will provide both audio recording and playback functionality, while also supplying tools and filters to adjust the pitch and speed of recorded voice or music files. The addition of a SD card slot allows easy data expansion and music can be accessed or saved to a removable memory card, but this comes at the expense of a slot for GBA games. The Nintendo DSi is also thinner than the current Nintendo DS, while the larger screens translate into a wider and longer design. The Nintendo DSiWare application will allow online shopping using "points", and can be used to purchase downloadable games and applications. The Nintendo DSi will support most existing DS games, while utilizing a library of DSi-enhanced titles.
Toshiba To Buy Fujitsu's Hard Drive Business-February 18, 2009
Toshiba has agreed to purchase the Fujitsu hard drive business, consolidating this with its existing Toshiba hard drive unit into a larger entity with a much greater market impact. At first, Toshiba will own 80% of the newly merged subsidiary, with Fujitsu holding the remaining 20% for a period of time, before it reverts to a 100% Toshiba-owned business unit. Toshiba is hoping the integration of the two hard drive businesses will lead to increased efficiencies and the development of new storage technologies. Toshiba is the fifth largest hard drive manufacturer, and this merger has the potential to move it up the list.
This move not only expands Toshiba's current production and development of mobile hard drives, used in laptops and other portable devices, but also gives the company an immediate presence in the enterprise hard drive market. Fujitsu is one of the current leaders in enterprise server, workstation and storage system drives, and Toshiba projects heavy growth in this area. One area that Toshiba will push is enterprise Solid-State Drive (SSD) technology, which the company states will fuse Toshiba's experience in NAND flash memory with Fujitsu’s enterprise HDD leadership and spur an already-expanding SSD market. In the deal, Toshiba will receive Fujitsu's HDD development, manufacturing, and sales divisions, and hopes to increases its share in the overall hard drive market to over 20 percent by 2015.
Samsung to Produce High-Performance 50nm GDDR5-February 13, 2009
Samsung Electronics is looking to satisfy high-end graphics demand with its latest announcement, as the company begins mass production of its high-performance GDDR5 memory based on a 50nm process technology. Samsung's new GDDR5 memory covers performance graphics from PCs to dedicated game systems, as GDDR5 is the highest performing memory in the world. Instead of employing the strobe-and-clock technique of GDDR4, GDDR5 uses a free-running clock that doesn't require synchronization of the data read/write function. The shift to a 50nm process technology will also increase efficiencies, and Samsung estimates production efficiency will rise 100 percent over 60nm class technology.
GDDR5 is certainly on the cutting edge of graphics memory, offering data transfer rates of up to 7.0 Gbps, while supplementing this with an astounding 28.0 GB/s of available memory bandwidth. These bandwidth figures are impressive, as GDDR5 doubles up on the previous 12.8 GB/s that GDDR4 could offer. Samsung puts this bandwidth into perspective by stating it is the equivalent of transferring nineteen 1.5GB DVD resolution movies in one second, making GDDR5 a natural fit for Blu-ray and other HD technologies. "Our early 2009 introduction of GDDR5 chips will help us to meet the growing demand for higher performance graphics memory in PCs, graphic cards and game consoles," said Mueez Deen, director, mobile and graphics memory, Samsung Semiconductor. Samsung GDDR5 also uses less power and operates at 1.35 volts, compared to the 1.8 volts used by GDDR4 devices.
Dell Extends its PC Recycling Program-February 13, 2009
Dell has expanded and extended its existing Goodwill-Reconnect Partnership, which looks to recycle used computers and other electronics in a safe, convenient and environmentally-friendly manner. This initiative, which also provides tax receipts to participants, has been extended into six more states, including Arkansas, Iowa, Maine, New Hampshire, Oregon, and Vermont. This is a free service open to any computer brand, and includes not only PCs, but also peripherals like monitors, keyboards, mice, speakers, and printers.
This announcement from Dell also coincides with the number of participating Goodwill retail stores increasing to over 1,000 across the country, which not only means more computers being recycled, but additional job creation as well. Dell is also introducing a new plan designed to help users exchange unwanted computers and other electronics in return for Dell gift cards. This innovative project has been in pilot phase since November 2008, and is now available to US customers. Through all of these initiatives, Dell has been able to reach its goal of recycling 275 million pounds of equipment ahead of schedule, and Dell remains the only company in its industry to offer a free worldwide recycling program for consumers.
SanDisk Announces Two New Flash Technologies-February 13, 2009
SanDisk has unveiled two new flash memory technologies, with one heralding a new level of NAND chip capacity, while the other welcomes a smaller process technology, with both at least maintaining current performance levels. The new SanDisk X4 based flash memory uses a 4-bits-per-cell format and allows a maximum of 64-gigabit on a single die. This is the highest capacity in the industry and SanDisk has done this through its mature 43nm process technology. These chips include an X4 controller, which handles the inherent difficulties in dealing with 4-bits-per-cell chip, and allows for a 7.8 MB/sec memory write performance. Production is expected is expected to begin in the first half of 2009.
The development of 32-nanometer NAND technology is another important one for SanDisk, as it is the smallest for a multi-level cell (MLC) flash memory chip. This advancement is expected to increase capacities and lower costs of all levels of flash memory, from SD cards to Solid-State Drives. SanDisk's 32nm X3 technology may actually find its best current use in the microSD memory card market, as it provides twice the twice the capacity of a 43nm microSD chip while still maintaining a similar die area. "The 32nm X3 die's small footprint and incredible density will allow for the production of higher capacities of microSD cards than could be manufactured without this technology," said Yoram Cedar, executive vice president, OEM business unit and corporate engineering, SanDisk. Production of 32nm X3 chips is expected in the second half of 2009.
The Acer Aspire One Enters the Next Generation-February 11, 2009
Acer America has introduced their next-generation version of the Aspire One netbook, joining manufacturers like ASUS and MSI at the 10.1" table. This new model, dubbed the Aspire One AOD150, follows its 8.9" predecessor with much the same product strategy. It has a similar footprint to the 8.9" Aspire One and weighs in at less than three pounds, while offering a 10.1-inch CrystalBrite backlit display. Surprisingly, the larger 10.1" screen has a resolution of 1024 x 600, which is the same as the 8.9" model.
Other specifications of the new Aspire One AOD150 include a 1.6 GHz Intel Atom N270, a 945GSE Express chipset, 1GB of DDR2-533 single-channel memory, integrated Intel GMA 950 graphics, a 160GB 5400-PRM hard drive, multi-card reader, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, and an Acer Crystal Eye webcam. The 10.1" Aspire One AOD150 ships with a 6-cell battery standard, and Acer states that this is capable of six hours of computing. Windows XP Home is the default operating system, and the newest Aspire One is available in four high-gloss color options including seashell white, sapphire blue, ruby red and diamond black. The price also looks right, and Acer is offering these at a suggested retail price of $349.99.
