ASUS showed off a new compact external DVD-Writer drive, a yet to be named model that the company refers to as the “Extreme Slim External DVD-RW Drive.” The drive is roughly the size of two CD cases, at 14 mm thickness. It is essentially a notebook/slim optical drive inside a sleek, gray brushed-metal enclosure that takes both power and connectivity from its USB 2.0 cable. The unit weighs 320 g. The drive writes DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD+RW at 8x, DVD-RW, double-layer DVD-R/+R at 6x, and DVD-RAM at 5x. CD-R is written at 24x, CD-RW at 16x. ASUS did not give out pricing details, yet.

Source: TechRadar

I-O Data Japan released the new HDPN-U500/V. This 500 GB pocket hard drive is unique in having the means to copy data (video and pictures) directly off several kinds of compatible digital video camcorders such as Sanyo Xacti, JVC Everio, or Sony Handycam camcorder, etc., using its USB 2.0 port, and being able to play it back on your TV using its HDMI port. Built in a sleek, piano-black casing, the hard drive measures 95.4 (W) x 122.5 (D) x 20.0 (H) mm, weighing around 190 g. This innovative new hard drive will ship next month at 15,330 JPY (around $180).

Source: Akihabara News

ADATA Technology, the worldwide leader in DRAM modules and flash memory products, launched today the C008 retractable USB flash drive. The trendy design features a sliding USB connector, which smoothly extends from and retracts into the drive at the push of a thumb. The capless mechanical design eliminates the hassle of lost drive caps. Furthermore, users can effectively make the USB connector ready for use with just one hand, for greater convenience when speed is necessary.

The newly introduced C008 embodies both functionality and aesthetics. On one hand, the USB connector is concealed in the compact body, fully protected without the need for a drive cap. The matte-textured body is scratchproof and dirt-repellent. On the other hand, the C008 comes in an elegant shape and in two colour schemes, expressing its unique personality. The simple curves of this series give a feeling of fashionable comfort. Additionally, the C008 is conveniently designed with a strap hole so that one can easily loop a string through and connect to a keychain or a mobile phone.

Micron Technology, Inc., today introduced the RealSSD P300 solid-state drive (SSD), bringing faster system performance and improved data integrity to enterprise environments. The RealSSD P300 drive features the SATA 6-gigabits per second (Gbps) interface, a first for the enterprise SSD market. The new P300 SSD delivers extraordinarily high steady-state input/output operations per second (IOPS), up to 44,000 reads and 16,000 writes–more than 15 times the write performance of competing SATA-based SSDs.

“The RealSSD P300 SSD is the fastest SATA-based drive on the market,” said Dean Klein, Micron vice president of Memory System Development. “The RealSSD P300 is able to do the work of multiple hard drives–outperforming a RAID of 12 hard drives in some cases.”

Verbatim unveiled a new portable hard drive design which is agonizingly simple and yet never thought of before: a wallet. The Wallet Drive from Verbatim is of the size and shape of most common wallets, and come in black and brown leather enclosures. The drive comes in capacities of 320 and 500 GB, and uses USB 2.0 interface for power and connectivity. Nero BackiItUp and Burn and Turbo USB software is bundled with each drive. Verbatim will release these ‘capacious’ wallets soon.

Source: ChipChick

A-Data is readying a new solid state drive (SSD) which can be used both internally, and externally as a portable drive, with the same transfer speeds in both cases. The N004 from A-Data uses SATA 3 Gb/s and USB 3.0, hence no performance is lost when using it as a portable drive. Available in capacities of 64, 128 and 256 GB, the SSD offers transfer speeds of 200 MB/s read, and 170 MB/s write. It weighs 87 g, and sports a brushed-metal shell. There is no word on the pricing or availability as of now.

Source: TechConnect Magazine

SanDisk Corporation, the global leader in flash memory cards, today announced the availability of its smallest USB flash drive to U.S. and Canadian consumers. The SanDisk Cruzer Blade is about the size of a standard size paper clip and weighs approximately the same as a penny, creating a tiny footprint that fits easily on a keychain or mobile phone dongle. Despite its small size, the drive packs high-capacity storage at an affordable price.

Available in capacities ranging from 2 gigabytes (GB) to 16GB, the SanDisk Cruzer Blade lets consumers take their favorite digital content with them wherever they go. A 4GB drive can store 1,000 songs, 1,200 high- resolution photos, or 8 hours of 768kb/s video*. The SanDisk Cruzer Blade offers reliable storage in a sturdy form factor, helping consumers rest assured that their digital content is safe.

Lexar Media, a leading global provider of memory products for digital media, today announced the addition of the 128GB Echo SE backup drive to the popular Echo line of portable backup solutions. Designed to protect valuable data on netbook and notebook computers, the Echo SE drive now offers up to 128GB of storage, allowing users to automatically back up more essential files – anytime, anywhere. Once backup is complete, the Echo SE drive easily slips into a pocket or bag for portability with the knowledge that critical files are backed up if a laptop is lost or stolen. More than 15 percent shorter than other 128GB backup drives, the high-performance Echo SE provides a way to easily backup data, with the reduced risk of accidental in-drive damage.

High-performance Echo SE is an ultra-portable drive that easily plugs into a computer’s USB port to perform automatic backup of files, at read speeds up to 28 MB/s and write speeds up to 10 MB/s. The drive is interoperable between Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7, as well as Mac OS X operating systems, allowing data to be seamlessly accessible whether using a PC or Mac computer. The Echo SE backup drive is available in capacities of 16GB, 32GB, 64GB and 128GB.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a world leader in digital consumer electronics and information technology, today announced that it has started shipping its new Spinpoint MT2 1 terabyte (TB) 2.5" internal mobile hard disk drive. It is ideally suited for use in portable storage solutions, such as the newly released Samsung S2 Portable 1TB USB Drives. Other applications include digital TVs, home media systems and set-top boxes, where quiet and cool operations are important.

Employing industry-leading 333GB per-platter technology, the new Spinpoint MT2 drive offers up to an enormous 1TB for personal digital collections such as photos, music, video and work files. Running at 5400rpm speed, the MT2 has a 12.5mm form factor and utilizes Samsung’s proprietary SilentSeek and NoiseGuard technologies to minimize noise levels during drive operation.

Memory and storage specialist Kingmax released the KE-91 640 GB portable hard drive, expanding the series that it released back in May. Coming in black, silver, and red colours, the drive measures 114 (L) x 75 (W) x 12 (H) mm, weighing 170 g. The KE-91 uses USB 2.0 for both connectivity and power. It secures data using 256-bit AES encryption, with the related encryption software bundled along with a data backup software. Backed by a 3-year warranty, the KE-91 640 GB will be available later this month.

Source: Softpedia