Data Storage

As solid-state drives (SSDs) continue to drop in price they also continue to improve in performance. A perfect example is Intel's latest SSD 510 Series, which improves upon the company's previous X25-M SSD by adding SATA 6 Gbps performance to take advantage of the higher SATA bus interfaces found on recently introduced 2nd Generation Core processor-based platforms. This allows the 510 Series to boast sequential read speeds of up to 500 MB/s – double that of Intel's current 3 Gbps SSDs – and sequential write speeds of up to 315 MB/s – more than triple that of its current SSDs.  Read More

Admittedly, it's not a major headache, but it is an irritation nonetheless. I'm talking about having to make sure that the male USB-A connector is the right way up before you slot it into the female socket. Designer Ma Yi Xuan has come up with one of those simple, effective ideas where you have to wonder why no one else has gone there before. The Double USB concept features a couple of spring-loaded plastic connectors laid one on top of the other with the metal strips pointing inwards. The idea is that whichever way you push in your USB plug, it will always connect.  Read More

Last year was a good year for Apple and, Steve Jobs' health issues aside, this year looks promising too. Seagate has responded to the needs of this growing community by adding Mac-centric storage solutions to its FreeAgent GoFlex family. Coming in portable and desktop varieties, and capacities ranging from 500GB to 3TB, the new additions can be used with other GoFlex devices and benefit from cross-platform compatibility.  Read More

While hard disk storage solutions currently have the affordability and the capacity edge over solid state drives (SSD), as far as performance is concerned there's no contest. Micron Technology has announced a new RealSSD portfolio with drives that are more than 10 times faster than standard HDDs, benefit from lightweight construction, consume less power, and are more durable. The new 1.8-inch and 2.5-inch form factor C400 drives are being made available both as part of ready-built systems and direct to the consumer.  Read More

Racetrack memory is an experimental form of memory that looks to combine the best attributes of magnetic hard disk drives (low cost) and solid state memory (speed) to enable devices to store much more information, while using much less energy than current memory technologies. Researchers at IBM have been working on the development of Racetrack memory for six years and have now announced the discovery of a previously unknown aspect of key physics inside the new technology that brings it another step closer to becoming a reality.  Read More

Pioneer has announced that it's started shipping the world's first optical personal computer drive capable of reading and writing to the new BDXL Blu-ray format. The integration of additional layers into Blu-ray discs offers a single quadruple-layer storage capacity of up to 128GB, and will likely see the new device head straight for media professionals who need to archive broadcast quality, high-definition video.  Read More

Carry more than one USB drive around? Got one storage device for business and another for personal files? Life's natural divide is work and play so here's a dongle that can facilitate that split – the Split Stick.  Read More

Tired of waiting for your computer to boot up? Within five to seven years, you may no longer have to. That’s the estimated amount of time it will take to bring Racetrack Memory to market. Racetrack is a proposed new shock-proof system that is said to be 100,000 times faster than current hard drives, while also being 300 times more energy-efficient. Although it incorporates cutting-edge nanotechnology, it’s based on the same principles as the humble VHS videotape.  Read More

Greenliant Systems has announced that it is currently sampling a new SSD storage solution that's been combined with a SATA controller. The embedded NANDrive form factor is suited to deployment in mobile computing products, set-top boxes and networking systems and includes advanced security features, S.M.A.R.T. monitoring, and low power consumption.  Read More