Engadget

Pogoplug second generation debuts, coming this holiday with enhanced web interface

Ross Miller — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:30:00 EST

Well, well, looks like Cloud Engines, Inc. is doing what it can to poise Pogoplug as a much more consumer-friendly device, both in hardware design and expanded web interface. The second generation Pogoplug solves one of our chief complaints of the first -- namely, four USB ports instead of just one -- while at the same time still sticking with ethernet as its sole internet connection of choice. It's also much more stylish in design, with an elongated clear casing and a pink strip of plastic serving as the faceplate, stand, and the cable organizer. A bit bulkier, sure, but it's certainly something we don't mind being seen on our desk. As far as the new UI goes, it's a simple drag-and-drop interface, multimedia slide shows (worth it if you have good taste in music, but the statistics aren't in your favor), and options for instant sharing to Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace, via links to the specifically selected pogoplug content. It can autosync with popular multimedia apps like iTunes, Windows Media Player, and iPhoto. One nice bonus is direct playback of video from the interface -- works on iPhone, too, but in both cases it's a pretty low res presentation.

At $129, it's a little costlier than the old model, but the company's promising no additional service fees. It's coming out in time for this holiday season. Fan of the first generation hardware? The good news is that it'll be updated with all the new features, giving you the same experience minus the new style and extra USB ports. The bad news is, the older model's on the outs -- from now on, it's a second generation world. We're looking forward to some serious sit-down time here, but in the meantime, please check out images from our brief hands-on at an event earlier this week -- press release is after the break, too, if you're interested.

Gallery: Pogoplug second generation hands-on

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Filed under: Peripherals, Storage, Networking

Pogoplug second generation debuts, coming this holiday with enhanced web interface originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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OCZ's Colossus desktop SSD line ships next week

Darren Murph — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:52:00 EST

OCZ Technology has been trumpeting its Colossus SSD desktop solution since June, but due to some strange issues with the housing that have been troubling engineers for the past few months, the company has been forced to quietly push back the expected release date. At any rate, the company has informed us that the drives -- which will arrive in 128GB, 256GB, 512GB and 1TB flavors and tout maximum read / writes rates of 260MB/s -- will begin shipping to retailers "next week." If you're lucky, you might catch one or two e-tailers selling their stock early, but first you'll need to figure out where exactly that $300, $650, $1,200 or $2,200 (in order of mention) is going to come from.

Filed under: Storage

OCZ's Colossus desktop SSD line ships next week originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Transcend introduces 1.5TB StoreJet 35T external hard drive

Darren Murph — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:41:00 EST

It ain't flashy, but so long as you don't ever plan on having more than 1.5TB of junk to store on an external hard drive, Transcend's latest should do the trick. The StoreJet 35T promises average write speeds of 42MB/s, and the one-touch backup feature enables your mind to be at ease with the simplest of gestures. You'll also get intelligent backup scheduling, StoreJet Elite software that offers 256-bit AES file and folder encryption and... well, little else. Mum's the word on pricing and availability, but for those who find this one too rich for their blood, a 1TB model should be landing soon as well.

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Transcend introduces 1.5TB StoreJet 35T external hard drive originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS ships Windows Home Server-packin' TS mini NAS drive

Darren Murph — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:34:00 EST

The Windows Home Server train has all but stopped this year, but with CES just around the bend (and Microsoft's software engineers free from the burden of readying Windows 7 for launch), it looks as if the steam is picking up once more. Hot on the heels of its first 3D laptop, ASUS has introduced its TS mini NAS drive for home media junkies. Outfitted with a 1.66GHz Atom N280 processor, 1GB or 2GB of DDR2 RAM, a gigabit Ethernet socket, six USB 2.0 ports, an eSATA connector and a smattering of LED indicators, the drive can be purchased as we speak in 500GB and 2TB editions. Aside from streaming multimedia throughout your home network, the device can also back up ten total PCs automatically and subtly make you dependent on its reliability. Which, as you know so well, is just a precursor for bowing down when the Robot Apocalypse gets underway.

Continue reading ASUS ships Windows Home Server-packin' TS mini NAS drive

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ASUS ships Windows Home Server-packin' TS mini NAS drive originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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UMAzone UMA-ISO drive enclosure takes the sting out of mounting disk images

Joseph L. Flatley — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:47:00 EST

Hey, man -- aren't you sick of all the pain and expense of mounting disc images from the desktop? OK, we weren't either -- until we saw this: UMAzone's UMA-ISO is a drive enclosure (supply your own 2.5-inch HDD) that features a small display and jog wheel for scrolling through CD / DVD image files. Simply select the file of your choice and plug it into your machine via USB or eSATA and the disk will be mounted, the same as if you'd inserted an optical disc. It's that simple! There is also a mode for mounting as a standard external hard drive. Be forewarned, however: this guy is only compatible with a few flavors of Windows (XP, Vista, Windows 7), and it's only available in Japan -- for the princely sum of ¥9,980 yen (about $111).

Continue reading UMAzone UMA-ISO drive enclosure takes the sting out of mounting disk images

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UMAzone UMA-ISO drive enclosure takes the sting out of mounting disk images originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Addonics Mini NAS: when RAID is too much to ask for

Joseph L. Flatley — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:39:00 EST

If you're in the market for a single bay network drive, your options have certainly been piling up lately -- and now the kids at Addonics are premiering their aptly named Mini NAS. Billed as "the world's smallest," this guy is roughly the same size (and roughly as attractive) as a small hub, and it sports 10/100Mbps Ethernet, a 2.5-inch drive bay, a USB port for printer sharing, and support for SMB, Samba, and iTunes music sharing, FTP access (up to 8 simultaneous users), and a BitTorrent client. Yours now for $69. PR after the break.

Continue reading Addonics Mini NAS: when RAID is too much to ask for

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Addonics Mini NAS: when RAID is too much to ask for originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hitachi introduces 2TB SimpleDrive for digital pack rats

Darren Murph — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:03:00 EST

Hitachi GST has been pushing 2TB hard drives for quite some time, but for whatever reason, the outfit's long-standing SimpleDrive line has been held back from enjoying the spoils. Until today, obviously. The outfit has just introduced a 2TB edition of its external SimpleDrive, and it also announced that all of its 3.5-inch retail drives are now available in 2TB capacities. There's also an upgraded Hitachi SimpleTech Pro Drive and Duo Pro Drive (2 x 2TB), with prices for the entire lot checking in at $249.99, $299.99 and $499.99 in order of mention. Oh, and in just case your 250GB drive from 2002 just hit its limit today, you'll be elated to know that each of these are available as we speak.

Gallery: Hitachi introduces 2TB SimpleDrive for digital pack rats

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Hitachi introduces 2TB SimpleDrive for digital pack rats originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fusion-io ioXtreme PCI Express SSD reviewed: wicked fast, bloody expensive

Darren Murph — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:23:00 EST

Okay, so maybe you didn't need a full-on review to tell you that Fusion-io's ioXtreme PCI Express SSD was staggeringly pricey, but at $11 per gigabyte ($895 for 80GB), you may want to turn a blind eye right now if you're short on disposable income. If you've managed to continue on, then you owe it to your collective senses to give the read link a look. The gurus over at HotHardware were able to get one of these lightning fast devices in for review, and while we were always assured that performance would be mind blowing, it's another thing entirely to see those promises proven in the lab. Critics found the card to be the "fastest overall SSD solution on the market today," with consistent 700MB/sec reads and 300MB/sec writes. Of course, they were still anxious to get their hands on a supposedly forthcoming update to make this thing bootable, and the omission of a RAID BIOS definitely put a small damper on things; still, it's hard to let annoyance such as those overshadow the monster performance numbers, but we'd recommend giving the full skinny a good lookin' at before committing your child's college education fund to a pile of NAND.

Filed under: Storage

Fusion-io ioXtreme PCI Express SSD reviewed: wicked fast, bloody expensive originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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'Wink' USB flash drive: perfect for hockey moms, lipstick-laden pigs

Darren Murph — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:22:00 EST

Active Media Products isn't one to shy away from mildly ludicrous USB flash drive designs, but it may want to snag a lawyer on retainer for this one. Granted, there's at least a sliver of a chance that Sarah Palin was actually notified that her image would be used to market AMP's new "Wink" USB flash drive, but chances are she's being rudely introduced to the sobering truth just as we are. Hailed as the planet's smallest 16GB thumb drive, this waterproof slab of memory is also available in a few smaller sizes for those unconcerned with gaining political clout. It measures in at just 1.2- x 0.5- x 0.1-inches, or just marginally smaller than Little Diomede island (which you actually can see Russia from, amazingly enough). It's available now to inspire and encourage starting at $7.95 (2GB), though that 16 gigger we mentioned earlier will set you back $37.95.

P.S. - We didn't Photoshop this image, this is seriously Active Media Products' pitch for this product.

Gallery: 'Wink' USB flash drive: perfect for hockey moms, lipstick-laden pigs

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'Wink' USB flash drive: perfect for hockey moms, lipstick-laden pigs originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cranberry DiamonDisc: the $35 DVD that'll last longer than your ghost

Darren Murph — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 11:40:00 EST

We've seen outfit after outfit trumpet their long-lasting optical storage wares before, but Cranberry seems different. Rather than promising that whatever miracle they've just unearthed will be available "in the very near future," this company is selling its wonder product right now. The so-called DiamonDisc -- which is reportedly constructed from "diamond-hard stone" -- is designed to store precious memories for 1,000 years or more, and it's even built to withstand "temperatures extending up to 176 degrees Fahrenheit as well as UV rays that would destroy conventional DVD discs." Unfortunately, each disc holds just 4.7GB of information, and each one will run you $34.95 if purchased individually. Oh, and it's only playable on "most" regular DVD drives, so across-the-board compatibility seems less than likely. The more we think about it, the more sense that whole "just carve it into stone for future generations to see" mantra makes. Kudos, cavemen.

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Cranberry DiamonDisc: the $35 DVD that'll last longer than your ghost originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 14 Nov 2009 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ioSafe Solo hard drive places a 2TB bet on all kinds of disasters

Richard Lai — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 21:08:00 EST

It's Friday the 13th, and ioSafe couldn't have chosen a better time to update their Solo fireproof and waterproof hard drive line with a 2TB model. Sure, it'll cost you $399 for a USB 2.0 connection instead of eSATA, FireWire 800 or USB 3.0, but you'll never know when your yacht sinks or burns down, sending that precious Kenny G collection to oblivion. Don't go thinking you can just get the $149 500GB model and upgrade it yourself either -- you'll have to destroy the waterproof seal to get to the hard drive, as demonstrated before. Yeah, life's tough.

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ioSafe Solo hard drive places a 2TB bet on all kinds of disasters originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 21:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony's TransferJet-packin' Memory Stick Duo hits the FCC

Joseph L. Flatley — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:21:00 EST

If what we saw at CEATEC is any indication, we can all look forward to a future where damn near every new piece of Sony kit that we lay our hands on will support its fledgling wireless technology, TransferJet. As you might have guessed, we've been keeping our eyes on the usual channels in vain hopes of finding any gear sporting the new standard. So, what do we have here? Our friends at Sony Insider have spotted FCC paperwork for the MS-JX8G, which is apparently a Memory Stick Duo that sports the protocol -- and which (hopefully) means that someday soon we'll be able to grandfather TransferJet into all of our existing Memory Stick Duo-supporting devices. Pretty clever, Sony!

Continue reading Sony's TransferJet-packin' Memory Stick Duo hits the FCC

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Sony's TransferJet-packin' Memory Stick Duo hits the FCC originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ICD confirms Vega tablet, includes Android 2.0, Tegra processor, our hearts

Tim Stevens — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:09:00 EST

The CrunchPad may be dead, but with devices like this on the docket forgive us if we're not shedding any tears. The mystery tablet from earlier this week is the Vega from Innovative Converged Devices, or ICD. Available in 7-, 11-, and 15-inch sizes it's a simple but beautifully svelte design, and with that Tegra processor should have plenty of muscle. The resistive nature of those screens may be a bit of a bummer for some, but naturally it'll do everything Android does -- though without a GPS sensor we're guessing Google Navigation is out. The only questions left left now are when, how much, and who will be pumping the bits to its cellular antennae? Those are answers we hope to bring you from Vegas in two months' time.

Gallery: ICD Vega tablet

Filed under: Storage

ICD confirms Vega tablet, includes Android 2.0, Tegra processor, our hearts originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TomTom to bring free lane guidance, text-to-speech, iPod control to iPhone GPS app

Darren Murph — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:12:00 EST

TomTom's probably still dizzy from the hit that Google laid on it just a few days ago, but it has somehow managed to get its bearings long enough to announce that a slew of gratis updates are incoming for its highly-hyped iPhone navigation app. Following in Navigon's footsteps, the outfit has today stated that a free update has been submitted to Apple for approval, and when (er, if) it clears Cupertino's ambiguous review process, it'll deliver advanced lane guidance, text-to-speech, "Help Me," updated map / safety cameras (in select European nations) databases, customizable audio warnings and iPod player control. Not a bad list of additions for the grand total of $0.00, but we wouldn't expect anything less given the lofty admission price.

Update: As of November 18th, this update is live in the App Store.

Continue reading TomTom to bring free lane guidance, text-to-speech, iPod control to iPhone GPS app

Filed under: Cellphones, GPS, Storage

TomTom to bring free lane guidance, text-to-speech, iPod control to iPhone GPS app originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Imation Pro WX Wireless USB hard drive review

Richard Lai — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:51:00 EST

Imation was set to announce its first-ever Wireless USB hard drive a year ago, but it lost a dear friend shortly before it materialized and we'd heard nothing since then. Today Imation has returned -- holding hands with its new partner, Staccato -- to release the Pro WX 1.5 terabyte Wireless USB hard drive for both Windows and Mac. At $449.99, though, we thought to ourselves: does the Pro WX offer something extraordinary for the premium price? Or are you better off with a NAS device like Apple's infamous Time Capsule? We ran some quick tests to find out -- do read on for some juicy results.

Gallery: Imation Pro WX Wireless USB hard drive reviewed

Continue reading Imation Pro WX Wireless USB hard drive review

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Imation Pro WX Wireless USB hard drive review originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intel finds SSD firmware bug, calls in the exterminators

Vladislav Savov — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:06:00 EST

Amid Intel's recent catalog of problems is a pretty significant firmware update for the X25-M SSDs, which went rogue and started bricking drives for the sheer bloody-minded enjoyment of it. After promptly pulling the software, the chip giant set straight to work -- or so we presume -- and has today finally managed to replicate the fatal circumstances that may lead to your SSD's untimely demise. That's not to say the problem's been fixed, and there's no word yet on when the cleaned up patch will be back out for consumption, but at least we're a step closer to realizing those TRIM-related speed boosts. So, are you growing tired of Intel's suicidal firmware updates, or should we consider these mere bumps on the road to superfast SSD awesomeness?

Filed under: Storage, Software

Intel finds SSD firmware bug, calls in the exterminators originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung slims down NAND memory packaging, wafer-thin gadgets to follow

Vladislav Savov — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:19:00 EST

Good old Samsung and its obsession with thinness. After finally letting its 30nm 32Gb NAND chips out of the bag in May, the Korean memory maker has now successfully halved the thickness of its octa-die memory package to a shockingly thin 0.6mm (or 0.02 inches). The new stacks will start out at a 32GB size, though the real benefits are likelier to be felt down the line when the ability to pack bits more densely pays off in even higher storage capacities. Cellphones, media players and digital cameras will inevitably take the lion's share, but we're hopeful -- eternal optimists that we are -- that this could accelerate the decline of SSD prices to a borderline affordable level. Intel and Micron promised us as much, how about Samsung delivering it?

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Samsung slims down NAND memory packaging, wafer-thin gadgets to follow originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Brinell Purestorage external hard drives are all kinds of classy

Darren Murph — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:37:00 EST

Much like the great city of San Diego, Brinell's Purestorage line of external HDDs is amongst the classiest that we've ever seen. So classy in fact, that we'd probably be frightened to ever lug one around and risk marring the otherwise gorgeous leather, carbon, wood or stainless steel enclosure. That said, there's hardly a sexier way to carry around 160GB to 500GB in your pocket, and the USB-powered design enables you to leave the AC adapter in the very rear of your memory. Eager to caress one? These are available now across the pond in a variety of flavors starting at €189 ($280), so yeah, pony up.

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Brinell Purestorage external hard drives are all kinds of classy originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toshiba's 320GB hard disk is world's largest 1.8-incher

Thomas Ricker — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:35:00 EST

That's the world's largest capacity 1.8-inch hard disk drive right there. A claim met by a list of specs going a little something like this: 3.0Gbps SATA interface, 320GB capacity, 5,400 RPM, 16MB buffer, and 19dB of emitted noise during seeks -- a 4dB cut from Toshiba's previous generation of 5,400 RPM 1.8-inchers. Of course, these 1.8-inch mechanical HDDs are the form factor most commonly found in those netbook-shoving CULV thin-and-light ultraportables now coming onto the market. Look for it in December when the MK3233GSG hits mass production.

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Toshiba's 320GB hard disk is world's largest 1.8-incher originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Super Talent introduces world's first USB 3.0 flash drive

Darren Murph — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:27:00 EST

USB 3.0 devices are just now starting to peek their heads out at retail, and it looks as if Super Talent is doing its darnedest to not be left out of the spotlight. Said company has just introduced what looks to be the planet's first USB 3.0 thumb drive (or "RAIDDrive," as it were), promising transfer rates of up to 320MB/sec when relying on a separate UAS Protocol driver with a USB 3.0 port. If you're using a stock USB 3.0 socket, you'll see speeds as high as 200MB/sec, while those bold enough to slam this into a USB 2.0 connector will see it slow to USB 2.0 speeds. There's no mention of a price or release date, but it should ship relatively soon in 32GB, 64GB and 128GB flavors.

Gallery: Super Talent introduces world's first USB 3.0 flash drive

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Super Talent introduces world's first USB 3.0 flash drive originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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OWC takes quad-interface Mercury Pro external BD burner to 12x

Darren Murph — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:36:00 EST

Pioneer's BDR-205 may not be hitting shelves in retail form until early next year, but those who desperately need a Blu-ray burner that outpaces the optical media currently available still have an option. OWC has today updated its long-standing Mercury Pro external BD drive -- which boasts FireWire 800, FireWire 400, USB 2.0 and eSATA connection options -- with Pioneer's latest, giving it the ability to toast BD-Rs at up to 12x. Of course, you'll need lady luck on your side to actually find any media that'll support said rate, but hey, there's always the future. It's available today for $349.99, or $449.99 if you want Roxio Toast Titanium PRO bundled in.

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OWC takes quad-interface Mercury Pro external BD burner to 12x originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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IronKey ships uber-secure D200 USB flash drives

Darren Murph — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:22:00 EST

IronKey has never been one to shy away from sensational claims, but for whatever reason, it's announcing its newest secure drive in a rather low-key fashion. Or, somewhat so. The D200 range of USB flash drives are said to be more manageable and secure than ever, offering up the peace of mind necessary in government and enterprise scenarios. The new devices include policy enforcement, usability and field-maintenance capabilities, a dual-channel architecture for rapid transfers, the ability to double as an authentication token and a self-defense mechanism designed to resist "physical, malware and password attacks." It's available in 1/2/4/8/16GB capacities and should withstand most encounters with water and shock, though it's on you to dig up the presumably lofty MSRPs.

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IronKey ships uber-secure D200 USB flash drives originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Paramount and Kingston team up for movies on flash memory

Donald Melanson — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:43:00 EST

Movies delivered on memory cards isn't an entirely new development (Sony did it back in the early days of the PSP), but it looks like Paramount and Kingston think the idea is prime for a comeback, and have today announced a partnership that'll see some of the studio's movies delivered on SD cards and USB drives. That gets started with Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen on a (presumably reusable) 4GB Kingston DataTraveler I USB drive that's available right now for $29.99, and will apparently continue with additional movies offered across Kingston's full line of memory cards and USB drives, although both parties are staying mum on any further specifics. There's also no word from any other studios or memory companies just yet, but we can only presume this means slotMovies are right around the corner.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Storage

Paramount and Kingston team up for movies on flash memory originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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USB 3.0 and SATA 6G put to good use: benchmarks

Paul Miller — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 01:26:00 EST

The fine folks at both HotHardware and PC Perspective have run the new ASUS P7P55D-E Premium motherboard through its paces, which has the particular distinction of handling both USB 3.0 and the up-and-coming SATA 6G through controllers by NEC and Marvell, respectively. Lucky for us, both sites' tests came to similar conclusions. The Seagate Barracuda XT SATA 6G drive has almost zero improvement over SATA 3G, other than in some burst speeds due to the fancy cache on the 6G -- the bottleneck here is the drive, not the controller. Meanwhile, USB 3.0 has speeds that are roughly 5 to 6 times faster than USB 2.0 with the same drive, a huge win for fans of external storage the world over. Perhaps even better news is that an ASUS US36 controller card with USB 3.0 and SATA 6G support is a mere $30, so this stuff is already basically within reach to the average desktop user.

Read - HotHardware
Read - PC Perspective

Filed under: Desktops, Peripherals, Storage

USB 3.0 and SATA 6G put to good use: benchmarks originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 31 Oct 2009 01:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intel and Numonyx pave the way for scalable, higher density phase change memory

Darren Murph — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 01:51:00 EST

Both Intel and Numonyx have been talking up phase change memory for years now, but for some reason, we're slightly more inclined to believe that the latest breakthrough is actually one that'll matter to consumers. In a joint release, the two have announced a new non-volatile memory technology that supposedly "paves the way for scalable, higher density phase change memory products." Put as simply as possible, researchers have been testing a 64Mb chip that "enables the ability to stack, or place, multiple layers of PCM arrays within a single die," and the two are calling the discovery PCMS (phase change memory and switch). We know, you're drowning in technobabble here, but if these two can really apply Moore's Law to density scaling, you'll be thanking 'em as you pick up your $50 6TB hard drive in 2014.

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Intel and Numonyx pave the way for scalable, higher density phase change memory originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 01:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kingston's $85 40GB SSDNow V Series SSD gets heavily benchmarked

Darren Murph — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:36:00 EST

Aw, snap. For years now, we've been waiting (and waiting) for solid state disc prices to stoop down from the realm of you've-got-to-be-kidding-me, and now it finally looks like the everyman can ditch the HDD and get onboard with flash. Kingston's newly announced SSDNow V Series 40GB Boot Drive ain't very capacious, but for just $84.99 (after rebates) at NewEgg, it's definitely affordable. The drive itself isn't slated to ship until November 9th, but the cool kids over at Legit Reviews seem to have already wrangled a unit for review. Kingston promises sequential read rates of up to 170MBps and write rates of up to 40MBps, and while that's certainly not mind-blowing, it's not too awful given the 2.5-inch form factor and bargain-basement price. Oh, and critics found that the drive far surpassed published speed ratings in testing, which is always completely and utterly awesome. Hit the via link for more, vaquero.

[Via Legit Reviews]

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Kingston's $85 40GB SSDNow V Series SSD gets heavily benchmarked originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intel pulls SSD Toolbox for killing drives under Windows 7

Nilay Patel — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:01:00 EST

Well, that was a short honeymoon -- Intel's now pulled its SSD Toolbox and associated TRIM firmware update amid reports that it was bricking drives under Windows 7. We haven't heard more than anecdotal evidence about this, but we'd definitely pick having a functional drive over the promised 40 percent speed boost from the code, so you should probably hold off if you've downloaded but haven't updated yet. We're looking into things, we'll let you know -- but man, the X-25M just hasn't had an easy life, has it?

Update: Intel just gave us its official statement on the matter:

Yes, we have been contacted by users with issues with the firmware upgrade for our 34nm SSDs and we are investigating. We take all sightings and issues seriously and are working toward resolution. We have temporarily taken down the firmware link while we investigate.

[Thanks, Joseph and Ty]

Read - Former SSD Toolbox download page
Read - Intel support forum page

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Intel pulls SSD Toolbox for killing drives under Windows 7 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fusion-io ioXtreme and ioXtreme Pro PCI Express SSDs sneak out

Darren Murph — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:21:00 EST

Mmm, flash. Fusion-io's product line has largely targeted enterprise users, but with the introduction of the ioXtreme PCI Express SSD back at E3, it was clear that the next-gen storage outfit was serious about breaking into the consumer market. Today, the 80GB ioXtreme and ioXtreme Pro (which was previously unheard of) have both broke cover over at Hot Hardware, with the former being useful for single-drive installs and the latter good for multi-drive setups. We should note that Fusion-io is obviously behind schedule on these, and there still doesn't look to be a definite price and release for the laypeople out there. That said, if the company's shipping out products that punch out an average write rate of 300MB/sec and read rate of 775MB/sec (yes, seriously), we'd say it's darn near ready for the real world.

Filed under: Storage

Fusion-io ioXtreme and ioXtreme Pro PCI Express SSDs sneak out originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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pureSilicon adds 256GB model to new Renegade R2 SSD range

Darren Murph — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EST

pureSilicon's original Renegade family just started shipping in Q1 of this year, but as it looks to stay one step ahead of the competition (and provide us all with a version big enough to hold all of our, um, family photos), the company is already introducing its Renegade R2 family. Designed to meet MIL-STD-810F standards while still offering 255MB/sec sequential read rates and 180MB/sec sequential write rates, these low-height (9.5 millimeter) 2.5-inch SSDs should fit perfectly within the bulk of laptops on the market today. The crew -- which is comprised of 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, 64GB, 128GB and 256GB models -- will soon be joined by PATA and 1.8-inch siblings. If you're looking to get your hands on one, most all of 'em are shipping today, though the 256GB flavor and encrypted models won't leave the dock until Q1 of next year.

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pureSilicon adds 256GB model to new Renegade R2 SSD range originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NC State gurus develop new material to boost data storage, conserve energy

Darren Murph — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 22:57:00 EST

We've all assumed that anything's possible when dabbling in the elusive realm of spintronics, and it seems as if a team at NC State University is out to prove just that. While using their newfound free time on Saturdays (you know, given that the football team has quit mid-season), Dr. Jagdish Narayan and company have utilized the process of selective doping in order to construct a new type of metallic ceramic that could be used to create a "fingernail-size computer chip to store the equivalent of 20 high-definition DVDs or 250 million pages of text." The material could also be used (in theory, anyway) to create a new generation of ceramic engines that could withstand twice the heat of normal engines and hit MPG ratings of 80. Granted, this all sounds like wishful thinking at the moment, but we wouldn't put it past the whiz kids in Raleigh to bring this stuff to market. Too bad the athletic director doesn't posses the same type of initiative.

[Thanks, Joel]

Filed under: Storage, Science

NC State gurus develop new material to boost data storage, conserve energy originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 25 Oct 2009 22:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung invests in Fusion-io, takes relationship to 'a new level'

Vladislav Savov — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 04:55:00 EST

Specializing in PCI Express-mounted flash storage, Fusion-io has managed to not only survive in these tough economic times, but garner additional investments from some clearly impressed onlookers. Loathe to be left out of the loop, Samsung -- the world's biggest NAND flash manufacturer and also Fusion-io's chief supplier -- has thrown some cash at the young startup company, and declared that the pair are now officially dating. Or, in their parlance, they've agreed to "jointly evaluate technology for new SSD applications." Samsung won't have any board level influence, but providing a reliable supply chain and the clout of its name should ensure that Fusion-io is around long enough for us to eventually be able to afford an ioDrive.

[Via PC World]

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Samsung invests in Fusion-io, takes relationship to 'a new level' originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 04:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple quietly updates AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule, promises improved performance

Darren Murph — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:43:00 EST

Just as it did in March, Apple has subtly updated both the AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule, this time improving performance on both. According to new testing between today's model and yesterday's edition, the AE Base Station (which ships within three days for $179) can hum along at up to 25 percent faster thanks to undisclosed tweaks to the antenna design, while the Time Capsule's improved antenna promises the same. Just as before, both of these devices support dual-band 2.4GHz / 5GHz transmissions, though we can't seem to find an "802.11n draft" phrase anywhere on either page. Apple hasn't gone out of its way to say that both of these are certified with the final specification, but it's certainly a possibility. Finally, the new Time Capsule promises Time Machine backups in Snow Leopard that are some 60 percent faster than before; we're not sure whether to celebrate with new buyers or weep with existing ones, but it should ship within three days for $299 (1TB) / $499 (2TB).

Read - Updated AirPort Extreme
Read - Updated Time Capsule

Filed under: Wireless, Storage, Networking

Apple quietly updates AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule, promises improved performance originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Active Media kicks out speedy Predator X7 SSDs with mini-USB

Donald Melanson — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 07:35:00 EST

Active Media was among the first to debut a USB 3.0 SSD drive, but it's not about the leave the rest of us living in the present behind, and it's now introduced a speedy new range of Predator X7 SATA-II SSDs. The big news here, such as it is, is that the drives all make use of a new Jmicron JMF612 controller which, among other things, adds support for a mini USB 2.0 port to make cloning your current drive even easier. Otherwise, you'll get 128MB of DRAM cache, read and write speeds of 230MB/sec and 180MB/sec, respectively, and your choice of 32GB, 64GB, 128GB or 256GB capacities. Look for the whole lot to be available sometime next month for between $149 and $699.

[Via SlashGear]

Filed under: Storage

Active Media kicks out speedy Predator X7 SSDs with mini-USB originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 07:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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OCZ's Z-Drive PCI-Express SSD gets exhaustively reviewed

Darren Murph — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:03:00 EST

Man, talk about a letdown. It's hard to put into mere words just how excited we were about the OCZ Z-Drive when we saw an early prototype shell way back at CeBIT, and now that it's shipping out to affluent users, we've got a remarkably thorough review explaining that it's probably not the dream device we were all hoping for. The good folks over at Hot Hardware managed to slam the Z-Drive m84 into their PCIe slot and run it through a battery of tests, and aside from larger file transfers, there just wasn't a mind-blowing amount of awesomeness to speak of. Critics expected this thing to rival at least an SSD RAID solution driven by a software RAID controller, but for whatever reason, that simply wasn't the case. Hit the read link for more benchmarks than you'd ever care to see on a weekend, and feel free to pocket that plastic.

Filed under: Storage

OCZ's Z-Drive PCI-Express SSD gets exhaustively reviewed originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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QNAP's NAS lineup sacrifices another bay, creates TS-110

Tim Stevens — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 08:37:00 EST

For many, four bays is a bit excessive. Two bays? Nice and cozy. One bay? Maybe a bit too snug for some, but QNAP is hoping its mono-bay TS-110 will be just right for others. It features the same 800MHz Marvell processor and 256MB of DDR2 RAM on the TS-410 and TS-210, with the discretely vanilla styling of the latter but at roughly half the girth. It keeps the same DLNA, FTP, file serving, and MySQL support of the other two, all configured through a fancy AJAXy web interface. No word on price yet, but we'll find out soon enough as it's set to ship by the end of the month. Meanwhile, we eagerly await the TS-010 announcement, which should rely entirely on theoretical storage.

Gallery: QNAP TS-110 NAS

Filed under: Storage, Networking

QNAP's NAS lineup sacrifices another bay, creates TS-110 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 08:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Origin unveils 750GB and 1TB Data Locker encrypted external HDDs

Darren Murph — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 09:41:00 EST

Questionably christened the world's first 1TB portable hardware-encrypted hard drive, Origin Storage's extra-capacious Data Locker Secure Drive is certainly the one to get if you're paranoid about whatever it is you'd keep on such a large platter. Also available in 750GB, 500GB and 320GB models, the drives are secured by AES hardware encryption and a 6 to 18 digit PIN number which must be entered directly onto the device itself before the contents become accessible. Think James Bond, but for real. The USB-powered unit also packs rubber shoulders in case things get a little crazy between you and Mr. Data Thief, though we wouldn't try running this thing through the rain forest if at all possible. The 1TB edition will be available soon for £399 ($652), while the others are priced at £299 ($488), £239 ($390) and £180 ($294) from largest to smallest.

[Via Slashgear]

Filed under: Storage

Origin unveils 750GB and 1TB Data Locker encrypted external HDDs originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 Oct 2009 09:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sun FlashFire's record-breaking storage performance will make network admins giddy

Tim Stevens — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 08:33:00 EST

Most businesses look for a good mix between value and performance for the hardware they lock in the server closet, the majority of those leaning toward the "value" side of the equation. However, for those companies that dodged the economic downturn entirely and want only the best, there's the FlashFire storage array from Sun. It's 2TB of rackmountable bits able to perform 1.6 million read and 1.2 million write operations per second, with a sustained throughput of 12.8GB/sec. Sun says these are records, and we can't find anything to refute them, the closest being the RamSan-440 from Texas Memory Systems, offering an (until very recently) impressive 600,000 I/O operations per second with a 4.5GB/sec throughput. TMS, it's been brought.

Filed under: Storage, Networking

Sun FlashFire's record-breaking storage performance will make network admins giddy originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 08:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SanDisk ships world's first X4-based flash memory cards, humans wait for capacity increases

Darren Murph — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 05:10:00 EST

SanDisk was busy trumpeting the benefits of X4 technology way back in February, and now the company's tooting its own horn once more by shipping the planet's first memory cards based on the new tech. For those who've forgotten, X4 can hold four bits of data in each memory cell, which is twice as many as the cells in traditional MLC NAND memory chips. In theory, this stuff will allow for bigger capacities in the flash memory that we so dearly love, but for whatever reason (read: cost concerns), the first X4-based SDHC and Memory Stick PRO cards top out at just 16GB. Wake us up when we can slam a sub-$50 256GB SDHC card into our D90, okay?

Filed under: Storage

SanDisk ships world's first X4-based flash memory cards, humans wait for capacity increases originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 05:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Clickfree adds hassle-free migration, other features to C2 backup drive (video)

Darren Murph — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 14:51:00 EST

Quite a lot has happened in the world of Clickfree since it went a little crazy at CES, but we're pretty jazzed about its latest effort. The predictably titled C2 is little more than a tweaked and refreshed version of the original backup-inclined external hard drive, but the boost in features makes this one worth considering. Available with a built-in USB cable and an even easier backup interface, the C2 can now handle automatic iPod music / playlist imports, direct-to-DVD burning, improved media sharing and a lovely migration feature that makes the arduous process of moving from Windows XP to Windows 7 a lesson in simplicity. The drive will be available in 250GB (C2 227; $139.00), 500GB (C2 527; $199.99) and 350GB sizes, with the latter to be made available in January 2010. So, are you finally done pushing aside the need to back your digital life up? Has Apple's increasingly lackadaisical software team taught us anything? Bizzare promo video is after the break.

Gallery: Clickfree adds hassle-free migration, other features to C2 backup drive

Continue reading Clickfree adds hassle-free migration, other features to C2 backup drive (video)

Filed under: Storage

Clickfree adds hassle-free migration, other features to C2 backup drive (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Oct 2009 14:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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QNAP brightens up its NAS offerings with new TS-210 model

Donald Melanson — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 23:03:00 EST

What's this? A QNAP NAS that doesn't stick to the company's traditional dark industrial look? Amazing but true, and yet another sign that the company is increasingly looking to bring the NAS out of the office and into the home -- a move that could only be further bolstered by a certain celebrity endorsement. Effectively replacing the company's previous TS-209 model, this one sticks to the same two-bay setup (for up to 4TB of storage), but steps things up to an 800MHz Marvell processor, along with 256MB of DDR2 memory, 3 USB ports, and all the usual UPnP / DLNA support you'd expect. No word on a price just yet, but we'd presume it'll be less than the $449 QNAP is asking for its four-bay TS-410 model.

[Via Electronista]

Filed under: Storage, Networking

QNAP brightens up its NAS offerings with new TS-210 model originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 23:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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