SanDisk Corporation, the global leader in flash memory cards, today announced that it has begun shipping its SanDisk® G3 Solid State Drives (SSD) to retailers in North America and Europe. The flash memory-based SanDisk G3 SSD offers a compelling alternative to a 7,200 RPM Hard Disk Drive (HDD) for many customers – including do-it-yourself enthusiasts, IT managers or anyone seeking increased durability and performance with high reliability.

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“Our rugged drive enables a superior customer experience by delivering extended endurance and fast performance in a resilient SSD design,” said Eric Bone, vice president, retail product marketing, SanDisk. “SanDisk believes in an uncompromising development approach which insists that an SSD's long term reliability and durability are just as important as its overall speed. We’re leveraging our long history of flash memory and retail expertise to bring the SanDisk G3 SSD to market.”

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sandisk 64gb ultra sdxc.jpgSanDisk Corporation, the global leader in flash memory cards, today announced that it has begun shipping the 64 gigabyte (GB) SanDisk Ultra® SDXC™ memory card, the company’s highest capacity SD™ card ever. With its 64GB capacity, up to 15MB/sec read speed and Class 4 speed rating, the new high-capacity SD card is ideal for capturing and storing massive 1080p High-Definition video files and then transferring them quickly to a computer.

SDXC cards are based on the new SD 3.0 specification, which makes it possible to manufacture SD cards with storage capacity up to 2 terabytes (TB). The SDXC card’s exFAT file structure helps consumers record long-duration HD videos. The 64GB SanDisk Ultra SDXC card can store more than eight hours of high-definition video with recording speed of 9 Mbps (HD standard).

“SDXC is the successor to the popular SDHC card format,” said Susan Park, director, retail product marketing, SanDisk. “The 64GB SanDisk Ultra SDXC card delivers the speed and capacity consumers need for extended HD video recording and improved rapid shooting of still images. The card is an ideal complement for recently-announced SDXC-compatible cameras and camcorders.”

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Seagate is now shipping its 3.5-inch Constellation ES drive, the industry’s first 2TB enterprise-class drives featuring 6Gb SAS, to customers worldwide. Designed specifically for multi-drive nearline storage environments, the Constellation ES drive has been qualified by leading enterprise OEMs and system builders who demand storage solutions of the highest capacities with increased power efficiency, enterprise-class reliability, and data security that their customers demand. The Constellation ES drive leverages Seagate’s 30 years of leadership in meeting large enterprise customer needs in product development, qualification, and support.

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The fourth-generation, 3.5-inch Seagate® Constellation™ ES drive family for 7200-RPM enterprise environments enables cost-effective, highly efficient storage with capacities of 500GB, 1TB and 2TB. Supporting up to 76TB per square foot, it offers best-in-class reliability, leading 6Gb/s SAS or SATA 3Gb/s performance, PowerChoice™ optimized power and cooling technology, and a government-grade security option – all backed by Seagate.

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The CompactFlash Association (CFA) announces availability of the recently approved CF5.0 Specification. The CF5.0 work group was formed in November, 2008 to add key features to the already popular CF4.1 specification based on the PATA (Parallel ATA) interface. The new CF5.0 specification adds the following key features/benefits to the memory card that started the digital photography revolution.

Key Feature Benefits
48 bit Addressing (Mandatory) Capacity points beyond current limitation of 137GB (up to 144PB) & more efficient data transfer (32MB per transfer versus 128K per transfer)
Data Set Management Command/Trim (Mandatory) More efficient cleanup of unused space on memory card (LBA’s)
Update ATA References to ATA-6 & ATA-8/ACS-2 Access to advancements in the ATA standard
Performance Control (optional) Card performance quality of service framework
Video Performance Guarantee (Optional) Quality of service for video capture applications to ensure quality recordings with no dropped frames
Identify Device CFA Specification Version Number (Mandatory) Easier for host to determine card capabilities
Changed Interface Electrical Specification to Better Comply with the ATA Standard (Mandatory) Easier and better card design, compatible with advanced hosts.

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Active Media Products, manufacturer of SSDs and innovative USB drives, today announced immediate availability of their endangered species series of USB drives in a new 32GB capacity. These flash drives are made of non-toxic silicone rubber and are completely free of PVC, lead and mercury, poisons commonly found in other USB drives.

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"Our original endangered species drives are crafted in minute detail after the features of each animal. Our design goal was to preserve the natural beauty of the beast in a functional two-inch storage device." stated Jerry Thomson, VP of Sales at Active Media Products. The drives range from 2.2 to 2.6 inches in length - small enough to carry on a keychain. All three models feature a red activity LED that makes the animal glow bright red when plugged in.

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kingston 32gb class 10 sdhc.jpgKingston Digital, Inc., the Flash memory affiliate of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the independent world leader in memory products, today announced the release of an SDHC Class 10 card. Shipping February 26, the Kingston® SDHC Class 10 card is available in 16GB and 32GB capacities. The card meets the Class 10 data transfer rate specification but has an enhanced performance of up to 22MB/sec. read and 18MB/sec. write.

"As viewing and recording in high definition becomes more popular, the Kingston SDHC Class 10 card's large storage capability allows users to record hours of video on a single card," said Wendy Lecot, Flash card business manager, Kingston. "The Class 10 speed helps photographers optimize their equipment when it comes to shooting in burst mode as the memory card keeps up with sequential capture."

The Kingston SDHC Class 10 card is designed to meet the SD™ Association Specification 3.00 with a guaranteed minimum data transfer rate of 10MB/sec. It is the ideal solution for the latest camcorders, digital SLRs and advanced point and shoot cameras. For compatibility, Kingston recommends users look up their device with the Kingston Memory Search tool on the homepage at www.kingston.com.

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RaidSonic announced today that they will be showcasing three new USB 3.0 equipped ICY BOX hard drive enclosures at CeBIT 2010. The IB-230StU3 is designed to hold a single 2.5-inch SSD or HDD and features a fine metal surface and shock absorbing silicon tray. RaidSonic will also be introducing a new 3.5-inch drive enclosure. Along with its USB 3.0 interface, the IB-330StU3's most notable feature is its ability to mount a hard drive without any screws.

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Last but not least, RaidSonic has unveiled a new USB 3.0 RAID enclosure. The IB-RD4320StU3-B holds two 3.5-inch hard drives, which can be configured for RAID 0, RAID 1 or JBOD. Add a comment

Corsair, a worldwide leader in high-performance computer and flash memory products, today announced the availability of its new Flash Padlock 2 secure USB flash drive. This unique USB flash drive is very cleverly and comprehensively designed to protect your critical business or personal data from unwanted exposure.

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The Flash Padlock 2 employs two security technologies for superb data protection. The first of these technologies is a user-definable personal identification number or PIN. To unlock the drive and access the data, this PIN is entered using the drive’s integrated numeric keypad. The Flash Padlock 2 cannot be accessed without correctly entering the PIN for that individual drive. The second technology used is secure 256-bit AES data encryption of the drive contents. 256-bit AES is recognized worldwide by both corporations and governments as the premier standard for data protection, and its use in the Flash Padlock 2 ensures that data protection cannot be compromised by disassembling the drive to gain access to the flash ICs.

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Kingston Digital, Inc., the Flash memory affiliate of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the independent world leader in memory products, today announced the release of DataTraveler® 310, the first 256GB USB Flash drive in the United States. The DataTraveler 310 replaces the 256GB DataTraveler 300, released in July 2009 to the Asia/Pacific and Europe, Middle East and Africa regions.

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"We saw an opportunity to push the capacity envelope for USB Flash drives in the marketplace. Customer feedback and our research determined that this is a great solution for designers, engineers and architects who have a need to easily store and transport large data files," said Andrew Ewing, USB business manager, Kingston®. "For the enthusiast who wants easy access to their full media library, the DataTraveler 310 can store up to 365 CDs, 54 DVDs or 51,000 images. This device makes an entire collection of data easily portable."

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OCZ Technology Group, Inc., a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability memory and flash-based storage as an alternative to hard disk drives (HDDs), has unveiled the highly anticipated Vertex Limited Edition (LE). Based on a cutting-edge new architecture, OCZ’s Vertex LE is the epitome of innovation for power users seeking to integrate a new class of SSD in their Windows-based systems. For early adopters, a Vertex LE drive can take a high-end computing experience to the next level. OCZ will offer Vertex LE through its extensive network of distribution partners over the next few weeks.

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“OCZ has an excellent reputation as a leader in solid state drives, and as new technologies become available, we are continually expanding our solution portfolio to bring enhanced performance benefits to the complete spectrum of our client’s applications,” commented Ryan Petersen, CEO of the OCZ Technology Group. “The new Vertex Limited Edition SSD is our fastest, multi-level cell (MLC), performance-based drive yet and delivers both exceptional speed and reliability for customers demanding a superior storage solution including intensive applications such as audio/video editing, mobile computing, and even use in workstations.”

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