The common interface M.2 SSD that made its debut in 2013 has started to enter the application market recently. The major memory manufacturer KINGMAX is now officially announcing the release of a new M.2 SSD product to manufacturers.
High Compatibility Interface
M.2 SSD (originally known as NGFF) evolved from the Mini PCI-E (PCI Express mini Card) specifications, and supports PCI-E and SATA interfaces simultaneously. This device covers a wide variety of products and allows great flexibility in connection designs. It also has powerful bandwidth expansion capabilities and is gradually become the main storage equipment of ultra-lightweight mobile computing products.
Lightweight and Compact Advantages
The length specifications currently provided by KINGMAX is 42 and 80, which is commonly known as the 2242 and 2280 specifications. Compared to mSATA, the size of the M.2 SSD 2242 saves up to 55% space size and the 2280 specification can reduce 15% of space usage. In addition, M.2 SATA3 SSD only weighs 5g, making it extremely suitable to be used in ultra-lightweight computing products such as smartphones and tablets etc.
QNAP Systems, Inc. today announced the release of QGenie, a pocket-sized 7-in-1 mobile NAS for file storage, power bank, Internet sharing, and more. With its compact design, QGenie fits perfectly in the pocket yet provides powerful functions to meet users’ day-to-day mobile needs.
QGenie offers a great mobile NAS solution to wirelessly and flexibly extend the storage space of mobile devices. Users can optimize their storage space by transferring files to QGenie when they need to make room for more photos, music, and apps. Users can enjoy the utmost convenience by using the myQNAPcloud service, Qsync, and Qfile mobile app, to create a personal cloud to save, access, sync, and share all the files stored on QGenie on the go.
“QGenie allows connections from up to 20 users, enables simultaneous file access by up to 8 users, and is perfect for sharing multimedia when traveling in a vehicle and large files in various occasions such as social gatherings, class seminars, and business meetings without the need of sending emails or exchanging USB drives,” said Hanz Sung, product manager of QNAP.
QGenie also allows users to back up and retrieve their phonebooks from Android™ and iOS® devices by using Qfile mobile app, protecting their important data from loss. It is also perfect for saving users from manually entering all the names and numbers of their contacts into new phones.
OCZ Storage Solutions - a Toshiba Group Company and leading provider of high-performance solid-state drives (SSDs) for computing devices and systems, today announced the introduction and availability of its next generation SQL Server acceleration solution. The new ZD-XL SQL Accelerator 1.5 supports Microsoft SQL Server 2014, 2012 and 2008 R2 versions expanding on the key flash-based storage features that improve I/O access performance. OCZ presents the new SQL accelerator today through July 17th at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC) 2014, Booth #2506A, Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington, DC.
ZD-XL SQL Accelerator 1.5 provides optimized and efficient flash acceleration for SQL Server through unique integration with the application and has been enriched over the previous ZD-XL 1.0 version to enable database administrators (DBAs) to unleash the full power of SQL Server 2014 features, such as flash Buffer Pool Extension (BPE) support, so that database pages can be accessed faster by loading them directly from flash.
Imation Corp., a global data storage and information security company, today announced the availability of IronKey Workspace W700, the first Microsoft-certified Windows To Go devices to be FIPS 140-2 Level 3 certified. Achievement of this certification required rigorous testing, which was then reviewed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). FIPS 140-2 Level 3 certification is a requirement for civilian and military U.S. federal agencies, as well as a benchmark for security and reliability for enterprises looking for the highest level of security. Government and enterprise organizations looking to adopt a mobile device strategy with FIPS 140-2 Level 3 validation now have a Windows To Go option.
Windows To Go is an enterprise feature of Windows 8.1 that lets people be productive from almost any location they choose to work by inserting the Windows To Go USB drive into any compatible PC of their choice. An organization’s corporate image, operating system, applications and data are all contained on the Microsoft-certified IronKey Workspace USB drive. The host PC boots completely off the Windows To Go drive using local resources such as monitors, CPUs and network connections. The Windows To Go drive can be centrally managed and offers remote wipe features to protect against loss and theft. The Windows To Go solution is ideal for mobile workers, teleworkers and contractors, fueling secure “Bring Your Own Device” (BYOD) strategies that allow employees to use their home PCs for work.
“Enterprise users are experiencing new possibilities in mobile productivity with Windows To Go, and they're implementing the technology in many exciting ways,” said Stella Chernyak, senior director, Windows Commercial Marketing, Microsoft Corp. “It’s great to see Imation offering a FIPS 140-2 Level 3 certified device, like the IronKey Workspace W700, that can help government agencies and other highly regulated industries take advantage of Windows To Go.”
QNAP Systems, Inc. today announced the availability of Virtualization Station: an industry-leading integrated virtualization operating platform that empowers the Turbo NAS to host multiple virtual machines (VMs). With a simple & centralized management interface, it is easy for anyone to create and run multiple VMs on a single Turbo NAS.
Virtualization technology allows users to create isolated VMs on a single server and install different operating systems and applications. Each VM can be viewed as an independent PC that consumes dedicated CPU, memory, disk space and network resources without interrupting each other. Users can flexibly install Windows, UNIX, Linux, or even server-grade operating systems to centralize various services, applications and server management. Virtualization Station is a powerful and hands-on NAS-based virtualization platform that centralizes virtualization management to enhance IT efficiency.
HGST, a Western Digital company, today announced that it is now shipping the world's highest capacity and highest performing 10K RPM hard disk drive (HDD) – the Ultrastar C10K1800. Based on HGST's field proven high-quality design, the 2.5-inch small form factor (SFF), enterprise-class Ultrastar® C10K1800 combines high capacity with a significant improvement in both random write and sequential performance for mission-critical storage applications requiring 24/7 availability.
As the demand for enterprise-class storage grows, customers are increasingly seeking tiered storage infrastructures built along a range of raw IOPS performance, capacity and $/GB price efficiencies. While solid state drives (SSDs) and 15K HDDs fill a clear need in high performance solutions, the demand for 10K HDDs continues to be strong as customers seek better $/GB metrics.
"Our customers continue to contend with explosive data growth, balancing disparate application loads, while needing to improve data center space and power efficiencies," said Brendan Collins, vice president of product marketing, HGST. "By fusing unmatched capacity with ultimate performance in the same drive, the Ultrastar C10K1800 offers the optimal balance of capacity, performance and cost. We expect our customers to use the Ultrastar C10K1800 with a complement of SSDs and 15K performance HDDs in tiered pools of storage."
Thecus Technology Corporation today announces firmware enhancements on all consumer and enterprise NAS models. Updates to ThecusOS 5 and 6 mean enhanced capability and security across the entire Thecus NAS lineup.
Consumer & SOHO NAS
Updates available for Thecus consumer and SOHO NAS will enhance their capabilities, giving them features found usually on business class storage. For the N2310, ThecusOS 6 is upgraded to offer multiple RAID volumes and RAID Encryption. Updates for the 2-bay N2520 and N2560 as well as the 4-bay N4520 and N4560 models offer enhanced UPS support and multiple RAID volumes. In addition, OpenSSL updates enhance security and reliability of these consumer and SOHO Thecus NAS models.
Enterprise NAS
SMB NAS models such as the 7-bay N7710-G now support even more enterprise-class storage features with this latest firmware for ThecusOS 5. These features include updated OpenSSL for improved security and enhanced compatibility for numerous UPS. In addition, a beta update is available featuring Btrfs Snapshots for better backup capability and ESXi VAAI, enhancing virtualization performance by offloading VMware storage operations to the NAS. These enhancements and updates help ensure continued growth in Thecus effectiveness for enterprise and SMB data centers, increasing performance, compatibility and security.
PNY Technologies, considered one of the worldwide leaders in consumer electronics market and memory products, has given "small" a whole new meaning by introducing its extremely tiny and cap-less designed the new Mini M1 USB Flash Drive. Featuring a low profile design, this is one of the lightest drives available today.
PNY's new Mini M1 USB Flash Drive despite its size, it offers high performance so the user can store, transport and share documents, music, images, videos, games and many more. It comes in a high quality casing of metallic texture with mirror finish, providing a shiny, bright appearance. The design of this drive protects it against scratches, dust and is even water resistant, making it ideal for long term use.
The Mini M1 does away with the hassle of taking care of the cap. Its portability is enhanced with a crescent lanyard loop opening located at the head of the USB drive, which can be attached to key chains, bags and other accessories. The Mini M1 weighs only 2.8 g, true to its name, is incredibly small and lightweight, making it very portable and easy to carry in your pocket.
Kingston Digital, Inc., the Flash memory affiliate of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the independent world leader in memory products, today announced the release of the DataTraveler microDuo 3.0 and Class 10 UHS-I 90R/45W microSDHC/SDXC card. The small form factor combination USB 3.0 and microUSB Flash drive allows consumers to expand the storage of their Android™ tablets and smartphones by transferring files to and from PC. The new Class 10 UHS-I microSDHC/SDXC card offers 90R/45W performance to allow for continuous video and image capture.
DataTraveler microDuo 3.0 expands the storage of Android devices up to 64GB, easily moving large files, photos, videos and music phone or tablet to PC and back. The USB 3.0 to microUSB dual interface drive can be used with any USB On-The-Go compatible device and allows users to transfer data without plugging into a computer. The new drive joins the previously released DataTraveler microDuo 2.0. A list of USB On-The-Go compatible devices can be found here.
QNAP Systems, Inc. today announced the release of the cutting-edge Turbo NAS TS-x51 series for SOHO and Home users, and two economical tower storage expansion enclosures companion UX-500P and UX-800P.
The TS-x51 series, available in 2, 4, 6, 8-bay models, features unrivaled real-time and offline Full HD video transcoding capabilities, and supports video streaming through DLNA, AirPlay and Plex Media Server. “Building a personal cloud is becoming increasingly popular, and the TS-x51 series is the ideal choice for users to quickly create a secure personal space for file storage, backup, synchronization and multimedia,” said Jason Hsu, product manager of QNAP. Coupled with flexible storage expansion support, the TS-x51 series is the perfect solution for the growing needs of data and multimedia content storage in modern small offices and home environments.