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- Optical Storage
Sony Optiarc has launched a new 12x Blu-ray Disc writer. The BWU-500S is designed for all PC users who appreciate high image quality. Whether you are movie fan, amateur video maker or hobby photographer – if you have a passion for images and need a lot of memory, the BWU-500S from Sony Optiarc offers you practically unlimited possibilities. The drive writes high-resolution TV images and personal memories in optimum quality to Blu-ray Discs or DVDs. It is also ideal as a playback unit for HD flat screens or HD computer projectors. The BWU-500S is also equipped for future movie, TV and gaming applications – and it plays back 3D movies perfectly.
The new Blu-ray Disc drive from Sony Optiarc is distinguished by its versatility. The BD writer not only delivers excellent image recording and playback quality, it is also suitable for back-ups and the long-term archiving of large volumes of data. The BWU-500S organises personal movie, photo and movie collections, preserves irreplaceable memories for the future and frees up space on your hard disc. Blu-ray Discs have a very long lifespan, which means they can store valuable content for long periods of time. Thanks to the device’s downward compatibility you can also continue to use your existing CDs and DVDs. The BWU-500S ensures that valuable digital content doesn’t get lost and it transforms a games or work PC into a comprehensive media centre that is fully equipped for future movie and TV applications.
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- Flash Memory
Kanguru Solutions today announced it has added Mac and Linux to the list of compatible platforms for its Kanguru Defender Elite, manageable, secure flash drives.
The Kanguru Defender Elite offers security features including: 256-bit AES Hardware Encryption, Remote Management Capabilities, On-board Anti-Virus, Tamper Resistant Design, and FIPS 140-2 Certification. The addition of GUI support for Mac and Linux opens Kanguru’s secure flash drives to a wider audience, allowing Mac and Linux users to benefit from its industry leading security features.
“The importance of cross platform functionality can’t be overstated. Many organizations are utilizing more than one type of operating system in their day to day operations.” said Don Brown, CEO of Kanguru Solutions. “Mac and Linux usage is an integral part of many organizations’ IT infrastructure, so it is critical that our secure drives work with those systems.”
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- Flash Memory
Today LaCie spawns a new breed of USB key – the LaCie MosKeyto, an ultra-small flash drive that’s anything but pesky. Joining LaCie’s line-up of award-winning USB keys, MosKeyto ups the ante for power, portability and ease of use.
LaCie MosKeyto measures less than 20mm and weighs 10 grams, making it one of the smallest USB keys on the market. Offering capacities up to 16GB, you’ll be pleasantly amazed at how many bytes you can get from such a tiny MosKeyto.
The stealthy MosKeyto becomes nearly invisible when plugged into your computer, and can even travel with the computer in a protective sleeve or briefcase – just plug it, and forget it. Because it lies flush against your device, there is no risk of damage to the port, computer or key if the drive is knocked or bumped. Additionally, if it’s in your laptop, you won’t lose it.
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- Flash Memory
Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. and its parent company Toshiba Corporation today announced the launch of 8GB (gigabyte) 16GB and 32GB SDHC UHS-I cards compliant with the SD Memory Card Standard Ver. 3.0 (SD 3.0), UHS104. These new SD cards offer the world's fastest SDHC data read and write speeds. Toshiba also extended its industry leadership in memory card solutions by unveiling the world's first 4GB, 8GB and 16GB microSDHC UHS-I cards compliant with (SD 3.0), UHS50.
The new SDHC UHS-I Memory Cards are the world's first memory cards compliant with SD 3.0, UHS104. With a maximum read speed of 95MB per second, and a write speed of 80MB per second, the products introduce a new level of ultra-fast read and write speeds to NAND flash based memory cards.
Toshiba's new microSDHC UHS-I cards are the world's first microSDHC memory cards compliant with SD 3.0, UHS50. They, too, offer the world's fastest read and write speeds in their class: a maximum read speed of 40MB per second and a write speed of 20MB per second.
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- Flash Memory
The SD Association announced today it has defined a new, dual-row pin memory card design achieving bus interface speeds of up to 300 megabytes per second for SDXC and SDHC devices and memory cards. It is fully backwards compatible, allowing equipped devices full use of any SD, SDHC and SDXC memory cards.
New high speed interface signals will be assigned on the second row of pins of select SDXC and SDHC memory cards offering the new speed. This option will be available in both full-size and micro form factors and does not change the physical size or shape of the cards. This design will be part of the forthcoming SD 4.0 specification, expected in early 2011.
"Our innovative dual-row pin design ultimately lets consumers using equipped products to manage the massive storage capacity found on SDXC memory cards at incredible speeds," said Norm Frentz, chairman of the SD Association. "SD can now support high definition video from Hollywood movie studios, television broadcasts, or HD videos taken on your latest vacation. SD is a very popular, extremely portable and easy-to-use storage medium that has enhanced the enjoyment and portability of music, photos and data. The Association remains committed to helping consumers maintain the value, usefulness and longevity of all of their SD products."
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- Flash Memory
Elpida Memory and Spansion today announced they have created the industry's first charge-trapping 1.8 V, 4-gigabit SLC (Single Level Cell) NAND Flash memory. This NAND memory, based on Spansion's MirrorBit® charge-trapping technology, is being produced at Elpida's Hiroshima factory. The advanced technical expertise and strong cooperation of the two companies has made it possible to develop and manufacture the world's first charge-trapping NAND Flash memory.
Compared to floating-gate NAND Flash memory, charge-trapping NAND Flash memory is more scalable and has a simpler cell structure. It offers superior performance, faster read and faster programming speeds.
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Samsung Electronics today introduced its latest wireless universal serial bus (USB) solution, developed using Ultra Wide Band (UWB) technology. Offered in a two-chip set, Samsung’s newest S3C2680/ S5M8311 WUSB solution enables high definition content to be wirelessly transmitted from a mobile host device to a tethered device for viewing. Initial applications are high-resolution cameras, camcorders, TVs and PCs with prospects for adoption in other applications including tablet PCs, printers, beam projectors, portable HDDs, Blu-ray players, and mobile handsets.
“The ability to handle wireless high-speed data transmission while consuming less power is a key requirement for many consumer electronic devices,” said Yiwan Wong, vice president, System LSI marketing, Samsung Electronics. “Due to power/performance issues, previous generations of WUSB products were unable to meet the consumers’ expectations. Samsung’s new WUSB chipset delivers up to 480Mbps (Megabit per second) data transmission rate, at an average power consumption of less than 300mW. This level of power efficiency greatly increases the attractiveness of WUSB connectivity in consumer electronic and mobile applications.”
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- Home Entertainment
DivX, Inc., a leading digital media company connecting people and entertainment, and Yamaha, an international leader in audio and video products, today announced at the IFA trade show the worldwide launch of Yamaha DivX Plus(TM) HD Certified Blu-ray players. These new 3D-ready players bring the best in visual quality and full-featured media capabilities, enabling stunning playback of full 1080p DivX Plus HD video using the MKV container.
Yamaha's new line of Blu-ray players are 3D-ready and feature universal playback (BD, SA-CD, DVD-Audio/Video, CD). The BD-S1067 will be available in Europe to start, and Yamaha plans to launch additional DivX HD Certified Blu-ray player models in North America, Oceania and other areas in the future.
With DivX Plus HD technology, these Blu-ray devices will empower consumers to enjoy their personal and Internet video collections in the DivX format directly on their TVs. DivX makes it simple to load and playback digital videos up to 1080p and Hollywood movies in DivX.
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- Home Entertainment
Apple today announced the new Apple TV which offers the simplest way to watch your favorite HD movies and TV shows on your HD TV for the breakthrough price of just $99. Apple TV users can choose from the largest online selection of HD movies to rent, including first run movies for just $4.99, and the largest online selection of HD TV show episodes to rent from ABC, ABC Family, Fox, Disney Channel and BBC America for just 99 cents.
Apple TV also streams content from Netflix, YouTube, Flickr and MobileMe™, as well as music, photos and videos from PCs and Macs to your HD TV. Enjoy gorgeous slideshows of your photos on your HD TV using Apple TV’s selection of built-in slideshows. Apple TV has built-in HDMI, Wi-Fi, Ethernet and an internal power supply for easy set-up, and features silent, cool, very low power operation in an enclosure that’s less than four inches square—80 percent smaller than the previous generation.
“The new Apple TV, paired with the largest selection of online HD movie and TV show rentals, lets users watch Hollywood content on their HD TV whenever they want,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “This tiny, silent box costing just $99 lets users watch thousands of HD movies and TV shows, and makes all of their music, photos and videos effortlessly available on their home entertainment system.”
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- Flash Memory
Panasonic announced today its newest 8GB and 16GB SDHC UHS-I Memory Cards – the RP-SDY08G and RP-SDY16G. UHS-I is the new standard for higher-speed Bus interface defined by the SD Association as part of the SD Memory Card Specification Ver.3.01, which provides up to 104MB/s performance. Both memory cards have maximum data transfer speed of up to 60MB/s and Class 10 speed specification.
With the higher reading speed of up to 60MB/s, the 8GB and 16GB Memory Cards can transfer data to a PC more than two times faster than Panasonic's current Memory Cards. These also offer stable writing performance with Class 10 speed specification, ensuring highly-reliable 3D and full HD video recording. Like the current Gold model memory cards from Panasonic, the RP-SDY08G and RP-SDY16G both incorporate Super Intelligent Controller (SICS), which is designed for high-level data protection.
The Power Failure Protection function automatically retrieves data when power suddenly fails and preserves important data. This high power failure protection is certified by TÜV Rheinland, by passing their power on-off test. More than ten times longer archival life has been achieved by the Refresh function. The Super Intelligent Controller automatically cleans up accumulated errors, extending card life. Also, Smart Data Writing equalizes the rewrite frequency on each writing area of the card to prevent rewriting in a specific area, thereby minimizing the defect risk of the card.
