Details
Hard Disks
Fujitsu has announced the launch of its MHZ2 CJ series of 2.5" hard disk drives. These new drives are available in capacities as high as 320GB and feature a 7200rpm rotation speed, 3.0 Gb/s Serial ATA interface and 256-bit AES hardware encryption. The MHZ2 CJ series also uses an advanced secure erase feature which can wipe the entire drive in less than a second.
Fujitsu Limited today announced the release of the MHZ2 CJ Series of 320 GB(1) 2.5" hard disk drives with automatic hardware-based encryption to effectively secure data against theft or loss, along with the industry's highest rotational speed of 7200-rpm and a 3.0 Gb/s Serial ATA interface(2). The new series of drives for computers and external storage devices will be available at the end of May 2008.

This series is the first hard disk drive in the world to support the 256-bit Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)(3). The drive implements the AES hardware encryption directly into the processor chip of the hard disk drive, resulting in more robust security and faster system performance than software-based encryption.

All data stored on the hard disk drive can be erased instantly, in less than a second, using the advanced secure erase feature. For public institutions and companies that handle large amounts of personal and other confidential data, this dramatically lowers the time and cost involved in wiping clean the hard drives of computers that are disposed of or reused.
While Fujitsu has not announced a price, the company plans to begin shipments at the end of May. Full details can be found here. Add a comment

Details
Home Entertainment
In a recent interview with The Korea Times, Peter Weber, manager of Panasonic Corporate Communication Europe, hinted that the company plans to expand the Blu-ray player market by forming a strategic parnership with Samsung. While there aren't a lot of details, Weber states that Panasonic would focus on marketing rather than the introduction of new Blu-ray players.
``Now, the discussion is over. We will maintain a healthy relationship with Samsung Electronics for the next-generation computer storage market,'' Peter Weber, manager of Panasonic Corporate Communication Europe, said in an interview with The Korea Times, Sunday, on the sidelines of the IFA 2008 International Press Conference here.

``Panasonic doesn't care about the introducing timing of Blu-ray players. Time is very crucial to step up the marketing for better prospect of such devices,'' he said, adding his company is all set to inject money only for promotion.
The Korea Times also mentions that next-generation Blu-ray players will come with built in hard drives to store downloadable content. If you'd like to read more, the entire article can be found here. Add a comment

Details
Other
AeroCool HorsePower 1020 watt Power Supply @Hi-Tech Reviews
ASUS EN8800GT 1GB Graphics Card @TweakTown
HTC Shift @Hardware Zone
Intel Q9450 Core 2 Quad Processor @HardwareLogic
Lenovo ThinkPad X300 Ultraportable Notebook @HotHardware.com
Logitech Z Cinema SRS TruSurround HD USB Speakers @Everything USB
Microsoft Wireless Laser Desktop 7000 @I4U
Super Talent Pico A 8 GB Flash Drive @Metku.net
Thermaltake Xaser VI VG4000BWS Super Tower Chassis @Bigbruin.com
VIZO Shuttle ST 2.5in SATA Enclosure @BCCHardware
XFX 8800 GS XXX Alpha Dog Video Card @I4U
Add a comment

Details
Home Entertainment
While video downloads have been threatening to take a chunk out of DVD and Blu-ray Disc sales, its had little effect on consumer spending so far this year. Home Media Magazine is reporting that the sales of DVDs and Blu-ray Discs are up 2.3% from last year. DVD unit sales did see a drop of 1.2%. However, this was offset by a 351% increase in Blu-ray sales.
Consumer spending on DVDs and Blu-ray Discs in the first three months of this year was up about 1% from the first three months of 2007, coming in at $5.51 billion, up from $5.46 billion in the first quarter of last year, according to Home Media Magazine market research estimates based on studio and retail data.

Sales were up 2.3% to $3.47 billion, from $3.39 billion, while rental spending slipped 1.6% to $2.04 billion, from $2.07 billion...

...And according to Nielsen VideoScan sales data, the nascent Blu-ray Disc saved the day for the sellthrough business, with DVD unit sales in the first quarter down 1.2% from the first quarter of 2007 but Blu-ray Disc sales up a whopping 351%.
If you'd like to read more, the entire article can be found here. Add a comment

Details
Software
Sonic has announced that it is working with Sony to enhance the BD-Live creation features found in Scenarist BD. By making it easier for Hollywood to create BD-Live-enabled features, the two companies hope to increase the availability of connected-content.
Sonic Solutions (NASDAQ: SNIC), the leader in digital media software, today announced it is collaborating with Sony to enhance the BD-Live creation features of the Scenarist BD authoring platform. The new capabilities will help streamline the creation of highly interactive Blu-ray Disc titles that harness the full power of the BD-Live feature set to enable Web-connected content.

BD-Live adds an exciting new level of interactivity to the home entertainment experience. By allowing the dynamic inclusion of downloaded online content such as special features, new trailers and games, BD-Live enables content creators to maintain a direct relationship with viewers even after a title has shipped. By making BD-Live-enabled features more efficient to produce, the Sony and Sonic collaboration is expected to help increase the availability of connected-content, which in turn will help speed consumer adoption of next-generation titles and players.
If you'd like to read more, Sonic's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment

Details
Flash Memory
Transcend recently announced the release of its new Extreme Speed 300X CompactFlash cards. These new flash memory cards operate in dual-channel Ultra DMA mode 5, which allows them to achieve read/write speeds of up to 45MB/s.

Following growing consumer demand for larger capacity, high-speed memory cards, Transcend Information, Inc. (Transcend), a global leader in flash memory products and DRAM memory modules, today revealed its new Extreme Speed 300X CompactFlash card - a worthy addition to Transcend’s award-winning line of high speed, ultra-reliable flash memory cards.

Transcend’s Extreme Speed 300X CompactFlash cards operate in dual-channel Ultra DMA mode 5*, the fastest speed available for CF cards. This interface allows Transcend’s 300X CF cards achieve extraordinarily fast read/write speeds of up to 45MB per second on average**, making consecutive shooting and non-stop video recording with today’s high-performance digital single lens reflex cameras (DSLR) easier than ever. With impressive transfer speeds and enormous storage capacity, users are guaranteed to get the best performance results from their high-end digital equipment.
Transcend's Extreme Speed 300X CompactFlash cards are available now in 4GB, 8GB and 16GB capacities. Full details can be found here. Add a comment

Details
Other
Altec Lansing PT 7031 @InsideHW
ASUS EN9600GT Top Video Card @I4U
ASUS EN9800 GTX 512MB Graphics Card @TweakTown andVirtual-Hideout
ATI FireGL V8600 1GB Workstation Graphics Card @HotHardware.com
In-Win B-2 Stealth Bomber Case @HardwareLogic
Inter-Tech IT 9001 Silver Midi-Tower @TweakPC.de
Add a comment

Details
Flash Memory
SMSC has announced two new families of USB 2.0 flash media readers. Designed to improve performance of Hi-Speed flash media, the USB2240 and USB2250 are capable of speeds as high as 35MB/s. The USB2250 also offers greater flexibility by reading two different flash media formats at once.
SMSC (Nasdaq: SMSC), a leading semiconductor company providing innovative system solutions spanning analog, digital and mixed-signal technologies, today announced two new families of USB 2.0 Flash media readers designed to enable greater throughput and flexibility in consumer electronics and computing applications. The USB2240 and USB2250 Hi-Speed USB 2.0 controller families support a wide range of Flash media cards with improved data transfer performance, delivering higher data throughput and catering to new high speed formats.

The popularity of USB 2.0 makes the technology a preferred interface for removable storage media in consumer electronics and computing platforms. SMSC’s new generation of USB Flash media controllers reduce bottlenecks with throughput speeds up to 35 MB/s - nearly twice as fast as previous generations of SMSC Flash media controllers. This bandwidth increase enables a host of rich-content applications, including streaming video, fast multimedia file transfer and higher performance of computing technologies like ReadyBoost for Windows Vista. In trials using ReadyBoost, a technology that employs external Flash memory to boost performance in the Vista operating system, SMSC’s new Flash media readers delivered significantly better performance than systems without high-performance Flash media readers.
If you'd like to read more, SMSC's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment

Details
Flash Memory
Kingston sent out a press release earlier today, announcing the release of its first FIPS-validated USB flash drive, the DataTraveler BlackBox. Offering the ultimate in data protection, the BlackBox features an automated self-test routine to verify its encryption architecture, 256-bit hardware-based AES encryption and a security function that will lock down and reformat a drive after 10 intrusion attempts.

Kingston TechnologyCompany, Inc., the independent world leader in memory products, todayannounced the release of its first Federal Information Processing Standard(FIPS)-validated USB Flash drive, the DataTraveler(R) BlackBox, shippingimmediately in 2GB, 4GB and 8GB capacities...

...The FIPS Level 2 standard requires the DT BlackBox to run a power-onself test which verifies that the encryption architecture is functioningeach time it is plugged into a USB port. Beyond the NIST certification, theDataTraveler BlackBox features 256-bit hardware-based AES encryption via adedicated processor which automatically encrypts and decrypts data on thefly. The drive automatically locks down after ten consecutive failedpassword attempts, thus helping to prevent unauthorized access if the driveis lost, stolen or misplaced.
The DataTraveler BlackBox is available now in 2GB, 4GB and 8GB capacities. More information, including prices, can be found here. Add a comment

Details
Other
AMD Opteron 2356 Dual Quad-Core @Phoronix
Auras Fridge JES-988 Passive VGA Cooler @Madshrimps
Cyber Acoustics CA-5001 5.1 Speaker Kit @TweakTown
Diamond Viper Radeon HD 3850 512MB Overclocked Ruby Edition @HotHardware.com
Foxconn 9600 GT OC Video Card @I4U
Gigabyte GV-NX96T512HP (GeForce 9600 GT 512MB) @Hardware Zone
Kingwin RVT-12025 HDT CPU Cooler @Benchmark Reviews
Logitech diNovo Mini Wireless Kit @ASE Labs
Super Talent Pico 8Gb Micro USB2.0 Flash Drive @Tweaknews.net
VIZO Mini-Ninja Laptop Cooler @BCCHardware
Add a comment

Latest Reviews

Latest Headlines

Latest Forum Threads