Kingston has announced the launch of its all-in-one Mobility Kit. This new storage solution includes a microSD card, miniSD and full-size SD adapters and a USB card reader.

Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the independent world leader in memory products, today announced it is releasing an all-in-one Mobility Kit that includes a microSD card with dual adapters and a USB card reader to give mobile consumers handy storage access when using SD- and USB-compatible digital devices.

Available immediately in a 1GB card configuration, with a 2GB version to follow, the Kingston Mobility Kit provides a single card solution for mobile phones, digital cameras, media players and more using a microSD card as the centerpiece combined with miniSD and full-size Secure Digital(TM) (SD) card adapters plus a USB reader.
The 1GB Mobility Kit is available now for a suggested retail price of $27. A 2GB version will also be available some time in the near future. However a price has yet to be determined. Full details can be found here. Add a comment
Oerlikon announced today that Infodisc has received one of their Blu-ray manufacturing lines. Once installed, Infodisc will be the first independent Blu-ray manufacturer in western Europe with Oerlikon equipment.
German Optical Disc manufacturer Infodisc today received delivery of the first BD ROM manufacturing line Indigo in Western Europe. The Oerlikon (SWX:OERL) Blu-ray replication line will be installed in the coming days at the Renchen/Germany facility. Infodisc will offer its services as the first independent European Blu-ray manufacturer, which is not contractually tied to a particular Hollywood movie studio. As a pioneer in the Blu-ray production technology, Infodisc will share its experience with other replicators and serve as a showcase for the Oerlikon Blu-ray line Indigo.

“We’ve evaluated the available Blu-ray production equipment and were primarily impressed by Oerlikon,” says Michael Gotowski, CEO at Infodisc. “The INDIGO line is approved by major replicators, features an excellent cover layer process and is mature for Blu-ray mass production. Oerlikon is launching soon the 50GB dual layer upgrade, using Sony’s wet embossing process. This is the professional package we need for our own market success.”
If you'd like to read more, Oerlikon's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment
DigiTimes has reported that Ritek will be shifting some of its CD-R and DVD+R/-R manufacturing equipment from its factories in Taiwan to its subsidiary in Vietnam. This new equipment is expected to nearly double Ritek Vietnam's current output of 20 million CD-R and three million DVD+R/-R discs.
Ritek, the second largest Taiwan-based maker of optical discs, will, in line with its overall adjustment in production, shift some of its blank CD-R and DVD+R/-R disc manufacturing equipment from Taiwan-based factories to those of Ritek Vietnam, its subsidiary in Vietnam, according to a company filing with the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TSE) on August 3.

The shift will be through Ritek's sale of manufacturing equipment to its wholly owned overseas subsidiary Score High Group for US$34.560 million, the current book value of the equipment. Score High will then resell the equipment to Ritek Vietnam, Ritek spokesman Eric Ai indicated.
The article also mentions that CMC and Gigastorage have started manufacturing CD-R discs in Thailand. Both companies plan to begin production of DVD+R/-R discs in that country later this year. If you'd like to read more, head on over to DigiTimes. Add a comment
Toshiba sent out a press release this morning, announcing the launch of their third generation HD DVD players, the HD-A3, HD-A30 and HD-A35. These new players sport a sleek and compact design and offer features like 1080p/24 output, CE-Link connectivity and high bit rate audio capabilities.
Toshiba's third generation family starts with the entry level HD-A3player featuring 1080i output capability. The other two new models,Toshiba's HD-A30 and HD-A35, will output 1080p resolution (1920 x 1080p),the highest HD signal currently available. Both models are capable ofoutputing signals at 1080p/24 frames per second so consumers can enjoymovies in their native frame rate. The HD-A30 and HD-A35 models alsofeature "CE-Link" (HDMI-CEC), allowing two- way control between the HD DVDplayer and a TV through an HDMI connection.

The top-of-the-line HD-A35 also adds support for Deep Color via HDMIallowing compatible display devices to deliver outstanding video quality -displaying millions of possible colors to billions of possible colors.

Additionally, the HD-A35 offers 5.1 channel analog output and High BitRate Audio (up to 7.1 channel) via HDMI. With content encoded in 7.1ch,this advanced surround sound is achieved through the HDMI connectionbypassing the player's internal audio processor and sending the signal to a7.1 capable A/V receiver. High Bit Rate Audio will allow the consumer tointegrate the HD-A35 with the latest multi-channel A/V receivers and enjoya whole new dimension of high definition home entertainment.
Toshiba currently plays to ship the HD-A30 in September for about $399.99. The HD-A3 and HD-A35 will hit store shelves a month later and are priced at $299.99 and $499.99 respectively. Full details can be found here. Add a comment

ASUS EN8600GT OC Gear 256MB DDR3 @Hardware Zone
Eagle Tech Computers D-Series External Storage System @Bigbruin.com
Gateway MT3705 Intel Duo Core Budget Laptop @Madshrimps
Gigabyte P35C-DS3R Motherboard @HardwareLogic
LaCie D2 Extreme 320GB External Hard Drive @ThinkComputers.org
Puget Systems Liquid Cooled Gaming Case @ThinkComputers.org
Samsung Digimax S700 Digital Camera @Madshrimps
Thrustmaster Dual Trigger 3-in-1 Rumble Force Gamepad @Benchmark Reviews
Western Digital WD7500AAKS 750GB HD @HotHardware.com
Zalman ZM-DS4F Dual Stereo Headphones @TweakTown
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The results are in and our readers have chosen the Pioneer DVR-111/DVR-111D/DVR-A11 as the top DVD writer for the month of July. Here are the top drives:
  1. Pioneer DVR-111/DVR-111D/DVR-A11
  2. LG GSA-H62N/GSA-H62L
  3. (tied) Lite-On LH-20A1S/LH-20A1L and Pioneer DVR-112/DVR-112D/DVR-A12
  4. Plextor PX-760A/PX-760SA
Your favorite drive didn't make it onto the list? Then go and vote for August's top DVD writer. Add a comment
Sony Europe announced this morning that they've launched a new website, the "MMG Venue". Sitting alongside the Museum of Low Res, the MMG Venu offers previews of music, movies and games released on the Blu-ray Disc format.
Sony Europe today opens the MMG Venue (Music, Movies and Games), a new site providing access to the latest content released on the Blu-ray Disc format.

Set in a virtual city laneway, the MMG Venue is home to a jazz café which boasts live full-length music videos of Blu-ray Disc artists including Bruce Springsteen, Destiny's Child and Incubus.

A red, suped-up sports car links to the MMG Venue gaming section, highlighting the cream of exclusive Blu-ray Disc PS3 games hitting the market. Recent games currently on show include Motorstorm, Lairmaster and Uncharted, all in full HD.

A billboard poster lit-up in the virtual laneway takes you straight to a selection of high definition previews of the latest blockbuster movies released in Blu-ray Disc format. Spiderman III, Casino Royale, All the King's Men and Talladega Nights are currently playing, with new trailers set to be added close to film release dates.
More information about Sony's new website can be found here. Add a comment
Imation hasn't wasted any time putting the TDK brand to use. The company announced today that they will be releasing TDK Life on Record brand 8cm Blu-ray Discs. Available in September, these new BD-R/RE discs offer a 7.5GB capacity and feature TDK's DURABIS 2 and spin coating technologies.
Imation Corp. (NYSE: IMN), exclusive licensee of the "TDK Life on Record" recording media brand, today announced the global release of 8cm recordable Blu-ray Discs. Available in both BD-R (recordable) and BD-RE (re-recordable), each TDK 8cm Blu-ray Disc offers 7.5 gigabytes of capacity, ample to store 60 minutes of full-quality high-definition video. TDK BD-R (BD-R75A) and BD-RE (BD-RE75A) 8cm Blu-ray Discs will begin shipping in the U.S. in September at manufacturer suggested retail prices (MSRPs) of $24.99 and $34.99, respectively. TDK Corporation manufactures these 8cm recordable Blu-ray Discs using TDK advanced technologies and supplies the product to Imation for sale under the TDK Life on Record brand.
If you'd like to read more, Imation's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment
Hitachi's new Blu-ray Disc camcorders are already gaining support from media manufacturers. Verbatim sent out a press release this morning, announcing world’s first Mini Blu-ray Recordable/Rewriteable (BD-R/RE) media. These new 3-inch (8cm) discs can hold 7.5GB of data or an hours worth of full high-definition video.
Verbatim Corporation and its parent company, Mitsubishi Kagaku Media (MKM), announced today the world’s first Mini Blu-ray Recordable/Rewriteable (BD-R/RE) media. Measuring three inches (8cm) in diameter, the new 7.5GB discs provide approximately one hour of continuous video capture time on a single side when high definition (1920×1080i) is used, and approximately two hours1 of video capture time with images recorded at 1440×1080i. MKM Mini BD media will be available in August in Japan, where the new Hitachi BD-compatible camcorder will be launched. Verbatim will begin shipments to other parts of the world, including North America, when the new BD-compatible camcorders become available locally.

Verbatim Mini BD media combine with a BD-compatible camcorder to provide consumers with convenience features that hard disk camcorders cannot offer. With the ability to record priceless memories directly to a Mini BD disc, users can eliminate the time-consuming process of downloading captured video to their computer hard drive. They can also enjoy unlimited capacity by simply removing the disc from the camcorder and adding a new one.
No word on price or availability. As we find out more, we'll let you know. In the mean time, Verbatim's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment
Hitachi has officially unveiled their new Blu-ray Disc camcorders, the DZ-BD7H and DZ-BD70. Both models can record up to an hour of 1920x1080 full high-definition video onto an 8cm Blu-ray disc. The DZ-BD7H also features a 30GB hard drive which can hold another 4 hours of 1920x1080 full high-definition video.

Hitachi, Ltd. (NYSE:HIT / TSE:6501) announced the world's first Blu-ray Disc (BD) Camcorder, -which records one hour of 1920x1080 Full High-Definition video onto a BD (single side, single layer.) The new camcorders will start selling in Japan on August 30, 2007, and overseas market sequentially starting from October.

The new DZ-BD7H is a Hybrid Cam with a BD drive and a 30 gigabyte (GB) built-in hard disc drive (HDD) which can record approximately four hours of 1920x1080 full high-definition video, or up to eight hours of 1440x1080 high-definition video. It can also copy the contents from HDD to 8cm BD within the camcorder so that users do not need to use any external devices.

The new DZ-BD70 is a BD single drive camcorder which can record approximately one hour of 1920x1080 full high-definition video (two hours of 1440x1080 high definition video) on a 8cm BD.
Hitachi has not announced a price. However, AV Watch expects the DZ-BD7H and DZ-BD70 to cost about 190,000 Yen ($1597US) and 160,000 Yen ($1345US) repectively. Full details can be found here.

Update - Hitachi America has followed up with their own press release, stating that the DZ-BD7H and DZ-BD70 will be priced at $1,499 and $1,299 respectively. Expect to see them on store shelves some time in October. Add a comment