CDRLabs kicks off the week with a review of Plextor's latest SATA SSD, the S3C. This entry-level device is powered by SMI's SM2254 controller and is available with up to 512GB of SK Hynix's 14nm TLC NAND flash. To compensate for the slow write speeds typically associated with TLC NAND, the S3C is equipped with Plextor's PlexNitro cache acceleration technology, which optimizes performance without taking up any space on the drive. The S3C also has many of the same features found on Plextor's higher end SSDs. In addition to the company's PlexTurbo intelligent RAM caching solution, the drive offers support for its PlexCompressor and PlexVault technologies.

Western Digital Corporation, a global data storage technology and solutions leader, today launched My Cloud Home, a new personal cloud storage solution that empowers consumers to take control of their often-scattered digital content. With the My Cloud Home solution, consumers can easily aggregate all of their photos, videos and files from their smart phones, computers, USB storage, cloud and social media accounts in one central place. Using their smart phone, tablet or computer from anywhere with an internet connection, consumers then are free to experience and share that content with family and friends.

With their data spread across 14 different devices on average, consumers are faced with growing, disparate collections of data and no way to easily access it all. Those collections are expanding to an approximately 4.5TB of data per U.S. household in 2017 and are expected to grow further with increasing popularity of capacity-intensive applications such as virtual reality, 4K, 8K and 360 video.

Western Digital Corporation, a global data storage technology and solutions leader, today announced its 400GB SanDisk Ultra microSDXC UHS-I card, the world’s highest-capacity microSD card for use in mobile devices. Two years after introducing its record-breaking 200GB SanDisk Ultra microSDXC card, Western Digital has doubled the capacity within the same tiny form factor. Keeping up with the demands of today’s mobile-centric lifestyle, the new SanDisk microSD card provides consumers with the freedom to capture, save and share photos, videos and apps, and enjoy offline content - all without worrying about storage limitations.

“Mobile devices have become the epicenter of our lives, and consumers are now accustomed to using their smartphones for anything from entertainment to business. We are collecting and sharing massive amounts of data on smartphones, drones, tablets, PCs, laptops and more. We anticipate that storage needs will only continue to grow as people continue to expect more sophisticated features on their devices and desire higher quality content,” Jeff Janukowicz, research vice president, IDC. “We estimate mobile device users worldwide will install over 150 billion applications alone this year, which require a ton of memory on all of our favorite devices.”

Crucial, a leading global brand of memory and storage upgrades, today announced the availability of a new offering in its solid state drive product portfolio: BX300. It combines Micron 3D NAND with a value-conscious design to deliver the features DIY upgraders and builders are looking for. The new SSD includes 3D MLC NAND in a 2.5-inch form factor drive, is available in 120GB, 240GB, and 480GB capacities.

Upgrading from a traditional hard drive to a solid state drive has never been easier. The Crucial Advisor tool helps users determine a compatible upgrade based on their system’s manufacturer, make, and model. Supporting the BX300 is Crucial’s mobile-friendly install guide so users of all technical ability levels are armed with the straightforward, step-by-step information they need to successfully install an SSD. Data migration is also simplified with free access to Acronis True Image™ HD software.

Transcend Information Inc., a leading manufacturer of storage and multimedia products, is proud to announce the release of the JetDrive 820 PCI Express (PCIe) Gen 3.0 solid-state drive (SSD) for Mac computers. The JetDrive 820 is an upgrade in both storage and speed, offered in capacities up to 960GB and featuring read and write speeds of up to 950MB/s. Made with the latest 3D NAND flash, Transcend’s JetDrive 820 is the perfect upgrade for a MacBook Pro®, MacBook Air®, Mac mini®, or Mac Pro®.

PCIe Gen 3.0 interface takes off the brakes
Transcend’s JetDrive 820 features the PCIe Gen 3.0 interface, bringing a whole new level of performance to Mac computers. Crafted with 3D NAND flash memory, the JetDrive 820 boasts great compatibility, reliability, and stunning read/write speeds. An SSD for the long-term, the JetDrive 820 is a must-have for Apple fans looking for speed and reliability.

Western Digital Corporation, a global data storage technology and solutions leader, today unveiled My Book Duo storage system designed to give both consumers and professionals the capacity they need to keep up with their expanding digital content libraries and the performance to maintain pace with the speed of today’s small business landscape. With this extreme capacity and fast content transfer speeds, the new desktop RAID storage system has the capability to back up colossal amounts of photos, videos, music and important documents in one place while also providing users with complete control of their content.

“Both at home and in the office, people are creating and amassing huge volumes of data, and need high capacity, high speed solutions to easily and confidently move and store that data in a single location,” Sven Rathjen, vice president of product marketing, Client Solutions, Western Digital. “We see it within new content creation segments such as the drone market and with enthusiasts, as well as professionals, producing and editing massive, high-quality photo and video files. There has never been more of a need for a simple-to-use, massive capacity desktop storage solution such as My Book Duo for these content creators to keep pace with their growing storage demands.”

Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. (TAEC), a committed technology leader, today announces the X300 3.5-inch internal hard drive in 8TB capacity. Compared to the P300 series with capacities up to 3TB, the X300 Series delivers extreme performance and robust capacity for creative and professional applications including graphic design, animation, photo and video editing, and PC gaming.

The new 8TB model features Toshiba’s cache technology, a self-contained cache algorithm with on-board buffer management, which optimizes cache allocation during read/write to provide high-level performance in real time. The X300 Series is offered in 4TB, 5TB, 6TB and 8TB capacities, all with a higher 128MB cache than P300 series, ensuring fast data access. Available in a 3.5-inch form factor, the X300 performs at 7200RPM and a SATA connection up to 6Gbit/s. Compatible with most major brands of Serial ATA enabled desktop computers, the Toshiba X300 high-precision head positioning supported by advanced format technology (physical 4KB sector) and dual stage actuator technology delivers high storage density and capacity.

“Availability of the 8TB X300 Series is a testament to Toshiba’s commitment to growing the consumer HDD category and providing the tools needed to achieve varying professional workloads,” said Michael Cassidy, Vice President of Consumer HDDs at TAEC. “Toshiba offers a full internal HDD lineup that targets specific storage applications and grows with your gaming library and digital content.”