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Flash-based drives may soon be as cheap as the spinning kind
If you've noticed that solid-state drives (and the PCs that include them) no longer cost an arm and a leg, you're not alone. Researchers at DRAMeXchange understand that the price per gigabyte of an SSD has fallen off a cliff in the past three years, and the trend is only accelerating. If the company's estimates are on the mark, these drives could cost just 11 cents more per gig than conventional hard drives by 2017. At that rate, you might not have to choose between high capacity and breakneck speed when you're on a budget -- you could easily afford both.
'World's smallest' USB 3.0 flash drive is about the size of a dime
Thanks to Moore's Law we've seen flash drives grow steadily smaller and smaller as storage capacity does exactly the opposite. To wit, the new SanDisk Ultra Fit USB 3.0 USB 3.0 storage unit is perhaps the tiniest we've witnessed yet. The company claims the device is smaller than a dime and the 128GB of space can store some 16 hours of 1080p video with read speeds clocking in at up to 130MB per second. Gizmodo Australia notes that this isn't the most expedient drive available, but hey, given the rather diminutive footprint it's probably pretty safe to leave permanently stuck in your gadget of choice. That minuscule size comes at a steep price though: $119 for the 128GB model -- or 1,190 dimes.
Cuba's first independent digital news will be sent via cellphones and flash drives
Cubans haven't had an above-ground, independent digital news outlet in their country so far -- not surprising when their government only allowed personal cellphone and computer sales six years ago. However, all that's set to change when blogger Yoani Sanchez launches her digital newspaper 14ymedio on May 21st. Rather than simply publish news on the web, the team will get the word out through whatever technology Cubans can use: cellphones, email, CDs and even USB flash drives are fair game.
12GB flash-based PlayStation 3 on sale in North America, despite Sony's prior claims
In September of last year, Sony threw in an interesting nugget when it shipped the third-generation PS3: there'd be a unique, more affordable 12GB flash-based unit exclusively for Europe and Hong Kong. Sure, it doesn't do much good for those who boast huge game libraries or prefer to store odds and ends locally, but Sony clearly determined that there'd be a real market for such a product. Sony Computer Entertainment America VP of marketing, handhelds and home consoles John Koller sat down with us following the launches, and made a point to tell us the following: "The smaller Flash drive isn't coming to North America, and a lot of that reason is the digital consumer. We really want to make sure, out of the box, that there is an option for them to be able to download that content. That is really critical for us, very very important." 180s happen quite frequently in the technology world, and it seems that we're peering at another here. Canada's own Future Shop has the 12GB PS3 listed right now as "In Stock" for $199.99, and a number of stock trackers are confirming that units are trickling into brick and mortar locations across various provinces. This all jibes nicely with a recent PlayStation Lifestyle rumor that suggests the system is coming to both Canada and the United States on August 18th, leaving us to assume that this particular store simply managed to get a jump on the competition. All that said, you can get a new 500GB PS3 with Grand Theft Auto V for just $70 more (or another, more sizable unit for even less on the secondhand market) -- but hey, options! Update: We've received an image (shown after the break) of the 12GB PlayStation 3 in a Kmart stockroom here in the United States. The "do not sell until" date is predictably labeled as August 18th, which means that Yanks should be able to get their hands on one of these without an impromptu road trip up north in just a few days. [Thanks, Jean-Philippe]
SanDisk Connect is a new series of wireless storage and streaming devices starting at $50
Flash drives these days, no matter how fast, are a dime a dozen. A jump drive that does double duty as a wireless streaming dongle? Not so common. SanDisk's new Connect lineup can pull off the streaming trick whether it's the flash drives with 16 or 32GB sizes for $50 and $60, respectively, or the Media Drives that pack 32 or 64GB of storage for either $80 or $100. Both sets of devices can stream movies, music or other data to PCs, Macs, iOS and Android devices or even Kindle Fires. All you need to do is grab the SanDisk Connect app for your device, and transferring files is a drag-and-drop affair. Where the Flash and Media Drives differ, however, is that the latter can serve up to eight devices at a time with regular data, or send out five simultaneous streams of 720p video. Plus, it's got an SDHC/SDXC slot for further storage expansion, should 64 gigs be insufficient. Sound good? Folks in the US can pre-order either drive today from Amazon, and if you aren't a Bezos fan, Newegg and Micro Center are taking Flash Drive preorders, too. Save that, you can always go pick one up from Best Buy in August.
Samsung makes first PCIe-based SSD for Ultrabooks, we see one likely customer
Solid-state drives are so speedy these days that even a SATA interface might not have the bandwidth to cope. It's a good thing that Samsung has started mass-producing the first PCI Express-based SSDs for Ultrabooks, then. The new XP941 series uses PCIe's wider data path to read at nearly 1.4GB/s -- that's 2.5 times faster than the quickest SATA SSDs, and nimble enough to move 500GB in six minutes. It also ships in a tinier M.2 format that makes past card-based SSDs look gargantuan, even when there's up to 512GB of storage. Samsung hasn't named laptop makers receiving the XP941, although it doesn't take strong deductive skills to spot one of the (probable) first customers. When Apple is shipping a new 13-inch MacBook Air that just happens to use a very similar PCIe SSD from Samsung, there's likely more than coincidence at work.
PQI demos NFC-encrypted flash drive, offers different access modes via Android app
Sure, there are already plenty of cool options when it comes to encrypted flash drives, but what about one that uses NFC on your Android or even Windows 8 device to unlock it? PQI showed us one such implementation at Computex. Essentially, this NFC flash drive requires an NFC-enabled device to toggle its access mode: full access, read-only, one-time access (and remains hidden afterwards) or hidden. All you have to do is choose the desired mode in the app, type in your preset password, and then tap the flash drive (even when unplugged) with your device to change the former's setting -- provided that the password matches, of course. Since the encryption is done on the storage controller level, the computer's drive utility wouldn't be able to see the dongle at all if it's hidden, so you wouldn't even be able to format it unless you unlock it or, well, physically destroy it. And that could be anywhere from 8GB all the way up to 64GB of storage space, when the drive launches in Q4 this year.
PQI unveils upcoming micro-USB OTG drives and accessories
Taiwanese flash memory specialist PQI had quite a big presence at Computex, and luckily for us, it also brought along several new products to show off. The biggest bunch from the lot were the company's new Connect 200 and Connect 300 series micro-USB OTG dongles, most of which offer memory expansion that will come in handy for microSD-less devices. Do bear with us while we go through all six of these products.
LaCie XtremKey USB 3.0: the flash drive you want for the zombie apocalypse
USB flash drives are usually a yawner, something that is more of a giveaway item (at least to the press) at trade shows than something that deserves a blogger's attention. However, LaCie has introduced the XtremKey USB 3.0 flash drive in 32 GB (US$84.99) and 64 GB ($139.99) versions, and it's definitely worth your time to read about this ruggedized flash drive. Design and Functionality The XtremKey can handle just about anything you throw at it. In the video embedded at the bottom of this post, LaCie puts one to the test in a deep-fat fryer (along with some tasty sweet potato fries!), dipped in a bottle of liquid nitrogen, immersed in burning alcohol, placed under a steamroller on asphalt, and hacked with a machete. If it can put up with this and still keep your data safe with AES 256-bit encryption, it's definitely going to survive a ride in your pocket with your keys. You can take the XtremKey scuba diving down to 200 meters (656 feet), and it's designed to take a 10 meter (32.8 feet) drop without a problem. The XtremKey gets its stark good looks from French designer Constance Guisset, who placed the brains of the flash drive inside a steel truncated cone with a threaded and o-ring sealed opening on one end. At the top of the cone is a hole for a key ring, and the rest of the device is unadorned except for some markings on the slightly rounded bottom end. Note: if you don't like things to move on your desk, you're probably going to dislike what Guisset did here -- when you place the XtremKey in an upright position, it wobbles a bit and finally settles down. To quote LaCie, "While it's standing on its end, its equilibrium is fragile and awkward. It dances on the tables and always finds a non-straight position." %Gallery-190348% Of course, a flash drive is only as good as the speed and storage that it provides. Upon connecting it to my MacBook Pro, the XtremKey initially didn't show up, so I popped into Disk Utility and formatted it. At that point it mounted properly, and I was able to test the read/write speeds using AJA System Test. The average write speed over a number of tests was 83.3 MB/s, while the read speed was a blindingly fast 194.1 MB/s. That's the fastest USB 3.0 drive read speed we've benchmarked, although the write speeds are about half of those of a Seagate USB 3.0 drive we tested last year. LaCie provides some free software downloads with the purchase of an XtremKey. First, you get a free 32 or 64 GB of storage over at LaCie's Wuala cloud service, enough to back up your XtremKey online. Next, there's the LaCie Keys Software; a version written especially for the XtremKey. It contains Intego Backup Assistant, LaCie Private Public (encryption software), an XtremKey icon for the Finder, and the Wuala Link software for connecting your computer to the Wuala service. If you already use Time Machine for backups, decide to use Apple's encryption, and have a Dropbox account, just can forget about downloading this software. As for testing, I did verify that the XtremKey had no problems sitting in the bottom of my sink for two hours. A trip to the bottom of a swimming pool should be no problem either. I don't own a machete, so whacking it with one was out of the question. If I have one complaint about the XtremKey USB 3.0, it's that the bottom (removable) part should have some knurling on it so that your fingers can actually get a grip to tighten or loosen the key. As it is, it's sometimes almost impossible to get the XtremKey open, especially if your fingers are moist. My wife suffers from rheumatoid arthritis and it was impossible for her to get enough of a grip on the XtremKey's bottom to get it open. Note to LaCie: sometimes it's more important to make a product functional than it is to give it a unique design. Conclusion Now that USB 3.0 is the mainstream for new Macs, portable high-capacity storage devices like the LaCie XtremKey USB 3.0 are perfect for transferring files or creating encrypted backups. The XtremKey provides fast, portable, and durable storage that can take a hell of a beating and still keep your files safe, at a cost. Pros One of the fastest read times we've seen on any USB 3.0 drive Waterproof, heat proof, cold proof, and able to take shocks and pressure that would destroy other flash drives Very unique design for a flash drive Cons Bottom needs some knurling or ridges to make it easier to unscrew Quite expensive; many other USB 3.0 flash drives are available at less than a quarter of the price of the XtremKey Who is it for? Anyone who needs the portable storage of a flash drive in a virtually indestructible casing
Mimobot's US Presidents flash drives give Americans patriotic storage
We wouldn't have foreseen thumb drives figuring prominently into our President's Day observations, and yet... here we are. In sync with the holiday, Mimoco has kicked off a US Presidents collection of Mimobot storage that lets Americans carry their national pride on their USB 2.0 ports. Abraham Lincoln and George Washington are the only current options -- what, no William Henry Harrison model? -- but the 8GB to 64GB of capacity should keep either stick useful once the novelty wears off. As long as you're prepared to spend between $20 to $130 to pick one up, either of the Mimobots is a decent choice for a drive. Just hurry if you want a flash-based replica of the country's key founder -- there's only 1,000 Washington drives to go around.
Corsair's Voyager GT Turbo USB 3.0 flash drives put super fast I/O speeds in your pocket
Corsair's best known for its SSD and HDD storage solutions and gaming peripherals, but at CES this year the company has unveiled a trio of new USB 3.0 jump drives. Called the Flash Voyager GT Turbo, it promises to deliver read speeds of up to 260MB/s and writes of up to 235 MB/s. Corsair claims those speeds make it the fastest USB 3.0 flash drive on the planet -- a claim we can neither confirm nor deny -- but we can tell you that pricing starts at $50 for the 32GB version, while the 64 and 128GB models cost $90 and $180, respectively, and can be yours now if you venture over to Corsair's website.
Kingston's DataTraveler HyperX Predator: a 1TB USB 3.0 flash drive
A 1TB flash drive? Frankly, we're incredulous, but that's what Kingston is claiming it'll begin selling later in Q1. The DataTraveler HyperX predator 3.0 promises read/write speeds of up to 240MB/s and 160MB/s respectively and there's a 512GB version available right now. At the same time, Kingston is launching 32GB and 64GB versions that offer read/write speeds of 150MB/s and 70MB/s. If you're interested in snagging one of the top two units, be advised that the price of the 512GB edition is a staggering $1,750.00 -- so you'd better get working on impressing that MLB scout next time they're passing by. Follow all the latest CES 2013 news at our event hub.
LaCie PetiteKey USB flash drive: slim and discreet, for files of the private variety
What if the key to your home continued to get smaller and smaller? Would that be something you'd cheer or loathe? Thankfully, that's not the question we're posing today -- instead, we're wondering if you'd enjoy a key-like flash drive that's smaller than its predecessor. LaCie's new PetiteKey sort of gives itself away right in the title, being even tinier than the iamaKey that shipped in March of 2009. In fact, it's some 30 percent smaller, and ships with a Wuala Secure Cloud Storage account as well. The unit itself is waterproof up to 100 meters, and LaCie claims that your sultry love letters will be protected "even if dropped in a mud puddle or put through the washing machine." Sadly, the unit only transfers at USB 2.0 speeds, but can be had soon in 8/16/32GB capacities starting at $14.99. Mildly related video can be found after the break.
Samsung SSD 840 Pro caters to speed seekers with faster random access
It's difficult to thrive in the solid-state drive world. Unless you've got just the right controller and flash memory, most performance-minded PC users will rarely give you a second glance. Samsung muscled its way into that narrow view with the SSD 830 last year; it intends to lock our attention with the new SSD 840 and SSD 840 Pro. The Pro's 520MB/s and 450MB/s sequential read and write speeds are only modest bumps over the 830, but they don't tell the whole story of just how fast it gets. The upgraded MDX controller boosts the random read access to a nicely rounded 100,000IOPS, and random writes have more than doubled to 78,000IOPS or 90,000IOPS, depending on who you ask and what drive you use. The improved performance in either direction is a useful boost to on-the-ground performance, as both AnandTech and Storage Review will tell you. We're waiting on details of the ordinary triple level cell-based 840 model beyond its 120GB, 250GB and 500GB capacities, although there won't be an enormous premium for the multi-level cell 840 Pro over existing drives when it arrives in mid-October -- the flagship line should start at $100 for a basic 64GB drive, and peak at $600 for the ultimate 512GB version.
Western Digital builds 5mm-thick hybrid hard drive, Ultrabook makers sign on early
Those 7mm-thick hard drives you've seen in some Ultrabooks are already looking a tad on the chunky side. Western Digital has started producing sample versions of a hybrid hard drive (you're not yet looking at it here) that measures just 5mm (0.2in) tall, even as it crams in both flash and a 500GB main disk. If you think the slimmer drive is just the ticket for a best-of-all-worlds laptop that's both fast and capacious, you're not alone: Acer and ASUS have mentioned their collaboration in the same breath, which may be a strong clue as to where future Aspires and Zenbooks are going. The remaining question is when they arrive. Sampling isn't the same as mass production, which could leave us with months to go before the 5mm drive lands in future extra-skinny PCs.
Victorinox offers refunds for secure USB drives in light of discontinued software updates
Software support and security certificates are coming to an end for Victorinox's line of secure USB drives, but the firm announced on Facebook that it's offering customers full refunds until December 31 if they'd like to return their products in light of the developments. In order to avoid losing data, owners of the flash drives should perform a backup before the encryption application meets its untimely end on September 15th. However, files stored on non-encrypted areas of the device will remain accessible without further action. The Slim, Secure and Presentation Master storage sticks can still be used as run-of-the-mill thumb drives after the cut-off date, but the Swiss Army Knife maker's application will no longer be able to scramble or unscramble their contents.
Victorinox nixes software updates for USB drives, security certificate to expire in September
Victorinox may have offered a hefty bounty to crack its secure USB drives' encryption, but the storage sticks seem to have met their match another way: the end of software support. In an email sent to customers and a pair of Facebook posts, the firm announced that it will halt updates as of next month and that its security program's VeriSign certificate is only valid until September 15th. As a result, customers are urged to backup their data lickity split. According to the outfit, the economics of continuing application development just weren't reasonable and it'll now refer to a third party for all software. However, the Swiss Army Knife maker isn't out of the flash drive business -- it's committed to putting more of the devices on the market. We've reached out to the company for more details on how the thumb drives will be affected and we'll update when we get word. In the meantime, hit the source links for the notice or check out the e-mail below. [Thanks, Scott]
New York artist fashions dead drop from dying hardware, mounts DVD burner in city wall
The optical drive may be making its exit in the world of personal computing, but at least it seems to still have a place in artistic architecture. Aram Bartholl -- the man behind New York City's infamous USB dead drops -- has installed a DVD burner into the side of the Museum of the Moving Image to promote HOT, an art exhibition described as "a group show about video that is not video." Passersby who pop in a blank DVD-R will be rewarded with a digital copy of the show and the satisfaction of finally having something to do with their aging stash of unused optical media. Just how do you install PC hardware in a museum wall? Drill an enormous hole, of course -- check out a video of the installation for yourself after the break.
SanDisk outs Extreme USB 3.0 flash drive alongside a trio of Cruzers
If diminutive USB-friendly storage is a hobby of yours, SanDisk is looking to add to your collection. The company has announced its USB 3.0-weilding Extreme flash drive and added a handful of new siblings to the Cruzer line. First, the Extreme accessory touts transfer speeds of up to 190MB/s while offering storage capacities ranging from 16GB on up to 64GB. This portable storage device is now shipping and will set you back somewhere between $65 and $160. If you're looking to carry a truckload of photos, videos, music or whatever else on a USB flash drive, the company has also unveiled the Cruzer Glide. While only 4GB to 64GB options are available now starting at $19.99, a 128GB model is slated to arrive in Q3 for $250. Not looking for super-sized capacity at your fingertips? Perhaps the Cruzer Facet or Pop will better suit your sensibilities -- both carry 8GB up to 32GB worth of storage with a price range of $32.99 to $84.99. For a few brief details on the four, hit that PR button below to read on.
RunCore rolls out Pro VI SSD for Ultrabooks in need of a jolt
Not to be left out of the Computex party, RunCore has just unveiled a 7mm-thick Pro VI solid-state drive to give new Ultrabooks a swift kick. The company is aiming squarely at the sunnier side of mid-range SSDs through a speedy JMicron controller that hits 550MB/s in reads, and a less aggressive but still brisk 380MB/s for writes. The SATA 6Gbps drive doesn't have any special tricks up its sleeves, but there's no doubt that it fits just about any ultrabook category: capacities swing from a very modest 32GB to a 512GB drive meant to take over from ho-hum spinning disks. While RunCore's customer list isn't public material, we wouldn't be surprised if a lot of extra-thin notebooks wending their way out of southeast Asia this year carry the Pro VI inside.
