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How to add an internal USB hub to a UMPC
If you've been hankering for a way to void your UMPC warranty, or just want to add a touch more utility while getting down and dirty with a soldering iron, this here hack may be the one that fits the bill. Facing the daunting task of shoving an internal USB hub into the already cramped confines of a TabletKiosk eo, thoughtfix managed to not only burn his fingers, add a few ventilation holes, and sharpen those wiring skills, but he also stuffed a three-port USB hub within his UMPC. Apparently, the internal WiFi / Bluetooth module's USB interface can be tapped into to provide a way for a hub to be installed, and while two of the three ports remain open, a 2GB Sony Micro Vault Tiny was plugged into one connector for ReadyBoost usage. 'Course, the actual process of rigging this up is far too complicated for this space, but if you're feelin' froggy, jump on down and give the read link a bit of your time.[Via Hack-A-Day]
Toshiba expands TransMemory lineup, readies 32GB Limited Edition
These days, it's growing mighty tough to differentiate flash drives, and while you'll be hard pressed to discover what's so "limited" about the 32GB Limited Edition device that Toshiba has up its sleeve, it's wearing the aforementioned label regardless. The capacious USB flash drive sports the same USB 2.0 connectivity, ReadyBoost compatibility, and password lockout system and its less endowed siblings, but does demand a bit more respect than the 1GB, 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB flavors. All four devices will call the U2K Series homes, and while the standard models should hit shelves by October, it'll be closer to year-end before the 32GB iteration struts its stuff.
Memorex's M-Flyer Pilot USB drive gets its wings
Granted, we're not exactly grasping the full connection between aircrafts and Memorex's TravelDrive M-Flyer Pilot, but the sleek, "aerodynamic" design and cutesy wing logo probably make this the USB flash drive of choice for the average commercial pilot. Regardless, this minuscule device touts a retractable, capless design, ReadyBoost compatibility, and comes with Portable Vault USB security software from Migo Software. Available in 2GB and 4GB sizes, the latest M-Flyer should be available in the US and Canada next month for $49.99 and $79.99, respectively.
PQI intros Traveling Disk H Series USB drives
For those of you out there who are already proud owners of Power Quotient International's Cool Drive U350, the new lineup from the same company probably looks eerily familiar. While the firm claims that "extra efforts went into differentiating the H series from its siblings by using techniques such as sand blasting, hairline treatment, and mirror finishes," we're not quite buying it. Regardless of looks, the new flash drives tout ReadyBoost compatibility (although it's apparently not likely to yield much benefit), are available in sizes ranging from half a gigabyte to 4GB, and come pre-loaded with a Webaroo offline browser that "downloads and saves internet packets of websites" for viewing whilst not connected. Unfortunately, there's no signs of a price nor an availability date, but aside from the still-nifty retractable nature that the U310H, U350H and U339H all rock, there's not much here to hold out for.[Via PC Launches]
ReadyBoost ready, but doesn't boost
Vista's ReadyBoost feature, which theoretically improves performance by placing part of Vista's memory swapfile onto a highspeed flash drive, is one of the slickest OS tricks we've heard about in a long time. Unfortunately, it isn't as sweet in practice, according to PC World. They tested three USB flash drives by Kingston, Lexar, and Ridata that claim to be ReadyBoost, uh, ready, and found that while they were able to measure a slight speedup in certain activities (like opening frequently-used applications) overall the effect was unnoticeable -- they concluded that "installing more RAM inside your PC would help a lot more." Bummer. So much for all those freebie USB sticks we have laying around.
InnoDisk busts out internal ReadyBoost USB drive
InnoDisk looks to have come up with a solution for those looking for a little ReadyBoost action in Vista but not willing to give up a USB port for the pleasure, announcing a drive that bypasses the popular port and goes straight to the motherboard. Apparently available in 2GB and 4GB versions (with the former running only $15), the drives boast a transfer rate of 3MB/s for 512KB random read/write and 5MB/s for 4KB, according to Everything USB, easily exceeding Microsoft's minimum requirement for ReadyBoost use. Unfortunately, there's no word on availability 'round these parts, although we somehow doubt this'll be the last drive like this we'll see.
Windows Vista SuperFetch / ReadyBoost analyzed
While we're certain that you out there eager to get Vista up and running effectively on your new (or old) PC have already perused our Upgrade Guides with care, but if you're still curious about this newfangled caching approach used in SuperFetch / ReadyBoost, Tom's Hardware has you covered. Doing a bit of analysis on Vista's ability to use excess memory (and USB 2.0 flash drives in particular) to speed up the launching of your favorite applications, the gurus at Tom's found more useful than gimmicky. They noticed that SuperFetch indeed took care of buffering applications proactively, and although it kept nearly all of the system RAM occupied at all times, their favorite applications did indeed launch faster after a short "learning period." Furthermore, the crew found ReadyBoost equally impressive and infinitely useful, and while using both features in conjunction, opening applications such as OpenOffice and Outlook 2007 took around half the time as it would normally when using 512MB of memory, and while systems packing 2GB of RAM or more didn't notice nearly the same speed increases as those attempting to get along with half a gigabyte, they still felt it worthwhile to shove your spare flash drive into your PC when not using it for other tasks. Overall, it seems that benefits will (unsurprisingly) vary by system, but if you're interested in just how many nanoseconds these two features could save you, be sure to hit the read link for all the geeked-out bar charts that only the hardcore could love.[Via Engadget Chinese]
NEC mimics VALUESTAR laptop with latest flash drive
We've seen flash drives disguised as vehicles, bowling balls, and even Legos, but NEC's latest rendition of the handy USB memory key actually favors one of its own. The diminutive drive is a near-picture perfect copy of the company's VALUESTAR Type C laptop, sports ReadyBoost certification, and matches the grown-up lappy in color and other minutia such as the "battery compartment, air inlet, and screw placement." The 1/10 scale model certainly looks to do its hero justice, but as usual with gimmicky things like this, there's sadly no word on price nor where proud VALUESTAR owners can pick this thing up.
Kingston DataTraveler ReadyFlash, ready for ReadyBoost
Anyone who caught our Windows upgrade guide might have caught a glimpse of a new Windows Vista feature Microsoft's quick to tout: ReadyBoost, which allows you to use a USB drive as another layer of performance-boosting cache for Windows. The jury's still out on whether ReadyBoost will actually make a real-world difference (and how ReadyBoost USB devices are any different than regular devices), but Kingston's ready to go with their DataTraveler ReadyFlash, what appears to be a regular 1 or 2GB USB 2.0 drive with a 5/3MBps read/write. No word on price or release yet, but if it goes for much more than what a regular DataTraveler does, forego the new sticker and just buy the vanilla variety -- ReadyBoost is supposed to work with any reasonably speedy USB flash drive.
Lexar announces ReadyBoost-friendly thumb drives
We're not really sure how excited we can get over a new set of flash drives, but Lexar's doing its damnedest to shake things up here at CES by announcing a pair of 'em. The JumpDrive 360 (pictured) is a hinged drive that protects the USB jack, so you'll never have to worry about losing that cap again. The second of the pair, the JumpDrive Mercury, is a souped-up version of the one we saw around this time last year (including that capacity meter) except that it now comes out in 1GB and 2GB sizes. Keep in mind that all of these drives are ReadyBoost-certified, just like those others that we've seen of late. Be sure to check the pics of the Mercury on the flip side.
Hagiwara Sys-Com's 8GB ExpressCard is ReadyBoost certified, just like most flash drives
With Vista's consumer launch right around the corner, it's little wonder we're seeing ReadyBoost branded devices starting to pop. Thing is, Vista's ReadyBoost cache technology works with many, inexpensive flash-based devices (SD cards, USB 2.0 thumb drives, etc) sporting between 256MB and 4GB of storage, and capable of a modest 2.5MB/sec throughput for 4K random reads and 1.75MB/sec throughput for 512K random writes. So of course, Hagiwara Sys-Com's "ReadyBoost certified" 8GB ExpressCard/34 supports Vista's new smart caching technology with a smokin' 32MB/sec read and 22MB/sec write. Thing is, if you're buying the card for ReadyBoost gains, then 4 of that 8GB is "wasted" since the FAT32 filesystem limits the ReadyBoost.sfcache file to a 4GB max. However, if you're on the hunt for fast, flash storage, then maybe 8GB for ¥52,800 (about $451) on down to 1GB for ¥7,980 (about $68) sounds killer to you -- or not with 8GB USB 2.0 drives now hitting for about $150 online. Regardless, dropping that fat wad on additional RAM and not "ReadyBoost certified" products will probably give you more bang for the buck.[Via Impress]
Super Talent thumb drives work with Vista's ReadyBoost
One of the many benefits touted in Windows Vista is ReadyBoost, a new feature that allows the OS to use flash drives as pseudo-RAM in order to increase performance. However, in order for this to work, you have to use certain types of high-speed thumb drives. Today, Super Talent announced some of the first drives compatible with ReadyBoost: the $30 RBST-1GB and $60 RBST-2GB. The company says in a press release that the flash drives will begin shipping early this month -- which should be, like, any day now.
Samsung's 4GB Vista flash SSD, under $200?
After Samsung announced a new solid state drive yesterday, they came back today to clarify a few things. First off, they come in 2.5-inch and 1.8-inch form factors for mounting in standard PC case slots -- as one might've expected. Second, they're meant for high-end PC users who want to improve performance under Windows Vista to take advantage of Vista's "Ready Boost" feature, which we're sure is a part of the flash-based drive enhancements they've made (see: hybrid hard drives) to improve the lumbering behemoth's performance. Oh, and watch out for these drives to start appearing as OEM upgrades in "Vista Ready" PCs before they supposedly show up for the after-market at or under $200. Clear 'nuff?
