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The surprisingly seedy side of microSD production
That little memory chip serving tunes to your smartphone, the one that's just a sneeze or twitch away from going where the socks go whenever you take it out, has a far more interesting history than you think. Andrew "Bunnie" Huang, co-creator of the Chumby, explored the surprisingly interesting underside of microSD production in China after being given a batch of questionable memory cards direct from Kingston itself. Huang's conclusion is that the chips were created during a "ghost shift," when a rogue employee runs the manufacturing lines after hours to produce authentic looking but decidedly sub-par memory chips using materials of inadequate quality. Huang bought numerous questionable examples on the gray market and watched as vendors took bogus cards and threw them into authentic retail packaging, complete with serial numbers and holograms. If you're as fascinated by the world of KIRF as we are, it's a very interesting read.
Kingston ships 256GB DataTraveler 310 USB flash drive to affluent Yanks
No matter how you slice it, having 256GB on your keychain is pretty rad. For those living in various regions of the world not named America, they've had access to the DataTraveler 300 for just under a year. Thankfully, the Kingston finally realized that Yanks love capaciousness as well, and the DataTraveler 310 is the solution that very sect has been longing for. Hailed as the first 256GB flash drive to ship in the States, the DT 310 is capable of holding up to 54 DVDs or 51,000 JPEGs of your undercover lover, and it'll function just fine with Windows, Linux and OS X-based systems. We're told that it'll sport data transfer rates of 25MB/sec (read) and 12MB/sec (write), but chances are you'll never get the opportunity to put those claims to the test. You know, given that astronomical $1,108 MSRP. %Gallery-85947%
Kingston's latest SSDNow V+ reviewed in 128GB flavor
Kingston's SSDNow V+ series is hitting the streets, and bit-tech.net has put it, and its new Toshiba controller, through the wringer. That new silicon offers TRIM support in Windows 7, intended to remove any lingering fears of performance degradation, and this drive has been graced with 128MB of internal cache to conquer random read and write performance. In general the review finds that the controller does its job and TRIM'd deletes don't have a major affect on performance, but there still was some degradation after 1TB worth of writes and deletes. Beyond that the included cache didn't seem to help random I/O performance, and in general the drive doesn't exactly dominate the benchmarks. So, if you've recently upgraded to something else and were feeling a bit of buyers' remorse, you're safe -- for now.
Kingston whips out speedy Class 10 16GB microSDHC card
While some camps are pumping out larger microSDHC cards, Kingston's done the world a favor by working on speed instead. The result is this Class 10 16GB microSDHC card -- possibly the world's fastest of its kind (at a minimum data transfer rate of 10MB/s). Who would need this, you ask? Well, there's the speed freak in your own self that you're trying to suppress, for starters, and don't forget all those snazzy phones that can do 1080p video recording. As with most nice things in life, this blistering card will cost you a fair bit -- $138 for the card sans adapters. Oh, go on, it's totally worth your liver.
Kingston rolls out second-gen SSDNow V Series drives
Kingston's already proven itself to be pretty proud of its SSDNow V Series drives, but it's still found some room for improvement, with it now rolling out its second generation batch of drives in the line. Available in your choice of 30GB, 64GB and 128GB capacities, the new drives promise some improved performance (with PCMark HDD 2005 scores of between 18,900 and 20,117), and join the company's V+ drives in adding support for Windows 7 TRIM functionality, which should help maintain the speed of the drives over their lifespan. As before, you'll also be able to choose between either standalone unit or a bundled kit for desktops or laptops, with prices ranging from $109.99 to $377.
Kingston's SSDNow V+ series hits 512GB capacity, adds Trim support
Kingston's upping the ante on its solid state drive series in pretty much all the ways that count. The SSDNow V+ line boasts a 512GB upper limit, twice the previous generation, with iterative options for 256GB, 128GB, and 64GB. Read / write speeds have more than doubled to 230MB/sec and 180MB/sec, respectively. Best of all, these suckers now support TRIM. Prices range from as low as $268 for standalone 64GB an can go as high as $1968 for 512GB, with an extra $15 or so tacked on if you want the bundle instead -- still alluring, still not for the feint of funding, but the good news is, if you don't need Trim or the extra speed, the original SSDNow V series is available for much smaller dents on your wallet.
Ask TUAW: Firewall settings, Snow Leopard faxing, MacBook battery life, and more
Welcome back to Ask TUAW, our weekly troubleshooting Q&A column. This week we've got questions about firewall settings, SSDs, MacBook battery life, faxing in Snow Leopard, and much more. As always, your suggestions and questions are welcome. Leave your questions for next week in the comments section at the end of this post. When asking a question, please include which machine you're using and what version of Mac OS X is installed on it (we'll assume you're running Snow Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don't specify), or if it's an iPhone-related question, which iPhone version and OS version you have.
Kingston SSDNow V dips to 30GB size, lower price
We've already made our fond feelings toward Kingston's SSDNow V line quite clear, so you'll understand our joy at the news that it's about to add a new member to the fold. Cutting storage down to 30GB should mean Kingston is about to offer its cheapest drive yet, though all the info we have is that it'll be "under 90GBP" (or $145). That doesn't immediately strike us as better value than the 40GB SSDNow V -- which reached an $85 price point not too long ago -- but European prices aren't directly comparable at the best of times. In exchange for your cashola, you'll get a speedy little boot drive, backed by a three-year warranty, 24/7 tech support, and the knowledge that it can withstand a baseball bat should the need ever arise. Full PR after the break.
Kensington Wall Ultra Compact Notebook Power Adapter: more compact than your notebook power adapter
Schlepping a laptop into a coach seat is bad enough -- lugging along a fatty power adapter to boot is adding insult to injury. Kensington has got your back, or its trying to save it a little strain at least, with the Ultra Compact Notebook Power Adapter. It weighs 7.1 ounces with dimensions of 4.5 x 2.2 x 0.8 inches. Slinky indeed, and with adapters for most types of notebooks (Apple is notably absent), plus adapters for mini and microUSB, it looks to be very useful. There are two models, the $99 K38066US and the $119 K38067US, which also includes an adapter for use in suitably equipped airline seats. Jet setting with a full battery and a little more room in your man purse? It doesn't get much better.
Kingston takes a bat to its SSDNow V Series drive
We put one of Kingston's SSDNow V Series drives through its paces last month, but we can't say we went quite as far as Kingston itself has gone in its latest demo video, which takes stress-testing to an all-American extreme. You can probably guess what happens next considering that Kingston is out boasting about the video, but, hey, it's not everyday that you get to see 256GB fly off the end of a bat. [Thanks, Shane]
Kingston 40GB SSDNow review
From the moment that we heard of the new 40GB Kingston SSD, we couldn't help but get our hopes up. Who knows if (or more likely, when) SSD drives will ever completely replace spinning platters with all the digital media people collect today, so rather than stretching your budget and compressing your media in order to stuff everything onto a 256GB solid state drive, we dug the idea of snagging a small (and affordable) SSD for boot / application operations and utilizing a spacious HDD for archival. Not to mention -- regardless of how fast a disk is -- two are almost always better than one. If you're interested in rigging up a similar setup, hop on past the break to have a look at our impressions.
Paramount and Kingston team up for movies on flash memory
Movies delivered on memory cards isn't an entirely new development (Sony did it back in the early days of the PSP), but it looks like Paramount and Kingston think the idea is prime for a comeback, and have today announced a partnership that'll see some of the studio's movies delivered on SD cards and USB drives. That gets started with Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen on a (presumably reusable) 4GB Kingston DataTraveler I USB drive that's available right now for $29.99, and will apparently continue with additional movies offered across Kingston's full line of memory cards and USB drives, although both parties are staying mum on any further specifics. There's also no word from any other studios or memory companies just yet, but we can only presume this means slotMovies are right around the corner.
Kingston's $85 40GB SSDNow V Series SSD gets heavily benchmarked
Aw, snap. For years now, we've been waiting (and waiting) for solid state disc prices to stoop down from the realm of you've-got-to-be-kidding-me, and now it finally looks like the everyman can ditch the HDD and get onboard with flash. Kingston's newly announced SSDNow V Series 40GB Boot Drive ain't very capacious, but for just $84.99 (after rebates) at NewEgg, it's definitely affordable. The drive itself isn't slated to ship until November 9th, but the cool kids over at Legit Reviews seem to have already wrangled a unit for review. Kingston promises sequential read rates of up to 170MBps and write rates of up to 40MBps, and while that's certainly not mind-blowing, it's not too awful given the 2.5-inch form factor and bargain-basement price. Oh, and critics found that the drive far surpassed published speed ratings in testing, which is always completely and utterly awesome. Hit the via link for more, vaquero. [Via Legit Reviews]
Kingston's MobileLiteG2 card reader makes your thumb look huge
There's diminutive, and then there's Kingston's MobileLiteG2 card reader. The second-generation of this here reader supports a wide variety of formats (SD, SDHC, microSD, microSDHC, Memory Stick PRO Duo, Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo and Memory Stick Micro), and it also boasts retractable covers on each side to protect the USB connector and the memory card. At just 2.45- x 1.16- x 0.646-inches in size, there's an 87.425 percent chance that you'll lose this before the MobileLiteG3 comes out, but honestly, that's probably a-okay with Kingston. Those looking to downsize in a big way can order this bugger up for $11 (for the reader itself), $28.50 (bundled with a 4GB SDHC card) or $46 (bundled with an 8GB SDHC card).[Via OhGizmo]
Rambus and Kingston build a threaded module prototype, claim 50 percent better memory throughput
How do you thread memory tasks and are women naturally better at it than men? Such were the questions that roamed our limitless minds as we sought to understand what exactly Rambus and Kingston had achieved. Based on standard DDR3 chips, the new threading tech essentially creates multiple independent channels per memory module, allowing multicore processors to utilize the available RAM more efficiently. That results, says Rambus, in systems that offer 50 percent higher throughput that the standard stuff and suckle 20 percent less power due to the compartmentalization of each module. Neat. More details are promised at the Intel Developer Conference, which kicks off tomorrow in San Fran.[Via SlashGear]
See USB flash drives manufactured in this shocking behind-the-scenes video
No, Billy, USB thumb drives are not made in a magical land with fairy dust and Unicorn tears, and they're not born in the space beneath the Razzleberry waterfall. Yes, we're as shocked as you are. Luckily, the gang at Netbook News are on hand to set us straight with this video of the Kingston Manufacturing Plant, which offers us a rare glimpse into all of the stamping, printing, baking, cutting, and packaging that goes into getting you the portable storage you crave. Interesting? You bet it is -- and it's after the break.[Via Make]
Kingston dials things up to 256GB with new SSDNow V+ line
Kingston is still a relative newcomer to the SSD game, but it looks like it's already well on its way to endless, somewhat confusing product refreshes, with it now rolling out three drives in its new SSDNow V+ line. Available in 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB capacities, the new drives best the previous non-plus SSDNow V line with read and write speeds up to 220MB/sec and 180MB/sec, respectively, and pack some higher input and output operations per second (or IOPS) to boot, which should also help to deliver an overall boost in speed. As you might expect, however, while things start a somewhat reasonable $254 for the 64GB model, things get decidedly more out of reach from there, with the 128GB drive running $500 firm, and the 256GB drive setting you back a hefty $992.
Acer Aspire One gets Broadcom injection, morphs into netbook HD powerhouse
Playing video on most netbooks is risky business; any file with a moderately high resolution and/or bitrate quickly devolves into a 1fps headache. The solution, as HP has already figured out, is a mini PCI-e Broadcom HD video accelerator, exactly what the folks at Terracode managed to wedge into an Acer Aspire One. That enabled the system to handle 1080p content without a hitch -- through an external monitor, of course, since watching 1920 x 1080 content on a 1024 x 600 screen is like making a VHS copy of the Watchmen Director's Cut Blu-ray. And, since the tiny portable didn't have enough storage for more than a few minutes worth of content at such a mighty resolution, a 64GB Kingston ssdNow V was added too. The result? See for yourself in the before and after videos that are just a short click away. Spoiler alert: no more slideshow puppy dogs.[Via SlashGear]
Kingston giving away ten BlizzCon tix
We've posted about a few BlizzCon ticket giveaways before, but Kingston, the computer memory maker, is holding the biggest so far: they're giving away a total of ten tickets to Blizzard's big event in Anaheim next month. This one's cake, too: just enter in your info on their page about you and the kind of computer memory you use and buy, and then they'll pick ten random winners to get hooked up with a ticket to BlizzCon. Unfortunately, you're on your own for transportation to and from the event (and, we presume, a hotel to stay in if you're transporting from out of town). But there's never been a better time to call up your cousin Ed who moved out to Irvine to be a game developer a few years ago and still has that old sleeper couch to stay on. Right?Good luck to everyone who enters -- hopefully if you weren't able to grab tickets in the chaos that ensued during the original sales, you've been able to either buy, trade, or win for one since then. And if you do make it out there, don't forget: Thursday night we'll be rocking out at the Anabella. Come by and say hi!
Kingston unveils 256GB thumb drive for well-heeled memory fiends
We're sure that it's only a matter of moments before a 256GB thumb drive this bulky is something of a joke -- hell, it wasn't so terribly long ago that cramming 256MB into something this size was an accomplishment. That said, if you're a netbook user looking for a storage bump, it looks like Kingston's got your back: this guy boasts transfer rates of up to 20 MB/sec. read and 10 MB/sec. write, and for all of you Vista fans, supports Windows ReadyBoost. Now, for the bad news: only available in Europe and the UK, and custom made upon your order (presumably after the check clears) this modern technological marvel will run you £565.67 ($924).[Via TBreak]