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Lexar Media reveals 64GB and 128GB Class 10 SDXC cards
Man, it feels like yesterday that we first heard of SDXC and its mythical promise of providing 2TB of storage along with 300MBps transfers. Truth be told, that was at CES two years ago, and here we are 24 months later oohing and ahhing over 128GB. Ah, the pains of (sluggish) progress. Griping aside, we're fairly sure that professional video junkies will be more than elated to hear of Lexar Media's two newest cards. The 64GB and 128GB Class 10 SDXC cards "offer minimum guaranteed speeds of 133x (20MB per second)," and ship with a limited lifetime warranty. If all goes well, they'll be splashing down into retailers later this quarter, with price tags set for $399.99 (64GB) and $699.99 (128GB). Just to put that into perspective, SanDisk shipped a Class 4 (15MB/sec) 64GB SDXC card right around this time last year for $350, and it's now going for half of that on the street. Yeah, ouch. %Gallery-112350%
Dockstar FreeAgent hacked into inexpensive emulation masterpiece (video)
Hello, multipurpose! Seagate's Pogoplug-based FreeAgent DockStar -- at least at a glance -- isn't much good to those who aren't buying up DockStar HDDs. But if you dig a little deeper, you'll realize that this minuscule adapter packs a 1.2GHz Marvell processor, 128MB of RAM and 256MB of ROM. There's also a smattering of USB ports and an Ethernet socket; add that all up, and you've got a hacker's playground. One Hunter Davis decided to see just how much he could squeeze out of this here peripheral, which can be widely found for as little as $25 nowadays. Thanks to a copy of Debian Linux, a good bit of programming know-how, a DisplayLink USB-to-VGA adapter and a USB sound adapter, he was able to concoct a homegrown emulation console that could handle nearly everything he threw at it. 'Course, you'll have to spring for those other parts if you don't have a house full of random doodads, but once he figures out how to install a battery and make the entire setup portable... look out! Head on past the break for an in-action video.
TweakTown tests the best thumb drives, invites USB 3.0 models to the party
Most USB thumb drives are cheap enough that it rarely seems worth comparison shopping but, as usual with computer hardware, if you want the best you'd best look at some benchmarks. Following in the footsteps of Kristofer Brozio, TweakTown gathered together 16 of the fastest and most common models to test and some of the big brands, like Lexar, finished near the bottom in terms of performance. If you want a fast USB 2.0 drive, the Silicon Power LuxMini 920, a 64GB model, is the one to get -- if you can find it. Meanwhile the rather more readily available Patriot Memory models clocked in at a close second. However, taking all the honors is the OCZ Enyo, but given that's more of an external SSD we question its inclusion. For proper thumb drives, it's the USB 3.0 Super Talent SuperCrypt taking the cake for performance -- as it should for a $120, 16GB model.
Lexar's 128GB Echo SE USB thumb drive continuously backs up your netbook, mobile life
Previously available in 16GB and 32GB versions, Lexar's Echo SE line just got gigantic. And a lot more useful, if we should say so ourselves. With many SSDs topping out at 128GB, and quite a few netbooks shipping with 160GB HDDs, having this USB drive plugged essentially allows your entire laptop to be continuously backed up. The built-in, "no touch software" automatically backs up files in use, requiring absolutely no activation on your end. We're told that the little bugger will work with Windows and OS X platforms, but the assurance of having your mobile life backed up at all times will cost ya. And by that, we mean "make you $349.99 poorer." It's available now at various e-tailers (Amazon, Newegg, etc.) if you're willing to pay the premium.
Lexar Media issues 64GB, 128GB and 256GB Crucial M225 SSDs
It's been a long, long while since we've seen a new Crucial-branded SSD, but we'd argue that Lexar Media couldn't have picked a better time to end the hiatus. The M225 solid state drive family is the fastest, most capacious Crucial SSD line to date, and while they still lag behind OCZ's new Vertex Turbo SSD drives, they don't lag by much. The 2.5-inch SATA units can hit read speeds of up to 250MBps and write speeds of up to 200MBps, and the whole lot features MLC NAND flash memory and a SATA 2.0 (3Gbps) interface. Available in 64GB, 128GB and 256GB models, the trio is also fully compatible with the Crucial SK01 external drive storage kit, and unlike so many competitors, Lexar decided to go rouge and actually announce prices for the now-available units: $169.99, $329.99 and $599.99 in order of mention. Not too shabby, wouldn't you agree?
Engadget's recession antidote: win an 8GB Lexar Retrax!
This whole global economic crisis, and its resulting massive loss of jobs got us thinking. We here at Engadget didn't want to stand helplessly by, announcing every new round of misery without giving anything back -- so we decided to take the opportunity to spread a little positivity. We'll be handing out a new gadget every day (except for weekends) to lucky readers until we run out of stuff or companies stop sending things. Today we've got an 8GB Lexar Retrax on offer. Read the rules below (no skimming -- we're omniscient and can tell when you've skimmed) and get commenting! Hooray for free stuff!Big thanks to Lexar for providing the gear!The rules: Leave a comment below. Any comment will do, but if you want to share your proposal for "fixing" the world economy, that'd be sweet too. You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you'll be fine. Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don't make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad. Winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive one (1) Lexar Retrax. If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Entries can be submitted until Thursday, July, 2nd, at 11:59PM ET. Good luck! Full rules can be found here.
Micron's smaller NAND chips mean more, faster flash memory in the same old enclosures
Need a little more proof that Intel's got some fly SSDs about ready to roll? We have confirmation from Micron that it's working on new and improved 34nm chips in capacities of 8, 16, and 32Gb. These lovelies are 17 percent smaller than the previous rainbow colored flash delights, and are faster too, offering 200Mb/s transfer speeds and when combined into an SSD, able to keep up with SATA 6Gb/s transfers. This press release confirms the chips will show up in flash memory from Lexar, but we're guessing that official Intel announcement can't be far off now.
Engadget's recession antidote: win a 2GB Lexar JumpDrive Lightning flash drive!
This whole global economic crisis, and its resulting massive loss of jobs got us thinking. We here at Engadget didn't want to stand helplessly by, announcing every new round of misery without giving anything back -- so we decided to take the opportunity to spread a little positivity. We'll be handing out a new gadget every day (except for weekends) to lucky readers until we run out of stuff / companies stop sending things. Today we've got a 2GB Lexar JumpDrive Lightning flash drive on offer. Read the rules below (no skimming -- we're omniscient and can tell when you've skimmed) and get commenting! Check after the break for some photos of the prize!Big thanks to Lexar for providing the gear!The rules: Leave a comment below. Any comment will do, but if you want to share your proposal for "fixing" the world economy, that'd be sweet too. You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you'll be fine. Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don't make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad. Winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive a 2GB Lexar JumpDrive Lightning flash drive. Approximate retail value is $29.99 If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Entries can be submitted until Wednesday, June 24th, 11:59PM ET. Good luck! Full rules can be found here.
21 USB drives tested, 20 immediately misplaced
It's three days until Christmas and you're looking for last-minute gift ideas for tech-inclined friends and colleagues. You decide on a USB drive, but how do figure out what's best to get -- attraction to hammers, ability to open beer bottles, or some other, clearly inferior metric entirely? Kristofer Brozio at Test Freaks Blog took 21 drives of various sizes (5 each of 1, 2, 4 and 8GB and one 64GB Patriot Magnum) and models and tested their transfer speeds. Top marks went to the 4GB OCZ, Sandisk, Lexar, and Super Talent models, as well as the 1GB SanDIsk. Given the small sample size, we can't really say if the speeds were the result of the capacities of the drive or the company who makes them, but it's definitely some flash-based food for thought. Hit the read link for the full results.
Eye-Fi making wares twice as fast, expanding internationally
Frustrated by somewhat sluggish transfers from your otherwise spectacular Eye-Fi card? Fret not, as the company has just announced a forthcoming update at Photokina that will reportedly enable new and existing Eye-Fi owners to make "the upload of digital photos from camera to computer twice as fast." Also of note, as of October 5th, users can even add features that aren't already included on their card and renew annual services by tapping into the updated Eye-Fi Manager Web application. In related news, the outfit will be pushing its wares to Japan and Canada by the year's end, and in even more related news, Eye-Fi now supports direct photo uploads to Apple's MobileMe and the AdoramaPix service.Read - Eye-Fi getting 2x fasterRead - Eye-Fi going international
Lexar kicks out Eye-Fi powered Shoot-n-Sync WiFi SD card, other less interesting flash cards
We'd heard Lexar and Eye-Fi were getting snuggly back in January, and look at that -- nine months later the Lexar Shoot-n-Sync WiFi SD card has arrived on our doorstep. The 2GB card is basically just a Lexar-branded Eye-Fi Share, so you pretty much already know how it works -- you shoot, it uploads -- and it's even the same $99 price, so yeah, yawn. Hopefully these two will do something a little more interesting now that they've gotten used to working together. Lexar also kicked out a number of other cards, including a new 4GB Memory Stick Micro M2 card, a 16GB Platinum II 60x SDHC card, and a 16GB Platinum II 80x CompactFlash card -- no pricing or availability on any of those yet, but we'd expect them soon. [Via Gearlog]Read - Shoot-n-Sync Read - Platinum II cardsRead - M2 card
Lexar to license Eye-Fi's WiFi SD tech
It's hard enough to get noticed in the camera storage market, and while Eye-Fi's 2GB WiFi SD cards have certainly gotten some play, the company is teaming up with Lexar to promote the tech to a larger audience. From what we can tell, Lexar won't be making any changes to the core product, just lending its brand name, but details are slim at the moment. Lexar will be showing off Eye-Fi's stuff this week at CES, maybe they'll let some release info slip in the coming days.
Lexar introduces Crucial-branded SSDs
The SSD market is starting to get pleasantly crowded -- Lexar just announced a new line of Crucial-branded SSDs in both 32GB and 64GB capacities. The 2.5-inch SATA drives will offer sub-1ms latency, and Crucial will also be offering an external drive enclosure and 3.5-inch internal bay kit, which will allow you to pull your drive and take it with you on the go. No pricing is available yet, but Crucial says these'll hit sometime in Q1.
Deal of the Day: 4GB Memory Stick for $40
While we'd love to get our hands on a 8GB Memory Stick Duo, our wallets cringe at the sight of its steep price tag. Thankfully, 4GB cards continue to plummet in price. Fry's is offering a Lexar stick for only $40, including shipping. 4GB is more than enough space, even for videophiles that like to encode their videos in full resolution. As these sticks continue to slowly decline in price, one wonders when a 8GB card will be as affordable as this.[Via IGN Boards]
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.
Lexar adds capacity meter plus to JumpDrive Secure II
Lexar just added another USB flash drive with an E-Ink capacity meter to their lineup: the JumpDrive Secure II Plus. In fact, that meter is the only thing differentiating this product from their JumpDrive Secure II with 256-bit AES encryption. Well, that and a higher price tag. The new drives are in stores now in capacities up to 4GB with an 8GB version "coming soon." We tracked a 2GB model down online for $50, we're sure you can do the same.
Lexar rolls out 4GB, 8GB, and 16GB ExpressCard SSDs
We already knew that Lexar had an 8GB ExpressCard SSD up its sleeve, but it seems that the company just can't get enough of that high-speed solid state storage, today announcing 4GB and 16GB cards in addition to officially announcing the 8GB model. From the looks of it, both the 4GB and 8GB models will give a peak data transfer speed of 250 MB/s (we assume the 16GB will be the same as well), with all three coming bundled with Lexar's auto-backup software, and each ready for use with Vista's ReadyBoost feature. While the whole lot of them are supposedly shipping now, there only appears to be pricing details available for the 4GB and 8GB models, with them setting you back $130 and $200, respectively.
Lexar's 8GB ExpressCard SSD sneaks on the scene
While Lexar does a fine job competing in the flash memory arena, it appears that the outfit is giving it a go in the solid state disc realm as well. According a marginally descriptive product page, Lexar is offering up an 8GB ExpressCard SSD, which should go nicely above that 120GB PCMCIA NAND drive as you attempt to cram more storage into peripheral slots than inside your laptop's casing. Moreover, the device features a peak data transfer rate of 250Mbps, and while it doesn't appear to be available for shipment just yet, it'll run you a penny under $200 when it formally launches.[Thanks, Anthony P.]
Lexar intros 300x UDMA CompactFlash cards, readers
Lexar has already given its SDHC cards a boost this year, and the company doesn't seem to be wasting any time bringing its CompactFlash offerings up to speed as well, today introducing a series of new 300x UDMA CompactFlash cards, as well as a pair of card readers to go along with 'em. Available in 2, 4, and 8GB varities, the cards are said to be 125% faster than the company's current CompactFlash cards, delivering a sustained write time of 45MB per second. To hit that top speed, however, you'll need to use them with a UDMA-enabled device, which are currently a rare breed, although Lexar says it expects "several" UDMA-enabled digital cameras to be announced later this year. In addition those mystery cameras, you'll also be able to get the most out of the cards using one of the two UDMA card readers Lexar's set to release this spring, available in your choice of FireWire or USB 2.0 models for $80 and $50 respectively. The cards themselves should also be released about the same time, although Lexar doesn't seem willing to spill the details on how much they're gonna cost just yet.Read - Photography Blog, Lexar Professional UDMA 300x Memory CardsRead - Photography Blog, Lexar UDMA Card Readers
Lexar touts 4GB, 8GB SDHC cards
Lexar announced today that it will be releasing SDHC cards in both the Platinum II and Standard lines in 4GB and 8GB capacities, which should hit "later this year." The 4GB Platinum II, which are rated to sustain transfers of 9MB per second, will retail in February for $100, while its Standard counterpart will cost $80. We're not sure how much the 8GB cards will cost, but we're hoping it won't be more than double, because that would be just plain silly.