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SimpleTech announces 512GB and 256GB 3.5-inch SSD drives
You know how it is, five minutes ago we were not aware of our dire need for 512GB of ridiculously fast NAND storage, but it's all so clear now: there can be no substitute. SimpleTech has announced the Zeus-IOPS SSD 512GB and 256GB SSD drives, which offer up the largest flash drive capacities we're aware of in a 3.5-inch enclosure. Performance ain't no slouch either, with SimpleTech claiming 200x performance over 15,000 RPM enterprise hard drives, with better reliability to boot. SimpleTech wouldn't come clean on an exact price, but it expects prices for SSD to drop to $2 per GB by 2012, meaning that in five years you can get one of these 512 giggers for the low, low price of $1,000 -- and we're guessing around ten times that when the drive launches in Q3 2007. The 256GB is available now.[Thanks, Kelly]
Stealth Imaging unveils 120GB PCMCIA NAND hard drive
By now, it's probably safe to assume that you've found a peripheral or two to occupy your previously lonely ExpressCard slot, but if you're still miffed when it comes to the oh-so-overlooked PCMCIA slot, Stealth Imaging's got your answer. During NAB 2007, the firm announced that it would be offering up a 120GB NAND solid-state hard disc drive in the form of a CardBus Type II adapter, which would check in at 86-millimeters long and 5-millimeters thick. Furthermore, the device will reportedly sustain 132Mbps read / write rates, sport random seek times of under 50-nanoseconds, and consume "less than one-third of the power used in a typical spinning HDD." Unfortunately, there was no word on when the Windows / OS X compatible device would grace store shelves, but you can start cleaning the dust out of that PCMCIA slot now in preparation.[Thanks, Kevin]
Samsung unveils quick 64GB SSD
Oh sweet mother of solid state disks, Samsung just birthed another. Their new 1.8-inch 64GB SSD not only doubles the capacity of their current offering, it's said to be up to 60% faster than their existing SLC NAND-based 32GB SSD to boot. Mass production of this 1.8-inch drop-in replacement for hard disks is expected to begin in Q2. Fine, but hey, Samsung, in case you haven't noticed SSDs are already plenty fast enough in comparison to the conventional hard disks they are meant to replace. So how 'bout bringing us consumers bigger and cheaper SSDs based on your new MLC NAND instead of your lickity-quick SLC NAND? After all, Sandisk and Toshiba are breathing down your neck on this one. Thanks for listening.
SanDisk intros 2.5-inch 32GB SSD hard drive
No, SanDisk's latest offering in the ever-populating SSD realm is far from the largest, but just a tick after releasing a 1.8-inch edition, now the firm is unveiling a laptop (and external enclosure) friendly 2.5-inch flavor. The SanDisk SSD SATA 5000 2.5-inch is touted as a "drop-in replacement for the hard disk drive," and also boasts the durability that purportedly comes with being a fifth-generation product. Additionally, the NAND-based drive features a sustained read rate of 67-megabytes per second, reportedly enabling it to boot Windows Vista Enterprise on a lappie in "as little as 30 seconds." Of course, SanDisk didn't mind flaunting the low power consumption on this one either, as it boldly proclaims the 0.9-watts used during "active operation" as being nearly half as conservative as typical drives. While we're not exactly sure just how much these things will run the average consumer just yet, they are supposedly shipping to computer manufacturers now at around $350 a pop.[Thanks, Vinit]
Intel prepping line of NAND flash drives
Intel has already made its NAND affection pretty clear, but the company's now officially made things official, announcing that it's hopping into the crowded storage market with its own line of solid state offerings. Catchily-dubbed the Z-U130, the drives will come in 1GB, 2GB, 4GB and 8GB varieties to start with, boasting read and write speeds of 28MB per second and 20MB per second, respectively, with a standard USB 2.0/1.1 interface hooking things up. While you won't be able to buy one to do as you please with, Intel certainly doesn't seem to think the drives will be lacking for homes, foreseeing them being used in everything from laptops, desktops, and embedded applications to handheld systems and video game consoles, in each case promising to boost start-up times and reduce power consumption. According to Intel, the 1GB and 2GB drives are already in production, with the 4GB model set to follow in April and the 8GB not expected until December. While it's not getting specific on pricing just yet, Intel says the 4GB drive should be priced below comparable 1.8-inch drives by the second half of this year once production ramps up, with the price expected to come in line with 2.5-inch drives by 2008. Not so clear, unfortunately, is when we might see some drives larger than 8GB.
Future Macs could be flash-based
Bloomberg is contemplating the future of Apple laptops this morning. Specifically, flash-based laptops with no internal hard drives.It has been suggested that Apple would use NAND flash memory chips in their machines, which are still much pricier than slim hard drives. Of course, NAND chip manufacturers are all for it: "It would be positive for flash memory makers in that new demand can be created from diversified applications,'' said James Song, an analyst at Good Morning Shinhan Securities Co. in Seoul.It sure would be nice, as laptops could become much thinner (consider that the iPod nano is 80% smaller than a 80GB iPod), lighter and have less moving parts. Plus, we can already boot OS X from a usb flash drive, so why not?Thanks to everyone who sent this in!
Prober P360 GPS / PMP handheld does it all
These fanciful all-in-one devices just don't seem to come Europe or North America's way very often, and unfortunately for most, Prober's P360 doesn't seem to be breaking that mold anytime soon. Packing a respectable mix of multimedia and GPS capabilities, this pocket-friendly device packs a 3.5-inch touchscreen display, 400MHz Samsung S3C2440A processor, 64MB of NAND Flash ROM, 64MB of SDRAM, WinCE 4.2 runnin' the show, a SiRF Star III chipset, and a built-in speaker to boot. Furthermore, you'll find a dual-mode map for wrapping your brain around POI locations, voice guidance, a rechargeable five-hour Li-ion battery, SD card slot, USB 1.1, wired remote / headphones, audio out, and the ability to play back WMV, WMA, and WAV files on the AV front, while handling a bevy of snapshot formats and even boasting a text viewer. Unfortunately, we've no idea how much the P360 will run folks who are lucky enough to acquire it in four to six weeks, but just know that most of the world will probably envy you.[Via NaviGadget]
Sandisk intros 8GB iNAND embedded flash drive
It may not be 16GB, but Sandisk's new embeddable 8GB NAND flash drive is still pretty darn spacious as far as these things go, so much so that the company's deemed it necessary use an extra letter to fully express the drive's expansiveness. Dubbed the "iNAND," the drive is fully JEDEC-compliant (that's Joint Electron Device Engineering Council, for those that have better things to memorize) and SD bus-compatible, designed for use in just about anything that needs to cram a lot of storage into a small space, including cellphones, PDAs, MP3 players, and GPS devices. It looks like we'll still have to wait a while before we see one of these actually turn up in a device, however, with SanDisk only just now distributing engineering samples for testing and evaluation, with mass production slated to get underway sometime in the third quarter of this year.[Via Tech Digest]
Toshiba-SanDisk claim title to highest-density 16Gb NAND flash
Take that Samsung! Toshiba and their partners in NAND, SanDisk, just announced what they are calling the highest available density of single-chip MLC NAND flash memory. The new 8Gb (1GB) NAND will be available in commercial shipments starting later in Q1 with 16Gb (2GB) NAND on the way in Q2. Presumably, this is the technology at the guts of SanDisk's new 32GB+ SSDs hitting OEMs this spring. Great, but Sammy maintains bragging rights to the fact that they were smart enough to bring 50-nanometer technology to market whereas Tosh tried and failed with a relatively less complex 52-nanometer technology -- Tosh's new single-chip NAND relies on 56-nanometer technology instead. Now, we're not going to pretend to be experts in NAND fabrication, but we fail to see how 56-nm technology produces a higher density than Sammy's 50-nm processes. So who's right? Who cares! Just as long as the trend towards cheaper, faster, and smaller flash memory continues. [Via AVING]
PQI's 64GB SSD with SATA connector: a world's first, twice
PQI just announced the availability of their 64GB, 2.5-inch drive -- doubling the size of current SSDs packed in either 1.8-inch or 2.5-inch IDE enclosures. That's news, big news in and of itself. But these drives are also the world's first to sport SATA. That's right, thick juicy SATA which should make it possible to do a one-for-one swap with your existing laptop's spinner. So check it DV editors, before the end of the month you too will have access to ultra-fast flash for your video. No word on pricing yet, but 64GB of NAND on a SATA interface will likely buck the trend of falling SSD prices. Temporarily anyway.
Fortuna NaView GPS-610B gets thumbs-up from FCC
With all these foreign-based GPS units suddenly making their way stateside, we're thrilled to see yet another Taiwanese navigation device get that coveted FCC seal of approval. The latest to pave its way to North American soil is Fortuna's NaView GPS-610B, and while we only truly know that it'll sport an SD / MMC slot, built-in stereo speakers for MP3 playback / turn-by-turn guidance, rechargeable battery pack, external antenna connector, car mounting kit, mini-USB support, integrated microphone for handsfree use, an audio out jack, and a four-inch touchscreen LCD, we suspect it'll resemble the GPS-600 pretty much to a T. If it does, you'll find a SiRF Star III receiver, 64MB of onboard NAND memory, 64MB of SDRAM, a Samsung CPU, and an optional Bluetooth transceiver. Per usual, those FCC documents aren't spilling any beans regarding pricing or availability, but it shouldn't be too long until the GPS-610B can enjoy the American air (and mile-long traffic jams).[Via NaviGadget]
SanDisk announces 32GB SSD: prices begin to fall
If yesterday's announcement by Samsung was a tiny step in the direction of solid state disk (SSD) ubiquity, then today's announcement by SanDisk is a freakin' leap. That's right, the big bad daddy of consumer flash -- SanDisk -- joins Samsung and TDK today with a 32GB SSD drive all their own. The 1.8-inch SSD delivers a sustained read-rate of 62MBps and a random read rate of 7,000 inputs/outputs per second (IOPS) for a 512-byte transfer – more than 100 times faster than most hard disk drives. Fine, but the most notable detail in the press release is the price. According to SanDisk, their 32GB SSD could increase the end-user price by "around $600" when released in laptops computers in the first half of 2007. That's down -- way down -- from the $900 to $1,400 premium we were paying for SSD equipped gear. Come 'ere, group hug all.
Samsung's high-density 16Gb NAND flash released: cheaper, faster SSDs on the way
We're chomping at the bit for Solid State Disk (SSD) drives in our laptops here at Engadget HQ. The durability of flash coupled with the cut in weight, extended battery life, silent operation, and boost in boot and sleep recovery times almost makes us dig deep -- really deep -- for the luxury. Well, SSD ubiquity takes a tiny step forward today with Samsung releasing their new high-density (50-nanometer) 16Gb multi-level cell (MLC) NAND flash memory modules for sample. These modules are destined for SSDs, external memory cards, or for packing into the latest "world's slimmest" cellphone. Samsung's first 50-nm NAND modules double the read speed of conventional MLC NAND (not SLC NAND) while increasing write performance by 150%. Mass production begins in Q1 2007 which will undoubtedly bring along a drop in price to the existing, not-exactly-lethargic 32GB SSDs already loosed on the market. Oh tiny wafers of mobility, how we love thee.
ATP intros 4GB ProMax MMCplus HC flash card
While the NAND-based MMCplus format hasn't exactly reached SD status in terms of universal acceptance and recognition, ATP is unveiling a 4GB high capacity (HC) flavor to level up with its 4GB ProMax SDHC card. It sports a speed rating of 166x (25MB per second) and was designed to "maximize the performance of next generation digital devices requiring larger capacities and higher transfer rates" such as quick-shooting DSLRs. The card is also resistant to "water and extreme temperatures," but similar to shoving an SDHC card into an SD-only reader, the HC format can't be utilized by earlier MMCplus readers. Unsurprisingly, pricing and release information isn't readily available, but you'll probably see these in memory shops soon.
Samsung develops 16-chip multi-stack package technology
We already knew Samsung was working on PRAM as an alternative to the slightly more common NAND flash memory, and now the mega corporation has unveiled a way to cram 16GB of storage onto an 8Gb NAND chip. Improving on its current 10-chip MCP, the leaner, meaner 16-chip multi-chip package technology slimmed down the overall thickness of each fabricated wafer to just 30 micrometers (about the size of a human cell), and trimmed the height down to 1.4 micrometers (previously 1.6 micrometers). All this "wafer thinning, layer redistributiing, chip sawing, and wire bonding" technology allows engineers to increase the number of chips stacked vertically in order to yield a higher density module with heightened storage capacity. While Samsung didn't mention how quickly we can expect these beefed up NAND units to hit the market, we can't envision it holding off too long considering the competition.[Via TGDaily]
Holux intros compact GPSmile 52 Car Navigator
Holux's newest offering sports a lightweight, near-borderless design that's sure to draw a smile from aesthetics gurus, while the longevous battery life should keep even the most long-winded trekkers on track. The GPSmile 52 Car Navigator should feel right at home on a dashboard or in a hiker's palm, as the 9.5 x 7.7 x 2.2-centimeter enclosure and 6.3-ounces of heft shouldn't pose too much of a burden on the average weary traveler either way. The device is powered by a modest 200MHz Centrality Atlas processor and boasts a SiRF Star III antenna, 3.5-inch touchscreen, 32MB of NAND flash memory, 64MB of RAM, integrated speaker, SD slot, MP3 playback, USB 2.0 port, and a PDF / JPEG file viewer. Although no fancy connectivity options like WiFi or Bluetooth are found here, Holux claims "8 to 10" hours of realizable battery life from the rechargeable 2600 mAh Li-ion cell, which would be fairly impressive if it refrains from erupting in your hand. Although we aren't sure of details concerning pricing or availability, we don't expect the GPSmile 52 to deviate too far from all its oh-so-similar competitors when it hits store shelves. [Via NaviGadget]
Transcend announces 4GB and 8GB SDHC cards
Sure, it's not the first first 8GB SDHC card, but Transcend's is the, uh, second. Really, that's about all we can tell you about this class 2 card which, like their 4GB SDHC card also announced, means you'll get a guaranteed minimum data transfer rate of just 2MB/sec compared to Pretec's 8GB SDHC which touts access speeds up to 20MB/sec. Sorry no ship date or pricing information at this time but the Pretec is shipping this quarter for $299 if that's any consolation. [Via Impress]
Flash-based MacBooks next year?
Buzz has been flying for a while now around the hard drive's belated evolution into flash-based drives, much like the solid-state memory found in the iPod nano. Engadget has of course been covering this NAND flash memory for some time, while manufacturers have been demoing real-world notebooks that use them as early as March 2006. The advantages of these drives are far better power usage (meaning: much longer battery lives), faster seek times (meaning: stuff works faster), vastly improved durability (no moving parts) and even some claim "instantaneous" OS booting.This all gets interesting when considering Apple's position, as they have one of the largest reputations with NAND flash memory manufacturers among PC makers, due to the success of the iPod. Sure, Samsung has been showing off their own flash-based notebook prototypes, but that's because they're cheating - they're one of the largest manufacturers of NAND memory. Apple's close relationship with these manufacturers is leading many to speculate that they could be one of the first manufacturers with a flash-based notebook, even as early as 2007, especially since Samsung is already selling commercial models with at least 32GB NAND drives baked in.This is, of course, speculation, and when speculation comes from the rumor gurus, you'd darn well better take it with at least one, if not two, grains of salt. Besides, back in March, a 32GB NAND flash drive cost $900 alone at $30/GB. With the way things move in this industry, prices should undoubtedly be at least a little better by now, but the question of when they become appealing enough for manufacturers like Apple to start including them as standard parts is anyone's guess. If anything, I'll bet that we'll start seeing rumors of NAND-based MacBooks at Macworld San Francisco 07 once the season kicks in. Stay tuned.
Imation's USB bracelet goes 1GB
You know those USB flash drive bracelets no one is wearing? Well, consider 'em bumped to a full 1GB in your choice of 8 colors to match you collection of ironic T-shirts. And if you feel like branding your enslaved wage donkeys, you can even order in bulk replete with your own corporate logo. On sale in Japan starting September 21st. Good times.[Via Impress]
TDK's 32GB Solid State Disk joins the party
Samsung's been hogging the Solid State Disk limelight for months with their 32GB SSD first peeped at CeBIT. So it does our invisible hand some good to hear TDK launch their version of the 32GB SSD, albeit in sample quantities only for the time being. TDK's unit connects to a standard IDE connector yet measures in at 80 percent the size of standard 2.5-inch laptop drive. And like the Sammy SSD, we expect to see some blazin' reads and writes with better protection against shock, faster OS boots and sleep recovery times, longer battery life and reduced weight when TDK gets around to mass production. So for now, all we really want to say is welcome to the party TDK. Now how 'bout driving down that premium pricing, mkay?
