Buffalo Japan rolled out a 2 terabyte variant of its MiniStation HDPNTU3 portable HDD series. Models in the series are characterized by fast USB 3.0 SuperSpeed interface, and a shock-absorbing internal drive frame that lends higher shock tolerance, although Buffalo stopped short of mentioning the exact shock tolerance figure. The new variant (model: HD-PNT2.0U3-GBJ) provides 2 TB of unformatted capacity, and supports USB 3.0, which eliminates interface bottlenecks. It relies on the same connection for power. Its feature-set includes Buffalo's Turbo PC software, which speeds up drive access by up to 2 times; and native 256-bit AES data-encryption. Measuring 82 x 118 x 22 mm, the MiniStation weighs about 260 g. It is expected to hit stores by late-June, priced at 31,080 JPY (US $392).

Buffalo Japan released a new LS-VL series home NAS model, LS-V4.0TLJ, which packs 4 TB of storage, a faster CPU, and software with a new web-access (remote-access over internet) feature. The single-drive NAS is designed for home convergence, with support for a large variety of entertainment devices such as 3D HDTVs, with support for DTCP-IP, providing recording features. Gigabit Ethernet is its only network interface, while it features USB 2.0. Measuring 45 x 175 x 156 mm (WxDxH), and weighing about 1 kg, the device draws about 24W of power under typical load. It is priced at 46,725 JPY (US $585).

Buffalo Japan launched the DiskStation HD-PATU3, a new external hard drive that features two high-bandwidth interface options, USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt, letting you use it without interface bottlenecks on both PCs and Macs. The HD-PATU3 comes in two capacity options, 500 GB and 1 TB. The drive is entirely bus-powered, and does not require an AC adapter. The drive comes pre-formatted to the Mac-friendly HFS+ file-system, but can be re-formatted to Windows-friendly file-systems such as NTFS or ex-FAT. Buffalo did not give out pricing information.

Buffalo Japan introduced a sleek new wireless keyboard, SRKB05BK. The keyboard provides a 103-key QWERTY Japanese/English layout, including a number pad, while maintaining slim dimensions of 384 x 124 x 19 mm (WxDxH), weighing about 526 g, comparable to wired keyboards. Its key-pitch is 19 mm, with a key travel (stroke) of 2.7 mm. The SRKB05BK draws power from two AAA-size batteries, which last for up to 6 months under typical office usage (provided alkaline batteries are used). It communicates with a host PC over 2.4 GHz radio band, using a USB micro-receiver (included). A variety of computing platforms, including Sony PlayStation 3, are supported. Slated for early-June, the SRKB05BK is priced at 7,035 JPY (US $90). The micro-receiver (model: SRDW03BK) is also available separately for 1,320 (US $17), around the same time.

Buffalo Technology, a global leader in the design, development and manufacturing of wired and wireless networking and network and direct attached storage solutions, today announced the TeraStation 5000 series of high performance network storage solutions.

Following last week's announcement of the enterprise-class TeraStation 7000 series, the 5000 series currently consists of the two-drive TeraStation 5200 and the four-drive TeraStation 5400. Equipped with the powerful Intel Atom D2550 dual-core processor, the TeraStation 5000 series provides supercharged performance and offers an array of business class features including iSCSI, replication and failover support and SoleraTec Phoenix RSM, a video surveillance asset management solution.

Buffalo launched a new line of SSDs that incorporate MRAM (magnetic random access memory) caches. The caches provide increase tolerance to power loss, and momentarily hold data that's being transacted between the drive and the host, which buys the controller some time to prevent data loss, when the power goes down. Pictures suggest that Buffalo could have SSDs in both SATA and IDE flavors. So far, MRAM cache is the only distinctive feature of a new line of SSDs Buffalo is working on, which it will unveil a little later, at the Embedded Systems Expo (ESEC) 2012.

Buffalo Inc. has this week announced the HD-IN1.0TS, a 2.5-inch hard drive with a 1 TB storage capacity. Suited for mobile applications, this 1 TB drive has a SATA interface, a one-year warranty, it comes bundled with Acronis True Image HD, and is set to start shipping in early May. The HD-IN1.0TS will cost about $219.

Buffalo unveiled its latest line of stylish wireless mice for desktop PCs, with battery life of up to 18 months, under the SRMB04 series. Available in six 2-tone glossy color options, the SRMB04 are right-oriented 5-button scroll mice, with 1500 DPI optical sensors. The mice are loaded with aggressive power-management features that turn off the sensor in short intervals of activity, to conserve power. Measuring 73 x 110 x 41 mm (WxDxH), weighing about 74 g (without battery), the mice take in two AA-size batteries to run. These feature rubber-padded scrollwheel and side thumb-rest. Slated for late April, the SRMB04 mice are priced at 4,620 JPY (US $56.6).

Closely trailing I-O Data, Buffalo Japan launched its portable Blu-ray XL writer drive, the BRXL-14U3. The drive implements USB 3.0 to ensure there are no bandwidth bottlenecks to affect buffer overrun protection, which writing discs at high speeds. Speaking of speeds, this drive is capable of writing BD-R single layer at 14X, double-layer BD-R at 12X, triple/quadruple-layer BDXL-R at 6X, and BD-RE XL at 2X. It features DTCP-enabled disc writing, with its bundled Buffalo DiXiM BD Burner 2011 software. Cyberlink-made Blu-ray 3D playback software is included. Slated for late-April, the BRXL-14U3 is priced at 23,205 JPY (US $286).

Buffalo Inc. has today unveiled the SSD-PEU3 family of external solid state drives. Coming in two color versions - red and black, these SSDs measure 98 x 57 x 13 mm, they weight 70 grams, and feature a glossy finish, and a USB 3.0 interface enabling transfer speed of up to 266.7 MB/s.

The SSD-PEU3 drives are backed by a one-year warranty and are set to become available at the end of this month priced at $105 (64 GB model), $168 (128 GB) and $392 (256 GB).

Buffalo Japan introduced the RMSD-C6SA series of Class6 microSDHC cards. Pictured below, the cards are available in capacities of 4 GB (RMSD-4GC6SA), 8 GB (RMSD-8GC6SA), 16 GB (16GC6SA RMSD), and 32 GB (RMSD-32GC6SA). As Class6 devices, transfer rates of at least 6 MB/s are guaranteed. The packages include adapters that convert these cards into standard-size SDHC cards. Compatibility with devices such as the Nintendo Wii, 3DS, DSi, and DSii, is guaranteed. The 4, 8, 16, and 32 GB variants are priced at 2,880 JPY (US $34.6), 3,880 JPY (US $46.7), 8,880 JPY (US $107), and 17,880 JPY (US $215), respectively.

Buffalo Japan also introduced the BSKBB11SV wireless keyboard, today. The keyboard uses Bluetooth 3.0 to communicate with its host, making it compatible with several kinds of computing devices apart from PCs, such as tablets, convertibles, and smartphones. Measuring 258.5 x 128.5 x 8.5 (WxDxH, with its risers retracted), and weighing 255 g, the keyboard features an 83-key QWERTY Apple layout, with Apple Mac OS X command key. The keyboard is technically of a common-membrane type, with 18 mm key pitch, and 2.2 mm key travel (stroke). Slated for market release in late-March, the BSKBB11SV from Buffalo, will be priced at 8,400 JPY (US $102).

Buffalo unveiled three new lines of mice, the BSMBLW01 (5-button wireless), BSMBLW02 (3-button wireless) and BSMBLU02 (3-button wired), which feature laser trackers that work on glass and other polished surfaces. The BSMBLW01 features a tracking resolution of up to 1,650 dpi. It measures 58 x 95 x 37 mm (WxDxH), weighing 60 g (without batteries). It requires two AAA-size batteries, and uses a 2.4 GHz radio band micro-receiver. The BSMBLW02 is a 3-button design, with a 1,600 dpi sensor. It measures 66 x 97 x 40 mm, weighing 59 g. Like the BSMBLW01, it needs two AAA-batteries, and packs a micro-receiver. Lastly, there's the BSMBLU02, which is essentially a USB-wired variant of the BSMBLW02, which doesn't needs batteries, and hence weighs 59 g. The BSMBLW01, BSMBLW02, and BSMBLU02, are priced at 6,300 JPY (US $76.6), 5,617 JPY (US $68.3), and 4,200 JPY (US $51), respectively. They are pictured in the same order, below.

In addition to the 14x flagship mentioned earlier, Buffalo is also readying the release of another Blu-ray writer, a portable model known as BRXL-CSPI6U2-BK. Set for a late March arrival, the new, external drive measures 133 x 15 x 133 mm, it weights 240 grams, it features USB connectivity (dual cables are available), and offers write speeds of up to 6x for BD-R SL/DL, 4x for BDXL, 2x for BD-RE/BDXL RE, 8x for DVD-R/+R/+RW, 6x for DVD-R/+R DL/-RW, 5x for DVD-RAM, 24x for CD-R and 16x for CD-RW.

The BRXL-CSPI6U2-BK will cost $258.

Buffalo Inc. has today announced the world's fastest internal Blu-ray writer, a drive called BRXL-14FBS-BK which is capable of burning single-layer BD-R discs at up to 14x speed. Seen below, Buffalo's new optical drive has a SATA interface, it takes up one 5.25-inch bay, and also offers writing speeds of 12x for BD-R DL, 6x for BDXL, 2x for BD-RE, 16x for DVD-R/+R, 8x for DVD-R/+R DL/+RW, 6x for DVD-RW, 5x for DVD-RAM, 48x for CD-R and 24x for CD-RW.

The BRXL-14FBS-BK is bundled with DiXiM BD Burner 2011 and a heap of CyberLink software (PowerDVD 10, PowerDirector 8 HE, PowerProducer 5, Power2Go 7, InstantBurn 5, PowerBackup 2, MediaShow 5) and is scheduled to ship (in Japan) at the end of this month priced at about $232.

Buffalo Japan announced two new lines of memory card readers that take advantage of the USB 3.0 SuperSpeed interface, the BSCR09U3 series, and the BSCRD04U3. The BSCR09U3 has a typical desktop form-factor, it measures 85 x 13 x 49 mm (WxDxH), weighing about 35 g. It supports a variety of media formats, including SD/SDHC/SDXC (standard, mini, and micro), MS-Duo, M2, CompactFlash, and XD Picture Card, with zero interface bottlenecks.

The BSCRD04U3, on the other hand, resembles the shape of a flat highlighter pen. It measures 33 x 15 x 69 mm, weighing 17 g. Once uncapped, it can be plugged directly to a USB 3.0 port, or extended via a cable. This reader only supports SD/SDHC/SDXC (standard, mini, and micro). Both card readers are available in black and white options. Slated for April, the BSCR09U3 is priced at 3,402 JPY (US $41.8), while the BSCRD04U3 goes for 2,826 JPY (US $34.7).

Buffalo Inc. has today announced the SSD-NS/PM3P series solid state drives featuring a Marvell controller and Toshiba-made MLC (multi-level cell) NAND Flash memory. These SSDs have a 2.5-inch form factor, a SATA 6.0 Gbps interface, 256 MB (on the 128 GB model) or 512 MB (256 and 512 GB drives) of DRAM cache, TRIM and NCQ support, they deliver transfer speeds of up to 500 MB/s, and are backed by a three-year warranty,

Buffalo's drives come bundled with a 2.5-inch to 3.5-inch adapter and are priced at $300 (128 GB), $588 (256 GB) and $1,112 (512 GB). The 128 GB and 256 GB models will go on sale in Japan in mid-March while the 512 GB SSD will follow soon.

Buffalo announced a large selection of wireless mice and keyboards, compatible with its new "Simpring" (or so it's called) wireless receiver, which can connect up to five wireless peripherals at the same time, needing a single USB port. The receiver is similar to Logitech's Unifying receiver.

Wireless mice launched includes the SRMB01 series of right-hand oriented 5-button mice available in six color options, priced at 4,200 JPY (US $52); the SRMB02 series ambidextrous 3-button mouse with a matte surface, priced 3,465 JPY (US $42.75), and available in similar color options; and the SRMB03 series of ambidextrous-looking 5-button mouse (back/forward buttons located on its left-side, making it right-oriented in the true sense), priced 4,200 JPY (US $52).

OEMs are readying USB 3.0 PCIe add-on cards based on the reference design "USB3.0R-P2-PCIe", which will be sold through several vendors such as Buffalo. These cards take advantage of the new Renesas μPD720202 chipset, which is known to be more cost-effective, faster, and power-efficient than the μPD720200A, which it succeeds. The μPD720202 features a 40% performance boost over previous generation, the card has a redesigned circuit that reduces electrical leakage when in power-saving mode, when the chip consumes about 4.5 mW. The card gives out two USB 3.0 ports, and draws power from a 15-pin SATA power connector, instead of 4-pin Molex or Berg connectors. The PCB is compact, half-height, and hence low-profile capable. Cards should include low-profile brackets.

Buffalo Japan also launched the HD-AMC3.0TU3 / V family of external hard drives that can record TV. Available in 3 TB, 2 TB, and 1 TB capacities, these drives can be programmed to independently record TV while you're away, so you can catch up with your favourite programmes later. Since the native logic of the drive has address-space limitations, the drive can be switched between a virtual partition mode, where the logic sees the installed 3 TB HDD as two 1.5 TB partitions, letting you switch between the two when recording, or as a single solid 3 TB volume that can be accessed by PCs with support for large address-space. This mode doesn't apply to the 2 TB and 1 TB models. The drive also has an LED-based indicator that gives you a rough measurement of the free-space left. The drive connects to DTV over interfaces localized to the markets it's selling in, it connects to the PC over fast USB 3.0 interface. Buffalo will launch these drives in early March, pricing was not revealed.

Buffalo Japan introduced a new line of portable HDDs, under the MiniStation HD-PCT1TU3-BWJ. This series is actually a re-launch of a previous MiniStation series, which was discontinued as supplies of hard disk drives began to dwindle at the wake of the devastating Thailand floods that affected HDD foundries. What's changed between the older drives and these is the higher price, and changed warranty policy. The drives take advantage of the USB 3.0 SuperSpeed interface, and use a single cable for both power and data transfers. Measuring 77 x 114 x 14 mm (WxDxH), these drives are available in piano-black and pearl-white color options. The drives come in two capacities, 500 GB (priced at 12,075 JPY / US$150), and 1 TB (priced 16,485 JPY / $206). Buffalo will start shipping these in early-March.

Buffalo Japan released a set of colorful new USB 2.0 hubs under the BSH4U17 series, to expand the ever more limited number of USB ports notebooks come with. The hub is bar-shaped, and comes with a short USB 2.0 cable to the host. It features nail mount holes so it could be hung up to walls. Measuring 93 x 38.5 x 14 mm (WxDxH), the hub weighs about 40 g. It is available in four color options: piano-black, pearl-white, hot-pink, and indigo, all priced at 1,720 JPY (US $21.5).

Buffalo has this week revealed the latest additions to its MiniStation line of portable drives, the HD-PZU3 Series models which feature USB 3.0 connectivity, 256-bit AES hardware encryption, and a rubber case and internal shock-absorption system offering high impact resistance (the HDDs meet the US military drop-test standards MIL-STD-810F 516.5).

Buffalo's rough and tough drives measure 89 x 18 x 128 mm, they weight 230 grams, have a built-in USB cable, and are backed by a one-year warranty. The HD-PZU3 Series will debut in mid-March with 500 GB (~ $198) and 1 TB (~ $252) HDDs colored in 'Deep Red', 'Indigo Black' and 'Dark Silver'.

Buffalo Japan released two new lines of portable HDDs to the market, that are capable of recording TV (compatible with DTV specifications), without needing a set-top DVR. The drives feature LSI-made native transcoders that record TV programs as they're streamed on to a recording format and quality-setting of your choice, which can later be transferred to the dozen-HDD data reservoir on your PC.

Launched today are the HDX-PNU2/V, a 2.5-inch drive that come with TV-mounting kits that let you mount them on to TVs' VESA mount (through its holes or through a stand that attaches the TV to the wall); and the HDX-LSU2/V, a 3.5-incher that lazes around on a table-top. The HDX-PNU2/V is available in capacities of 500 GB and 1 TB, priced at 13,800 JPY (US $175) street-price and US $149 manufacturer-price, (street-price will be way higher), respectively; while the HDX-LSU2/V is available in 1 TB, 2 TB, and 3 TB models, priced at priced at 13,800 JPY (US $175) street-price, US $149 manufacturer-price, and 22,800 JPY (US $289), respectively. The drives connect to a PC over USB 2.0, and draw power over an AC adapter when connected to a TV.

Buffalo Japan announced a new DriveStation external hard drive with the ability to record TV, the HD-LS1.5U2J. The drive provides 1.5 TB of storage, and can be programmed by a PC to perform scheduled TV recording with the PC turned off. When not recording or serving a PC, the drive enters into a low-power state that cuts power draw by 97%. When connected to PC and idling, the eCOManager software takes over, and spins down the hard drive while keeping other electronics awake. The drive connects to a PC over USB 2.0. Measuring 39 x 189 x 123 mm, the drive weighs about 1 kg. Slated for market release in mid-February, the DriveStation HD-LS1.5U2J will be priced at 18,690 JPY (US $242).