NETGEAR, Inc., a global networking company that delivers innovative products to consumers, businesses and service providers, today announced a new portfolio of networked-attached-storage (NAS) products which run on the newly developed ReadyNAS OS 6. These revolutionary devices are built on a custom platform designed as "storage made easy" for both the home and small to medium-sized businesses (SMB). NETGEAR also unveiled a suite of new downloadable applications for these products on the genie+ marketplace.

With a sleek new interface and a rich set of embedded or easily downloadable applications, this NAS storage portfolio pairs the latest in performance and scalability with cutting-edge technologies such as unlimited snapshots and cloud-managed replication, which dramatically reduces any possibility of data loss. Once again, NETGEAR is taking features and capabilities previously available only from expensive, large-enterprise vendors and lowering the cost while dramatically simplifying deployment and manageability to provide users with affordable, powerful, and reliable NAS storage.

Seagate Technology plc today announced Seagate Business Storage, its newest network-attached storage (NAS) product line for small office / home office (SOHO), remote mobile office (RMO) and small to medium-sized business organizations (SMBs). To address the changing needs of growing businesses, Seagate Business Storage delivers centralized backup, data protection and remote access to critical business information in capacities ranging from 2 TB up to 16 TBs.

For business collaboration and backup protection, the new Seagate Business Storage provides a secure cost-effective solution that works well with existing cloud backup and online sharing services. Business Storage's centralized backup capability takes the guesswork out of providing employees with backup protection and sharing across multiple computing platforms. Designed to backup all PC and Mac computers in an organization to a single centralized location, this new NAS includes backup software for Windows PCs and is also compatible with Apple's Time Machine for backup of Mac OSX computers.

The Storage Products Business Unit of Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. announced that a leading German luxury car manufacturer is now shipping its vehicles standard with Toshiba's MK2060GSC 200GB Serial ATA automotive hard disk drives (HDD), marking 26 million automotive-grade HDDs shipped. Toshiba has led innovation in the automotive sector since launching its first automotive-grade HDD in 2000, and is the leading vendor in the automotive storage market.

By 2016, more than 55 million people worldwide will have Internet access built into their vehicles, according to iSuppli Corp. Sophisticated navigation and entertainment systems, smartphone and tablet integration, and Internet connectivity are all features that consumers rely on to enhance their in-car experience, and these systems depend on reliable, shock-resistant HDDs to operate. Toshiba works in partnership with premier automotive manufacturers to provide best-in-class storage devices that can withstand severe road conditions, the growing quantities of data embedded in a vehicle's systems, and users' demands for constant connectivity to stream high-definition movies and update their navigation systems simultaneously.

Seagate Technology plc today announced, its next-generation, networked home storage solution, Seagate Central shared storage, the first storage device to feature a Smart TV app for access to files on the big screen. A CES 2013 Innovations Honoree, Seagate Central delivers automatic backup for the entire home, access to digital movies and music from networked devices, as well as remote access from outside a home network. Seagate has also taken a new step in making Central storage a low-profile horizontal design, which takes cues from home entertainment and looks great in any living room.

Simple, Central Multi-Computer Backup

Seagate built this product for simplicity. By focusing on the number one need for homes with more than one computer, Seagate designed an easy, centralized backup for each computer in the home, regardless of operating system. Seagate retooled the software and user experience for the Seagate Central shared storage so that it seamlessly provides a backup for each system on a home network, even in a mixed platform environment of Windows OS and Mac OS X computers. In addition to automatic and continuous backup of all the computers in a home, Seagate Central can also backup photos and videos directly from Facebook, a feature first introduced in the award-winning Backup Plus line of external drives.

Today LaCie announced the 5big NAS Pro, its latest high-performance 5-bay network-attached storage solution powered by Intel. Thanks to hybrid cloud technology, the LaCie 5big NAS Pro lets employees collaborate easily using a single interface for both network/cloud storage and remote access. Plus, data stays secure thanks to novice-friendly SimplyRAID and client-side cloud encryption.

Fast Professional Collaboration
With transfer speeds up to 200 MB/s, the LaCie 5big NAS Pro boosts business productivity. Powered by a dual-core 2.13 GHz Intel 64-bit Atom processor and 4 GB RAM, it also features dual LAN and link aggregation for optimized network speeds. This performance-driven combination accelerates file sharing, remote access, and backups for small businesses.

Storage and application processor maker Marvell Technology has been ordered by a Federal Jury in the US state of Pennsylvania to pay a local university $1.17 billion in damages for patent-infringement. Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) developed and patented a technology that "increases the accuracy with which hard disk drive circuits read data from high-speed magnetic disks," which Marvell has been found to be infringing. Why $1.17 billion? Because these chips are an indispensable component in modern mechanical hard disk drives, made by both Seagate and WD, among others.

If and when US District Court Judge Nora Barry Fischer agrees with the Jury ruling that Marvell's infringements of CMU's patents are "willful," the fine could triple, according to K&L Gates. The jury found that Marvell sold "billions" of chips carrying the University's technology. What makes this verdict important for the PC industry is that since Marvell's HDD components are widely incorporated in HDDs across various brands, should CMU seek a sales-ban, it could potentially affect HDD production the way last year's unfortunate floods in Thailand did.Sources: CNN, arstechnica, Image Credit: The Register

Kingston Digital Europe Ltd, an affiliate of Kingston Technology Company Inc., the independent world leader in memory products, today announced a new 128 GB capacity addition for the Wi-Drive product line.

The 128 GB Wi-Drive allows even more sharing on Wi-Fi enabled devices and is a perfect addition to the existing 32 GB and 64 GB capacities. With integrated Wi-Fi and four hours of battery life, Kingston Wi-Drive offers easy file sharing and pocket-sized portable storage for Wi-Fi enabled devices such as Apple iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, Android devices, Kindle Fire and more.

Drobo, maker of award-winning data storage products for businesses and professionals, today announced the Drobo 5N, the latest in their new lineup of ultra-modern, high-performance storage systems. The Drobo 5N, a sophisticated, network-attached storage (NAS) device, extends Drobo's traditional ease-of-use with increased performance and data protection enhancements for personal and professional users who want a fast, easy, and ultra-reliable file sharing and backup experience over the network.

Like the recently introduced Drobo Mini and Drobo 5D, the new Drobo 5N features Drobo's patented BeyondRAID and Data-Aware Tiering technologies, to deliver capacity, performance, and data protection that have traditionally been reserved for more expensive, enterprise-grade storage.

Sonnet Technologies today announced the Fusion R400S RAID, a 1U rackmount, four-drive hardware RAID 5 storage system with an eSATA interface. The Fusion R400S RAID integrates a high-performance RAID controller for maximum versatility, critical data protection, and speedy file transfers, and its eSATA interface provides single-cable-to-host connectivity. Low-noise fans make this product suited for use in noise-sensitive environments.

Available in 8, 12, and 16 TB configurations, the Fusion R400S RAID SATA storage system features an internal RAID controller that supports RAID levels 0, 5, and 10, plus JBOD and Clone modes, offering maximum flexibility to configure the drives. Configurations include maximum capacity (RAID 0), data protection with optimum performance (RAID 5), most concurrent audio file editing (JBOD), or fast cloning of up to four drives concurrently (Clone mode) when it is necessary to send each drive to a different location for security. Selecting the RAID mode requires no application software and is simply a matter of setting a switch. Onboard RAID support eliminates the need for a specialized RAID controller card. For those who prefer to configure with separately sourced drives, Sonnet also offers a 0TB version of the R400S RAID, enabling the customer to separately purchase drives that best suit their needs.

Worldwide external disk storage systems factory revenues posted year-over-year growth of 3.3%, totaling just over $5.9 billion, in the third quarter of 2012 (3Q12), according to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Disk Storage Systems Tracker. For the quarter, the total disk storage systems market posted just under $7.9 billion in revenues, representing 3.7% growth from the prior year's third quarter. Total disk storage systems capacity shipped reach 7,104 petabytes, growing 24.4% year over year.

"The external disk storage system market continues to exhibit steady growth, posting solid third quarter factory revenues of just over $5.9 billion," said Liz Conner, senior research analyst, Storage Systems. "End users continue to invest in storage infrastructures despite persistent concerns surrounding global and regional economies. Helping to drive the worldwide market in the third quarter was the double-digit growth in multi-protocol storage architecture and strong demand for upper mid-range and high-end storage."

Toshiba Electronics Europe (TEE), Storage Products Division has today announced that the SlimFITT HDD is now available to buy from select distributors across the EMEA region. With 900 GB of capacity and a spindle speed of 10,500 RPM, the drive provides enterprises with a dependable, high speed drive for business critical data.

The SlimFITT model of the 2.5-inch (6.4 cm) SAS drive is mounted in a 3.5-inch frame making it ideal for blade and rack mount servers accustomed to larger form factor drives. Its small form factor has the added benefit of lower energy consumption, helping businesses to cut down on energy bills.

HP today announced industry-first innovations for its Converged Storage portfolio that break through complexities and inefficiencies with a single architecture for all sizes of client deployments. Designed for virtualized, cloud and big data retention environments, these solutions include new HP 3PAR StoreServ Storage, HP StoreAll Storage and HP StoreOnce Backup product offerings.

Many organizations waste as much as 70 percent of their budgets on capacity that is not actually storing data while administrators struggle to manage dozens of disparate storage architectures. This creates a rigid sprawling infrastructure that often forces organizations to choose between features and affordability.

Have you ever thought of yourself as an IT warrior experiencing all sorts of extremes and obstacles in this technology jungle? If so, an ultimate anti-shock portable hard drive is your must-have tech. gadget. SP/Silicon Power, the world's leading provider of memory storage solutions today presents an ultimate rugged USB 3.0 portable hard drive – Armor A15. Protected by a shock absorbent silica gel cover, A15 is built to withstand shock and vibration, avoiding data lost in high impact movements. Featuring one-touch backup function and specialized software, this ultra rugged portable hard drive takes your data storage experience to the next level for enhanced security and convenience.

Inherited shockproof protection from the Armor series, SP Armor A15 is built in a shock-resistant silica gel case, increasing friction from falling off from slippery surfaces. On top of that, jagged shaped grips on the two sides are exquisitely designed for users to better hold of the drive. The internal suspension system structure makes Armor A15 function properly, without risking a chance of losing data. When it comes to data security, A15 has passed the test in compliance with stringent US military MIL-STD-810F (transit drop test), giving users a full range of protection when you accidentally drop it on the ground.

Kingston announced that it will enter Vegas next year all guns blazing, at the 2013 CES, held in January. The company plans to showcase new lines of SSDNow- and HyperX-branded SSDs, and PC memory, in addition to new "wireless storage expansion gadgets." In all likelihood, these are additions to Wi-Drive line of wireless SSDs. At its booth, Kingston will also be exhibiting StarCraft II finals, running live product demos, and let visitors meet its design team. CES 2012 starts in the week of 6th January.

JEDEC Solid State Technology Association, the global leader in the development of standards for the microelectronics industry, and the Open NAND Flash Interface Workgroup (ONFI) today announced the publication of JESD230 NAND Flash Interface Interoperability Standard (Package). This jointly developed document defines a standard for NAND flash device interface interoperability. JESD230 is available for free download from both www.jedec.org and onfi.org.

JESD230 addresses signaling descriptions, packages, definitions, abbreviations and conventions, and is backwards compatible with existing technologies to the greatest degree possible. The standard will help enable the design of interoperable systems that can support Asynchronous SDR, Synchronous DDR and Toggle DDR NAND flash devices.

The "A-Drive", one of the world's thinnest 5 mm hybrid hard drive in a 2.5" form factor, was officially launched by Mr. S. Iswaran, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office and Second Minister for Home Affairs and Trade & Industry, to commemorate the Data Storage Institute's (DSI) 20 years of R&D in the area of data storage capabilities.

The "A-Drive" represents the next generation of storage innovation providing capacities of up to 1 TB Hard Disk Drive (HDD) with 32 GB Solid State Drive (SSD). This potentially allows the "A-Drive" to store over 250,000 songs in its 5 mm body. The "A-Drive" also addresses limitations of the popular, yet expensive, flash-based SSD, as well as the conventional HDD for the consumer and business industry.

Drobo, makers of award-winning data storage products for businesses and professionals, today announced the general availability and shipping of the Drobo Mini and Drobo 5D. The Drobo Mini and 5D products are the industry's first storage arrays to include high-speed Thunderbolt connectivity, USB 3.0, automated tiering that supports solid state drives (SSDs), enhanced reliability features and true storage-array portability. The new products are designed to intelligently and seamlessly use high-performance SSDs with hard disk drives (HDDs) to rapidly accelerate workflows for creative professionals managing rich-media catalogs and Mac enthusiasts who need fast, high-capacity and portable storage.

"With the Drobo Mini and 5D, we're adding speed to Drobo's well-known ease-of-use. They are the industry's first storage arrays that automatically and affordably mix and match high-speed SSDs, HDDs and Thunderbolt support," said Tom Buiocchi, CEO of Drobo. "We created these products with the needs of creative professionals and Mac enthusiasts in mind. They're faster and more reliable than ever before."

Famed around the globe for NAS (network attached storage) and NVR surveillance solution, QNAP's cloud-based network storage product, the TS-x79 series, features consistent high-security, high-reliability, handy-to-use and high-efficiency tradition, along with guaranteed VMware ready, Citrix ready and Microsoft Hyper-V compatible certification. The TS-x79 series has become the best storage option for high-end SMBs to go for virtualization cloud. This series ensures stability, security and performance due to the adoption of Apacer's USB disk module as startup disk.

With the consumer availability of Microsoft Windows 8 operating system, Seagate Technology plc is helping to make the move as seamless as possible for those making the upgrade. Seagate Backup Plus family of drives is the essential upgrade tool to ensure that all your important files make the move with you. All of Seagate's external storage devices are compatible with current Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP, and will also work with the new Windows 8 OS.

According to Gartner's Forecast Analysis: PC OS Market, Worldwide, 2008-2015, 2011 Update, July 2011; "By the end of 2012 it is expected that 9.6 million of the installed base of personal computers will run Windows 8 and by 2013, it is predicted that 193.2 million personal computers in use will be running Windows 8."

Expanding its portfolio of cloud-enabled products, D-Link today announced its latest ShareCenter 2-Bay Cloud Storage 2000 (DNS-320L), offering a centralized storage solution with remote sharing, streaming, and management capabilities.

Delivering a complete home and small business cloud storage solution, the D-Link Cloud Storage 2000 enables users to remotely and locally download and upload files, delete files and folders from their storage device, and access files stored on their ShareCenter from any computer via the mydlink.com portal. Plus, with a free app for iPad, iPhone and Android devices, users can now easily view photos, and stream music and videos from their ShareCenter directly to mobile devices from anywhere in the world.

Seagate Technology plc. today introduced SuperSpeed USB 3.0 to the award-winning Backup Plus storage for Mac. Currently available through Amazon.com and from Apple Stores in November, both Backup Plus Portable for Mac and Backup Plus Desktop for Mac drives will feature the new USB 3.0 interface, which is also compatible with earlier USB 2.0 ports. This new interface means faster transfer of data, so you can backup more quickly, up to 10x that of USB 2.0, via TimeMachine or simply transferring a file from a computer to external storage.

Selected as the Editor's Choice portable external drive by PC Magazine, Seagate Backup Plus hard drives were first introduced in June of this year. Designed to work interchangeably with both Windows and Apple computers, these new drives deliver features to protect, share and save nearly every aspect of one's digital life. Seagate Backup Plus products include a software feature that makes them the world's first external hard drives to provide a way to backup content from social networks, such as Facebook and Flickr. The Seagate Dashboard software included on Backup Plus for Mac drives delivers a quick and easy path to Save and Share personal photos and videos on Facebook and Flickr.

Iomega Corporation, a global leader in data protection, today announced the worldwide availability of the latest additions to Iomega's award-winning lineup of network storage solutions: the new Iomega StorCenter px2-300d Network Storage, a high performance, Intel Atom powered double-drive desktop network storage device with up to 6 TB of storage; and the new Iomega StorCenter ix4-300d Network Storage, the next generation of Iomega's popular StorCenter ix Series of versatile and easy-to-use four-drive desktop network storage appliances.

Designed for advanced users, small offices, small to medium-sized businesses and distributed enterprise, Iomega's new StorCenter px2-300d and StorCenter ix4-300d utilize EMC's award-winning LifeLine operating system for cross-platform file-sharing with seamless integration of security and convenience features such as RAID data protection, hot-swappable hard drives (only with the px2-300d), virtualized environment support, multiple cloud options for offsite data storage, antivirus protection (Only on px2-300d), Active Directory integration, advanced media sharing features and more. Both products are shipping with the Iomega's very latest LifeLine release 3.4, which delivers significant enhancements and new features like improved Active Directory Support, a more efficient EXT4 file system, added MySQL Server support and added video surveillance capabilities.

Although the near-term prospects for ultrabooks have dimmed significantly, the solid state drives (SSDs) employed by these next-generation notebooks and other products are so diversified in their uses and so compelling in their value proposition that their growth outlook has decreased only slightly.

SSD shipments in the first half of this year amounted to 12.9 million units, according to the IHS iSuppli Memory & Storage Service at information and analytics provider IHS. Shipments reached 10.5 million in the third quarter and will rise to 17.5 million units in the fourth, amounting to a total of 28.0 million units in the second half—more than double the total shipped during the first six months of the year, as shown in the figure below. This is down from the previous forecast of 13.0 million in the third quarter and 20.0 million in the fourth.

Drobo, makers of award-winning data storage products for businesses and professionals, today introduced several new models of its fast-growing family of business storage systems. Included in the group are both higher- and lower-end models of Drobo's flagship product, the Drobo B1200i, which features a unique patent-pending tiering technology that allows customers to easily and affordably enjoy both the performance benefits of SSD technology and the capacity of traditional hard drives (HDD) in a single system.

The new models, which include several higher-capacity and lower-priced versions of the Drobo B800 series, also embrace 3 TB hard-drive technology, giving Drobo customers even more affordable capacity with the traditional Drobo ease-of-use.

Everyone knows the very famous Atom based NAS N4800. Following the success brought by the N4800, Thecus is now announcing the new N4800Eco. The N4800Eco features some of the best characteristics from the N4800 like the Intel Atom processor, USB 3.0 ports, eSATA port, HDMI output and dual display. This very powerful NAS will become a must-have for all small and medium businesses in need of centralized storage, application serving, and top-notch response time within multi-user environments. For the more demanding users, the N4800Eco will also have its use at home.